Striking visuals aren't enough to save this shallow brawler from being monotonous and frustrating.

Surgeon Simulator 2013 is hardly a simulation, but it makes medical malpractice an absolute delight.

This sexed-up strategy role-playing game boasts some interesting ideas, but falls short of realizing its full potential.

Technically a pretty solid add-on to last year's distinctive martial-arts-themed real-time strategy game.

Without a more involving campaign mode, with these glaring gaps in realism, and with this lackluster graphics engine, a lot of these fans are bound to be disappointed.

The strategic elements of the squad-based combat mix well with the explosive action, and enough of the back story is relayed in the mission debriefings that having watched the original series isn't a prerequisite.

Project Eden's superior blend of squad-based gameplay, ingenious puzzles, clever level design, and multiplayer modes creates an action-adventure game that challenges your brain more than your trigger finger.

The Art of Magic's uneven presentation is indicative of the game as a whole. The RPG elements don't get as much attention as they deserve, and the gameworld and characters are a mishmash of hackneyed, third-rate Tolkienesque fantasy.

An original game that some will undoubtedly love, but others won't enjoy at all because of its trial-and-error approach and high degree of difficulty.

Solid in terms of gameplay and spectacular in the graphics department. However, the problems with its AI, the lack of zone defenses, the control issues, and the generally bland presentation keep it from achieving hoops simulation greatness.

As a game, it's slightly above average--an interesting combination of puzzle-solving and action that's plagued with camera issues and poor difficulty tuning.

God Eater 3 is a solid entry in the franchise that doesn't necessarily reinvent itself, but it doesn't have to. All the core things that make God Eater so enjoyable, from the lightning-fast combat to the anime stylings, have been given a new lick of paint and propped up enticingly next to additions like the well-tuned Assault Missions and creative enemies to make one delicious package. Some aspects of the game--like its difficulty curve and multitude of superfluous customization systems--miss the mark, but it's an enjoyable romp with plenty of raucous battles if you're hungry for an action RPG.

What is present in this collection ends up feeling like a disjointed ride through the latter half of Mega Man's history, an area with plenty of lessons to learn, but not always ones you're meant to enjoy. Seen as half of a whole, with the first Mega Man Legacy Collection, however, and you do have something resembling a fascinating compendium of games, albeit with a lot more to skip out on in its second half.

It may seem ironic that Shadow of Destiny, one of the best PC adventure games to come around in some time, was originally a console game.

On the surface, Mario Party 6 seems to offer some of the biggest fundamental changes the series has ever seen. But this is really just a fresh coat of paint on an old building. Luckily for us, though, the building's foundation is still pretty strong.

Jolly Rover is a swashbuckling canine adventure full of colourful characters and plenty of laughs.

While Arktika relies heavily on familiar mechanics, it definitely uses the unique powers of VR to create a shooter with a tense atmosphere and exciting gunplay. The mix of excellent graphics and surprisingly intense battles makes this one of the more enjoyable action games available on Rift.

The 2nd Runner is an improvement on the original in many ways, to be certain, but held against modern standards, Zone of the Enders comes off awful rusty.

It may be an upgrade on its predecessors, but UFO: Afterlight still comes with some significant problems.

If a real-time version of Risk on steroids mixed with Diplomacy's double-dealing sounds appealing, then March of the Eagles is well worth picking up.

This WWE franchise overhaul is held back by some serious control issues.

The Lego rendition of The Boy Who lived is a seriously charming take on the life of a wizard, with loads of gameplay variety and an emphasis on discovery.

Arcen's latest delivers an undeniable rush of triumph once you manage to overcome the final confrontation. Most times you'll fail, however, but if you're not put off by the limitations of the presentation and the sheer brutality of Bionic Dues' challenges, you'll find an enjoyable roguelike that rewards your persistence and determination.

It takes time and actual, honest-to-goodness skill to make anything remotely playable, which makes the new additions to Toy Box in 2.0 extremely welcome ones.

Much of your time in the game is spent wandering the UAC facility, waiting for the chance to unleash wrath on Hell's inner circle. When you do, it can feel great, but Doom VFR feels like a game unsure of whether that's the case. The result is a game that feels tentative about its own considerable power.

