There are just too many nagging gameplay problems for the story to overcome and once your reach one of the two final endings, you’ll be wondering why Danny didn’t get on that flight to Paraguay ten hours earlier.

All in all, if you are looking to play a mindless shoot ‘em up in a typical and depthless game that has no multiplayer and a rather short single player campaign, than Van Helsing may be what the doctor ordered.

The action when you are walking is sub par at best in the best of scenarios and even with the heavy firepower you can acquire such as, m16's, Uzi's and even grenade launchers, it doesn't make it all that much better.

If you are looking for an enjoyable game to play with friends in the fashion of Mario Kart, then Pac Man World Rally is a good way to go, but if you are looking for a game that tests your mettle and driving skills, World Rally may not fill that need.

Without additional players, it's extremely tough to enjoy the game or make much progress, so I can't quite recommend it in place of the far better offerings out there.

After communicating with the development team, they seem very attentive and are actively patching the game. So maybe in the near future the above-mentioned problems won't be an issue. Until that time, I can't recommend picking this one up. If the news of the HD release has got you itching for MDK2 again, think about hunting down a copy of the original.

For every “wow” moment there’s a commensurate “what the heck” moment that drains the fun. Head-to-head players and single season players will have plenty of fun with this game, despite its warts. Franchise players—move on, there’s nothing to see here.

The first 2 hours are some of the most boring hours you will ever play in a video game.

A solid adventure game that could have had some of its elements scaled back (dialogue for example) and some of its lesser used elements (fighting, alchemy) increased.

Crash Course certainly isn't a bad piece of content, it's just not a slam dunk if you have to pay for it.

Though this isn't actually a movie game, the voice acting talent in the game is pretty good.

Splash Damage's union of parkour and class-based shooter will hook you with excellent character-customization, and it is enjoyable under optimum conditions. Other times, it is nearly unplayable. Brink gave jaded fans of first-person shooters hope for a revolution. Instead, we got a mild and temporary disruption of the status quo with some fancy footwork.

The mark of a really good game isn't that it is without flaw. Every game has its weaker elements. Most good games, however, have at least one core game mechanic that they do exceptionally well. It's that lack of anything on which to hang its hat, combined with a few places where it really falls on its face, that hold Two Worlds II back from being particularly interesting.

A decent World War 2 tactical game, marred by extensive bugs, design flaws, and, yes, a lack of co-op support. Maybe when it's patched up it'll be worth your hard-earned dough, but for the time being, only die-hard fans or gamers that don't demand much out of their games will want to pick it up.

However, the fact remains that for those who have completed Saints Row 2, there's not a lot of bang for your buck here.

All I wanted from King Arthur II was more of the great lore mixed with a degree of difficulty that was challenging but not sadistic and better tactical battles. I got the great lore.

Overall SVC Chaos feels almost crude by today's standards. If the online mode weren't in it, which in itself is no great shakes, I would swear this was a NeoGeo game from the mid-'90s.

Ideally suited to hard core strategy gamers who relish the pure strategic elements of player-versus-player conflict and don't mind the occasionally tedious hotspot in combat.

However, the fact remains that for those who have completed Saints Row 2, there's not a lot of bang for your buck here.

The game hardly lays out a convincing tale, which leaves gameplay to perform double duty.

The game is by no means worthy of the legacy its series has created, but it's not entirely horrible either.

It's still an important and hugely influential game and it should probably be played by anyone interested in first-person shooters. But unless you're part of the generation of gamers that are now in their 20s and you're looking to recapture your Halo heydays, this is definitely most gamers can skip even at its budget $40 retail price.

Despite the decent options, the game is just an average racer with nothing to pull it out of the crowd of already ho-hum PS2 titles.

The game doesn't look anywhere near Xbox quality, and trying to perform some simple tasks like jumping a platform or climbing a rock may take several tries because our hero can't latch onto them on the first try.

Despite it being a killer remake, Perfect Dark itself is past its prime.

An average game that is held back by brutal difficulty and a design that would seem to fit better with a turn based model.

Shadows of the Damned is one of the more compromised and conventional games on either Suda's or Mikami's resume despite the expected mild surrealism and occasional nods to old school video game grammar. And that makes it a resounding disappointment.

