A huge step backwards for the series.

The problem is that the level design is so unforgiving and linear that most players won’t bother to see all the graphic panache the game offers.

Blades of Time is a mediocre game, with an inventive combat system utilizing time manipulation. Dreadful writing and one of the most annoying protagonists in a dog's age dampen its charms, while the puzzles between combat show a dearth of creativity.

Suffers from a lack of replay value: Once you get the hang of its flawed controls, it is possible to get a gold medal in each event within an hour or so of play, leaving little reason to ever touch the game again.

There's not nearly enough depth or substance to the game to recommend it. SoE is a game full of sound and fury, signifying a rental at best.

A lackluster follow-up to the exceptional Generations, particularly because the enhancements here are non-existent.

For most gamers the only enjoyment you'll get out of the game will be mocking it with your friends.

In terms of visual presentation the game is a total letdown, with flawed 3D graphics that even at their best are not all that striking or impressive.

The tedium, bugs, and simplicity of the game itself outweigh much of the value the game offers in its size or even its faithful translation of the 3rd Edition rules, making this Pool of Radiance but a shallow reflection of the earlier classic.

A gorgeous boilerplate game with little innovation and many sections of tedious play.

Amazing Island is the sort of game that lies tantalizingly close to the edge of coolness, yet remains firmly on the side of mediocrity.

While Strike Force is not without its share of interesting features, they are lost in substandard visuals, controls, and level design.

Ratatouille doesn’t do anything to avoid the curse of licensed games, and the Xbox 360 version feels especially unfinished thanks to the horrible hit detection issues.

There’s a ton of unlockable mini-games, items, explosions, and levels. It’s hard to find shooters aimed at kids, so on that level, Bionicle is an ok choice. Older gamers, however, will want to pass this one by.

This is one of those games that will remind you that, many times, your imagination is the most powerful console.

The game gets points for presentation but falls short when it comes to gameplay.

Unfortunately, when the best part of a game is the absurdly vulgar audio, there's definitely a problem in the overall design.

Combine one part action, one part tactical strategy, and one part dodgy AI, add a pinch of RPG-style customization, wrap it up in a third-person perspective, and what have you got? Cold Zero has its good moments, but they are few and far between.

Warpath isn’t horrible, but it is incredibly uninspired. The design is, on every level, lackluster, as if the developers were so sick of the genre that they didn’t even try this time.

I was looking forward to it, but left very disappointed. It’s completely playable. Being about 7 hours long helps but I spent the entire game waiting for it to get good, to make sense, to make a case for all the incongruous elements of design, gameplay and story, and then it ended.

A prime example of a cellar dweller that should simply pack it in before it embarrasses itself. Like the Kansas City Royals, MLB is doomed before the season even begins.

It borrows or attempt to borrow conventions from several popular shoot-'em-'ups, but in the end it's just a confused mess that's not very fun and not very impressive.

Despite selling for a steal, Space Raiders barely justifies the price of admission. Hard-core audiences will scoff at the game's wasted potential.

The rather simple controls lack any sort of considerable depth that would keep the game interesting. In fact, most of the time, just hitting random buttons will pull off some pretty impressive punches, kicks, and flips.

Amusing enough for an Old West-themed shooter, but the so-called new features are either gimmicks, or, as in the case of the auto-aiming, outright annoying. The game is decent for the most part, but doesn't do the great subject matter justice.

Warpath isn't horrible, but it is incredibly uninspired. The design is, on every level, lackluster, as if the developers were so sick of the genre that they didn't even try this time.

When it comes down to it, The Darkest Faerie plays like a Zelda knockoff and looks like a Spyro ripoff. Save for the mote system, there really isn't anything interesting going on, which would be fine if the execution were better.

The game is also short. It shouldn't take you more than a day to complete the 13 levels. Though after tediously walking through gray room after gray room it could feel more like a year.