Since there is no multiplayer, and much of what Vanquish does has been done before, I was a bit disappointed.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is maddeningly frustrating. In fact, I've never been happier that I didn't have to play a game anymore than when I finished playing Donkey Kong Country Returns.

I was hoping for more from TRON: Evolution. Unfortunately, all I got was another disappointing movie tie-in that's not very fun to play.

All in all, Woody Two-Legs: Attack of the Zombie Pirates is a fun and amusing distraction, as short as it is. In the spirit (get it? a pun) of Halloween, this cartoony romp with pirates, zombies, ghosts and skeletons be fun arrrr right.

Blood Stone 007 just doesn't have a lot going for it. It's got some standard shooting, some decent graphics, and a modicum of difficulty. Unfortunately, there's just nothing here that stands out, or deserves your attention beyond a lonely weekend.

There's the makings of a cool game in here, but the sloppy controls, brutal and bizarre death penalty, imbecilic camera, and a host of other small issues add up to it being more of a chore to play than remotely enjoyable.

It's truly a shame this game falls so flatly on its face, as there was so much potential in the title early on. Disappointingly, that potential is never realized, and Medal of Honor is just another average shooter.

Sonic 4: Episode 1 is a train wreck for Sonic fans. It makes Mario look good, and remember, Sonic was a character made to compete with a short, fat, ugly plumber.

It's always great to see someone present their passion for comics in a new way, and Twisted Pixel has shown their love in spades. Were the gameplay a little tighter, and more forgiving, I think Comic Jumper could have been a great title. Instead, thanks in large to its unevenness, it's simply a good game with the occasional fault.

The writing, acting, and graphics are stellar. If only the gameplay, camera, and lack of variety weren't so stifling.

Despite there being an incredible amount of content in UFC Undisputed 2010 on the PSP, the actual in-ring action is a bit of a work in progress.

Mafia II isn't a bad game, but it's an extremely uneven effort that fails as often as it succeeds.

Unlike Symphony of the Night and the DS games, which I would recommend to anyone, it's hard to imagine that non-Castlevania fans will get any enjoyment out of Harmony of Despair.

It's hardly one of the best games on the Xbox Live Arcade, but it might be one of the strongest in terms of providing an actual "arcade" experience without the need for quarters.

The problem is, despite having everything it sounds like it needs, it's missing what might be the most important element: fun. It's an often joyless experience, and there's absolutely no reason to pick it up over the dozens of other options on the market, even with the low price factored in.

The only saving grace is the cooperative multiplayer, which allows up to four players to join together to complete the game's campaign. It's much more fun with friends, and obviously built around the co-op experience, but the missions are so uninteresting and repetitive that even playing with friends can't help it too much.

Success or failure, expect to see APB replicated, ripped off, and copied completely in the coming years. It's revolutionary in many ways, even if it isn't actually all that great.

Despite having every opportunity in the world to triumphantly succeed, Singularity, instead, falls right in line with previous titles by the developer. Raven has, yet again, fallen just short of brilliance. The game is flawed in a number of areas, many of which detract from the overall experience and come across as sloppy or lazy.

Raven has, yet again, fallen just short of brilliance. The game is flawed in a number of areas, many of which detract from the overall experience and come across as sloppy or lazy.

The gameplay is strong, though it's not enough to really lift the product above its other issues for too long.

I'll end with this, if you're willing to put the effort in, and the realism aspect sounds like it will appeal to you, the $30 price of Arma II: OA is an easy entry into the series.

Toy Story isn't just a game for kids; fans of the trilogy should have no reservations about picking this one up.

There's no doubt that playing Earthworm Jim with updated graphics and game modes is a treat. Even though I had a lot of fun reliving my younger days, the game shows its age, and despite all the additions made in both the single and multi-player, I have a hard time recommending this game to newcomers.

Backbreaker is an attempt to simulate real professional football from the player's perspective, but due to its lack of balance, constant turnovers, and brain dead AI, it feels more like a game of junior high school ball.

When races go well, it's white knuckle action from beginning to end. Sadly, issues often make it so "going well" isn't always in the cards, and anyone ever upset by a Blue Shell in Mario Kart will spent a lot of time huffing and puffing during Blur races.

