Of course if you get tired of the Punch button, you can also hit Jump, Kick, or Throw, but you don't really need to. Even "Streets of Rage" required a little more strategy than that.

A party game with great intentions, but unsatisfying delivery. This is a tedious and often frustrating experience, and its few bright spots get squashed under the weight of Mario's fat, boring ass. This is one dead party.

That’s just about all Breakdown has going for it: a genuinely good sci-fi story. But even that gets overpowered by numerous gameplay flaws, from the unconvincing AI and crummy fragging to the boring environments and irritating pacing.

It's got some nice waves, but a bad camera, tough controls, and some unsatisfying gameplay cause an evil tsunami of massive proportions.

Mad Trix is basically "SSX" minus the flair, physics, snowboards, zany characters and fun.

I vote that we petition Krome Studios to either make a new character, or do the world a favor and pick up a franchise that deserves to die.

If the Kinect can't muster up a decent game and fast, it'll be hard for anyone to wash their mouths of the bad taste games like Body and Brain Connection leave behind.

Vanishing Point suffers from fatal conceptual flaws. Complete reliance on unlockable features, limited choices of starting vehicles and tracks, and staggered opponent start times have taken what could have been a good game and ruined it.

A tiny game that costs full price.

Hopefully, the next expansion will bring some changes to the table that round out the game a little more, and strike a new balance. I’m tired of stalemates.

There's no way I could recommend buying this wallet draining mutant. While the heart of the character is here, the brain is not.

A more traditional control scheme and some serious gameplay polish could have done wondersfor this game. Instead, terrible control, lame AI and a few other rough edges hand Rise to Honor the Black Mask of shame.

Take away all the mind-numbingly painful design choices and there may be a game deserving of the Square Enix name here, but all the extraneous material makes that nearly impossible. A game that you will soon undiscover… infinitely.

If the dinos don't kill you, our weapon system might.

This formulaic title just has very little to offer. It's certainly a pale copy of whatever the movie has going for it, minus the star power, plot, humor and soul.

Every aspect of this game is horribly average, derivative, unpolished, or worse. Half-assed, floaty, imprecise character movement. Half-assed melee combat. Half-assed cover mechanic. Half-assed weapon upgrade system. Half-assed sound design and mixing. Quarter-assed story. No-assed AI.

Quite the insult to PS2 hockey fans. It's certainly not as good as NHL 2001, and that wasn't a great game..Poor 989 seems to be falling even further behind with old injuries and rusty skates. Someone definitely needs to check these guys.

Tries hard with a macho attitude, but there isn't anything satisfying underneath. Instead, you get a mish mash of tired game concepts thrown into an industrial blender, fingers crossed that the pulpy results will come out a tasty brew.

As it stands now, you'd probably have more fun being on To Catch a Predator than playing Aliens Vs. Predator.

Not only is the movie a copy of another movie, it's now a game which copies a movie which copies another movie. Too much copying means no innovation.

This game looks like the result of an evening filled with Spicy Hot Cheetos and warm Pabst Blue Ribbon. Not pretty.

One of those games you play with a non-gamer. You know, those weirdos who sit for hours in front of the TV and passively watch what's being broadcast. We've just got to help those missing links evolve a little.

It's inexcusable that Activision didn't see fit to shave down the 360 price a little; 60 bucks is an outlandish request considering there is absolutely nothing extra in the next-gen version.

Harbinger defines mediocrity.

I've just given this game a lot of grief, but it's possible to get used to the random hardships and persevere, so it's not a complete failure.

The most helpful camera angle is positioned about three feet above the table, and though the table looks messy from above, at least you have a fighting chance to hit the ball... until you eventually give up on this buggy game.

If you want a console version of Serious Sam, go look into the Xbox version or just find a cheap copy of the PC original. Next Encounter is a serious waste of time.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the heinous menu music. During Franchise mode, there's this rap song - I think it's rap - that sounds like a reject from the "Breakin'" soundtrack. It's neither hip nor hop.

The Zero series on the GBA trumps X7 with its tightened classic feel. The "Mega Man Legend" series (including Tron Bonne) worked the 3D controls much better. I'm all for change, but it has to come with improvement. The Blue Bomber has bombed out.

They focused so much on this dual-pronged gameplay that they forgot to add A.I., stability and good delivery, falling far, far short of their goal in this half-baked game.

The lack of precision and agility really destroys the pathetic online modes. Deathmatch, team deathmatch, and an “objective” territories-style mode are all sad, as is the twelve-player maximum.

"NBA 2K7" is fast and beautiful, while NBA Live 07 is outdated, sloppy, and only worth playing for a quarter.

Don't be lured in with its evil promises - the shallow gameplay and rough delivery will make everyone who plays it a victim.

With its uninspired maps, lack of new weapons and missing Special Forces content, Armored Fury would be a little disappointing even if it were free.

There’s no online play, which is as surprising as discovering that your Ford Fiesta doesn’t have anti-lock brakes.

