Dead Island's teaser trailer made it look as if the game was going to be one to actually bring the emotional conflict to the forefront, something they almost achieve in once instance out of many. Instead, the game's released as but another vehicle for insipid violence.

It's a perfect bargain bin timesink, maybe.

The game makes no major missteps, but neither does it surprise, innovate or evolve the genre in any significant way.

I can't and won't say Guerrilla was a perfect game, but it was far and beyond more ambitious and entertaining than Armageddon.

If you enjoyed the original, then chances are you will still like this release, but sadly this isn't the kind of driving game that will make your heart beat out of your chest.

An interesting premise and setting is torpedoed by a lackluster presentation, and while Bleedout definitely kicks things up a notch for high-level players, it's hard to recommend Crimecraft for the kind of long-term commitment an MMORPG typically requires.

With hours of violent action capable of being employed, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is certainly an easily rentable option if you're looking to kill time as mercilessly as the in-game enemy, but anything beyond the re-skinned Dynasty half only proves to be a chore.

With hours of violent action capable of being employed, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is certainly an easily rentable option if you're looking to kill time as mercilessly as the in-game enemy, but anything beyond the re-skinned Dynasty half only proves to be a chore.

Blood Stone may not be the best Bond adaptation or action game in general, but it's not a gross misappropriation either.

Without a doubt, Blue Castle Games and Capcom continue to show us abuse of the undead makes for good gaming-it's just unfortunate Dead Rising 2 accomplishes little else.

New Vegas is a proclaimed non-sequel, and it shows. By bringing little else new to the experience and with it being as buggy as ever, New Vegas could have been adequate as a smaller-sized expansion disc. Instead, it's a game where the play clock is measured in time spent plodding through loading screens and not actually doing much.

Ultimately, as an expansion franchise, Medal of Honor's debut in the Modern Warfare League isn't a championship run.

Dark Energy has undoubtedly created some impressive technology and fiction, but neither are expressly enjoyable in what's playable.

Though I'm sure the timetable may have been tight and the work not easy, especially with a newly formed studio, to make this sequel, it's simply disappointing to see such light fare being passed off as a new SKU. Crackdown is certainly a franchise-worthy IP, but if Ruffian and Microsoft plan to green light a third iteration, they need to hit more than a few nails on the head.

Although its core shooter gameplay is enjoyable, Singularity suffers from being far more derivative than original, with elements appropriated from at least a dozen other, better games.

Surprises that turn into expectations; non-adventuring; facial animations that can't keep up with the scenery and objects in the game world without weight physics: these are all elements, that if done well, would round out the game to make it the epic it was hyped to be. In the end, I feel safer in Remedy's woods than I do in the actual backcountry of Washington.

In short, if Lost Planet 2 was a budget-priced multiplayer-only title, it would be hard not to recommend it; unfortunately it's a full-price game with a seriously flawed single player experience.

Dark Void ends up a mediocre package despite housing such promising fiction—even if we wish the story of the Watchers, the Void, and even Will would have been fleshed out with more than texts found in-game.

At five or so hours, Blood Bath and Beyond is not a long game, but with its stripped-down gameplay and one-note humor, it begins to outstay its welcome some time before the final credits roll. As a $15 download it's certainly a better value than its full-price predecessor.

You'll have to get comfortable with the game's difficulty and spartan UI. You'll need to tame the camera and overlook the sometimes low-budget visuals, sketchy tech, long load times and a host of little bugs. It sounds like a lot of work, but Divinity 2 does have its charms and more often than not, I felt surprisingly compelled to see what was waiting around the next turn of the road.

While there is a lot to be proud of scattered throughout the double-disc set, a hub system that drags the main game's action to a halt and some unnecessary inclusions detract from an entire package with an unjustified MSRP.

On the whole, the game feels like it struggles with itself: On one hand it presents some enjoyable artistic and campy elements, as it plays homage to an old film genre, and delivers a star cast of mildly acted voice talent complemented by a superbly fitting rockabilly soundtrack; while on the other, it tussles with quirky gameplay mechanics that sometimes just don’t work.

With detailed attention paid to its more lacking qualities, there's no reason why this couldn't burst into a full-fledged contender in the FPS genre. However, such was also the argument made for its predecessor.

Wheelman delivers in some entertaining driving-based action that tries extremely hard to capture any who lust for a Driver rebirth; however, there's just too much missing from the overall formula to make it an engrossing offering.

The game is fun for the hour you'll spend beating it. Just in that time alone, you should be able to collect over half of the items, but playing through the levels again to get the rest just seems unnecessarily repetitive.

Though 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand can boast fluid controls and a well-designed co-op mulitplayer, there isn't much to push the game past it qualifying as either an expensive XBL/PSN arcade title, or interactive merchandise for the 50 Cent brand.

As a condensed version of the anime, hardcore fans may walkaway from Afro Samurai with mixed emotions, while the full-fledged newbie will most likely be somewhat pleased...and accompanied by a curious case of bloodlust.

