A soccer game that boasts far more style than substance and has more in common with the FIFA games of old than it does with "FIFA Soccer 2005."

This disappointing film tie-in transforms the magical into the mundane.

This shallow fishing sim offers nostalgic fun for a moment, but its dated look and lack of new features make it a hard sell.

Even during its brightest moments, NBA Live 15 isn't a very fun basketball game.

Whether you play it alone or with friends, this uninspired update to the '80s swords-and-sorcery arcade dungeon crawl misses the mark with its boring, mindless action and short, forgettable quest.

This survival horror game trades typical zombies for a pack of sadistic children, but its compelling premise and creepy atmosphere only partly make up for the mostly bland gameplay.

Aaru's Awakening is a dreamy display of artistic imagination that yanks you back to waking life with every awkward leap and every ill-conceived level.

All the gore in the world can't disguise Splatterhouse's laundry list of clumsy mechanics.

Unfortunately, the end result is a game that's convoluted where you want it to be simple, and shallow where you wish it had some depth. Even the most devout Lunar loyalists will have a hard time enjoying this game.

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.

Legion isn't so much a bad game as it is a rather dull one that doesn't quite know what it wants to be.

A bare-bones rendition of "Gran Turismo 3" or "Sega GT 2002," albeit without the preponderance of cars and special effects.

Unless you're a rabid fan who simply has to be in contact with all things Futurama, this game is playable enough to warrant a rental but little else.

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

The PC version's straightforward nature and bungled multiplayer options make the game a passable experience at best when compared with other first-person shooters for the PC.

It just isn't that much fun to play, thanks to its control and camera problems, along with its occasional crashes and lack of an autosave feature.

If it had given you a bit more to do, the game would be a simple and somewhat straightforward adventure game, but as it is, it's simply too short.

The actual gameplay itself simply doesn't hold up well enough to make any of these modes worthwhile.

The presentation is terribly stripped-down, and as an odd duck sort of hybrid strategy game, it doesn't offer much accessibility or depth.

The game's heavy emphasis on a disjointed and needless plot and some generally unimpressive production values are Frogger's Adventures main drawbacks, though they don't prevent the game from being enjoyable overall.

For most players, THQ's Virtua Tennis is simply a better option. It has more variety in the way of techniques and options, and you don't have to wait 20 minutes or so to save your game.

This frustration carries over to just about every element of the game thanks to its poor artificial intelligence, graphical flaws, and repetitive mission objectives.

Isn't quite as good on the GameCube as it is on other platforms. However, the tardiness and the rougher edges are alleviated somewhat by a phenomenally deep discount price, as well as by some nice stylistic touches in the game itself.

The alchemy of Contrast doesn't quite pay off, and in the end, the game feels as insubstantial as the shadows that populate its world.

An unusual take on survival horror with incredible water effects, Hydrophobia is ultimately let down by frustrating gameplay issues.

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.

A joyless campaign and brain-dead units make this emergency management real-time strategy unworthy of resuscitation.

It's another Empires iteration of a Dynasty Warriors game, and it comes with all the tedium and light strategy you'd expect.

Dust 514 is a better idea than it is a shooter, but its progression system has just enough depth to keep you engaged.

Loadout on PlayStation 4 is not without its issues, but overall it remains an energetic, madcap shooter with a violent sense of humor that delights as often as it disgusts.

Ultimate Ninja Impact delivers an unexciting action game adaptation of the current Naruto storyline.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.

Even with improved on-court control and an online Pro-Am mode that can lead to pockets of outlandish fun, NBA Live 16 still fails to justify its existence. Its Rising Star and Dynasty modes are too underdeveloped and unvaried to remain interesting beyond the first few hours of play, and the basic dribbling, passing, and shooting tend to trip over themselves during offensive rebounds or fast breaks.

Corner Shop is silly and fun in the beginning, but the gameplay quickly wears thin.

