Pretty uninspiring stuff, but I guess if you're a parent looking for a (relatively) harmless game to pick up for a small child it might do the trick. I'd like to think your kids deserve better.

In general, the minigames work about as well as Wii games always do: just enough to prevent me from calling them broken.

Think Syfy original movie. [Mar 2011, p.98]

Unfortunately, the good parts like the unlockable skills are obscured by generic enemy designs, monotonous combat and the most tedious boss battles I’ve seen.

The game, however, is a complete disaster, and is just barely playable. The content is definitely worth seeing, but you’ll have to trudge through gaming hell to see it.

Botched DS implementation. [July 2009, p.83]

It's just a long series of boss battles interspersed with dull cuscenes and pointless flying around. [Sept 2004, p.110]

The characters are shallow(amnesia strikes again), and the combat utilizes a clunkier version of the "Katamari Damacy" dual-analog controls. [May 2006, p.101]

If you enjoy making fun of bad movies with friends, the co-op mode might provide you a gaming equivalent, but that’s all it’s good for.

Entwined’s experimental nature reminds me of similar games that I’ve enjoyed, but there’s always a “minus” in the comparison; it’s like Journey minus the community, like Flower minus the message, like Rez minus the action. It is a stylish feast for the eyes and ears, but one that ultimately leaves you hungry.

A far cry from "Doom." The textures are even blockier and the effects entirely lackluster. [Dec 2001, p.118]

If you enjoy making fun of bad movies with friends, the co-op mode might provide you a gaming equivalent, but that’s all it’s good for.

Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t optimized for last-gen consoles, and no amount of interesting side activities can remedy that. On PC, the world lives up to its title as the “City of Dreams.” For Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players, however, their time in Night City is likely a nightmare.

If robots ever do take over, I hope the human race doesn’t succumb to a force this stupid.

If I had more space I could detail the game's numerous flaws in control, design, and AI, but I don't. Thank God. [Jun 2006, p.112]

If Tyler Durden saw you sitting on your comfy couch, and playing Fight Club (possibly over your fancypants internet connection), he would probably hit you as hard as he could. [Jan 2005, p.119]

It has one major flaw - the gameplay is downright appalling. A blind man on ice has more control than your character's general movements. [Jan 2004, p.130]

The original Mafia was well-received at its release, and I’m sure a lot of people remember it fondly. For me, it’s something that’s probably best seen as a foundational statement in a series that got better over time and subsequent entries. As part of the Mafia trilogy, it’s an interesting footnote on what came before. As a standalone game that can hold its own against modern titles in the open-world genre? Fugetaboutit.

Unfortunately, the good parts like the unlockable skills are obscured by generic enemy designs, monotonous combat and the most tedious boss battles I’ve seen.

Pretty uninspiring stuff, but I guess if you’re a parent looking for a (relatively) harmless game to pick up for a small child it might do the trick. I’d like to think your kids deserve better.

Fundamental gameplay mistakes and atrocious designs run rampant through every inch of this miserable PlayStation 2 application. [June 2003, p.104]

The game, however, is a complete disaster, and is just barely playable. The content is definitely worth seeing, but you'll have to trudge through gaming hell to see it.

Like a Quidditch player falling from a broomstick mid-match, this installment loses all forward momentum and goes plummeting toward a faceplant at top speed.

Though the developer has some horror highs in its catalog, The Casting of Frank Stone rests six feet at the bottom of it.

Street Hoops is so bush league it's not even funny. Call it "Barkley Shut Up & Jam 3." [Sept 2002, p.89]

This lack of depth, coupled with the weak combat and repetitive levels, equals a pirate game that won't even manage to steal away an hour of your precious time. [Sept 2003, p.126]

Borderline unplayable due to terrible collision and sloppy mechanics. [Dec 2003, p.174]

Pretty uninspiring stuff, but I guess if you’re a parent looking for a (relatively) harmless game to pick up for a small child it might do the trick. I’d like to think your kids deserve better.

Like a Quidditch player falling from a broomstick mid-match, this installment loses all forward momentum and goes plummeting toward a faceplant at top speed.

