Hopscotching its way from borrowed concept to borrowed concept, TimeShift is substantially less than the sum of its all-too-obvious parts.

There is some good stuff here. It's a shame they had to ruin the rest of the game.

But in the end, Acclaim has exceeded my expectations. Given, those expectations were very, very low to begin with.

TIR ought to be politely referred to as SIR... Sorta Immersion Racing. Everything works, but it doesn't offer anything that hasn't been done better before.

As promising as a role-playing game based on The Lord of the Rings mythos sounds, The Third Age's reality is one of strict linearity, wacky plot foibles, and generic turn-based action.

But whatever "fun" might be experienced is abbreviated by a terrifyingly bad plot, and frustrating gameplay choices. While it's true that comparisons may be drawn to God of War, or Devil May Cry, they will always inevitably end with the statement: "Go play those instead."

Unfortunately, they have opted for color over realism. This is not a good thing, as it gives the game a cartoony look and can make it difficult to tell the difference between a dirt road and, say, that mud embankment up ahead.

While the concept is good and the presentation is at times outstanding, the core gameplay isn't strong enough to separate it from the swarms of mediocre kart racers that have come before it.

Problematically, it just doesn’t do too anything new and doesn’t space itself out from the crowd. It feels like you’ve played this game before and you probably have - in better, more interesting forms.

But whatever "fun" might be experienced is abbreviated by a terrifyingly bad plot, and frustrating gameplay choices. While it's true that comparisons may be drawn to God of War, or Devil May Cry, they will always inevitably end with the statement: "Go play those instead."

In the end, the Wii Zapper is just a hunk of plastic and the game is too short and kind of boring. Link's Crossbow Training will make a nice chunky gift to fill in blank spots under the tree, but all wrapped up like that, you can never be sure exactly what you're getting.

Duet is a solid game if you play it exactly as you might a mobile title, taking frequent breaks so the game doesn't mesmerize you into its lull of increased artificial difficulty. However, having to make that caveat, on a title that is being released for a PC desktop, feels hollow and poorly implemented.

A game that aspires to be both a legitimate portrayal of war and an entertaining video game, but opts to take the easy route and do rid with any semblance of mature, balanced storytelling and instead replaces it with a rushed, disjointed campaign and a multiplayer component that’s getting seriously long in the tooth.

PGR4 makes a lot of absurd decisions ranging from motorcycles to Lady Sovereign to unreadable menus to Quebec. While the core gameplay is the about the same as it has always been, the one good upgrade, the weather effects, isn’t enough to maintain PGR’s earlier decent showing.

It surprises with its cool references and attention to detail, but loses a lot of luster in attempting to appeal to a wee audience.

Nice to see Bandai-Namco is bringing back some classics; maybe we can see more intense action and story next time.

A game with noble intent without the skills to fulfill its potential, showing that sometimes life isn’t strange, but disappointing.

For anyone with an itch to play Tony Hawk again, know what you're getting into. THPS HD is a remake that opted to leave what cost too much in the past, consequently hemorrhaging that which we've come to know and love.

My complaints boil down to a linear plot, a generic skill-tree system & the game's overall lack of challenge. And while these things aren't necessarily that bad, it's that Dead Rising 4 now blends in with almost every other game on the market, where the series used to stand tall, offering something that no other game did.

Vikings may be a promising starting point, but Valhalla is aimless and bloated beyond recognition, making for a dull and par for the Norse installment in the franchise.

It’s almost unfortunate that the first couple hours of Second Sight are really good. You won’t care that the action is too easy or that the A.I. is dumber than Teddy Ruxpin because the plot is good and the characters are interesting. But by hour six or so, the plot loses its mystery and the gameplay holes become increasingly frustrating.

You have to commend Nintendo for producing a pretty cool tech demo, but they failed to encapsulate it in a worthwhile game.

A soulless clone of a good game. It puts almost all of the pieces together, but the two that it misses, intelligence and personality, are what make a game likable and engaging.

Part of me wants to really praise Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact for not being what the Naruto fighting games have been, and part of me wants to just play Dynasty Warriors.

So take our irritable advice, and leave this half-cooked “kernel” unpopped.

Warfighter isn't a total failure, but it's certainly not up to the standards of the international Tier 1 Operators it clings to.

The overall gameplay is on track, at least with a forsaken kingdom filled with a balanced mix of puzzling, platforming, sneaking, and fighting. But stretching the aesthetic elements, the toddler-hand-holding relationship that will grow between you and the Majin, or those damn talking animals will wear extremely thin.

Touchmaster 3 is probably going to sit on a shelf somewhere. Only pick up Touchmaster 3 if you want a "chaser" or something to let off a bit of steam.