Most of Tomb Raider II's improvements are cosmetic, and even those aren't really anything special.

If you've already played the Dreamcast version, these extras definitely aren't worth your money.

Other than a few additional cars and tracks, the PS2 update is barely an improvement. In fact, thanks to a plethora of graphical problems, the flaws inherent to the game's overall presentation are much more apparent now.

Though based on a great series of innovative tactical action/puzzle games, Commandos Strike Force comes off as just another middling World War II shooter, despite some good ideas.

While the list of games may look enticing, the package has a sloppy, thrown-together feel to it that significantly nullifies the nostalgia factor.

Traveller's Tales has perverted Sega's previously charming action puzzle series into a clumsy, frustrating action adventure game.

Parents whose kids have Scooby-Doo hot on the brain from the movie can safely rent this one, or not, without worry of missing much.

It also has an interface that seems designed to shield you from actually playing the game.

A few unique touches are overshadowed by crushingly dull gameplay in this perfunctory animated movie tie-in.

You'll start seeing repeats of the same questions far too soon.

Novadrome offers a glossy-looking take on the tried-and-true concept of futuristic car combat, but fails to do anything interesting or noteworthy with it.

A deep character-creation system and sharp graphics are wasted on this dull, repetitive dungeon crawler.

Its inelaborate gameplay and terribly dated graphics and sound absolutely scream for it to be a PlayStation game.

A few unique touches are overshadowed by crushingly dull gameplay in this perfunctory animated movie tie-in.

Mage Knight DS is based on some good design ideas derived from an interesting tabletop wargame, but they're drowned out by a poor interface and weak presentation.

Delivers on the throwback headstrong-ninja motif, but its graphics are lacking, the level of challenge isn’t up to snuff, and the whole experience is over way too quickly.

The Egyptian palette swap and minuscule formula changes aren't enough to prevent Luxor 2 from feeling like the inferior Zuma rip-off that it is.

Parents whose kids have Scooby-Doo hot on the brain from the movie can safely rent this one, or not, without worry of missing much.

A few unique touches are overshadowed by crushingly dull gameplay in this perfunctory animated movie tie-in.

It's ultimately too simplistic, too short, and far too prone to bumper-car madness and pinball-like ricochets.

After the initial "wow" wears off, you'll be stuck with an empty experience.

A competent clone of a competent "Bejeweled" clone that does little to set itself apart.

The simplistic gameplay and the lack of both difficulty and any real pressing motivation to complete the game severely limit any appeal.

It features some attractive visuals and a few particularly dramatic scenes. Still, Black Hawk Down is a deeply flawed shooter that has a moment of disappointment or frustration for every moment of fun.

All the clever animations, amusing sounds, and pretty battle graphics in the world can't replace an interesting combat system.

The technical limitations of the PlayStation 2 rob the original of most of its visual style and slow the pace considerably, resulting in a mediocre mission-based driving game with poor handling.

It's not that it's entirely broken, mind you, but X-Men's missions are entirely generic and devoid of captivating content, and there are enough annoying little glitches and other obnoxious things prevalent throughout to give the game that thrown-together feel.

It's a clumsy port, but what's even more disappointing is that it's a clumsy port of only a middling console game.

A few unique touches are overshadowed by crushingly dull gameplay in this perfunctory animated movie tie-in.

Something like a comfortable old shoe that's finally starting to fall apart. Revamping some of the graphics and switching the player ratings system from letters to numbers make this seem like more of a remake than a sequel. Gameplay has been allowed to stagnate.

If you strip away the patently silly drug effects and the forced attitude, NARC is an unimpressive mission-based third-person action game. It's also short, rife with bugs, and basically not a lot of fun to play.

Beatmania's long-overdue release outside of Japan shows off its many weaknesses, with the most egregious of which being its unimpressive song list.

BloodRayne may feature the va-va-voomiest bloodsucker in gaming, George Romero-style gore that includes lots of decapitations, and everyone's favorite goose-stepping bad guys, but gameplay is so predictable that you'll be stifling yawns even as you tear open jugulars.

Haemimont Games takes such a casual approach to everything, from the ancient Roman setting to the quickie campaign scenarios, so that many players will find little here to latch onto and really enjoy.