You might have some fond memories of this series, but I suggest you avoid eye contact with this game the next time you're at the store. [Feb 2009, p.86]

While Gortys is a fun new addition to the cast, most of the episode feels stale. The action continues to shove annoying quicktime events down your throat, with more chase and combat sequences with no consequences – in fact, at this point I don't I feel like I've made a single significant choice in the series.

Most of this game’s content is in betrayal of the license, and it’s not all smut, either. In one mission, you are tasked with assassinating Fidel Castro, an act that ends up being just as comedic as The Naked Gun’s assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, the intent of this sequence isn’t to make ­players laugh.

I’m sad to see that the Spider-Man games have fallen this far, because the formula once worked exceedingly well. Beenox’s Amazing Spider-Man 2 is trying to cash in on its film’s popularity while emulating many of Treyarch’s touchstones, and in nearly every area, this game is inferior to a title that came out nearly a decade ago.

The PC original had the same problems, but a post-release patch made a marked improvement by adding a useful dodge feature that allowed player skill to overcome some of the horrible combat design. Unfortunately, that addition is not included in the console version. Publisher Deep Silver does not have any plans to release it later, citing the space restrictions "certain first-parties" put on title updates. Between that and the inferior graphics, framerate, and interface, I strongly recommend going with the PC version over this lackluster console port.

The combat is dull, the side missions are uninspired, and swinging around New York has been done to death. Activision probably hopes to attract a crowd of Spider-Man fans who are simply happy to squeeze into the hero’s spandex for a stroll through Manhattan, but even they don’t need to bother with this title, because they’ve probably played it several times over the years.

The PC original had the same problems, but a post-release patch made a marked improvement by adding a useful dodge feature that allowed player skill to overcome some of the horrible combat design. Unfortunately, that addition is not included in the console version. Publisher Deep Silver does not have any plans to release it later, citing the space restrictions "certain first-parties" put on title updates. Between that and the inferior graphics, framerate, and interface, I strongly recommend going with the PC version over this lackluster console port.

ReCore is a poster child for wasted potential. At its heart is a good (though not great) game, marred by long load times, technical problems (including frame rates dips and the occasional crash), and bad pacing. The infuriating and frivolous road blocks may have doubled the length of the 20-hour game, but they also halved my fun.

This formula was a blast back in 2004, but history has been repeating itself for a decade. Unfortunately, Spider-Man’s open-world shtick has been overplayed so many times that his puns look fresh by comparison.

A serviceable platform title that neither offends nor inspires. [June 2002, p.87]

If Tyler Durden saw you sitting on your comfy couch, and playing Fight Club (possibly over your fancypants internet connection), he would probably hit you as hard as he could. [Jan 2005, p.119]

I can honestly say that the CPU AI knows nothing about the sport. [June 2003, p.113]

WWE '12 only introduces a few welcome elements. Setting up opponents for finishers with wake-up taunts is fun, the new comeback moments are a nice way of getting back into the match, players can now target specific limbs during grapples, and new creation options (like the new create-an-arena) make the series more customizable than ever before. However, none of these can make up for the awful Road to Wrestlemania.

WWE '12 only introduces a few welcome elements. Setting up opponents for finishers with wake-up taunts is fun, the new comeback moments are a nice way of getting back into the match, players can now target specific limbs during grapples, and new creation options (like the new create-an-arena) make the series more customizable than ever before. However, none of these can make up for the awful Road to Wrestlemania.

While the cameos are amusing, the games just aren't much fun. [June 2003, p.120]

The developers failed to develop a camera system capable of dealing with the 3D action. [Apr 2002, p.79]

Ultra Despair Girls would be easier to bear if it were just an incidental side story that fans could ignore. Unfortunately, it is important to understanding the world of Danganronpa, but the gameplay and dialogue make you suffer every step of the way.

Some horror games skillfully wield repetition as a tool, letting players grow accustomed to the familiar to set up scares both subtle and cuss-worthy. Unfortunately, Maiden of the Black Water is waterlogged with repeated environments and monotonous phantasmagorical photo sessions.

