Spryo: Shadow Legacy is a watered-down action role-playing game that isn't challenging or engaging enough to sustain its brief campaign.

If it weren't for the overly touchy control and the game's overall lack of difficulty and length, X-Squad could have been a contender.

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

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.

Misses the mark thanks to completely linear level design, choppy graphics, and the puzzling absence of multiplayer modes.

If you can stomach staying in largely the same places and killing the same people over and over and over again in a bid to win your character a pair of sunglasses or to unlock an elementary schoolgirl to murder varmints with, feel free to check out this game.

While it doesn't change or enhance enough of the core game to attract players turned off by the original's extreme attention to detail, convoluted interface, and design flaws, it contains so many subtle tweaks and improvements that it is a must-buy for fans. The only drawback is that this $10 expansion probably should have been offered as a free patch.

Pushes no boundaries and takes no chances.

The gameplay is a mix of sloppy third-person action and even sloppier puzzles, putting the weight of the game squarely on Ash's tongue-in-cheek macho colloquialisms.

Unfortunately, Hitmaker's quirky sense of style and revising of existing formulas are all but absent from Confidential Mission, though it's doubtful these things could've saved the game from its well-worn premise.

Shining Force Exa is fun for the first few hours, but it quickly wears out its welcome with dull combat and a frame rate that struggles to keep up with the action.

Music is a generic sampling of the pop-punk found in many games today, but you won't hear much of it, because it's obscured by the incessant, annoying buzz of motorbike engines.

Compared to the console Dynasty Warriors games, Dynasty Warriors Advance is a watered-down imitation. On its own, it's a fairly generic and very repetitive button masher.

The game itself employs a number of horrible, tired RPG conventions and a budget presentation, making it difficult to recommend to even the most fervent of fans.

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

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.

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

Needs work, especially with its control system, which is absolutely put to shame by EA's freestyle control scheme for "NBA Live 2003."

ProStroke Golf - World Tour 2007 is a deeply flawed game that fails to bring anything new to the world of golf games.

The stealth only somewhat works, the combat is mindlessly simple, and the storyline makes Alien vs. Predator look like Dostoyevsky. Now, throw in some fairly ugly graphics, a lot of sloppy platforming, and an onslaught of moronic mission goals, and what you've got is a game you want just about nothing to do with.

Whether or not you'll take to A Fistful of Boomstick will hinge primarily on your appreciation of Bruce Campbell's speaking voice and your love of cheesy one-liners.

The stealth only somewhat works, the combat is mindlessly simple, and the storyline makes Alien vs. Predator look like Dostoyevsky. Now, throw in some fairly ugly graphics, a lot of sloppy platforming, and an onslaught of moronic mission goals, and what you've got is a game you want just about nothing to do with.

There are problems with the game's controls, physics, and artificial intelligence, which often make the process of playing the game more frustrating than fun.

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

The gameplay doesn't do anything a thousand other identical games haven't done before, and the frustratingly repetitive level and mission designs further solidify Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as a mediocre effort, at best.

Innocent Life is a watered-down Harvest Moon game without the series' trademark depth and charm.

The new battle system is mindless and repetitive, and the online multiplayer does nothing to mitigate the weak single-player campaign, lifeless characters, and dull presentation of the game.

Seven modes of play, but none offer any real incentive to keep you playing the game past the first few beaches.

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.

State of Emergency 2 replaces the first game's ultraviolent and fancy-free nature with a cavalcade of lame trial-and-error-based missions, a lousy plotline, and dated technology.

The real-time strategy genre currently has many excellent games available to satisfy a lot of specific kinds of preferences. With so many games to choose from, it makes little sense to revisit three-year-old concepts.

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.

Regardless of what you call it, the game attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.

Its frustrating single-player mode, dated gameplay mechanics, and lack of interactivity make it difficult to recommend for a purchase.

Like the other SOE releases, Joust is mostly accurate, but it also offers the same ugly interface and poor online gameplay that's plagued most of the other classic rereleases on the PlayStation 3.

Considering that there are literally dozens of better third-person-perspective, run-and-gun shooters on the market right now, it makes it pretty tough to recommend Sarge's War.

Brutal difficulty makes Silent Heroes suitable solely for the squad-based real-time strategy experts.

Aside from being the first version to hit the Xbox, there isn't a whole lot to differentiate The Dawn of Destiny from its predecessors. It's really just a mediocre card battling game.

While the gameplay is on par with the original versions of the games, the original versions managed to look and sound a bit better than Midway's N64 renditions.

While the game offers a number of surprisingly complex ways to manage your casinos, the complexity doesn't really add any depth, especially since the game's interface is clumsy and inadequate.

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.

The computer-controlled players aren't terrible, but they're just as prone to ill-advised plays as any game out there, and some of the poker variations available suffer from bizarre hand repetition, which is a baffling problem.

Ford Street Racing plays best on the PSP, but it still isn't worth your time or money.

This disappointing addition to Stainless Steel Studios' everything-and-the-kitchen-sink real-time strategy game doesn't do much to justify its steep $30 price tag.

It's got some occasionally interesting puzzles, but the lame story and irritating characters kill whatever appeal Keepsake might have had.

Lacking both the volatile charm and the compelling technical details of the series, it's little more than a halfhearted racing game with some guest appearances by characters and locations you've seen on TV.

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.