As a condensed version of the anime, hardcore fans may walkaway from Afro Samurai with mixed emotions, while the full-fledged newbie will most likely be somewhat pleased...and accompanied by a curious case of bloodlust.

With a bit more time refining environment textures, clearing up framerates, and creating a narrative, Web of Shadows would have been a solid game; as it is, its a buggy experience you have push your way through.

I am quite disappointed by the fact that the game felt so unpolished and crashed so much.

Ultimately, despite the game's disappointments with a short length and excessive battling, we’re intrigued to see what becomes of Baldur and the Aesir in the coming sequels.

Ultimately, however, glitchy, leadened gameplay overshadows a fitting, choir-filled soundtrack and an entertaining, cinematic story.

It's not a mind-blowing first go, but a new boxing franchise could find its way for fans; Venom will just have to refine the basics to make it a true challenger.

Technical problems plague audio, visual and gameplay aspects, wholly detracting from a game with a nothing-special mission structure.

For a movie-based game, The Incredible Hulk is an enjoyable experience that works technically better on the Playstation format than the 360.

Poorly realized on the Wii with boring environments, audio, visual and gameplay aspects, there's really not much past a rental here.

While the simple action may be entertaining for the younger folk, the lack of varied gameplay keeps it from being a worthwhile purchase.

In all, what we're left with in The Bourne Conspiracy is a game which tries really hard to capture the action of the films, while not completely selling out Ludlum's novel character.

Along with the lack of replayability, there's not much to encourage anyone to more than opt for a rental.

A simple, fun and well designed game, Kung Fu Panda doesn't offer the deepest narrative or most though-provoking gameplay for the more mature audiences; it's more of a guilty pleasure.

Ultimately, Haze is still sitting in the wake of Call of Duty 4, and falls into that category of being just another FPS.

When all is said and done, Speed Racer: The Videogame is a licensed title that is actually a fun game, but it's just not complete.

Overall, the game felt a little lacking for TLC, but if you're an avid puzzler and a DS owner, Brain Voyage is a solid bet.

In the end, the repetitive nature of the game kills what could have been a stellar title.

When it is all said and done though, UTIII offers nothing new.

ProStreet may not be a comfortable mix of two racing genres, but it certainly is an interesting curiosity.

Summarizing, Assassin’s Creed had so much potential, but seems to have out thought itself.

If you loved the first one you will love this one because it is almost exactly the same game. But by the same token, it IS the exact same game and that’s what really hurts it.

In conclusion, Timeshift is a decent game worthy of a weekend rental. If you enjoy FPS’s like FEAR and are not concerned with story, you may enjoy this game.

If a little more attention had been paid to the writing, if the missions had been a a bit less repetitive, and the setting a more varied, Escape from Paradise City could have a been a real winner instead of the "more or less poster child" it is.

If Overdose was a free download, it would definitely be worth checking out, but at nearly-full priced $39, it is hard to recommend it, with so many truly awesome shooters on the shelves.

In a way, Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations is a game that is less than the sum of its parts—on an individual level the game’s graphics, gameplay, and sound are both intriguing and solid.

Loki may be a simple case of a studio setting its sights too high. You can tell that it is ambitious and that passion has been put into many aspects of the game. But without some major patching, Loki can only hope to appeal to the die hard action adventure gamer or mythology buff.

Galactic Assault is an enjoyable game for those who like turn-based strategy games but don’t be expecting anything new in the genre.

Comprised of Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special and Fatal Fury 3; Road to the Final Victory, I imagine, will only appeal to the aforementioned Fatal Fury enthusiast.

The problem with Megaman Starforce Leo, besides having an unnecessarily bulky title, is that it tries to be too many things and fails to be any of them.

The game play is pretty simple, but reveals a few nuisances. The most notable was the sparkles. Those damn sparkles! When your opponent serves, there is this big sparkly flash when they connect with the ball, almost completely obstructing your ability to pick up sight of the ball.

In short, Project Sylpheed has a solid foundation, but a lot of the game is simply unnecessary.

As a whole, Final Fantasy: Anniversary Edition on the PSP doesn’t cater to a huge audience. Diehard FF fans will be disappointed by the lack of extra features, and newcomers can be frustrated by the simple design and overload of randomized battles.

After all is said and done, this game is a step in the wrong direction and is a disappointment. For the sixty dollar price tag most 360 games retail for, I think there are much better ways to spend your money.

It was a major letdown considering the extensive weaponry and ninja moves available, but in the end this game runs dry fast.

Overall, you can own up 5 restaurants, each with their own different theme (Mexican, seafood, etc), similar upgrades, different wardrobes, same annoying customers, and all selling the exact same slice of pizza.

Earth Defense Force 2107 isn't a great game, but it's a really fun one and unlike the grease bomb you score from the local burger emporium, it won't have any long-term deleterious impact on your health.

While there is a lot of complexity in the game play it is hard to grasp the many aspects due to the unpleasant interface.

A complex strategy game, challenging both for its detailed economy and its various spheres of military operations.

My advice is to sail these rough waters with caution, because if you’re not careful you could very well end up depressed and out thirty doubloons.

