The worst and most obvious problem with the game is the constant loading. Performing just about any action--going indoors or outdoors, playing a minigame, beginning a conversation with someone, ending a conversation with someone--causes the game to load for a good second or two.

A realistic game that has a lot of configurable options and statistical tracking. However... you'll probably be disappointed by the game's lackluster graphics and average sound.

The game doesn't buck the trend of mediocrity, offering a fairly unremarkable experience that puts you through the motions of the film's plot without capturing any of its essence.

A faithful port of the arcade original, but the single-player mode isn't much fun and the presentation is bare bones.

The gameplay isn't particularly good, though it's decent enough that fans of the film series might as well consider checking out the game.

It's a shame that Aidyn's slow pace and plodding combat mean many of its pluses will be discovered only by the most stubborn players out there.

Although the game itself looks beautiful, Prehistorik Man is fairly vanilla in terms of gameplay.

Touts a few appreciable improvements over the last Yu-Gi-Oh! card battle game for the GBA, which will probably be enough to win the favor of hardcore Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, but casual card battlers who already have one of the other Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible card games for the GBA can safely skip this one without missing too much.

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.

A fairly unique game. Unfortunately, sluggish controls, missing features in the interface, and a nonexistent online community detract from an otherwise decent strategy game.

The game can often be humorous, especially if you pay attention to the details in the scenery and the minigames you'll occasionally come across - but it still isn't especially exciting.

While ATV Quad Power Racing 2 is a pretty decent racing game on its own merits, it can't be recommended over a couple of similar games that are already available.

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.

Hardwood Hearts is a Hearts game for Hearts fans. If you don't already play Hearts, you aren't likely to get much out of this one.

Like the previous games in the series, Global Terror offers some redeeming value as a shooter, but poor execution on certain aspects, such as the AI, keeps the game from distinguishing itself.

A decent port of an inherently disappointing game.

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.

It's easy to learn, nonviolent, and focuses on miniature cars--something kids can relate to and car-loving adults can always enjoy, too. Just hope a patch is released in short order.

It's a solidly average game whose few original ideas are compromised by screwy controls, some pacing problems, and a punishing save-game system.

It's a solidly average game whose few original ideas are compromised by screwy controls, some pacing problems, and a punishing save-game system.

Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal is a simplistic dungeon crawl that is hampered by a plodding pace and frustrating controls.

Cute penguins and dance segments similar to those found in Konami's Dance Dance Revolution are the high points of this game that's based on an animated movie.

The Good Life is a curious and uneven experience. As a sort of hybrid RPG meets life-sim, it's certainly competent, despite the grind it demands. Surprisingly, the novel premise takes a back seat for the most part, but it's never anything less than adorably easy-going, carried along by a carefree attitude and endless charm.

There's a series of interesting crimes to solve in this DS adventure, but uncovering the truth is just too simple.

A solid though unremarkable continuation of the long-running formula.

Held back by its adherence to the bland design of the original game.

Brutal robot-destroying fun is buried deep, but this giant mech battling series could still use an oil change.

Konami's first Pro Evolution Soccer game for the PS3 plays well but suffers from noticeable slowdown and feels somewhat unfinished.

If you spend the full $20, you get a mighty fine, if overpriced, single-player game. Since the majority of the gameplay is only available when you buy the downloadable content, Get Even feels like a demo with a price tag on it.

There's some multiplayer fun to be had in this winter sports collection, but you'll have to sift through a lot of lousy stuff to find it.

Though plodding and slow-paced relative to modern stealth games, there is something satisfying to its puzzle-like approach. Unfortunately, it's hard to see the good through issues with the AI, frustrating checkpointing, and technical troubles. Oddworld is an interesting world and I hope we get to see the rest of Abe's saga, but the series needs more than a new coat of paint to breathe new life into the series.

It's just a shame that the game's level design and enemy combine to short-circuit the experience throughout, because there are so many individual pieces that make the game really easy to like. Sofia deserves better.

Battle of the Band's bizarre mashups are fun to listen to but not as much fun to play.

Broken Sword 5's second part is noticeably shorter, coming in at fewer than five hours when compared to the first part's six, and its linear nature diminishes the joy of exploration. Nevertheless, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a solid installment in the nearly 20-year-old franchise, delivering a captivating story with great characters and loads of good-natured humor.

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.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a solid though unremarkable continuation of the long-running formula.

Escape From Paradise City blends the stereotypical action RPG with a stripped-down RTS to create one unimpressive hybrid game.