It might be worth it for those who really want to see items added into a traditional racer, but for everyone else, it's likely worth trying before committing to a purchase.

With four-player co-op and an appealing art style, there are definitely the makings for an entertaining adventure on the disk. The final product, sadly, is not as good as the sum of its parts, and everything that might be seen as a success is surrounded by a series of failures, leaving gamers with little reason to invest in a purchase, budget price or not.

After Prince of Persia got a fresh start in 2008, The Forgotten Sands feels like a giant step backwards for the series.

Were this a non-licensed product, it would be a below-average action title with little to recommend. The fact that it stars a popular super hero definitely helps, as does the passable plot and enjoyable script, making Iron Man 2 a title that’s just barely worth playing.

There's not a single moment worth experiencing. It's a dull, monotonous title that needn't be played by anyone, especially with all of the quality already available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

While there are some glitches from time to time, there's nothing about it that stands out as being broken or unplayable. That said, there's not a single moment worth experiencing.

The best thing Beat Hazard has going for it is the price. At $9.99 it's easy to recommend the title to anyone with the means to play it, as it provides a new way to experience music.

Flaws in the presentation keep it from being eye candy, and there are issues with the gameplay and controls that prevent the game from being anything special. Instead, it's an average package, and there's little to draw in old or new fans who aren't willing to spend a good deal of time learning how to ride a bike again.

It's an average package, and there's little to draw in old or new fans who aren't willing to spend a good deal of time learning how to ride a bike again.

Metro 2033 has a lot going for it. The game may not tread any new ground in its narrative, but there are a lot of interesting concepts to play around with. Unfortunately, the mechanics behind those concepts often lead to more frustration than they do elation. A strong story and world will only go so far.

I truly feel bad for all the non-PS3 owners who are also baseball fans who have no choice but to play this game if they want to play video game baseball.

There's about as little to legitimately rave about as there is to complain about. Metal Slug XX is a formulaic romp that should remind people who have ever played any other game in the series of every other Metal Slug game they've ever played. No risks were taken, no innovative ideas were uttered, and no minds were blown,. That said, it's still a fun time.

It's not bad, per se, there just isn't enough of it.

It's not bad, per say, there just isn't enough of it. The inclusion of new characters for Mercenaries mode is good, but hardly worth picking up the pack for, unless, again, you happen to be a complete loyalist to the series.

If you can look past the fact that Dante’s Inferno is a very loose adaptation of the classic poem, the game offers eight to ten hours of fun occasionally interrupted by unnecessary annoyances.

If you can look past the fact that Dante’s Inferno is a very loose adaptation of the classic poem, the game offers eight to ten hours of fun occasionally interrupted by unnecessary annoyances. Though it’s an entertaining game, it doesn’t do anything original, and feels like it never quite reaches its full potential.

Fret Nice isn’t a bad game by any means, and it’s actually pretty entertaining in small doses. The unique presentation and pleasant soundtrack enhance the experience, even though the gameplay itself doesn’t do much to distinguish itself.

In making White Knight Chronicles, Level-5 created a vast, sprawling world, and then failed to fill it with anything original.

The presentation is better, there are options enough to allow basic customization of your chosen game and the 'undo' feature alone puts this game ahead of Touch Solitaire.

All of the pieces are there for a successful game, and while there are flaws in the controls and visuals, none of the problems are really all that troubling. It's just that... the game isn't very fun, and the fault is based on the levels themselves, not the mechanics of play.

The only area where SEGA succeeded was in realizing that the game had to blend together the different elements, not keep them apart. Where Airtight failed was not realizing that very fact. In the end, it's worth playing Dark Void, though expectations should be kept very low, and it's not worth picking up at full price by any means.

It has some issues that at this point in a generation are pretty much unforgivable, but if you are willing to look past them, you’ll find there’s a decent cooperative shooter there.

It has some issues that at this point in a generation are pretty much unforgivable, but if you are willing to look past them, you’ll find there’s a decent cooperative shooter there.

Only mildly entertaining, and even with up to four players being able to compete both online and off, the fun factor is very limited. Even more limited are the repetitive events, and you’ll probably have played all of them in under an hour.

Mad Moxxi isn't worth the money. It's little more than an additional mode, and it really isn't as fun as the ones found in other games.