Unfortunately, it offers very few thrills, and instead, an overly cumbersome control scheme and some insanely convoluted level designs suck just about all the fun out of what could have been an entertaining shooter.

As the first poker game for the Wii, World Series of Poker is serviceable, though the lack of online play and lackluster presentation don't help its cause.

A thoroughly generic combination of beat-'em-up and platforming gameplay that draws upon only the most rudimentary elements of both genres and does nothing particularly interesting with either of them. Both exceedingly trite and exceedingly brief, Shadow of Aku is pure mediocrity from beginning to end.

Isn't quite the all-encompassing racing simulation that Electronic Arts' "NASCAR 2001" is, but features like the beat the heat mode make the game worthwhile for any NASCAR fan.

Tedious gameplay, poor vehicle handling, and an unfriendly interface are just a few reasons why you should leave this game in the bargain bin.

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

Even while you know that the game isn't the least bit realistic, you keep playing just to see what sort of craziness will happen next. But the novelty of curiosities like Fiji spying on Denmark fades in just a few hours, and when it does, you'll reach for the uninstall icon.

Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory all but completely botches the execution, delivering an experience that's clumsy, repetitious, and, thankfully, fairly short-lived.

A sensory overload of explosive, destructive good times that'll cost less than a family outing at the local fast-food joint. The bad news is that the game is so easy to learn and so very arcade-oriented that anyone who appreciates longevity, tactics, and even a modicum of authenticity will inevitably be disappointed.

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

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.

Regardless of what you call it, the game attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.

Even if you like the basic premise and action of the game, a number of very serious flaws quickly sap its entertainment value.

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

Therein lies the main flaw of Star Wars: The New Droid Army--it is so very boring.

Chrome SpecForce manages to avoid going terribly awry, but it also avoids any sort of fun or excitement.

The fatal flaw in Unison is the unforgivably shallow gameplay. All of the other elements are there: a fun cookie-cutter story, cheery characters, and a bouncy, eclectic soundtrack.

Cube's decent premise is diluted by its dull visuals and uninspired puzzles.

Double Helix doesn't do anything that hasn't already been done better in Activision's own Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Eagle Eye Golf is a lot like "Hot Shots Golf," but not as good.

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.

An over-priced arcade port with some neat ideas that don't translate into satisfying gameplay.

Has a few surprises and some significant flaws. While die-hard strategy fans and extreme fans of the Heroes series on the PC might get a kick out of this one, it's really a rental at best.

There are hints of inspiration throughout, with the game sporting some good-looking visuals, a catchy soundtrack, and a distinct sense of style. But the game's length, uneven gameplay, and atrocious camera negate these virtues.

Attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.

Simply one of the laziest uses of the DS's touch screen technology to date, featuring highly repetitive gameplay that gets old before you've even finished your first race.

Offers several solid interpretations of the classic Russian mindbender, though there's little here that hasn't been seen before.

Just another shallow party game.

This budget action game has its moments, but it's also a very shallow experience with very little depth or replayability.

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

It's easy to see how certain aspects of Metroid's design made it a classic, but 18 years later, the overall package just doesn't measure up to today's action adventure standards.

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

There's a lot of potential here, but many of the games have issues with their graphics, sound, or control that make the entire package a real disappointment.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

Despite its earnest attempt at realism, the game's clunky, overly convoluted interface, general lack of gameplay variety, and incredibly stripped-down presentational aspects leave it dull, confusing, and generally not much fun to play.

A classic example of how to make a real-time strategy game and then completely undermine it with a bad user interface.

The game's slow pacing, simple combat, weak production values, and other shortcomings collectively prevent Submarine Titans from being much fun.

Unfortunately, none of these interesting design ideas were executed well, leaving you with a game that feels half-baked and suffers from terrible pacing.

Even if you forgive the flimsy story, cliché characters, and derivative gameplay, it's impossible to look past the myriad frustrating technical problems that plague this game.

For fishing game fans that really enjoy simulation-style fishing games with all of the extras like boats and vast areas to explore, the game will undoubtedly fail to please.

The best that can be said about the game is that its sci-fi atmosphere and smart artificial intelligence make it a somewhat acceptable way for the desperate to whittle away a couple of dozen hours waiting for someone to finally do a proper remake of "X-COM."

The Runabout series not only hasn't kept up with the times ("Crazy Taxi" is this type of game almost fully realized), it's lost a lot of what made it so appealing in the first place.

The game itself is lousy.

This conventional real-time strategy game attempts to follow Alexander the Great's campaign of conquest, but it is marred by sloppy development, factual inaccuracies, and a general failure to capture the scope of what made Alexander so interesting and unique to historians.

Wildlife Park might have been a fun distraction for theme park fans, but the poor design and execution cripple it in a crowded field of competitors.

Lacking both the volatile charm and the compelling technical details of the series, it's little more than a halfhearted racing game with some guest appearances by characters and locations you've seen on TV.

A thoroughly second-rate action game.

Essentials is anything but.

Lacking both the volatile charm and the compelling technical details of the series, it's little more than a halfhearted racing game that features some appearances by characters and from locations you've seen on TV.

The game mechanics aren't necessarily simple enough for the kids to grasp easily and subsequently enjoy fully. The various minigames that dot the disc are often amusing, but the game's questionable mechanics detract from its overall quality.

The developers spent a lot of time creating a really engaging story, but they hardly put any substantial gameplay into the game.