It wants so badly to be liked and allows you to break the rules like a good, over-the-top game really should. But it has flaws within its presentation, and it doesn't really keep your attention for long as you bust dealer after dealer.

It just really isn't that fun to play, and the over-splatter effect makes "Mortal Kombat" look like a Pico product. Avoid it like the black plague.

The game suffers from lackluster gameplay, as well as uninspired work in the graphic and audio department. It does have moments of appeal, but they're buried beneath a pile of rushed presentation.

While some will simply love this game because it is X-Men, if you're looking for a game that's fast moving and innovative, this is not the game for you.

The upside of paying is that new missions appear every month, which offers you a variety of experiences. The downside of the game is that the graphics won't overwhelm you and the missions get very repetitive once you finish them.

The game's shortcomings seal its fate and leave it miles behind the likes of Sam Fisher and Solid Snake, whose latest endeavors are far more worth your investment.

Anyone looking for something a little different from the average MMO, and most especially anyone holding onto that last thread before reinstalling "Diablo II" should do themselves the favor of checking out RYL. It has its share of graphical and server issues, but it includes the most important element of the game formula: fun.

But the game's built by the basics, and the randomized 3,000+ questions run into problems with repetition. It's like...the Gunther of the gaming community. (Sorry, Gunther.)

It lacks sorely in presentation, and doesn't offer any kind of multiplayer effort to keep you or your friends involved for too long.

Over G Fighters manages to get into the sky, but fails to put on a memorable show.

Although the title features a nice selection of tracks and cars, that doesn't change the fact that you're just cruising around set paths for three or five laps, and none of the car selections change much of anything.

One of the saddest stories of 2004, as it's a game that's chock full of everything a rhythm game should have, but it trips and falls off the stage because the actual singing aspect has been so poorly developed. It's just heartbreaking to sing a song perfectly and score fewer points than someone who's making it up as they go.

It uses the Dragon Ball Z license to ill effect, failing to offer any kind of memorable gameplay experience.

The bowling system is alright but not as challenging as it needed to be, and multiplayer games actually get tedious. Seems like a digital gutter ball, really.

It's extremely frustrating because the game's unbalanced, and repeatedly having to read the same dialogue over and over puts a damper on the overall experience.

Thankfully, The Guy Game offers a good deal of entertainment for the audience it's shooting for, mainly the drinking crowd that's into checking out topless hotties and is up for a little trivia to earn their way.

The graphics in Herbie Fully Loaded aren't the best, and only allow you to view Herbie from the back. Lindsay Lohan only appears in what look like still photographs before each race.

This was a guilty pleasure just waiting to happen, but the developers just couldn't get the camera right, and the result is a product that is damn near unplayable. I spent more time running around in circles and shooting the ground than I did actually hitting anyone!

And 1 Streetball ultimately suffers from a lack of effort in every category.

It has some good ideas but they're overthrown by a particular lack of anything that stands out, aside from the herky-jerky camera and the occasional booty shots.

The collection's mostly a success, although when it falls backward, it falls hard, particularly with the miserable remake of "Golden Axe."

It's fun using all of the Predator's gadgets and he's quite nimble, but the atrocious level design, horrible character models (save the Predator), the wacky camera, and the pathetic gore level keeps this game from being the classic that it could've been.

A terribly flawed shooter that won't evoke that many good memories, only the wish to find a SNES console and a copy of the game to play it the way it was originally intended.

Definitely more improved than its predecessor in that there's more stuff to do and it looks nicer, but the gameplay is still a buggy mess. It's also not even in the same league as the other wrestling games on the market.

A game that could have been an amazing return of the CRPG, due to a severe lack of polish and some big issues with bugs and failed ventures, becomes premature bargain bin stuffing.

The developers managed to do an excellent job with its presentation and fans of the series will no doubt gobble up the anime footage, the items that can be purchased, and the numerous missions, but the gameplay is extremely sub par.

Ubisoft's game would have gone over much better had they given us more freedom to use the team at hand for better purposes, and not stuck us with only so many puzzles to solve or obvious hints at what needs to be found where. Furthermore, the game simply isn't fun to play, using a clunky interface.