Hopefully they've learned their lesson, and will make sure that future installments don't feel as fundamentally weak, and outstandingly pointless. Sorry, Moxxi, looks like you'll need to look elsewhere for a new hubby.

The combat is great... in theory, it just struggles due to a poor camera and uninteresting battles.

Even for absolute die-hard fans, I simply can’t recommend this game. The track listing is lacking, the gameplay is outdated (by its own predecessor), and the fun factor for this game just isn’t there.

Even for absolute die-hard fans, I simply can’t recommend this game.

The Saboteur could have been one of the year’s most impressive games. Sadly, Pandemic tries to do too much, and players are left with a game that never becomes more than the sum of its parts.

The Saboteur could have been one of the year’s most impressive games. Sadly, Pandemic tries to do too much, and players are left with a game that never becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Beyond being needlessly repetitive, there are some issues with the presentation that make Zombie Driver feel a bit unfinished or, at least, untested.

It’s a fairly run of the mill third-person shooter, with some less than enthralling multiplayer, and an impressive visual package.

It's oddly addictive, which feels like it should clash with the repetitive nature, but never does.

Tony Hawk: Ride was a knee-jerk reaction by a publisher who pushed gimmick over gameplay, and the result feels like the most manufactured, soulless gaming experience to ever be released.

Activision panicked, all right, and they fired on all cylinders back at Skate, ready to prove that their series had what it takes to get back on top. Sadly, for fans of Tony Hawk, every shot missed its target. Tony Hawk: Ride was a knee-jerk reaction by a publisher who pushed gimmick over gameplay, and the result feels like the most manufactured, soulless gaming experience to ever be released.

What once was an incredibly fun set of games has become a monotonous experience that’s more about going through the motions than it is about having a good time.

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines isn’t a great game. There are better platformers on the handheld, like Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, and there are better action games to choose from, like God of War: Chains of Olympus. Bloodlines combines aspects of both of those games into something a little less impressive and coherent, but somehow still entertaining.

NCAA Basketball 10 is a satisfactory college basketball game, but its AI and gameplay issues keep it from being a standout, the lack of game modes keep it from being a great value for the money, and the absence of any “hook” to catch fans’ attention may make it a financial failure.

NCAA Basketball 10 is a satisfactory college basketball game, but its AI and gameplay issues keep it from being a standout, the lack of game modes keep it from being a great value for the money, and the absence of any “hook” to catch fans’ attention may make it a financial failure.

Sadly, due to the lack of a compelling narrative, the frustratingly boring gameplay, and the poor camera, Lost Frontier becomes a forgettable experience almost immediately after playing it.

It’s a fun game, and a good option if you’re in dire need of an all-ages music title, but longtime fans of the series probably won’t find this as satisfying as any of the other Rock Band games.

Lego Rock Band, while not a bad game, is easily the weakest in the series.

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is certainly a victim of its platform’s shortcomings, but it’s also not a very good game to begin with.

Need for Speed: Nitro does a good job of washing the taste of the last few entries of the franchise out of your mouth, but it doesn’t really do anything to establish a new status quo. The racing is fun, and the customization is cool, but outside of that, there’s not a whole lot going on here.

This decent idea got buried under glitches, a bad camera, and frustrating gameplay, and there seems to be no reason for that to have happened.

The Recording Studio is a terrific time waster, but doesn’t offer anything remarkably different from the first that would warrant an upgrade. Songbook is an aggravating mess that would have been made more tolerable if there were actual recordings instead of covers, but I’m not sure even that would have made that mode worth completing.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games isn’t going to surprise anyone with its gameplay, graphics, controls, or concept, but it’s a perfectly serviceable party game for the Wii.

The enemy design is, simply put, wonderful, and so many different elements of Demon's Souls call out to me, demanding love and affection. Sadly, I cannot return its calls. It just goes so far out of its way to be difficult that it misses some key, important elements that would have made it a vastly better game.

Zombie Studios has done a fine job with the property, and has succeeded more than most thought possible with the series. Saw, as a tie-in to the series, is wonderful. As a survival horror game, however, it's a much smaller success. A success, mind you, but a small success, and one that doesn't rely on any knowledge of the Saw series to enjoy.

