In reality, it is fun and entertaining… for a little while. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is actually the perfect definition of a rental game.

Fracture is a mediocre title released at a time of year when that simply is not good enough. It is repetitive, derivative, and often times boring.

Lackluster.

For PS3-owning mahjong fans, there’s enough to like, despite the poor multiplayer options.

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.

Outside of the lack of songs, I had one major issue with Guitar Hero On Tour: portability. I tend to buy handheld games to play on train rides, or while flying. The combination of the cumbersome Guitar Grip, the non-ergonomic angle at which you hold the DS, and gameplay interface make this a game I was actually embarrassed to play in public. And if a handheld game can only be played at home, what’s the point?

The omission of previously available features, like season mode and create-a-player, make this a serious step down in terms of gameplay and replay value, and what’s left isn’t quite worth the price of admission.

It’s too bad that once again, Bond fans are left with a game that’s more interested in cashing in on a movie license than presenting a complete gameplay experience. Quantum of Solace ends up feeling more like a mod of "Call of Duty 4" than it does its own game, and that’s a shame.

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.

There’s about as much to complain about as there is to acclaim, but as a whole, it never rises above the level of an adequate game.

Via Domus is really light on any actual action; as Elliott, you’ll mostly be solving puzzles and trying (and failing) not to get lost and frustrated while wandering around the jungle, in between conversing with other plane crash survivors and trying to figure out who you are and what’s going on.

Rubik’s World is a title that had potential, but unfortunately it was lost among the dull and pointless exercises included in this game.

Visually it’s a success, with wonderful blur effects and animations accompanying the colorful world. The gameplay is even something worth paying attention to, as it shows that Sonic Team hasn’t entirely forgotten how to make a Sonic game. However, it falls apart, and the repetitive nature of the missions can become grinding.

Spore Creatures isn’t the shovelware I originally expected, but it isn’t much more than a cash-in on the PC version’s anticipated success. It isn't a bad game, it isn't a good game, it's just sort of there.

Light on content, strategy, and presentation, this mediocre title fails to innovate in any real way, and instead strips away a lot of what has worked in the past.

The excellent control scheme and shiny units aren’t enough to save UAW from its own flawed code.

There are several moments when you are told that stealth is an important part of Turok's hunting ethos, but when it comes time to be stealthy, the AI are able to see you even if you're hidden. It basically amounts to a useless stealth system.

I can overlook the average graphics, the camera mechanics, and even the sub-par voice-acting. What I can’t accept is that the story, which was supposed to be the most interesting part of the game, is just plain boring.

Considering that Tiger Woods ’09 is being hailed as the greatest golf game ever released for the 360 and PS3, it is truly depressing that the Wii port is such a mess.

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.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar could’ve established itself as a must-own game had it done anything better or more stylishly than predecessors like Advance Wars. Instead, DS owners are given another RTS that brings nothing interesting to the table, and can get easily lost among the dozens of other games it shares so many similarities with.

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

Sadly, it ends up being a bit of a disappointment, with iffy controls and less than impressive graphics.

By changing the game to more of a true wrestling game and less of a turn-based RPG, the developers definitely took a step in the right direction.

Old and young should have no problem finding joy in the game, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

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.

I spent time with both hockey games this season, hoping that 2K could at least be considered a decent hockey simulation for those who still haven’t gone over to the EA side. Sadly, 2K can’t even hold its own against older versions of its own franchise, let alone a game as technically sound as NHL 09.

Once again, EA has managed to innovate in a genre that had grown stale and tedious. With its numerous graphical glitches, control issues, and overall lack of polish, it’s obvious that Skate It is a first effort. Still, pulling off big tricks (and even small ones) can be very satisfying, and there’s a real feeling that this is a series that will benefit greatly from further iteration.