Tharsis feels like a sadistic game of chance that makes all my decisions feel completely meaningless.

Unlike most other PSP ports of old games, Juiced is extremely thin on new and/or interesting content, leaving you with a just slightly tightened-up version of the game you might have but probably didn't play last year.

EA's new tennis game makes a number of unforced errors that hamper what could've been a brilliant package.

Lacks any real punch and stands as the quintessential middle-of-the-road off-roading game.

As it stands, this is a package of two great games that is serviceable. Outside of some interface issues that are mostly artifacts of the games' age, there's nothing wrong with Suikoden I and II--in fact, they remain as excellent as ever. But it's hard to get rid of the nagging feeling that this remaster feels uneven between the weirdly contrasting visuals and the general lack of quality-of-life improvements beyond the bare minimum. Suikoden is a phenomenal series that deserves all the love it can get, and with how expensive the original titles have become, any way to let people enjoy them is welcome--but these two games really deserve to be reintroduced with the red carpet, not the tacky doormat.

Some of the games in this collection are better than you remember, but many are worse.

While the addition of cooperative play is a big step in the right direction, the core elements that made Episode 1 a tepid experience persist here: mediocre level design, slow pacing, and erratic levels of fun.

Anyone expecting Telltale to continue deconstructing Bruce Wayne and his alter ego will come away from Children of Arkham unsatisfied. It effectively lays the groundwork for future events with the help of a few unexpected twists, but in leaving out meaningful detective work, it falls short of the series' first episode.

The Gunk's placid approach would make it an ideal game for kids, yet the presence of a few ill-suited swear words nixes that notion. Regardless, cleaning up the Gunk and restoring the planet to life still provides a satisfying loop, and there's something to be said for a game that doesn't demand too much of the player. It's fairly laid back and relaxing at times, but even at three hours in length, The Gunk's unambitious and routine design struggles to sustain an entire game. The endearing relationship between its two leads makes up for this somewhat, but you're left feeling like they deserve something more than what is an inoffensive and rather forgettable game.

A decent strategy RPG that ultimately gets weighed down by some frustrating game mechanics.

Were it not for Claire's chapter, it wouldn't be hard to sit out the rest of Resident Evil: Revelations 2, but the memory of the good times, and the latest cliffhanger, ultimately stick with you when the credits roll.

It's just that the joys of Rad require more work than necessary to obtain, and that work can feel awfully thankless at times. Double Fine's hyper-colorful take on an '80s synthpop apocalypse makes for some gratifying nostalgia at the best of times, but there's a reason why, eventually, we all moved on to grunge.

Even if the Secret of the Nameless Kingdom can bite at your nerves, it's fun and funny enough to keep you searching for the next boss key.

Baldur's Gate remains the same enthralling epic that it was in 1998, but bugs and lackluster extras make it tough to call this an enhanced version of the classic.

Its different modes, which feature a relatively unique approach, are undermined by the substandard gameplay.

Inferior to its Xbox counterpart in just about every way imaginable, and is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing games available for Microsoft's new console at launch.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

This game is only for those who care to see Naruto's story continue to play out, and though it has its moments, it doesn't deliver quite the level of excitement you'd hope for from a game bearing the Naruto Shippuden name.

Overlord: Raising Hell may be the most feature-rich version of the game yet, but an unpredictable frame rate, sluggish controls, and a clunky camera detract from the minion-controlling fun.

While this online role-playing game may have been a hit for the PC and PlayStation 2, it feels very awkward and entirely out of place on the Xbox 360.

SolSeraph could have hemmed slightly closer to the conventions of its clear inspiration, and it may have been better for it. The changes to the sim aspect create gameplay depth at the expense of tonal depth, and the action segments can be annoyingly clunky, especially with the unnecessary addition of enemies that are untouchable until an unclear point in time. The willingness to riff on one of the most beloved classics of an entire console era shows a remarkable amount of audacity, and it actually halfway works. It's the half that doesn't that makes SolSeraph such a qualified recommendation.

Based on its new naming convention, the use of "saga" in Hellblade 2's title, and Microsoft's acquisition of developer Ninja Theory following the success of Senua's Sacrifice, it seems as if Hellblade is slated to be a series as well as a staple in Xbox's first-party lineup. That said, at this point, I don't exactly understand where the series is headed, if not to the box office. There are plenty of games that prove games can be art, but as some studios lean harder into proving that in one specific way that cribs from Hollywood, we're seeing some games that feel afraid of being games. With too much focus on cinematics and too little on creating an experience that is engaging, Senua's Saga fails to reach the same highs as its predecessor--even if it does look stunning whilst trying.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

God Mode may not be divine, but it delivers buckets of flawed fun for a few hours.