About the only thing missing is the gameplay. [May 2003, p.55]

Telltale's flawed but entertaining approach to the Back to the Future license left me hopeful for the developer's take on Jurassic Park. Despite some early reservations, I still felt like that goose-bumped 13-year-old boy as the game's opening theme started and Jurassic Park's logo popped on screen. Unlike my younger self, however, I was in for a disappointment. [Jan 2012, p.87]

Even serious fans should rent before buying this half-baked cash in. [Jan 2009, p.77]

The game's complete lack of refinement and polish... renders all of its strengths irrelevant. [June 2003, p.112]

I want to strangle this game with my bare hands. [Dec 2005, p.186]

Beating levels felt more in the realm of schoolwork than satisfying puzzle action. Presentation is very bland and simple, but that somehow doesn’t prevent loading screens between every stage.

Just like a real carnival, you’ll feel cheated more that once playing these virtual simulations, but the real carny scam might be trying to sell this “discount” title for $40.

The gunplay is bland, the graphics are solid but repetitive, and most of the multiplayer aspects can be found in a free patch for "NOLF 2." [Jan 2004, p.157]

Ecco has such great, ocean-worthy graphics; but it plays so, so poorly. [May 2002, p.82]

Living up to a legend is practically impossible, but instead of providing an entertaining experience on its own terms, SolSeraph adheres to an ancient blueprint. It seems content to imitate rather than innovate, but its tedious gameplay can’t even accomplish that. I love ActRaiser, and I can’t blame SolSeraph for failing to recapture the magic of a 16-bit classic. At the same time, SolSeraph doesn’t have much value apart from how it reminds you of a better game you may have played about 30 years ago.

After a cool introductory sequence, things go downhill immediately. [Jan 2010, p.85]

I was deeply frustrated by Ancestors, so it may seem strange for me to say that I found a lot of promise, complexity, and nuance here as well. The novel concept and grand scope are far more appealing than dozens of other action or survival games on the market. This is a deeply flawed but richly imagined effort, but like many ambitious gaming projects at launch in recent years, it can now either die off like the Neanderthals, or evolve into something better from here.

I found myself repeating ("stupid") endlessly as I writhed and winced my way through this lifeless and contrived adventure. [Jan 2005, p.119]

The Legend of Korra is a great TV series that is ripe for a strong video game adaptation, and Platinum has laid the groundwork for an interesting combat experience. However, missteps in balancing, combat timing, and level design add up quickly, and even Korra’s sassy quips can’t pull the game back from the brink.

The developers failed to develop a camera system capable of dealing with the 3D action. [Mar 2002, p.79]

Like a deep-fried supermodel, the scarred beauty of Still Life is sadly buried under inches of unpleasant greasy breading. [Apr 2005, p.136]

A relic of gameplay design that should have gone extinct with the dinosaurs. [July 2008, p.92]

This quirky RPG port of a PSone title has a reworked turn-based battle system that makes the already simplistic experience mind-numbingly dull.

I simply can't imagine anyone trying this [game] for more than five minutes unless they were on illicit drugs. [July 2009, p.86]

Don't think of it so much as a game, but more as an exercise in anger management. [May 2005, p.132]

Most of this game’s content is in betrayal of the license, and it’s not all smut, either. In one mission, you are tasked with assassinating Fidel Castro, an act that ends up being just as comedic as The Naked Gun’s assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, the intent of this sequence isn’t to make ­players laugh. [May 2009, p.82]

If you have such a child in your household, I would do everything in my power to ensure they never catch wind of this game.

This title is notable only in the fact that every single facet of the game is mediocre to bad. Control, graphics, sound; all are very unimpressive. [Apr 2004, p.106]

A relative disaster. The PC version of the game still comes highly recommended, but steer clear of this console iteration.

I found myself repeating ("stupid") endlessly as I writhed and winced my way through this lifeless and contrived adventure. [Jan 2005, p.119]

Disciples III is pretty enough, but it doesn't take long to figure out that there's no soul behind the enticing facade. [Sept 2010, p.95]

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back underwhelms and disappoints at every turn. Bland level design never improves, and tedious boss battles are unrewarding and unsatisfying. Bubsy's return 21 years later could have reminded us why he was once considered a potential peer to the likes of Mario and Sonic. Instead, The Woolies Strike Back only serves to remind us why the mascot hasn't seen a new adventure in over two decades.

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back underwhelms and disappoints at every turn. Bland level design never improves, and tedious boss battles are unrewarding and unsatisfying. Bubsy's return 21 years later could have reminded us why he was once considered a potential peer to the likes of Mario and Sonic. Instead, The Woolies Strike Back only serves to remind us why the mascot hasn't seen a new adventure in over two decades.

