The bottom line is that if you get stuck with Bright Lights! Big Screen! this holiday season, there's no reason to despair.

Forty stages feel more like four hundred due to slogging painfully from one to another.

A weak in the knees one button beat-em-up that has absolutely no teeth. The fighting engine is so watered down that only geeking Marvel fanboys will elicit any enjoyment out of spending any time with it.

A tragic shame. The game offers up incredible potential, both for new creative possibilities in design and in unorthodox but engaging controls using the AR and camera feature of the 3DS.

Despite the game’s clumsy story progression and repetitive werehog combat, it manages to be the best Sonic game released in recent memory. This is thanks mostly to the excellent hedgehog levels that evoke memories of classic Sonic titles while still managing to feel fresh and new.

This is a fun – though very sloppy - war experience for the PSP, especially if you've got PSP-owning friends to experience it with in co-op.

It's more fun than I thought it would be.

You’ll breeze through this game in about two hours and have nothing left but three mini-games pulled directly from the story and perhaps a few collectibles to find. A real travesty when you consider that watching the film takes just about as long but is much cheaper.

The deliberate pacing and educational value of simulating forensic investigations makes for a great adventure-style gameplay.

With such a dynamic premise, there is no reason this game couldn't have outshone the movie.

All of the races and objectives are fun to explore but leave no lasting impression. They don't compel you to want to replay them for any reason. Think of this game as nothing more than a series of half-hearted mini-games involving the Teutul family, who by the sounds of things, don't seem to be particularly interested in this game either.

Outside of the excellent split-screen and online multiplayer experience, Conquest doesn't substantially distinguish itself from games in the franchise released five years ago, and this holds the overall experience back.

Those wanting an action game will be disappointed at the lack of action while the strategy and RPG aspects are too shallow for the sophisticated gamer.

If you like hack n’ slash gameplay, the game’s many different modes will keep you playing for quite awhile. It’s just too bad this title sticks so firmly to this singular gameplay aspect.

Racing game of the year? Definitely not. A decent effort that will entertain kids and tide fans of the movie and original game over until Cars 2? Definitely.

While there's enjoyment to be had here, it is fleeting and often devolves rapidly into frustration and boredom. I feel bad saying that, because the folks at Danger Close seemed intensely passionate about their work and there's simply so much potential in here, but it clearly needed more time if it was to develop into anything truly unique and compelling.

The multiplayer frustration might leave a bad taste in your mouth, but it shouldn't detract from the fact that the campaign in Top Gun: Hard Lock is a heck of a lot of fun.

Boogie Bunnies is a pretty good Live Arcade title for fans of games like Bejeweled and Hexic who aren't necessarily looking for anything new. The problem with this game really comes in when veterans of these puzzlers realize that this game is almost a clone of these previous titles.

But the improvements to the classic design are substantial, and they really make the gameplay more accessible.

The animation is well done and the various blows look like they actually have some impact but since nothing changes from point A to point Z, it won't matter after awhile.

A little Lost goes a long way with diehard fans. So, while I wished there were some deeper gameplay moments or a longer adventure (the game clocks in at about seven hours), I couldn't imagine, as a Lost fan, not playing this game and loving what it has to offer.

The tutorial sets the stage for a pleasurable experience, but shoddy game modes, AI, and visuals kill the moment.

You could easily rent this game over the weekend and be done with it.

I really have no idea why this game was made so short. You can make it through the story mode in an afternoon.

The Infinity Gauntlet may be geared towards a younger demographic, but it certainly has potential to attract an older audience with its recognizable cast and witty scripting.

Quantum of Solace feels like a real missed opportunity. With a little more time and effort, the Call of Duty 4 engine could have been optimized for the system, eliminating much of the jaggedness and slowdown you’ll experience while playing the game.

While Explorers of Sky would be a decent game if it were judged in a vacuum, when viewed alongside Explorers of Time / Darkness, there simply isn't enough unique, quality content to make it relevant. This is perhaps one of the worst values in gaming I've ever seen.

Playing as your favorite Saiyan is always a little fun, but it wears off quickly. You can play through several storylines from the show, but they are little more than a string of fights. All-in-all, pretty boring.

Even die-hard fans of Ghost Rider may be offended by this game attempting to pass itself off as representing the Spirit of Vengeance.

The best tip of all is to avoid this one altogether.

I can tell you right now that only those willing to devote a big chunk of their life to this game will reap any significant rewards from it. And by the looks of the few people online I would say that there's not too many gamers willing to devote massive amounts of time to such an experience.

An extremely unbalanced game... forgettable.

Exploration is as good as ever, and the Wii Remote mini-games, from cooking to building to foraging for food, are solid. But the problem with the health gauges really detracts from the experience, and it’s getting more and more difficult to overlook that problem as we see it in game after game.

The game is relatively short but the replay value has been artificially inflated by limited saves that force you to start over when you lose your life.

If you get through it once, you won't want to re-live the experience.