While the game re-creates what we played in the 1990s, misty water-colored memories of hours spent with Eye of the Beholder are not enough to fix numerous design miscues, performance problems, and bugs. This is a tough sell to all but the most dedicated and patient retro fan.

Battleborn's strong Saturday morning cartoon vibes might actually be the game's single most defining aspect. Outside of that consistent, permeating voice, the game feels like an elaborate patchwork of ideas that compete for attention without necessarily adding much to the experience.

The action in Graffiti Kingdom is brief and shallow, but creating and animating your own crazy creatures is easy and rewarding enough to make up for it.

The second Indiana Jones adventure expands and builds upon the previous, making for the best game yet in the Lego series.

When developer Beenox gives Spidey room to soar, you get caught up in the pure elation of swinging through a spirited city, where helicopters hover overhead and well-wishers call out to you in the streets. And that elation is the best reason to don the suit once more and remind yourself that with great power comes good fun.

My time in No Straight Roads was torn between true enjoyment and wanting to hurl my controller at the screen. Between camera issues, bugginess, and other weird little problems (especially in multiplayer mode), there’s enough to put a damper on the whole experience. However, The characters, bright futuristic world, imaginative boss battles, and excellent music act as wonderful antidotes. Once I eventually got into the groove, I found a really special and evocative musical experience in No Straight Roads. But I had to work pretty hard to get here. No Straight Roads asks a bit of its fans, but I’m glad I put the effort in and I’d gladly buy the t-shirt.

In a genre as close to utter desolation as the space combat sim, even a plucky little space shooter with more heart than technical prowess like Space Interceptor can prove to be a breath of fresh air.

While undercooked presentation and visual issues hold the games back, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are still the best mainline Pokemon games in years. They build off Pokemon Legends: Arceus's open-ended design in some thoughtful and surprising ways, and retain that same level of depth that the mainline series is known for.

They may not win best in show, but the adorable animals of Nintendogs + Cats are sure to win your heart.

This console and PC trip through the Wardrobe is a mostly run-of-the-mill action adventure that might hold some measure of appeal to fans of the film, but not so much anyone else.

Action game fans ought to be able to settle in and blast their ways through Total Overdose's relatively brief campaign with reasonable levels of enjoyment. Just be prepared for one extremely cheesy ride.

By shifting the tone from serious to crazy and making the combat system rewarding for the most dedicated players, this is a beat-'em-up that fits alongside modern games.

As long as you aren't thirsty for a deep tactical foray into the great unknown, Attack of the Earthlings is a competent (and occasionally great) jab at the corporate world, and the ludicrous lengths that people will go to in order to make a buck.

Karaoke Revolution Country finally adds some focus to the Karaoke Revolution party games, but the focus is too strict, and there are not enough great country classics to appeal to a wide enough range of people.

There are so many hilarious and curiously bizarre moments to be found along the way that even if the journey to fully fledged family life is a short one before the repetition sets in, it's well worth the trip.

Costs about half the price of a new game and significantly extends the longevity of the original.

If you think the idea of a game about driving around in a machine-gun-toting car while completely ignoring traffic laws and blowing away anything in your path sounds like fun, then you'll get it out of RoadKill.

A game that is visually striking, with massive spell effects and a histrionic storyline, but one that may not appeal to fans of realistic war simulations.

Hard-core "Time Crisis" fans and those just looking for a good gun game would do well to pick up this game, but the antiquated presentation, lack of options, and brutal continue system will make this at best a rental for most.

Vexx does little more than imitate, which just isn't enough these days... Feels outdated right out of the gate.

"Cute" is the most appropriate way to describe Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, though "frustrating" may also come to mind as you make your way through the game.

If you don't step off the boat expecting a taut horror experience, a masterful gun game, or compelling characters, you'll have a bloody good time.

Boulder Dash-XL offers up plenty of diamond-mining action, but not all of it is up to the standard set by the original game in the '80s.

There's a lot of potential in the ideas seeded in New Dawn, but there isn't enough room for many of them to breathe and feel fully realized.

I did a lot of things in Days Gone. I burned every single Freaker nest; I cleared every ambush camp; I maxed out my bike; I took out a few optional hordes just because. Like Deacon with Sarah, I kept going because I hoped to find something, to follow a thread to a possibly fascinating or satisfying or impactful conclusion. But at the end of it all, I'd only gotten scraps.