The dialogue is wretchedly forced in its unrealistic, overly ghettoized slang penned by writers who have read every stereotypical hip-hop street language book on the shelf. Expect something like: "My big dog G-gangsta Buck, dog! You blaze down the streets and show them that I'm the real street O.G. Ya heard?"

Without a decent framerate, the control suffers, and without decent control, the game becomes a LOT less fun. As it stands, this game feels more like a beta than a final, and fans of the original should just go play the first one again.

Square-Enix makes quality RPGs and pretty FMV, and I hope they’re content to bow gracefully out of genres they obviously have little reason to meddle in. Leave the emo-shooters to Dante and just peep Advent Children again if you need a fix.

Don’t expect any sort of deep managerial options, because all you get is the bare bones trade/sign/release functionality. No team practice, no hiring and firing of coaches, and no scouting at all. It’s like playing through the ‘98-99 lockout season, and it’s simply not deep enough for a next-gen game.

Duke gets stale as a character quickly.

Despite good visuals, the control is a little too arcadey, missions lack a great deal of excitement and the mission structure leaves a lot to be desired...it's just not that much fun.

There's nothing like trying to make the same jump over and over for ten minutes solid to make you give up in frustration and try to do a different "good deed" instead.

In many respects, the game feels as though it was rushed out the door several iterations early, before they had a chance to clean up the place-holder artwork and streamline the gameplay.

While I'm on a tirade about the bad, let's talk stupidity; in this case, the enemy AI. Baddies are as dumb as an inebriated possum caught in a set of headlights.

I’m not sure if AWE Games understands the point of adventure games. Players want to go somewhere, live through danger, and feel a sense of accomplishment for overcoming the obstacles. Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None has none of that. Most of the time, you’re just waiting for someone else to die.

Although it seemed like there was some promise here, all the Food Network branding in the world can't hide the fact that Food Network: Cook or be Cooked just isn't worth your money.

There's no way I could recommend buying this wallet draining mutant. While the heart of the character is here, the brain is not.

Other than a couple isolated bits HP and the SS is a mess. And I didn’t play crap like this when I was a kid, at least not for long. I played Sonic. So there ya have it: Harry Potter is better than a Vomit flavored bean, but a little worse than Grass, and on a level with Booger.

It feels a bit like kicking a puppy because many of the pop-in, lag, and graphical issues may be fixed with a promised update, but until then, I can only review what I have right now, not the game that might be. The only reason you should buy this game is for the headset pack-in. It’s everything SOCOM: Confrontation is not: pretty, functional, and fun.

An unforgiving game that demands precision and perfection from its racers. The pure joy of racing has been lost in the equation. The racetracks provide nothing that hasn't been seen before, the graphics and music are a step backwards, and like I said, I just didn't have fun.

Despite its cinematic aspirations and genuinely unique approach, Indigo Prophecy is little more than a short adventure that relies too heavily on the same, bad mini-game when it should be mixing up the contextually-controlled goodness like a dyslexic DJ.

Unless you're truly a glutton for punishment or simply have to own everything the words "Final" or "Fantasy" in it, go ahead and skip this one.

The most distinguishing feature of Justice League Heroes is its complete lack of any. The game’s one, toted new feature, the ability to pick up rocks and sticks, is literally primitive.

It's just so not remarkable, so bland, so... not interesting... you get what I'm saying. Slow and lame, that's what I'm saying.

Pretty girls? Check. Effeminate guy? Check. Enthralling experience? Mehhh, not really.

Every aspect of this game is horribly average, derivative, unpolished, or worse. Half-assed, floaty, imprecise character movement. Half-assed melee combat. Half-assed cover mechanic. Half-assed weapon upgrade system. Half-assed sound design and mixing. Quarter-assed story. No-assed AI.

The manual actually lists such devastating moves as Punch, Punch, Punch. Or you can top that one with Punch, Punch, Punch, Punch. And even Punch, Punch, Punch, Punch, Punch. (I am not kidding, it's actually in the manual)

Other than a couple isolated bits HP and the SS is a mess. And I didn’t play crap like this when I was a kid, at least not for long. I played Sonic. So there ya have it: Harry Potter is better than a Vomit flavored bean, but a little worse than Grass, and on a level with Booger.

It’s just a bland shooter with a flimsy toy gun and a big spoonful of “we-know-better” arrogance.

A great animated cartoon cleverly disguised as a rather lame Playstation 2 game. Great presentation is wasted on forgettable gameplay.

Overall, there's not much to this game, if you can call it a game. If you're looking for a game with a point or a plot, keep looking.

Perpetually frustrating.

Once again, Gundam gamers are left with the wrong end of the beam saber. More bad control, less game and more advertisements.

This is the real problem: Of Light and Darkness just isn't fun. Unless you're new to the idea of a using a mouse, the game's basic gameplay, boring puzzles and average graphics won't keep anyone in front of the computer for very long.