The combat is kind of strange. It doesn't seem congruent given the subject matter. It's like adding a new book to the Bible called, Popeye.

With gigantic fighting robots and fast-paced, streamlined, arcade action, Virtual-On Marz makes the perfect game for beginners and vets alike looking for some straight-ahead mindless fun.

The limited gameplay itself is solid enough to warrant a few hours of space combat, but as a Star Trek title, Conquest simply doesn't live up to expectation.

It's a solid platforming adventure that does not involve much depth, but definitely gives fans of the series, as well as the younger sect, a game they can enjoy.

It’s got a long way to go, and I haven’t even ragged on the fact that there are no multi-player modes. I may not be so nice when it comes to Volume 2. Average. At best.

Despite finding quite a few things that proved substantially irritating at different moments, the battle-heavy action does indeed scratch an itch.

The real crime of FaceBreaker is that its gameplay is so bad and the A.I. is so cheap that the game's excellent create-a-player feature can't really be enjoyed. Who cares how many cool characters are available in a game that is insanely frustrating to play?

The mini-games aren't addictive enough. It's more of a daily exercise for those with enough willpower to follow through.

I just hope in the next game they amp up the free roam capabilities and truly allow us to dive into the world of the robots from Cybertron.

Imagine an aging Max Payne with debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, failing eyesight and prone to fits of epilepsy. That's what you can expect when you play as Jack Slate in Dead to Rights: Reckoning...This game gets no points for trying. Dead to Rights: Reckoning, in no uncertain terms, sucks.

Poor mechanics and collision detection hamper the experience. An excruciatingly asinine mini-game that makes repeat visits throughout the story throws an additional road block up, and its only shameless function is to pad the length of a game that is over in about two hours.

An arcade-simple, flight combat game that's loaded with action and is fun to play. But it also is repetitious and has "budget game" written all over it.

There is just so little content and the levels are so repetitive that Wild Things spends its cache of charm in the first few minutes, and once its gone, you'll be left asking yourself one question: When did the Wild Rumpus get so boring?

The only thing that proved to be memorable about this game was how terrible it was. From the broken controls to the mysteriously disappearing audio, this game should definitely be avoided, even for die-hard fans. Although it might be tempting to play a game based on such an awesome series, the game channels none of the amazing spirit of the show.

The bottom line is that if you get stuck with Bright Lights! Big Screen! this holiday season, there's no reason to despair.

Whether it's the floaty and complicated vehicle handling, the confused radar, the repetitive nature of the missions, or the random and surprising difficulty spikes, Planet 51 gives players (especially younger ones) a multitude of good reasons to stay away.

Although I will admit that the gameplay, which is based on a card collecting game, can be addicting, this game has no good reason to be the Xbox... I've seen better graphics on the PSX for crying out loud.

I will never fault a game for not being violent but that doesn't mean it should be void of fun. Even Curios George himself wouldn't find much interest in this game should ever come across it - and as we all know, he's exceptionally curious.

If you can forgive some wonky mechanics and come to the game expecting nothing but light-hearted fun, you'll get your money's worth out of Planet 51.

This game is muddled systemically and its storyline is generally offensive to humanity.

What the game suffers from is an overwhelming lack of personality. The vehicles are generic looking, even for the future, and the rest of the game feels as empty as the abandoned cities the tracks encircle.

The AI follows a scripted battle plan that remains virtually unchanged regardless of what strategies you implement against them. To that end the game doesn't have much of a real-time feel.

Alida is like a gorgeous girl with a low IQ - not unlike Paris Hilton. It's nice to look at but there just isn't very much depth or logic to it.

This game is not worth playing for free. Don't ask for it and don't buy it for anyone except a little bastard that deserves it.

Now that I've had to time to think about it, it seems that the only reason that MX vs. ATV Untamed for the PS2 exists is to force players to purchase the superior version on the superior PS3 system.

Gameplay and storyline trump graphics and sounds everyday of the week. Unfortunately, the story is predictable and the gameplay is tedious. Lair is a classic example of form over function. What a major let down.

Pub Games is really a half-game aimed at those that want to get a jump start on building their Fable II loot. Those looking for a good standalone title are out of luck - far from scoring a jackpot, Pub Games is a complete bust.

Up to 16 people can play online but don't expect that many to show up for a war. Fortunately you can play with as little as one extra person online - and that may be the best you can hope for.

A fun game and is well worth playing through. Unfortunately, you can play through the game in less than eight hours. While brief, most of the game plays fairly well and the quirky characters and jokes will have you laughing out loud at times.

Several of the scenes and environments of the game were too dark and seemed a bit choppy at moments. While Spidey himself looked okay, it was the movements of the enemies and the lack of detail to the environments that may throw you off at times.

Just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into with this version of the game, as this mature character and the teen ESRB rating don't seem to mix well.

There may be plenty of "hours" of gameplay, but when that time is stuffed with pointless dialogue and boring game design, it can't be counted as time well spent.