Saw, as a tie-in to the series, is wonderful. As a survival horror game, however, it's a much smaller success. A success, mind you, but a small success, and one that doesn't rely on any knowledge of the Saw series to enjoy.

It’s strange to think that a game with lackluster core game mechanics can make up for it with its variety of gameplay modes, most of which rely on those same core mechanics, but that’s exactly the case here.

Gran Turismo was most definitely not worth the wait. It’s a good looking game that plays well, but the lack of game modes, the poor car acquisition system, and the absence of more online features completely deflate the experience.

It simply isn't as fun as Super Smash Bros., and it's too similar to pull in anyone who isn't already a fan of Nintendo's fighting game. All in all, it should be reserved for only those who still sleep in Michelangelo pajamas and play with their the Ninja Turtle Pizza Shooter.

Experienced gamers will have no problem playing through the game without even the fear of death, but kids will have fun playing alone or with a family member, and parents or older siblings can jump in without being bored to tears. Upping the challenge factor and fixing some of the technical issues would have expanded the audience for this game even further, but it’s a nice step taken as far as video game tie-ins go.

It’s too buggy, choppy, and unrealistic to be considered even a solid title.

With its various bugs, issues with physics and AI, and lackluster visuals, it would be hard to recommend the game as a bargain title, much less a full priced game.

There’s no questioning Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny’s technical acumen; it’s a brilliant fighting engine that looks amazing, sounds great, and plays just about perfectly. It’s just a shame that there’s really no good way to play it.

The problems that can't really be forgiven, however, come from the slow pacing. True, slow pacing on its own doesn't necessarily mean bad pacing, but Cursed Mountain's molasses speed doesn't work in the game's favor.

Dissidia Final Fantasy offers an enormous amount of content for Final Fantasy fans, but fails to deliver an engaging or satisfying fighting experience.

Turtles in Time Re-Shelled was fun while it lasted, but that time was far too short.

Even for a movie tie-in, GI Joe feels like a rush job. It’s not a terrible game by any means; the game mechanics mostly work, there’s plenty of variety to the characters, scores of things to unlock, and even playable Cobra characters like Storm Shadow and Firefly. It’s just that everything it does has been done much better by many different games.

The sum of all the parts is much greater than the individual pieces, and I hope that strong word of mouth gets this title into more homes.

While it's not a bad episode by any means it definitely doesn't feel like the ending Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures needed to end a success. A grand adventure this was not.

Mindless, shallow, and temporary entertainment, deserving of a rental and not much more. The way the story is presented as an afterthought is inexcusable, and the repetitive fetch quests and contrived missions can only keep one occupied for so long. It’s not a failure, and it is far from being the worst movie tie-in of the year, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince once again falls short of being a worthwhile game to add to your collection.

The Half-Blood Prince isn’t worth buying at full price for any system; five hours is far too short, especially for a game this repetitive.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers isn’t a terrible puzzle game; in small doses, it can be entertaining, especially if you have friends nearby to play with. However, it never feels especially challenging, nor did I feel any desire to go back and improve my scores.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did one thing right: it improved on the previous game in the blockbuster tie-in series. Unfortunately, the last game was a glitchy, broken mess, so that’s really not saying too much. In small doses, Revenge can be somewhat entertaining, but after spending more than half an hour with this game, I was ready for a break.

An above-average handheld movie tie-in. Half of the game plays well, and keeps you coming back for more with missions that don’t take too long, and offer a nice level of challenge. The other half, however, is a tremendous chore that seriously hurts the experience as a whole.

While Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is a solid option for fans of music games, the short and inconsistent tracklist alone makes it not worth the price.

It's cute, but it's just not the best kart racer on the console. Hell, it might not even be the second best one. For die-hard fans of the MySims series, if any exist, the game is likely worth checking out, but for everyone else it doesn't have enough replayability to justify a purchase.

If there had been a stronger plot, more character customization options, a reasonable difficulty curve, or more unique fighting elements, this would have been one of the best dungeon-crawlers in recent memory. Class of Heroes isn’t a bad game, but doesn’t do enough to make you want to stay with it for the many, many hours it will take to complete it.

Virtua Tennis 2009 is a prime example of a game treading water that desperately needs an overhaul.