Even if you can get over the sheer stupidity of making Sonic a big, brawny “Werehog”, and even if the janky, overly finicky platforming doesn’t put you off, answer me this: who the hell wants to brawl in a Sonic game?

The limited ways to play ultimately causes the game to get tedious and the AI can't even pretend to measure up to the human element that makes poker so interesting.

But we can only look at what we have now. Elemental is now undercooked with no incentive to keep sitting down to dinner. With more variety and more clarity, Stardock's fantasy world might tell stories you would tell your friends. It's a shame it insisted on trying to tell them now.

Hydrophobia isn't a great game, but it certainly has its moments, not to mention an entertaining storyline. It's also extremely short, with roughly five hours of gameplay before a sudden "To Be Continued" message flashes across the screen. That's not a lot of payoff for 1200 MS Points ($15).

It's great to see such a varied mix of sports, it's just a shame that the game falters on the execution.

Every component of this game is either mediocre or bad. Consequently, if you were to ask me what I thought of Thunder Strike, I would say that it sucks.

While playable, True Crime: New York City really isn't worth buying, with clipping bugs and a bad story line and the game being somewhat too easy the game just isn't worth it.

Overall, for $29.99, it's not a bad deal to get 3 "A" tier games, 2 "B" tier games and a lot of junky Game Gear games.

Sure it’s only 320 points on Xbox Live but there’s just no real reason to grab this unless you want to hear that countess of Forli lady talk about touching and kissing her breasts and flashing her privates as she taunts some guards.

Diehard Naruto fans might find a little joy in taking their favorite characters into the ring (again), but the payoff for the effort of trudging through Story mode is adequate at best.

Don't get me wrong, Borderlands is still one of the best co-op experiences in gaming and the mix of player classes and relentless stream of enemies is very easy to slip back into, however with the ability to play more than one playthrough of the main game and all of the DLC packs, if all you want to do is shoot high level dudes, you don't need to pay another ten bucks to do so.

Naruto: Ulitmate Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress does offer up plenty of fun, albeit shallow, ninja fighting, just not enough new content to warrant a purchase.

It's a frustrating game because of the technical issues. The core game remains as solid as ever but unless you have the patience to wait for the game to load at every turn it's a very tough sell. As a result I can't fully recommend it but I do encourage those UFC fans that want an authentic mixed martial arts experience to buy UFC Undisputed 2010 for Xbox 360 or PS3.

As it stands Supreme Ruler 2020 is mostly a system in search of a game, with no sense of mission or urgency to push you from day to day. Whatever rewards it has are doled out too sparingly for most gamers, even serious strategy nerds.

Warriors Orochi isn’t a bad game since it is another angle on the same Koei-based hack-and-slash games they have been working on for over a decade now. There are also some new things brought to the table, but the gameplay experience is becoming tiring.

Overall, while it's nice to see someone try to make a baseball game that's a little different from the norm, it still needs to be user friendly and easy to play; instead it's an extremely frustrating game for lefties and a barely passable game for right handed players and is best saved for the younger crowd as a rental.

Sure it’s only 320 points on Xbox Live but there’s just no real reason to grab this unless you want to hear that countess of Forli lady talk about touching and kissing her breasts and flashing her privates as she taunts some guards.

You get the idea – this is by no means a “gamer’s game” and it strains to make the definition of “game” in general. It’s really more of a fitness tool – a fitness tool with an unholy dose of The Biggest Loser mixed in.

With four character story lines to complete, dozens of bullets to find, multiplayer modes and the ability to create custom beat combos, there’s a lot to do in Draglade, it’s just not all that exciting to actually do it.

A game only for the most hardcore RPG gamer with an endless supply of patience. The gameplay itself is pretty solid and the game's unique elements make for a lot of fun, but this technical issue can prove to be a deal breaker for many players.

It's a shame that the DLC for such a great game had to leave on such a value-less note, but hey, if you haven't beaten the main game, unlimited rocket ammo may just be worth seven bucks.

So what you have is by the numbers, lead you by the nose shooter with decent graphics, some neat special powers, and a crazy (but still kind of cool) Clive Barker story—that isn’t scary in the slightest. This is perhaps the game’s greatest failing: it’s just not scary.

A fleeting interest. While it's pleasant to look at, the basic combat system lacks variety or depth. But then again, at $20, what do you expect?

Street Racing Syndicate might have been received as a pretty good game a year or so ago, but now it does not stack up to the competition – even with the racing cuties.

