It would have been nice to say that the uninspired design and presentation of Drome Racers are offset by some superbly executed gameplay, but such is not the case.

Let's face it. Smashing up cars is huge fun. But with the game's focus on things like racing and making other cars spin, not enough attention is paid to plain ol' vehicular mayhem.

This awkwardly designed and rather ugly-looking game can by no means be recommended to everyone, nor is it necessarily suitable for fans of other GBA role-playing games.

Short, unbalanced, and somewhat unattractive.

Not only does SVC Chaos simply not play particularly well by the standards of 2D fighting games, but also the game's implementation of Xbox Live support is flawed.

Jason spends too much time talking and not nearly enough time fighting in this Greek mythology-inspired action-RPG.

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.

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

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

Avatar on the PSP is a solid hack-and-slash that will likely appeal to fans of the show as well as anyone that has enjoyed similar games in the past.

To its credit, Mutant Nightmare is a touch better than the last game, "Battle Nexus," in that it doesn't force-feed you a gaggle of terribly clunky platforming sequences to try to keep things interesting. But beyond that meager distinction, this still isn't a very enjoyable game.

In almost every respect, Curse of Osiris doesn't elevate Destiny 2 beyond what it was at launch. Especially for lapsed players, the same old activities reskinned for an unremarkable new setting make them feel more like chores than ever, and the interesting ideas in the Infinite Forest aren't at all used to their potential. There's still some fun to be had in finding new weapons and maybe tackling the Raid Lair, but reaching that point is so tedious that it hardly feels worth doing.

Icky space bugs make Genesis Rising interesting. Even ickier tech bugs and design problems make Genesis Rising annoying.

The flawed interface, pathetic artificial intelligence, and extremely dated graphics are bound to frustrate strategy gamers accustomed to games that are both challenging and polished.

A dangerous mess of a game that can't be recommended to any but the most hard-core game players in its current state. The real concern is that even if the technical issues are resolved, the design issues will remain.

Shrek the Third is a lazy game that coasts by on the strength of the brand.

Like the sprint cars it features, this budget-priced racer gets the job done but isn't much to look at.

The overall product is so underdeveloped and the quest is so short that most casual players will feel shortchanged.

Don't go into The Secret of the Stolen Drums thinking you're going to get an educational game or an enjoyable platformer, as you'll find neither here.

My eight-year-old self would have absolutely loved Calico to bits, I'm sure. Unfortunately, I am no longer a wide-eyed, curious 8-year-old girl--I'm a game reviewer whose tolerance for bugs and simplistic gameplay has worn thin over the decades. As much as I wish I could view Calico through the eyes of an imaginative youngster, I can't. Perhaps if you are better at embracing your childlike fantasies, you may be able to overlook Calico's many flaws and appreciate its imaginative, fairy-dust-sprinkled charm, but I feel that the magic will wear thin quite quickly.

Despite being a huge fan of the series Demon Slayer: Sweep the Board offered very little to keep me entertained. A few hours in, the experience became repetitive and tedious to a degree that it’s hard to recommend to even the most ardent of manga and anime enthusiasts. You’re better off grabbing The Hinokami Chronicles, made by the same studio, if you’re into Demon Slayer, and those who prefer party games or board games already have a plethora of other options.

While Invasion includes online multiplayer capability, a feature not included in the original, the game's single-player campaign still suffers from the same bland gameplay and mission design that plagued its predecessor.

Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 might as well be Dynasty Warriors Vol. 1.5, with its few minor upgrades, less-than-enjoyable multiplayer mode, and done-to-death hack-and-slash gameplay.

Randal's Monday is blind hero worship that ignores decades of design theory and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste thanks to its thoroughly unlikable, homogenous cast.

Though it starts with a glimmer of excellence, Armikrog's luster fades over time. It inevitably feels empty, falling flat in its effort to develop its characters, fill out its world with compelling atmosphere, and provide consistent puzzles with sound logic.

Blazing Angels is shot out of the sky by its shaky graphical performance and overly floaty control options.

Double Dragon for the Xbox Live Arcade will provide some quick entertainment for nostalgia fiends, but the game doesn't hold up as well as you might hope.

Breach delivers some excitement, but its generic online first-person shooter action and a number of performance issues prevent it from standing out from the crowd.

While cute and colourful, the PSP version of Sony's EyePet lacks content and really isn't portable.

