Gamers the world over would thrill to play a soup-to-nuts remake of X-COM, updated with modern tech but otherwise essentially the same. In trying to mimic X-COM but also leverage original ideas, Altar's UFO series has succeeded only in highlighting its shortcomings - shortcomings particularly egregious in this disappointing installment.

If a rogue is one who doesn't fit, doesn't mesh, doesn't belong, than GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is aptly named. It's shallow, empty, tedious, rarely involving or interesting. The Bond license, gimmicky shooters, even hitmen are all shown to much better form in many other games.

Though the game world visuals are sumptuous and the animation in the cutscenes first-rate, the dialogue doesn't play and the puzzles have none of the physical intelligence of the developer's earlier work. Forever Worlds is a huge, huge disappointment.

And like a boring dinner party, as the game wrapped up I found myself relieved that it was finally ending. Except ... well, the game did indeed stop, but as for a satisfactory ending ... you can decide for yourself.

Even though the graphics and sound are splendid, the almost across-the-boards flat acting and boring enemies along with the used and abused game play elements combine for one lame game touting more of the same.

Playing The Final Cut was a similar experience to eating my Aunt Thelma's meatloaf. It's palatable but nothing to rave over.

As a game, I'm afraid, it simply doesn't succeed. Conversational trees are confounding, puzzles are often absurdly illogical, needed inventory items are sometime impossible to locate, and crashes become numbingly disheartening.