I like the concept of returning to the mansion (or its doppelganger) with a new emphasis on teamwork, and I like the two additions to Mercenaries, but there isn’t enough substance in action, storytelling, nor the puzzles to make Lost in Nightmares stand out.

Foto Frenzy is not a bad game, it's just a sometimes frustrating version of a puzzle genre that I've never had strong feelings for but if you can pick out the details on a fly's wing from thirty yards out or love the frantic pace of timed sliding box puzzles then there's a good amount of game here for your twenty bucks.

I don't mean to say that Crysis 2 isn't competent. It is. It's a perfectly bog-standard, uninspired, derivative, middle-of-the-road, ultimately incomprehensible, attractive enough, buy-it-used-if-you-must shooter that no one will remember by summer.

The main difference between this and Pokemon is that Pokemon doesn't suck as much. Game play in Digimon World 2 is the equivalent of a snail race.

A combination of unreasonable learning curves, seemingly last-minute voiceovers and poor player gratification makes this title barely worth a rental.

A snail in an Olympic sized pool moves faster than this game, and it gets to the point where it becomes too frustrating to play.

Sadly, this particular iteration of the series is a dismal and distant cousin, better known for its lead paint-eating habits than engaging dinner banter. Not to be recommended to series fans, initiates, or those trawling the bargain bin at the software store.

Intensely frustrating, often leaving one with a feeling of having been cheated or ganged up on, while one can recognize the goals achieved by the developers at Creat Studios, it's somewhat harder to laud them for their accomplishments.

If you have "College Hoops" and enjoy it, you really should fight the urge to spend a few bucks even on a rental of March Madness 07. It just doesn’t hold up well, and is nowhere near as deep or as enjoyable as its competition.

As a hack-and-slash platformer, Fairytale Fights could have been a success. On top of a consistent and admittedly appealing theme, it has all the right ingredients to fit the genre: countless weapons, challenging levels and 4-player co-op. But with repetitive gameplay and unrewarding challenges, this title falls very, very short of becoming the next Castle Crashers.

As gamers, we are well accustomed to the fate of movie-related games, which is why Salvation is such a disappointment. It has some solid combat, perhaps the best cover-system to date, and the foundation for a captivating plot, but the game lacks any sort of scope.

It's admirable that the guys who made Crackdown 2 have created a sequel every bit as good as the original. It's just a shame they don't have that insight into the genre at large. Because there's almost nothing in Crackdown 2 to recommend it over the competition. On the whole, I'd rather be in Panau.

That’s how I felt after playing the game: that I didn’t really do anything. I’m a big fan of the books – a bit less so of the films, and the games still fail to remotely live up to either.

Gran Turismo PSP falls short of delivering a full experience. Polyphony Digital did an amazing job on the technical side of this game, but the glaring omission of a real career and the lack of car upgrades sinks what could have been a great title.

If Gamerscore records and leaderboards are that important to you, then go wild. Otherwise, save your money for the next Xbox Live Arcade game.

More specific classes, skills, and specializations would have been nice. Matchmaking is sporadic at best, which stinks because the game is almost useless as a single player exercise. The ally AI won't touch any of the mission-specific objectives, which means you've got to babysit that drill by yourself.

In my opinion the 10-year-old game this cartridge contains just does not hold up in 2006 and the clear lack of consideration for the needs of the platform earn it a below average "C-" score.

Tao proves to be a role-playing game that is average, at times frustrating due to the controls, and paced so slowly that it isn't very much fun.

There is no reason to purchase Safecracker for the Wii. The puzzles are exactly the same in both versions, as are the graphics. There’s no noticeable loading screen lag in the PC version, and it’s much easier to play with a good old mouse.

A slightly below average game with some okay fighting action, a nice arcade mode if you're playing co-op and some adult situations that sometimes cross the line into the land of overkill.

The basics for a great rendition of Warhammer are there, but they’re buried too deeply in the mire of frustration to be appreciated.

From glitches to repetitive dog-fights and long stretches sans jet-pack, there is always something to ruin your fun as you trudge toward a wholly disappointing boss-battle and an inconclusive, patchwork ending.

If you can look past the long load times or are a Y’s purist and need to have your fix while on the road, then you might want to consider picking this up, but otherwise you might be better off looking elsewhere for an RPG on the go.