It fails miserably at providing any sort of interesting story or characters that you care about. The levels are huge, but they're often bland or repetitive, and the game is riddled with design problems and bugs.

The missions are still brief, the control is still awkward, and in 2003, those great graphics just don't look so great anymore.

The game has its moments, but not frequently enough to lift it out of mediocrity. EoA just doesn't do justice to the really unusual and interesting premise.

The latest unfinished massively multiplayer role-playing game to be inflicted upon gamers. Its unrefined gameplay is too simplistic to have enduring appeal and yet, paradoxically, its character-development system is needlessly complex.

Avatar: The Last Airbender had the potential to be an enjoyable game for both children and adults but most of that potential went untapped, and the extremely repetitive and tedious gameplay isn't likely to appeal to either audience.

Regardless of the game's inspiration, Armageddon is a mediocre action game that is carried only by its license.

A generally uninteresting futuristic racer that doesn't do anything that hasn't already been done, and done better, by previous futuristic racers.

Combining Nickelodeon's most popular characters in one game seems like a great idea, but Nicktoons Unite! is too content to be another generic platformer that leans exclusively on its license.

But it's a classic <I>arcade</I> game, not a classic NES game. So this release does a decent job of duplicating the NES version of Pac-Man...but Pac-Man isn't famous for being an NES game, and this port of the arcade classic isn't terribly accurate or compelling.

A brief and generic action game that does nothing to distinguish itself from the glut of similar--and cheaper--games on the market.

The problem with RYL: Path of the Emperor is that it represents a throwback in the current market, offering mostly lackluster visuals, a staid player-versus-environment game, and a standard sort of guild-versus-guild, player-versus-player system.

It's not that it's entirely broken, mind you, but X-Men's missions are entirely generic and devoid of captivating content, and there are enough annoying little glitches and other obnoxious things prevalent throughout to give the game that thrown-together feel.

Although NCCA Final Four 2001 features relatively entertaining arcade-style hoops action, the game's subpar graphics, lack of options, annoying control flaws, and lack of on-court atmosphere keep it from meeting those expectations.

A fairly playable, albeit generic, portable air combat game with a passable selection of fake planes and simple missions.

If you strip away the patently silly drug effects and the forced attitude, NARC is an unimpressive mission-based third-person action game. It's also short, rife with bugs, and basically not a lot of fun to play.

Finny's tone and relative simplicity make it clear that it was designed for the younger end of the lunchbox spectrum, but vague mission structure and some unusually punishing elements work against the rest of the design.

It's not that it's entirely broken, mind you, but X-Men's missions are entirely generic and devoid of captivating content, and there are enough annoying little glitches and other obnoxious things prevalent throughout to give the game that thrown-together feel.

Nostalgic adults might be able to get some campy fun out of the cheesy plot elements and canned laugh track, though if they do, it's purely coincidental. Mystery Mayhem is aimed squarely at the kids.

Run-of-the-mill fighting and stripped-down strategy sequences make Shaman King a fairly drab ride that's only recommendable to extreme fans of the series.

Breakout and Warlords may be classics, but it's tough to stay interested in them because they're so extremely old. Of the three games, Centipede has the most staying power. If only this compilation included a couple more games or kept track of high scores.

It's not that it's entirely broken, mind you, but X-Men's missions are entirely generic and devoid of captivating content, and there are enough annoying little glitches and other obnoxious things prevalent throughout to give the game that thrown-together feel.

The severe shortage of things to do and an embarrassing lack of insight keep Brooktown High from being a fun or interesting look at high school life.

Gundam Battle Assault isn't a good enough game to live on its own -- the fighting is competent, but hardly compelling for any length of time, and the story mode is completely uninteresting.

The Sims 2: Pets for the PSP might have been a decent port of the console versions, if it would've just stopped loading for a second.

Though it has some startling moments and a few fun sections, it's mostly just a mediocre version of a mediocre game.

The single-player mode is plain and simple, and the multiplayer mode, once you get over the novelty of shooting people over the Internet, really lacks depth.

25 to Life is a lifelessly generic shooter that, at times, feels like "Max Payne" without the fun.