In Rain World, the spectre of failure, often caused by events you can't control, lingers heavily. It quickly drives home the point that you're a foreigner in a ruined land where anyone larger than you wants to eat you. Its stunningly detailed backgrounds and few rewarding gameplay opportunities are vastly outweighed by its platforming imperfections and hibernation mechanic, which makes little sense in its connection to accessing new areas. Oftentimes, the frustrations resulting from failure devolve into apathy, which is a wholly unfortunate outcome for a game that gives off a deceptively promising first impression.

The result isn't going to convince anyone who took Postal 2 the wrong way to give it a second chance, but it's a better game now than before, and those looking for some seriously lowbrow humor in first-person shooter form would likely get a kick out of it.

Eragon has some exciting moments, but they are overshadowed by frustrating controls and tedious level designs.

Wizardry Online is jagged around the edges, but manages to pull off a few interesting tricks.

Despite the bacchanalian context, this Sims-style strategy game comes off as cold and mechanical, capturing none of the devil-may-care attitude you'd expect and casting Hef's idyllic lifestyle as a hollow grind established purely for the sake of selling more magazines.

When the first wave of frustration passes, you'll realize that Conflict Zone is a subpar RTS game whose few good ideas just don't add up.

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

It should be able to tide over hunters looking for some off-season adventure on their PS2s. On its own merits, though, it isn't much of a game.

Playing now will give you a sampling of the game's potential, but unless you are incredibly patient, can tolerate constant lag and design changes, and you have the time to devote considerable attention to your characters, chances are you will simply find Ultima Online extremely frustrating...In its current form, Ultima Online is a major disappointment. [17 Dec 1997]

Merely an average adventure game with a high-profile license attached.

The best of the Dynasty Warriors franchise struggles to compete with modern hack-and-slash games.

The game's arcade elements aren't done well enough to ever balance with the simulation elements, and the end result is a game that's too wacky to be a sim game and too simulation-based to be an arcade game.

When playing alone or in offline multiplayer mode, Tetris Ultimate nails most of the basics. Unfortunately, it doesn't go far beyond them.

A boring story, a dreadful ending, and easy puzzles bury this dull point-and-click adventure.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.

Mega Man Star Force 3 is another disappointing installment in a tired franchise in need of a reboot.

The mandatory movie pack-in makes this shallow yet brutally entertaining action game a questionable value.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters offers predictable beat-'em-up fun and little else.

Not even the allure of shiny robots with guns for arms can liven up this mind-numbingly simplistic and repetitive over-the-shoulder shooter.

The controls, while initially weird, can be adjusted to, and it's one of the better-looking games on the system from a technology standpoint. The problems are within the underlying design, which simply doesn't have a lot to offer beyond a bland, unappealing corridor crawl with similarly boring multiplayer.

Control annoyances and missing features make Step & Roll a big step backward for the Monkey Ball franchise.

Tolkien fans may enjoy the game's presentation of Middle-earth lore, but The Hobbit tends to rely too heavily on derivative, uninspired gameplay for it to stand up on its own.

TMNT doesn't wear its nostalgic aspects particularly well, and the remaining components simply don't make for a very entertaining experience.

The addition of a few new fighters, a new mode, and some tweaks to the gameplay don't stop this from being a rather simple, shallow game.

Essentially a turn-based series of minigames. It's deeper and more enjoyable than you might expect from that description, but ultimately it gets somewhat repetitive and can be completed rather quickly and easily.

If you've played the previous games in the series, you'll be right at home here, but you won't find much of anything new or different.

NASCAR 08 is a decent racer, but it feels like a classic example of a game where the developer put in limited effort because of the lack of competition.

Bolt is an action platformer that benefits from its super ambitions, even if it doesn't completely live up to them.

Stilted controls and awkward action give Cocoto Platform Jumper a musty, old-school smell.

It's disappointing to see a franchise that had so much promise fall flat, but 4x4 EVO 2's poor track design, uninspired graphics, and shallow racing keep it from reaching the status of its predecessors.