This game certainly has some really great graphics and animations but it comes up short on being able to keep things moving at an enjoyable pace, not to mention that it's very difficult to control.

Monotony does not a good game make, in any situation. In a brawling game, it's practically a death knell, a sign of laziness in development and a lack of innovation. And it's one of the key things that kills Mutant Melee before it can even get started.

At least it's not as purely unbearable as the first, packing a few neat ideas like the ability to use vehicles to mow down enemies and the balancing between different freedom fighters in your crew.

A washed-up, poor-controlling, badly unbalanced game that can't even touch the Greg Hastings models. Skip this budget turd immediately.

Trying to find enjoyment out of Final Fight: Streetwise is kind of like trying to find a minty Tic-Tac in a dirty ashtray. All you'll find is gritty, unenjoyable substance that unfairly buries a classic gaming franchise.

Boring, boring, boring. It's like a life sentence unto itself...only you can control when it ends by hitting the power button.

A flat tire of a game, with non-compliable controls, non-working gameplay, and a dull pace that indicates racing tractors would've been speedier.

There's a decent selection of songs, but the frequent loading, limited game play and repetitive nature of the title just make it too boring for most to handle after a handful of sessions with the game.

The game is beaten rather quickly, and somehow lacks the inventive touches that the film itself possesses. Still, it could've been worse. "Oompa Loompa DDR," anyone?

A very below-average affair that never really rises to the wonders of its license, riding on its mean-spirited and pointless mini games. Skip this if you want to have a Merry Christmas.

The latest entry in the once respectable ninja series is downright awful, what with its lack of blood, horrendous top down perspective, and abominable story.

Fight Club doesn't offer anything of value. Bad gameplay, bad graphics, and bad voicework make this not even worth getting for free.

It's times like this I'm glad I own my Generation NEX system and my cherished copy of "Track & Field," because I honestly feel there's more Olympic goodness in that classic Konami game than there is in one event of the terrible Torino 2006.

This game fails in a cataclysmic manner, with nothing really appealing going for it- not even the $20 price tag. It's got boring action that gets monotonous, a presentation that's bottom feeder at best, and nothing to offer the gamer even if they put up with the game's numerous stages.

This should have been released as a much cheaper booster pack instead of an expansion. It simply doesn't offer enough to justify the asking price.

Fails to excite in any way shape or form.

What do you get when you cross a really bad FPS with a sloppy 3D fighter? A coaster. Fugitive Hunter is a holiday embarrassment and should be avoided at all costs.

The graphics are bland, the gameplay stunted, and the multiplayer limited to online only. Throw in a useless first-person bombing mode that isn't even first-person and you've got a game that's simply a bomb. No, not the bomb, just a bomb.

A lack of online play and multiplayer extras don't help, and the pace of the game just seems to grind almost to a halt.

Had more emphasis been on the actual bowling, its physics, and the fun of multiplayer, we would be getting somewhere. As is, the game's just a flash-in-the-pan cheapier title that even bowling zealots should avoid.

The absolute worst example of the "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" cloning process, sticking together with its below-average graphics, its poorly-selected soundtrack, and its miserable excuse for a gameplay set-up.

The game is not enough of a challenge for adult gamers; it moves too slowly, and it's based off of a kids' show, after all. Kids will definitely appreciate the cartoon universe and slower gameplay.

Like all Backyard sports games, Backyard Skateboarding is made expressly for kids, and it therefore has adorable animation and easy controls.

Basically, if you like Scrabble, this is a great version to have. The options are endless and it's possible that, while having fun, you might actually learn something.

This is a great game for anyone who has ever imagined the life of a princess. There is plenty to do throughout the game, and numerous events to plan and castle rooms to decorate, so players can stay busy for hours working on the royal wedding or other similar events.

Although this game is skewed to a young audience, I had a lot of fun playing through the tasks and making as much money as I could. Waiting tables was particularly fun, and kept me on my toes.