The game's optimal target audience would be younger players looking for an easygoing shooter, but the M rating and abundance of swastikas pretty much excludes the majority of this group, save for those with open-minded parents.

The game's shallow simplicity, short length (well under 10 hours), and control issues detract from any appeal.

One Piece Grand Adventure feels like a beefier version of One Piece Grand Battle, but it's still not a very compelling brawler.

The inclusion of different gameplay elements drag down what is otherwise an oftentimes surprisingly playable game.

Ultimately, though, Serious Sam Advance comes up short because there just aren't enough levels to play.

Catwoman attempts to deliver some "Prince of Persia"-like acrobatics, but it's dragged down by bad control, weak voice work, and shoddy gameplay.

The average graphics, sound, and play mechanics contribute to the feeling that all this has been done before, and the uninspired storyline and lack of real plot twists really doesn't give you much motivation to keep playing.

A half-baked attempt to combine a combo-based fighting system with some light stealth and puzzle-solving. Unfortunately, no one aspect of the game is done especially well.

It remains a decent enough game for button-jamming fanatics despite its flaws.

Unfortunately, all of these [features] are dragged down by a poor frame rate and cumbersome controls. The scope of this game is certainly impressive. It's just not much fun to play.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

Occasionally intense but lacks the personality and polish of its source material.

Regardless of the game's inspiration, Armageddon is a mediocre action game that is carried only by its license.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu's attempt to do something different with card battling, while commendable, doesn't compensate for its shallow gameplay.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

ProStroke Golf - World Tour 2007 is a passable effort, but one that fails to bring anything new to the world of golf games.

Will hold the interest of a devoted WWE fan for a few days, but it doesn't have a wide enough assortment of wrestlers or moves to keep the attention of anyone else for very long. The absence of a create-a-wrestler option is also tragic.

One Piece Grand Adventure feels like a beefier version of One Piece Grand Battle, but it's still not a very compelling brawler.

Digimon World Championship attempts to shake things up with some interesting ideas, but these changes leave the game repetitive and unexciting.

There's no reason to pick this one up, regardless of how bad you need a basketball fix--there are plenty of cheaper, better options available.

It's lengthy and difficult, and there are puzzles at every turn. Unfortunately, the game is also filled with long, empty hallways bookended by mysteriously locked doors--so it doesn't manage to be atmospheric at all, in spite of its great visuals.

Driver: Parallel Lines looks seriously outdated on the PC. Its dull story and gameplay prevent it from being recommendable.

Hard Evidence offers few surprises and even fewer challenges throughout its five undemanding murder mysteries.

This visually enchanting game tries to whisk you away to a young girl's dreams, but the often frustrating gameplay makes for a rude awakening.

Project Sylpheed is a short and needlessly complicated space shooter that gets by on its cutscenes more than its gameplay.

It seems like a great fit for the Kinect, but Hole in the Wall doesn't quite line up.

Battle of Atluma gets the WarCry card-game mechanics down cold. Unfortunately, the chill permeates every aspect of the presentation.

Madden NFL Arcade straddles the line between over-the-top arcade sports games and buttoned-down sims but doesn't wind up pleasing anybody.

This sci-fi sequel seems like it should have everything you need in a shooter, but a shocking number of design missteps suck out much of the fun.

Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party could stand to be a lot hotter, and a lot cheaper. For 70 dollars you get the disc and the dance mat, but you need to shell out at least 20 more dollars for a second mat if you want to go head-to-head with friends.

Surf's Up on the PSP is a basically fun variant on the kart racer formula, but the restrictive trick system and lack of online options means you'll be done with it quickly.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 retains the series' impressive visuals and its accessible combat, but gets bogged down by its focus on storytelling.

Considering the talent behind the game, it's disappointing that it could be so utterly devoid of positive traits, but no matter how hard you look, you won't be able to scrounge up much of anything to really like about Nano Breaker.

The attention to detail, the well-considered level design, and the sense of momentum that characterize the finest shooters are missing here. Aliens vs. Predator is sometimes enjoyable but never escapes an overwhelming sense of carelessness, so while it may remind you of the good old days, it fails to recapture them.

Limited content and high-priced weapons and gear make the supposedly gratis Bullet Run more pay-to-win than free-to-play.