A weak follow-up to Chamber of Secrets that seems like an awkward fit for anyone who already owns last year's game.

Gauntlet Legends wasn't a particularly good arcade game, and it's just as bad on the PlayStation.

The mind-numbing Faery: Legends of Avalon is too shallow, easy, and tedious to inspire anything other than apathy.

Wanted Corp makes traveling to an exotic planet and battling strange creatures a repetitive bore.

Defiance is the B movie of massively multiplayer games: rickety and unrefined, yet a good time all the same.

Necropolis feels like a missed opportunity. Even though the game offers intense combat and an appealingly bizarre setting, there are just too many problems and limitations for it to hold your interest for very long.

It's easy to imagine how Super Lucky's Tale would be the highlight of a younger kid's weekend, but it has little to offer anyone looking for an enjoyably challenging 3D platformer.

Excellent atmosphere notwithstanding, this third-person action game is hobbled by tedious combat and a number of dubious design problems.

Parts of L.A. Rush come across as competent and enjoyable, but those parts aren't enough to make it stand out amid stiff competition.

Control and design issues break up the band.

Sonic Riders can occasionally be quite entertaining, but too many of those moments are overridden by bouts of frustration and weak mechanics.

You've got to give Nucleus a bit of credit for not just being a pure Robotron clone, but its oddball take on the dual-stick shooter isn't much fun.

While Locomotion doesn't vary much from "Transport Tycoon"--which itself is a classic game--you can't help but feel that this remake doesn't really feature any of the improvements and enhancements that you'd expect after 10 years.

Lost in Blue 3 recycles the series' gameplay mechanics, assets, and flaws.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time recycles the aging Mystery Dungeon formula, but it's still worthwhile for fans of dungeon hacks.

Need for Speed Uninspired would be a better name for this mediocre racer.

Different enough that it will appeal to those gamers who have an interest in the car-combat genre or aren't excited about the new turn for the morbid that Twisted Metal has taken.

For anyone above the age of 12, Pryzm Chapter One: The Dark Unicorn is quite forgettable.

This budget platformer's few interesting ideas are submerged under its litany of half measures and conventionalities, which include an outdated graphics engine, relentlessly boring level design, and heaps of sterilized button mashing.

Lockdown for the PC is more tactical than the console versions and definitely a lot of fun, but it's still got a noticeable arcade flavor.

Unfortunately, neither experienced gamers nor fans of the film will find much in the game beyond a quick, light diversion.

Ultimately an average game at its best and a frustrating and boring one at its worst. It's also exceedingly short.

A sloppy, loose-handling game of football that can't hold a torch to any of the games it tries to emulate.

If you're willing to forgive its brain-dead gameplay and occasionally frustrating design, Magna Cum Laude is a hysterically entertaining romp through the world of wacky sexual hijinks.

Easy to learn, easy to play, and easy to afford, Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives is a barely tolerable, exceedingly temporary fix for the financially restricted racing beginner.

The concept of the game isn't well executed, resulting in an awkwardly paced experience that will only be appreciated by patient players willing to look past a variety of flaws.

NBA 08 is still a decent alternative for anyone who wants a little something different from a basketball game, but it's mostly the same as last year's version.

For a simple little collection of fun minigames, $20 sounds just about right. If you've enjoyed other games of this ilk, you'll find Flash Focus to be a refreshing alternative.

Cuban Missile Crisis is a unique strategy game with a very cool premise and setting, though the combat itself can be a difficult mess.

Just shy of average - there's nothing particularly bad here, but what little good it has is purely incidental and generally ignorable.

While Crystal Key 2 sure isn't a stunner, it's still a fairly solid adventure game that has its charms.

If you can see beyond a bevy of graphical shortcomings, WarJetz is perfect for those looking for "pick up and play" airborne combat.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.

Instead of fixing any of Psycho Circus' problems, adding some Dreamcast-only levels, or even just making the game an exact port of the original, the programmers at Tremor have actually removed some key features of the PC version.