Eragon is a breeze in six to eight hours, and no part, even the final battle, really tasks any of your elite or even rudimentary gaming skills.

The crisp control, big moves, player upgrades and massive weaponry might have made for a cool action game. However, the awful camera crashes onto these dinosaurs with the force and effect of a planet-busting asteroid, effectively driving them extinct.

All the money spent on royalties to have Don’s name attached to it could have been put to better use.

Gangsters 2 just guts the administration and throws in a huge quantity of low quality combat, making for a pretty lame game. Let's strap some cement boots on this one and let it sleep with the fishes.

Spider-Man 3 features the series’ worst combat yet.

The most distinguishing feature of Justice League Heroes is its complete lack of any. The game's one, toted new feature, the ability to pick up rocks and sticks, is literally primitive.

Scene It? can only be entertaining - not to mention, fair - if everyone playing not only has comparable movie knowledge but also comparable gaming experience, which is completely ludicrous for a casual party game. And the thing that's so infuriating about it all is that these problems could have been fixed with almost zero effort.

It straddles the line between little kid game and hard platformer in such a way that I don’t think anyone will like it. I guess The Hobbit makes these strange concessions to game-play to make it a friendlier game, but it’s still frustrating as hell.

Too bad it's not at all fun to play. Let's see a real track and field game before the next Olympics come around, okay?

The concept behind OMF: Battlegrouds is solid and the gang at Diversions deserves credit for at least attempting to correct the PC's astonishing lacl of fighting games, but that doesn't make it a good game. Remotely.

It seems like a smart evolutionary step for the series to begin aping (ha) Nintendo's better handheld experience, but not when it treads down a path paved with banana peels, which, I am conditioned to believe, are very slippery.

Eternal Ring should be called "Please Make it Stop Ring." There are so many parts to improve - better action, deeper story, interactive environments, decent voice acting - that you might as well hope for a whole new game.

It’s astonishing that a series with such unlimited potential has turned into such a farce, but I guess that’s what happens when you drive blindly without taking to the time to ask for directions. As is usually the case, that leads to a dead-end street.

When you add in the fact that the camera seems to have a mind of it's own, then factor in the slowdown, compounded with the fact that you can barely see your opponents because it's so freakishly dark, you have to wonder why you're wasting time on this painfully inadequate, near crap game.

Rule of Rose has almost nothing going for it other than sheer creepiness, and as you are probably aware, creepiness doesn’t count for much.

You would never know there had been a two-year break between iterations in the series. MotoGP 09/10 looks even more rushed and inattentive to overall design than its immediate predecessor.

At least you won't have to suffer long as Kung-Fu Rider clocks in at about 4 hours or so of gameplay.

While not a spectacular failure, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down is just another ho-hum first-person shooter, offering a big multiplayer canvas but little else. I wouldn’t call it as unattractive as a live grenade, but I wouldn’t go jumping on it, either.

Pressing one button over and over at different pressure levels doesn't ring my bell, and I doubt it will ring most of yours.

Rather than complement the film with some sort of stand alone side story, it opts for arcade gameplay sans interesting plot, depth, or really anything beyond just blasting and whacking.

What's left is a rather generic husk of an empty insane asylum and Sweet Tooth, a fat, hairy, and semi-nude protagonist who can run around in it. And what is a mental patient in an abandoned asylum to do? Collect concept art, of course!

If you define yourself to be ghetto in the first place and are attracted to 187’s roughneck outer shell, prove you’re a hoodlum and blow your money on more dubious material instead, like a bottle of Old English. After spending some time playing this poser, I could use a swig myself.

A derivative mess of weak AI, mediocre graphics and a silly plot. While not inedible, this game is only suitable for the starving.

If there were some kind of branch progression throughout the game that allows you to train your Pikachu instead of just playing peek-a-boo with it, this game might have been a little more tolerable.

FlingSmash isn't handball on rails. It's an accessory pimp. And not a very good one at that.

It's astonishing that a series with such unlimited potential has turned into such a farce, but I guess that's what happens when you drive blindly without taking to the time to ask for directions. As is usually the case, that leads to a dead-end street.

Simply one big anti-aliasing problem that exploded all over the place. Signature flickering is everywhere, so all you gamers prone to epileptic seizures should stay far, far away. The graphics are just shameful.

A thoroughly substandard game, the kind generally engineered for resale at your local video game store and only worth a few hours of play on a rainy day while awaiting the arrival of something better.

Coded Arms is such a weak rendition of a first-person-shooter, it makes us wonder whether such a thing is even possible on the single-analog PSP.

Woefully limited in its fun factor and appeal.

Unfortunately, the bare mechanics of the game make every character boring very quickly.

Unfortunately, this expansion fails to add any worthwhile new gameplay mechanics or modes (multiplayer, anyone?), proving that some worlds are harder to repair than others.

As it stands, you’re left instead with something that is more difficult to control than an angry rancor.

An uninspired, unnecessary chapter in the Suikoden series. The game’s greatest failing is its incredible mediocrity.