Calling this a new game and charging a sizeable amount of money for it is completely unjustified--this is a kit pack and nothing more.

A focus on intense combat makes this brief return to the Sprawl a satisfying one.

Features good level designs and a bit of variation on the tried-and-tried-again Tomb Raider formula, but there's too little in the way of innovation to make it seem like anything more than just another trip to the cash cow.

If you buy into the whole button-mashing mentality of track and field games, you'll find that Sydney 2000 turns in a solid, finger-numbing performance.

The least exciting NFL game on the Xbox.

Nether is noticeably unfinished, and has a lot of work ahead before it resembles a solid game. But it has a discernible spark of life. There is potential for it to become a game worthy of attention. The environment it presents is huge, and the grayed-out portions of the map serve to tease you with even more areas to explore, and stories to create, in its bleak, abysmal, yet interesting world. If only it can learn to stop tripping over its own feet.

The First Templar draws you in with delightful visuals and rhythmic combat, but technical foibles can lessen your fun.

Legend is just another uninspired action RPG.

Wordmaster isn't a bad game, and fans of crossword puzzles, word searches, or sudoku might enjoy knocking out a few puzzles before bed. Even so, it's hard to recommend paying for something that could easily be found online for free.

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is a good revival of the old-time dungeon crawler.

This little role-playing game is pretty--and pretty dull.

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

Rocketmen mixes cel-shaded graphics with serialized space adventure to provide a twist to old-school, top-down shooting.

Xtreme Legends is the archetypal Dynasty Warriors expansion pack, adding more ways to experience the same tired gameplay.

Neverland Card Battles gets off to a poor start and goes downhill from there.

Say good-bye to the historical authenticity of Strongholds past and hello to one generic, seriously flawed fantasy RTS.

As a cheaply priced, multiplayer-focused first-person shooter, Warpath is serviceable, if utterly unremarkable.

Rocketmen mixes cel-shaded graphics with old serialized space adventure to provide a twist to old-school, top-down shooting.

Shrek the Third for the Game Boy Advance is a team-oriented adventure game that's hurt by its crummy presentation and overly simplistic puzzles.

Painting destruction becomes tiresome in the repetitive Sumioni: Demon Arts.

Army Corps of Hell captures the devilish combat of its setting but is too repetitive to sustain that appeal.

Some flashy action, a playful sense of humor, and a clean visual style bring this otherwise straightforward beat-'em-up to life.

And don't try enlisting a few friends for some four-player co-op: it doesn't make the game any more exciting. Sure, having a few friends around makes those hordes disappear a little faster, and there are some extra quests you can take on, but the core experience remains as glacial as ever.

Features some good graphics and a decent adaptation of D&D's turn-based tactical combat, but the game is primarily an uninspired dungeon crawl, burdened by repetitive gameplay, a cumbersome interface, and some serious technical issues.

There's something to be said for Chulip's abject weirdness and purposefully awkward structure, but they don't translate into a rewarding game experience.

Condemned Heroes isn't a bad addition to the series, but it is limited and predictable, which might be a tough sell to those who have seen all of this before. Additionally, the intensely frustrating difficulty makes the game an even dicier proposition for casual gamers or series newbies looking to get into some WWII squad combat. So venture into this one only if you're looking for a lot of repetitive reasons to pull out your hair.

A dungeon hack of the most boring kind. You'll have the most fun farming for items, but that is predicated on an enjoyment of the simplistic, dull combat, the constant repetition of dungeons, and overall tedium.

The huge assortment of characters, stories, costumes, and other aspects of Dragon Ball lore cannot hide how shallow and uninspired the fighting mechanics are.

It may well offer you the chance to take your favourite team through the qualifying stages and into the World Cup finals, but the game's poor animation and simple tactics make it a completely lackluster experience.

Ruff Trigger's budget price is just about its only saving grace, because any neat mechanic in the game is met on all ends by the boring and sometimes frustrating gameplay.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time tells an enjoyably absurd time-hopping tale, but stepping into the tights of its two heroes doesn't feel as empowering as it should.

While the PS2 version of Driver 3 doesn't have quite as many glitches and problems as the Xbox release, the game still feels like a buggy, unfinished product. What's more, much of the gameplay is uninspired, frequently frustrating, and boring.