What is somewhat surprising is that the gameplay is pretty solid for a game aimed squarely at kids, the voice actors do a good job of capturing the inflections of the film's characters, and the game features a nice boon of unlockable content to make up for the short quest.

Despite its foibles, The Escapists is a gratifying game that provides dozens of hours of entertainment. Planning an escape and watching it unfold is endlessly satisfying, and a successful breakout leaves you feeling jubilant.

A short while after the game's release, there's a lot of breadth to Star Wars Galaxies, but there isn't a lot of depth.

Pain is the video game equivalent of breaking fine china with a hammer: it's simple, crude, and not very cost-effective, but still rather satisfying.

While the game serves as only an adequate primer to this tough-guy sport, it's a fairly approachable and fun game, and it's one that does a decent job of conveying the finer aspects of the sport it portrays.

The ruins of a time long forgotten will always darken the horizon, and there'll be a part of you that wonders what more there could have been before you find yourself shunted to the next life goal in a long series of life goals. That feeling is unfortunately hard to shake, and it's a shame that there's not as much to the world of Portia as first appears.

Aces of the Galaxy is an exciting, beautiful game that captures the spirit of classic arcade space shooters.

The gameplay can be fun for a little while, but it soon becomes an exercise in repetition and boredom.

An evolutionary step above what Stormfront did with "The Two Towers," and players who appreciate that brand of brute-force, hack-and-slash gameplay should find in it a great-looking and enjoyable, if somewhat familiar, experience.

Goblet of Fire is a decent game, but exploring the large levels becomes repetitive after a while.

Action game fans ought to be able to settle in and blast their ways through Total Overdose's relatively brief campaign with reasonable levels of enjoyment. Just be prepared for one extremely cheesy ride.

Book Two succeeds in reminding us that our destination may be predetermined, but our path is not. It's how we choose to travel, and who we keep by our side, that makes the journey worthwhile.

Bionic Commando has some enjoyable moments, but consistent fun always seems just out of arm's reach.

The end result is an interesting and often-exciting adventure that should be appealing to most action-game fans, but will probably hold extra appeal if you're at all interested in graffiti and the culture surrounding it.

The versatile magnet gun marries beautifully with the series' signature destructibility to make Red Faction: Armageddon an exciting and explosive shooter.

An easy game to pick up and play, but unless you're a big fan of the license there isn't much to keep you playing.

A new planet and engaging romantic opportunities are among the features that make Rise of the Hutt Cartel so inviting.

Zeit Squared's clever mechanics combine to create a unique and satisfying shoot-'em-up.

Like the cold response Marty McFly got from his failed attempt to introduce 80s-style guitar licks to the people of the 1950s, a game like Retro City Rampage might have been too much for players of the 1980s to handle. But now, its time has come, and it's well worth experiencing, warts and all.

Asura's Wrath isn't much of a game, but its over-the-top, anime-style story makes it easier to overlook its shortcomings.

It is moody and oppressive, but rarely terrifying; it is a power fantasy, not a heart-wrenching death simulator that rolls deadly boulders at you as if you are a single, miniscule bowling pin.

Sure, its similarities to the competition are undeniable, but Omega Force has crafted a Monster Hunter clone that generally stands on its own. While it could have felt like a shameless rip-off with a few half-baked features grafted on for good measure, Toukiden manages to organically weave its defining elements--purification and mitama--into the genre's comfortably familiar fabric.

First-person shooter Xotic sure lives up to its name with surreal, fast-flowing gameplay.

Seven bucks is a steep price to pay for what amounts to a shake-up of the original adventure, although to its credit, it delivers a satisfyingly harrowing experience for players who didn't find sufficient challenges the first time around.

Thicker Than Water continues to move things toward what will inevitably be a bloody conclusion in the next episode. This New Frontier season has been a little on the formulaic, predictable side and somewhat lacking when it comes to interactivity and zombie-biting action. In some ways, the episodic structure of this season has proven to be something of a drawback, as the slower sections would likely not have seemed so pronounced as part of a single eight- or nine-hour game. But the superb quality of the scripting and acting continues to deliver the dread and despair that have become Walking Dead staples, making it hard to wait and see what happens to Javy and friends in the next episode.