Pull the sheet over it and give it a proper burial.

It's a WarioWare game and it works with a camera, so it may pique your interest at first. However, it's very short, it won't let you save your goofy pictures or videos, and it's tough to make it work!

Belief & Betrayal is more apt to irritate than titillate. Chances are it will run on your PC, but its humdrum story and unnecessarily tedious gameplay will leave you wondering why you bothered in the first place.

It isn’t that Akaneiro is terrible. It might have been released earlier than it perhaps should have been, lacking gameplay features that would have made its freemium faults less egregious.

While it may seem to be geared toward gamers who just enjoy mindless shooters -- and would therefore be enticed by the game's title -- it will likely be more appreciated by seasoned gamers who can appreciate the game for it's great sense of humor. But aside from that, the largest flaw with Big Willy Unleashed is that it's just not a very innovative game.

The engines are thick sounding and correlate perfectly with the controls. You can hear the differences between the sounds of the various models. The tunes are hard rocking and laced with that heavy-metal-thunder attitude.

Plenty of fun, arcade-style action to be had, even if a little simplistic at times. Replayability may be a problem without future downloadable content to help expand the game. The 12-player limit seems unnecessary.

Xtreme 2 may be tacky but it can be fun the first time through if you play it with the right attitude. You’ll even get some replay value with the multi-player modes but if you just want to ogle women you’ll save yourself a lot of money buying the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.

Overall, Brain Assist is a pretty novel game idea, but 10 mini-games are just not enough to make a game experience feel complete.

If you can get past the voice acting, lack of advancements to the core fighting system, and almost boring micromanagement features, then this latest installment was designed for you.

It wouldn't matter if Brad Pitt and a naked Angelina Jolie starred in this game, it's just not very good. It's a stale platformer in which every element has been dumbed down to its basic component and just barely manages to make use of the touch and dual screen.

Kids beware THQ has made a crumby product in hopes of gaining a quick buck.

What we're left with is two-thirds of a campaign that competently rips off Gears of War, and some multiplayer modes that aren't bad. That's not enough to justify a rental, much less a $60 purchase.

Occasionally good graphics, somewhat interesting mini-games, and a good game concept fail to save Zoo Hospital in light of the fact so much more could have been done to make the game feel more complete. There was a lot of potential for greatness here, so hopefully next time around the developers take the extra time to go the distance.

If the graphics and animation were better on Beyond the Battlebox, this game would stand a chance. Unfortunately it's about as basic as you can get.

Unless you're a hopeless fan of the series and you're excited by the novelty of playing out an episode of the show during its classic phase, then I can't stop you. The rest of you should note that this is just an average game with very few highlights.

There are some bugs which tend to drag it down to the border of un-playability. In some odd way I like the simplistic, old-school design with its pick-up-and-play controls, but I can't help thinking that it could have been so much more.

There's very little to do in this game, and from start to finish it will take you only a few hours. The levels are repeated incessantly, and there is almost zero variety in the missions.

Just another Bust-a-Move game but with Wii controls and repetitive soundtrack and visuals. It doesn't offer improved gameplay or cool unlockables to keep you motivated.

Maddeningly obtuse design more often than not makes Spare Parts an exercise in irritation rather than fun.

Though the 3D visuals undeniably add something to the Splinter Cell experience (and it's nice to have a functional shooter on the 3DS) too much has been stripped away from the core game to make this worth your $40.

It’s not a horrendous travesty that all action RPG players should avoid, and similarly it’s not a stellar blockbuster that all Dark Souls addicts should pick up. It just feels very mediocre and generic. Nothing stands out about the game and nothing really holds it down aside from its graphics at points.

Be leery of the online gameplay, however, as you will face several members of the exclusive Pokémon elite and make it out barely alive. Let's hope that Nintendo's next venture online is a little more player friendly and not just for an exclusive club.

Purge is an average game and as such there really isn't much of an online community despite the game being out for over a month. It's just not catching on.

Freeze Frame Frenzy is short and sweet and most probably not for you.

The score is now at the side to accommodate the smaller screen and the characters are scaled larger than the maze which causes them to clip through the walls. You won't get tagged if you pass by a ghost on the other side of the wall even though it may look as though you made contact with it, but it just looks and feels disconcerting.

The real crime of FaceBreaker is that its gameplay is so bad and the A.I. is so cheap that the game's excellent create-a-player feature can't really be enjoyed. Who cares how many cool characters are available in a game that is insanely frustrating to play?

Despite its many promises, this game falls short, with redundant gameplay, unreliable controls, and lackluster storytelling.

It's not perfect, but it does offer some solid entertainment value despite some flaws.

The single-player campaign is a long, text-filled, boring grind, and the multiplayer is even worse.

There just isn't enough to this title to make it worth 1000 points, and if you need a frenzied shooter fix, you could do a whole lot better than Pirates: The Key of Dreams.