May be fun for die-hard fans of the film, but if you're just looking for a good action game, or even a good World War II action game, you could do better.

With its main story mode clocking in at around five hours, there's little long-term replay value.

A promising and feature-packed racing game that regrettably suffers from unsophisticated physics, limited difficulty, and potential instability.

Anyone looking for another "Madden" will be terribly disappointed, though, as the game has more in common with its PlayStation counterpart than "Madden" for the PlayStation 2.

While far from perfect, it is easily the best surfing game on the market, but more importantly, it's also a fun game.

A surprisingly good interpretation of its console counterpart. The game's graphics, sound, and gameplay make it a perfect game to take with you anywhere.

Overall, Activision has done a decent, if uninspired, job of porting the game to yet another platform.

There's no shortage of World War II strategy games on the market, and Moscow to Berlin does nothing good to stand out from the pack.

A flimsy PC port showcases why this goofy top-down shooter is best left to mobile devices.

When Two Brothers works, when it lines up whole scenes that bounce between funny, disturbing, and touching, it shows just how powerful the ideas it's working with are.

Paradise looks great, but the dull story and uneven challenge make it a completely unenjoyable game.

Pac-Man World Rally is a paint-by-numbers kart racer with almost zero in the way of unique qualities or challenges.

The Ward is like sitting at a boring party, listening to charmless people drone on and on about fantastic, faraway places.

The novelty of using the various Vita control schemes is a fun reason to play Little Deviants, but score chasing generates most of the game's lasting appeal. The Deviants themselves add little to the package; their generic brand of wackiness and the insipid looping soundtrack are easy to ignore and mute, respectively.

This 3D role-playing game lets you explore many mazelike levels through the eyes of a sword-wielding hero, but crawling through its corridors often isn't much fun.

The game is clearly best suited for hardcore fans of Capcom's fighting games, who might enjoy exploring some of the nuances here, but probably won't find much reason to keep coming back.

A low-complexity game that's easy to learn and, unfortunately, very easy to master.

Though a few of the changes are constructive, the new developer, Coyote, has generally made a mess of what used to be a good game.

The graphics aren't representative of what the PlayStation 2 is capable of, the gameplay is ruined by pathetic goalie AI, and the control options fail to meet minimum requirements.

It's primarily a hack-and-slash game, but the combat tends to be unsatisfying, the production values seem dated, the difficulty is uneven and sometimes excessive, and the original alternate-history setting isn't enough to compensate.

Although the futuristic setting is a welcome change of pace, Harbinger falls short of the mark, with half-baked action and role-playing elements that are overly shallow and simplistic.

Just doesn't even come close to what the competition offers in terms of gameplay--both in the fundamental mechanics of the game and in its technical aspects.

It's noticeably better looking than the lackluster PlayStation 2 version, but it still has its fair share of problems...[It's] not fun.

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

A short and shallow shooter that fails to deliver on the potential of its beloved license.

Infuriating controls and frustrating platforming sections are among Dawn of Mana's many shortcomings.

While there are certainly worse movie-license games out there, Shrek the Third still feels slapdash and thoughtless, plus its function to entertain is overwhelmed by its function to make money.

This version of Proving Ground makes it pretty clear that the priority for the Tony Hawk series is not on this platform.

Visual problems and poor use of the second screen take a toll on the DS port of Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command.

Massive system requirements, a by-the-numbers campaign, and no multiplayer make for a first-person shooter that doesn't have much in the way of redeeming qualities.

When it becomes clear that success isn't a matter of overcoming psychological terrors but of discerning rigid, obfuscated logic, Knock-knock reveals itself to be not something horrifying that defies all understanding, but simply a mundane, frustrating little puzzle box.

An incredibly deep game, and being able to play with all the physical cards you own makes this game the ideal companion piece for avid collectors who want to see their cards duke it out in 3D.

Sadly, like the war it's based on, WWI: The Great War is an exercise in madness, frustration, helplessness, and human folly. This is a mess of a real-time strategy game.

BattleZone is fun for the couple of hours it takes to finish, but it's over too quickly.

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

Its graphics are at the bottom of the Game Boy Advance totem pole, none of the hardware's interesting features like multiplayer are utilized, and the one-player mode can be finished in one day.

Vivendi Universal has captured the essence of the Hulk--comic book violence in all its forms--and provided an opportunity to unleash his rage in a manner that succeeds as a game.