Online and offline multiplayer gives Zombie Apocalypse a little extra pulse, but not enough to invigorate the burden of repetition.

As with most games looking to cash in on whatever is popular at the moment, this game is just the same old song and dance.

At the end of the day Dynasty Warriors: Gundam does what it set out to accomplish: mesh two different franchises into a game that is playable but familiar. This game isn't particularly innovative, but at least it gives Gundam fans something.

In the end, is Ghostbusters the worst game I've ever played? No. It just pales so much in comparison to the other versions that it's not even worth picking up for anyone other than diehard fans of the series.

CreaVures garnered a considerable amount of attention with its distinctively colorful visuals, and for some people that may be enough to look beyond the game's failings. It is pretty. It also has excellent potential, but at the moment, it's eye-candy that requires too many concessions in gameplay to fully enjoy.

All things considered, WWE '12 is a step backwards for Yuke's. Luckily they can return to the RAW vs. SmackDown brand next year and pretend like this game never existed. I encourage them to do just that. More importantly, I encourage you to avoid WWE '12 because games are supposed to relieve stress-not cause it.

Lair has major problems with its use of motion-controls, despite nailing basic movements. Flat out broken contextual sequences, a choppy camera, and groan-inducing level design are hardly reasons to recommend it.

The world needs to push back; the missions need to get more serious more quickly and there needs to be greater stakes than whether you make 150,000 bucks this year or 200,000. I think Nitro has that game in them. Alas, this is not it.

As a hack-and-slash platformer, Fairytale Fights could have been a success. On top of a consistent and admittedly appealing theme, it has all the right ingredients to fit the genre: countless weapons, challenging levels and 4-player co-op. But with repetitive gameplay and unrewarding challenges, this title falls very, very short of becoming the next Castle Crashers.

Overall, Fantastic 4 continues the proud tradition of mediocrity set by the majority of both movie-based and superhero games.

It is not impossible to enjoy Syberia, you'll just need a lot of patience to do so. For most people though, there comes a point where you'll watch Kate walk across a screen that she can't do anything but traverse and think to yourself "what else can I do while waiting for her?" I'd suggest playing a better game.

As gamers, we are well accustomed to the fate of movie-related games, which is why Salvation is such a disappointment. It has some solid combat, perhaps the best cover-system to date, and the foundation for a captivating plot, but the game lacks any sort of scope.

Quantum of Solace was a rush-job. No amount of pretty textures or fiery explosions can hide it.

Online and offline multiplayer gives Zombie Apocalypse a little extra pulse, but not enough to invigorate the burden of repetition.

Even though Katana shares the same “slaughter everyone” overall goal, the on rails approach combined with the Wiimote/nunchuck control system may turn off previous fans and will do little to attract new ones.

Warpath may not keep your interest for too long while playing through the single player campaign, but if you can look over the absurdity of the computer players, it is a good way to sharpen your skills before bringing them online.

Like a spiny armband of black ink needled in at the end of a bender, Fuel is the tragic result of spontaneity without foresight, and design without inspiration.

In the end, 3rd Birthday disappoints Parasite Eve fans and provides a rather mediocre experience for new players. It would be hard to suggest this game as an entry point to the series, or really suggest it at all.

At the end of the day Dynasty Warriors: Gundam does what it set out to accomplish: mesh two different franchises into a game that is playable but familiar. This game isn't particularly innovative, but at least it gives Gundam fans something.

Matt Hazard’s designers clearly tried to do something interesting here, and the basic concept of a videogame action star as a washed-up Hollywood type is really quite cool. If only the game actually lived up to its premise.

The game has great strengths in its visuals and overall appeal, but the gameplay underneath is simply outright flawed and repetitive.

This is a game that tells a story that's meaningful only to people who have played all of the games beforehand, but does so with repetitive, sometimes frustrating gameplay.

Unreliability truly is the recurring hallmark of 1942: Joint Strike. Like a used-car dealership, it seems to have a vehicle for every budget and lifestyle, and each one is covered with a thick sheen of low-grade wax. Yeah, they look tasty, but you have to wonder if even a single one can make it off the lot.

Ultimately, Tiberian Twilight is a poor end to a long lived franchise. Its core design violates the major tenets of RTS sharing and openness, and this alone is enough to make me hate it.