On an exclusively conceptual level it is possible Dead Block could have worked. However a thorough misunderstanding of what makes the zombie genre enjoyable leaves this feeling far more like work than it should. Tower defense fans are better off sticking to their tower defense games, and zombie killing fans are better off sticking to games that emphasize killing zombies.

It fails in my eyes as an innovative title that people will find themselves wanting to pick up in the face of "Doom 3" and the impending "Half-Life 2."

A hackneyed premise that flirts with the same issues of terrorism examined in scores of other shooters hardly makes an impact here.

Outside of the updated graphics and the introduction of the new playable character, Kurtis, I really didn't see anything new brought to the game which is a major disappointment.

For the most part, Knights Contract is a monumental disappointment mainly because there are occasional glimpses at the fact that it could have been so much better. The frustrating combat, dull graphics, uneven acting, and insipid A.I. make it ultimately impossible to recommend even as a rental.

I'm all for developers extending the life of their games by offering post-release content, however in this case, the Genkibowl had the exact opposite effect. Once I finished it, I didn't want to play more Saints Row 3, much less buy more content for it.

It’s a one-trick pony for the most part, but worth a rental at least for arcade racing fans.

Fans of Lucha Libre might enjoy seeing their favorite fighters in action, but even the most dedicated aficionado will find the turgid gameplay disappointing.

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.

It's disappointing that Battlegrounds has more in common with a 30-year old Atari 2600 title in a number of ways than it does with the generally likable Red Faction franchise. Really, it doesn't have anything to do with it other than as a source for the vehicles and a couple of logos.

If you and your friends are fans of the series, as popular as it is, Pirates Carnival would be a great way to kick back and have a friendly competition with each other. Those who are not familiar with the series or are a little older may not find the premise or even the gameplay itself all that interesting and not quite the party they were expecting.

As is the case with every title in the franchise, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 doesn't re-invent the wheel. A few minor changes here and there, more than double the playable characters, and a half-hearted attempt at bringing large scale boss fights to the series are the only real changes over the last version.

Rather than a careful exposition of Persian themes and stories we get a shambling mess of a game that fails to deliver on any front. What's most disappointing is that rather than making the classic text accessible, Garshasp's narrative just mires too deep in forgotten lore to be interesting to anyone who doesn't already know what it's about. This is definitely a game about Persians and by Persians but it lacks the fundamentals to be enjoyed by anyone, including Persians.

The problem here is that the levels are either two small, or laid out in ways that are counter-intuitive. There's also the problem of challenge.

The night of fun has long passed for this underwhelming game and the morning heralds a test that it doesn't have the chops to really pass with flying colors.

NFL Tour isn’t just bad. It’s other-worldy bad...It was my hope that in this case less would be more, but unfortunately less is less. We are left with a completely boring and terrible game that I think could be justification for the NFL to revoke the license.

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.

At the end of the day Fusion Frenzy 2 is a fun game for the whole family, but the bland character design, non-existent plot and the overall obnoxious voice-overs really hurt this title more than they should.

I appreciate that it made the effort to include full voice-acting throughout and… that’s about all. The premise of telekinetic gloves is solid, but without the physics and level-design to support it, Twin Sector is a b-game Portal knockoff.

I could go on at length about the bad level design, the repeated attempts at humor, the shockingly poor and limited multiplayer and more examples of the "nothing new here" gameplay but it is best just to forget about Duke Nukem Forever. Forget about it entirely, because you're missing nothing.

The game claims to score brain development, but there is no baseline testing, so getting a high score at the start seems to invalidate the whole process. What are you being compared to when receiving a 100% score? In the end, this game lacks punch.

It's short and uninteresting with any slight joy of a playing a good mini-game far outweighed by the frustration of playing the bad ones. Send this one to the bottom of the dunk tank.

It's not exactly hard though, and within minutes the fighting action matches the story pace: boring.

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.

No Doubt is MIA, the art is occasionally freakish and definitely not up to Xbox standards, and while "fun" is always a subjective call, the gameplay offers nothing new and contains a ton of repetition. Malice ends up being a small package that just doesn't offer enough.

Coming from the folks who developed the "Armored Core" series, I expected a lot more. The gameplay was not to my expectations, and the graphics do not take full advantage of the Xbox console.

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osbourne House is neither pretty good nor as good as any of the games in the Professor Layton series that it's trying to emulate. Why you'd play this game, when you could play any of the games it draws inspiration from is the real mystery.

Gamers should do their best not to contract this syndrome.