Infinite Air offers a lot to like on a conceptual level, but its faulty trick system creates a hole that is impossible to fill.

I love using the right analog to reel in and the left to set the hook, but other than that, the gameplay is pretty drab (and I mean that in comparison to OTHER fishing games.) [Sept 2003, p.121]

Multiplayer is amusing in that hanging out with your friends is fun anyway, but the single-player content is truly terrible. A series of boring one-off challenges punctuated by simplistic exploration and the occasional full game makes up Mario’s quest to foil Bowser Jr. via baseball. Yes, it’s as insipid as it sounds.

I don't want Fe to be the red flag that makes Electronic Arts reconsider the great idea of supporting comparable projects, but nothing about Fe is exciting or interesting.

I consider myself a MercurySteam fan, and even after gleefully closing the game when I saw credits (and deciding the lengthy, extended final quest for the true ending was not for me), I remain a fan. Blades of Fire feels a bit like the developer’s attempt at bringing something new to what has now become the overpopulated Souls-inspired genre. It was unsuccessful in this instance, but some of its ideas around combat and the world it created are exciting. They just couldn’t overcome the parts that made me want to give up on the game.

It tries to tell a story about animals overcoming adversity in a large interconnected forest, but falls short in just about every aspect.

With its distinct art style, melancholy tone, and ambiguous story, Fe tries its best to run with the artistic indie video game crowd. While its heart is in the right place, Fe comes up short in nearly every way, delivering an experience that is frequently frustrating and consistently bland.

The sounds, graphics, and controls are all painfully ported from the PC, and all of them are worse for wear. [Apr 2003, p.89]

Explodemon isn't a broken game by any accounts, but the presentation, controls, and level design are wholly unoriginal and unsatisfying if you enjoy action platformer. Those that dig deep enough may find some fun buried beneath the repetition, but it won't last long. If you're looking for a downloadable distraction on your PS3, there are many more fulfilling options than Explodemon.

This is a fetch quest of unparalleled proportions. [Jan 2004, p.160]

The game's pace is painfully slow, and like most puzzle games of this type, the payoff is far from satisfying. [Jan 2002, p.83]

The races, which conclude each tournament, offer smooth controls and track designs loaded with jumps and tight turns, but given how frequently players get power-ups, they end up being more of a crapshoot of who is dealt the best hand.

I've been a big fan of the series' portable outings in the past, but htis is just a big dud. [Feb 2006, p.113]

If you have such a child in your household, I would do everything in my power to ensure they never catch wind of this game.

With the startling amount of missing content, kneecapped modes, and uneven gameplay in NHL 15, either EA Sports isn't giving EA Canada the same level of resources as its other sports franchises or the development team is woefully incapable of negotiating a console transition. If the publisher doesn't care to put a winning effort into its NHL series, hockey fans have no reason to jump over the boards and buy the game.

At its best, Blade Dancer offers familiarity, along with a half-hearted attempt at multiplayer. [Aug 2006, p.93]

Don't let the allure of authentic arenas and improved NBC-branded commentary fool you - NHL 15 is a colossal disappointment. Missing modes like the six-on-six EASHL, GM Connected, and Live the Life, NHL 15 starts the game down a man. When you add the fact that existing modes like Be a Pro and Be A GM have been fundamentally stripped of essential features, it's downright insulting to hockey fans everywhere.

The one saving grace of Flower, Sun, and Rain is the story. [July 2009, p.90]

Urban Trial Freestyle may throw in the occasional little tweak, but they aren’t enough to elevate the game past the level of a flattering wannabe. If you're into the idea of a platforming-heavy motorbike game, stick with the tried and true Trials series.

The control scheme is poor. While it “works” on a basic level, steering Sonic through levels like an Excite Truck vehicle while flicking the remote to attack enemies is, more often than not, a mess.

What you do in the first ten minutes is what you're going to be doing for the rest of your excruciating experience with this game. [July 2003, p.106]

The controls give no feel of racing, the graphics are bland at best, and the sound is forgettable. [Dec 2002, p.144]

I can only say one good thing about War in the North: It could have been awesome.