Overall, DEF JAM ICON is a decent game, although a little disappointing in that the story line is unaffected by your actions and decisions throughout.

Rather disappointing. As a follow-up to an already average game, KOTT2 adds a little non-linearity and multiplayer into the equation, but still falls short in most aspects including dated gameplay mechanics, vacant online lobbies, average graphics, a poor aural experience and an annoying control scheme.

The game blends historical reality and sci-fi elements really well, and while its gameplay is perhaps too comfortably familiar, the inclusion of high-tech future weapons makes the experience diverting.

The control scheme could be improved upon, but as it stands, the motions are fairly intuitive and you won’t have a major problem with steering sensitivity.

I was frankly surprised at just how easy and flexible the coaster construction tools were; and the mini-games that introduce training, ride and attraction types were a nice change-up to the usual sim/coaster model.

If you played the previous game in the series and liked it, then the expanded story mode as well as the number of new characters may be enough to pick up the next installment. If you have not played the original Tenkaichi or did not care for it, the sequel is most certainly not for you.

A let down; not a terrible game, but disappointingly short of its potential.

Young gamers may really enjoy this game, but I didn’t. The gameplay is too simple making the game downright easy and, in my opinion, not worth the price of admission.

Scant little more than a badly reared puppy that’s bound for the pound.

Shadowgrounds is a pretty solid game if you treat it as what it is, a game where you collect and upgrade weapons, and use them to blow away aliens.

Yet, despite such solid aesthetic production value, Dreamfall ultimately lacks any real driving motivation with which to compel the player to endure through the masses of dialogue, explanation, and largely uninfluenced 'gamplay'.

As a whole, Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked is a surprisingly well done button masher which should be even more appealing to anime fans.

Despite the low-level evolution of its RPG elements, Petpet Adventures still plays well, and its visuals and sound complement an easily accessible gameplay mechanic.

Hopefully, if EA and Criterion are allowed more time to develop Black's sequel, the proper attention can be made to fleshing out the total experience-and not just shining up the guns.

The gameplay is very poor once you’ve played it for a couple of hours and realize that you will be doing practically the same thing over and over again.

Far too many Sonic titles are finding themselves occupying a disappointingly mediocre niche in the industry, and Sonic Racers never really advances beyond being acceptable in every department.

For those who base their first impressions off a game’s graphics, they may find themselves rather discouraged, but if you can overcome the aesthetic obstacle, you’ll find that the level of depth and customization, the upgrading and the combat system are fully satisfactory for a RPG.

Being very mildly priced, this compilation is a worthwhile purchase if you're interested in venturing into retro gaming on the PC without delving into the world of emulators.

Clearing a derelict building of rival graffiti artists through seemingly relentless hand-to-hand battles and then spraying amusing taunts over their interrupted 'work' is strangely appealing, and to simply 'get in', 'get up', 'get out', and get away with it is always a perversely winning combination.

Fit to burst with an astounding 21 games from the heyday of arcade history, Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play is an equal parts assault of entertaining variety and challenging frustration.

With no real differentiating qualities other than a half-baked outline for what could have been an original take on the Gauntlet mythos, Seven Sorrows is purely a by-the-numbers exercise in keeping a franchise alive, albeit in questionable health.

While a somewhat throwaway experience by its limited genre content, The Gottlieb Collection definitely provides a formidable gameplay challenge, and some of the specific goals laid at the feet of the player are nigh on impossible without masses of sheer luck.

Unless you absolutely feel the need to play Quake on your 360, its technical issues hinder it from being worthy for most gamers.

Too average of an adventure game to be interesting. The uninteresting story and gameplay are disappointing, especially since the game is based off such a popular franchise as Neopets.

With no multiplayer modes and a barely noticeable graphical upgrade, the only upside to owning GUN for 360 as opposed to any other current-gen platform are the ‘accomplishments’—unlockable rewards that contribute to your Xbox Live account’s Gamerscore.

A Tear of Vermillion is yet another example of shameful missed opportunity for the sake of safe expectations and profit margins.

The fact that a host of disgracefully basic errors ruin any chance True Crime: New York City had of becoming what it should have been should serve as a lesson for publishers Activision: seeing a product through to its proper conclusion-even if that means delays-translates better in the long term than consumers reaching elsewhere, and remembering your name, because the final product is so much of a letdown.

Although the frame rate and sync bugs can be bothersome, as a whole this game isn't all that bad.

The choice of speed and rehashed gameplay are what drag the game down. Shadow the Hedgehog is still a fun game for Sonic fans, but is too average to be really interesting to casual gamers.

A big mix of somewhat clumsy gameplay and great use of the environmental conditions of the land of Narnia.

Stacked against the pleasingly immersion-friendly fighting mechanics are a restrictive camera, lackluster sound, fractured A.I., and shamefully substandard graphics.

Roughly six years ago, the man known as Morpheus once said that to know the path is different from walking the path. To all Matrix fans, gamers, and fellow human beings, please take the following advice: steer clear of the Path of Neo.