This fantasy sequel is a good entry-level wargame.

After the inventiveness of Lego Dimensions, it's tough to go back to a game that follows the old Lego formula. But Marvel's Avengers mostly staves off franchise fatigue thanks to its fast-paced, cheery nature. If you've played a Lego game in recent years then you'll know what to expect: another familiar and fun adventure that you can enjoy with your kids.

Ultimately a graphical front end for a clumsy and frustrating spreadsheet.

Sports Mogul has adjusted aspects of the artificial intelligence to make play more satisfying in key areas like trading and finance and has tossed in a few sorely needed frills that make the game at least a marginal improvement over its predecessor.

The 2000 version of March Madness helped the series take a giant step forward, and this 2001 version reinforces its status as one of the best hoops series on the PlayStation, college or otherwise.

Conflict: Desert Storm II isn't without problems, but it's not the worst squad-based game you'll ever play, and it's decidedly improved over last year's game.

It goes into slightly more realistic territory without sacrificing the fun, easy-to-learn gameplay that most of Midway's sports games possess.

Don't be fooled by its cuddly exterior. With 20 tracks, four battle arenas, and a plenitude of hidden characters and cheats to unlock, Mickey's Speedway USA has enough substance to keep even the most dedicated kart racing fanatics coming back for more.

Those looking for a game with lots of challenge and a distinct sense of style would do well to check out Shinobi.

While Euro Force does indeed sate the voracious appetite out there for more Battlefield 2 content with some great levels and a new army, you can't help but wonder if EA is also installing a direct pipe to fans' wallets at the same time.

Phantasy Star Zero gives DS owners a taste of everything that made Phantasy Star Online great nine years ago--and also what makes it seem dated today.

There's a lot to love about Puddle, but its better qualities are often drowned in a sea of frustrations.

If nostalgia drives you to visit this particular kingdom, you'll not likely regret the time spend there. If your good old days weren't brimming with games of this nature, it's more difficult to appreciate the take-no-prisoners challenge and overlook the limitations.

The gameplay might not be anything special, but The Simpsons Game delivers more than enough laughs to make it worth a look.

Hopefully, The Elder Scrolls Online will one day get out of its own way, and stop trying to stifle the very fun it's trying to provide.

At times, then, Snake Pass can be a wonderfully relaxing journey through some beautiful habitats. The late game switches into an engaging and challenging puzzler, requiring some deft flicks of the left stick, but one that can feel immensely gratifying when you elegantly slalom your way over a narrow assault course that's suspended over lava. It's the middle third, when the game expects too much of you far too soon, that causes the momentum to stutter. Nevertheless, Snake Pass is a quirky puzzler that innovates while simultaneously evoking memories of your favourite platformers of yesteryear--just don't expect to grow into your new skin overnight.

For those who just want to race fast, wreck hard, and look good doing it, FlatOut fits the bill.

Touchmaster is packed with a wide variety of good, casual games.

It's hardly the next big thing in driving games, but it still manages to deliver the most authentic Pixar film experience to the video game medium of any previous attempt, and it's certainly one of the better kid-oriented games to come out this year.

World Championship Poker 2's offline play is the best you'll find amid this year's competition, and the online play is still pretty engaging.

It's hardly the next big thing in driving games, but it still manages to deliver the most authentic Pixar film experience to the video game medium of any previous attempt, and it's certainly one of the better kid-oriented games to come out this year.

Provides a viscerally enjoyable experience pretty much from beginning to end. The game certainly has its blemishes, and it's definitely not the deepest or headiest action title you'll ever experience, but underneath those problems is a stylish and gory action game with enough kills and thrills to keep you entertained.

High On Life 2 may falter in a few key areas, and not everything connects--whether it's a drawn-out gag or a timid shotgun blast--but it stands out in a genre where the self-serious shooter is usually king, by offering an outlandish, comical, and creative alternative. The addition of a skateboard is a literal game-changer, and there's plenty of joy to be had seeing what exactly each mission entails. Its influences are overt, yet it has an identity all its own, and there are definitely worse ways to spend a weekend.