By no means a completely wasted effort, just one that fails to live up to its alluring potential.

It's technically flawed in some key ways, but the biggest sin that Resistance: Burning Skies commits is its top-to-bottom lack of ambition.

Its attempts to stand out are partially successful at best, but solid production values and a lower than average price tag could be agreeable to people predisposed to this type of gameplay.

Even the bosses are cliché. They’re all pattern-based, take three hits to defeat, and are unlikely to pose a challenge for anyone but the younger set who will find some of the platform action too hard.

The multiplayer modes are adequate, though fairly superficial. Even kids will have problems making it through the single-player element simply to unlock characters and skins.

This package should make any arcade lover happy.

The action and violence are satisfying enough to make the game marginally recommendable, but only barely. Add in the complete lack of any multiplayer options, a terrible ending, and Clive Barker’s Jericho feels like a game where the good parts are overwhelmed by the shortcomings.

Fans of the character and the action sequences will likely find plenty to enjoy, but anyone expecting something more will be disappointed.

A short diversion at best -- not something you should spend your hard-earned cash on.

The controls just aren't responsive. You'll never feel like your player is doing what you want, when you want.

Need for Speed: Undercover is a game that both satisfies and disappoints on a regular basis. While the chases provide top-notch thrills and spills, you can’t help but feel like you’ve just done it too many times to really care anymore.

Even factoring in the many heart-pounding battles with gangs of bloodthirsty zombies, there's no denying that most of the game is spent walking around hallways trying to find a key or some other random object.

On paper, it's got the potential to be more than a match for "San Andreas"; in practice, it's nowhere near it.

The humdrum gameplay won't convert anyone. Clumsy combat with fists or firearms makes up the majority, and the rest of the game is usually a glorified switch and key hunt... and not a particularly complicated one, either.

It's kid-friendly and quirky at the same time, extending its appeal to pretty far reaches. Legacy of the Spirits may not be the king of GBA role-playing games, but it still deserves to hold court.

With its kickin' mid-'90s visuals, unintelligible voice samples, and total lack of coherence, Mobile Light Force 2 is the videogame equivalent of a cheesy, late-night kung fu flick.

A more robust story line, more variety in combat, and greater length would help a lot. But the game is still extremely enjoyable for what it is -- a hack-and-slash weekend time filler.

Even though its list of features, modes, and wrestlers outshines most, it lacks a solid gameplay engine to provide a firm foundation. Because of this, most players won't find enough here to compete with the more rewarding action found in THQ's WWE titles.

What could have been the modern equivalent to classic bizarre Japanese shooters like Parodius is instead a one-trick pony.

Ancient Wars: Sparta just isn’t an enjoyable game. The only reason it’s not getting one star is because technically, the game is very proficient and quite polished.

The controls just aren’t responsive. You’ll never feel like your player is doing what you want, when you want.

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows’ biggest issue, however, is its short length. Each of the game’s 16 levels can be completed within 10 minutes--10 extremely repetitive minutes--and there is no incentive to revisit past stages due to the lack of hidden features or bonuses.

Playing through 18 holes takes way too long. Because you have to wait while everyone takes a turn, you’ll spend too much time doing absolutely nothing during these multiplayer rounds.

Between graphics, story, and gameplay, we want at least two out of three to drive us to complete the large undertaking that is playing an RPG. Lunar excels at none of the above.

Hard-core GT fans who love the intricate, inchworm tactics that can make racing a science will find some budget fun here, but others run a serious risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Yes, the collision is iffy, and yes, the platform elements are vicious at times, but the end result is still better than, say, the majority of games based on, ahem, that other Matt Groening license.

A beautiful game. Much like its predecessor, AquaNox 2 sets a new high water mark (heh, heh) in graphics. High end PC gamers are in for a real treat. It doesn't hurt that the game plays well too. Yet the single player campaign just isn't all that long.

The most distinguishing feature of Duelists of the Roses is that the game is really freaking hard.