The game drags under the weight of too much walking and item gathering - mostly while looking down at the ground - and not enough engaging action.

Solid controls aside, this is still the same game you've been playing since the first Medal of Honor. It's a solid shooter with the standard cinematic presentation, but I'd probably be much more excited about it if the 800 other titles in this genre didn't exist.

If you liked what you saw at the theater and need a way to blow off a few hours then it's a perfect weekend rental. But it doesn't live up to the epic nature the classic poem and it certainly isn't going to make you forget about God of War III either.

The poor gameplay sadly ruins the entire experience. [Nov 2004, p.112]

Trinity Universe's pleasantly creative silliness doesn't extend through all areas of its design, and that's its biggest fault.

Though the single-player mode is a drag, Starsky & Hutch features a great two-player mode that fuses aspects of Driver with Time Crisis by having one player ("You be Starsky!") drive using a steering wheel peripheral and the other player ("I'll be Hutch!") shoot with a light-gun. It makes for great co-op gameplay.

But with so many better looking and better playing b-ball games available, it's tough to recommend NBA Ballers: Phenom for anything beyond a kitschy weekend rental or a late night study break.

Redemption gives some luster back to the Terminator name but not much. [Nov 2004, p.102]

When the final whistle blows, there's just no reason to step onto this ice. Stick with the far, far superior "NHL 2001" for your PS2 hockey cravings.

But playing this game live on the console systems lacks the finesse and speed to which you're accustomed. Lag is apparent everywhere, from watching other players float across the ground to empting an entire magazine into a foe at close range with no effect.

The characters are sloppily animated, and when the camera zooms out, the fight is shown in an odd, blurry style that mars the action.

In the end, though, Quantum Theory bears the terrible imprimatur of the also-ran. While it's a noble effort on Tecmo-Koei's part (this is, after all, their first foray into this genre), it just doesn't have that "oomph" that a killer action game hits you in the sensory cortex with.

If you love adorable Nintendo games that are meant for eight-year-old little girls, then give Chibi-Robo! a try. Otherwise, steer clear of this mind numbingly droll title.

Rengoku doesn't break down, but it doesn't' break new ground either.

If you know what you're getting yourself into, Fast Racing League is worth your time. A racer more reliant on strategy than brawn is always a good thing. But it suffers from some serious flaws, and unless you're already a big fan of the futuristic racing genre, this $10 title will likely comes at too high a price.

It’s really just a formulaic 2D platformer at heart—and a short, easy one at that—so if gimmicks and colossal rabbit ears don’t fool ya, stay away.

The actual gameplay of Gladius is innovative, but the execution is just as slow as the story telling. Combat is dished out through turn-based clashes; when an arena is filled with at least a half-dozen pugilists, the action tends to be very, very sluggish as you wait patiently for your next turn.

While the prospect of running around, blowing the hell out of space arachnids starts off as a blast, a lack of variety, the fact that you can't save your games mid-mission, and a camera that actually serves as a One Ring-sized gameplay burden ensure that the fun won't last for long.

Somewhere along the way, someone forgot to implement the core of any action game: comfortable controls.

You have four major game options when online: quickmatch, play a friend, custom match and home run derby. On top of single game options you have what amounts to be the best online function any sports game could have, leagues.

Despite some decent features, Mickey is way too easy for the experienced kart driver. Courses are short and the gameplay is straightforward, lacking any depth and variety to the characters and races.

Harmony of Despair is a beautiful achievement, but the poor gameplay and frustrating design is a huge stain on an otherwise colorful canvas.

Love it or hate it, Wrath of Cortex Xbox is more of more of the same.

Overall, Heroes of Mana is a nice enough diversion, but it's hard to see what Square Enix was trying to do with this title. [Sep 2007, p.84]

A slew of glitches run constantly throughout the game.

The inability of this series to learn from its mistakes is baffling. You'll often find yourself fighting enemies you can't see because some decorative element in the foreground entirely blocks your view, and you've zero control over the camera.

Samurai Girl is a Korean 2-D RPG that offers a bizarre spectrum of creatures to defeat, admittedly fun combat, and some truly beautiful art. Too bad the level grinding and uninspired maps make it a chore to play through.

If you want to experience the thrill of pure speed, you'd best look elsewhere.