The Munchables provides a unique and wacky adventure that's fun for a few hours. Ultimately though, its repetitive gameplay and lack of challenge make it feel more like a slightly disappointing appetizer than a satisfying main course.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

Compared to the many missteps in Sonic’s history, it’s a decent example of what the series could be in a modern context. But when measured solely on its merits as a platformer, Fire and Ice is a repetitive yet competent game that's slightly above average.

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.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a true prequel to Valhalla, only able to tell a compelling narrative arc for Basim with the knowledge of what he becomes later in life. At the very least, you don't need an encyclopedic understanding of Assassin's Creed to appreciate Basim's growth from a young street thief to a duty-bound assassin to a truth-seeking detective as he looks into the interconnected investigations that unlock the enjoyable Black Box assassination missions. And though uninteresting characters mar the experience, an emphasis on social stealth and a history-rich city curate a fun (and educational!) gameplay loop.

It's light on combat, but Reverie keeps things interesting with a new playable character and engaging puzzles.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

Clumsy combat, a glut of bugs, and ancient production values tarnish this otherwise rich and complex online role-playing game.

Mario and Sonics' debut as a duo fails to earn them a spot on the medal stand.

Mildly fun action mixes with weird story twists and supereasy boss fights in this low-cost add-on.

Although the game is ostensibly about an expedition to the moon, it plays more like a static series of logic puzzles no different from those you can find in dozens of magazines on every newsstand.

An overabundance of weaponry gets in the way of the killing in this intense shooter.

This survival horror game looks good and controls well but never manages to bring either the scares or the laughs it's aiming for.

On multiple fronts, Avowed holds so much promise that it struggles to follow through on. While its combat feels impactful and gives you options to experiment with, it's hamstrung by an overall reliance on gear upgrades and scarce resources that prevent you from fully enjoying the creative freedom it initially advertises. Its world is fun to explore and navigate, but its story fails to wrap this in a captivating tale with a satisfying conclusion. It's an experience that routinely swaps between exhilarating moments and frustrating slogs, and often leans towards the latter the closer you get to the game's climax. Avowed might present itself as the new age of the fantasy role-playing games that it borrows so much from, but it's unlikely to have the same lasting impact.

Madden NFL 25 marks a quarter-century of football gaming with a disappointing addition to this venerable franchise.

A funny storyline and witty dialogue are Frayed Knights' highlights. Just watch out for its unintuitive menus and frustrating endurance system.

Reborn is a solid add-on pack, but it's too expensive for what you get.

Despite my complaints, it's hard to deny the sheer thrill of The Void: careening through space, leaping over a giant bug, and firing my last missile into a group of pirates before I speed toward the mission's evacuation point. The expansion may take a less engaging approach to survival, but it's still a frantic, intricate display of movement and reaction. The Void attempts to break ground of its own, and in some ways, it has. But the end result is weaker than the foundation it's built upon.

When you finish finding all the stamps in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, your reward is a greeting from the curator, and that's very much the approach Nintendo has taken here. Welcome Tour is an interactive virtual museum exhibit, all centered around showcasing Nintendo's latest piece of hardware. It carries the calm sensibility of a museum, which makes it feel very approachable and good-natured. And like any good museum, it's a decent way to spend an afternoon to marvel at the exhibits and learn a few things along the way. But I sense Nintendo's self-consciousness coming through in the decision to charge for it--the mindset that imagines if it's free, people will conclude that it's worthless. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour certainly isn't worthless. It's a well-made, often informative, sometimes-frustrating introduction to the new hardware. It's just too bad Nintendo didn't model it after many great museums: with no fee, so the work inside could speak for itself.

The Lost Hobo King is a welcome return to the world of Stacking, but it's over before you know it.

The culprit behind Crash's dated feel is the passage of time. Vicarious Visions, for its part, succeeded in revitalizing Crash from an artistic perspective while preserving the charm that made him appealing when he first showed up, but years have passed since the original PlayStation was relevant, and we are well past the formative years of 3D gaming.

Doesn't have the gameplay or variety to back up its graphical prowess, and the whole experience ends up feeling pretty shallow.

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.

There's really not very much to praise about Lupin the Third, due in no small part to some rather badly implemented enemy artificial intelligence, an equally unfortunate control scheme, and some generally lacking production values.

Obtuse puzzles make Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis a case that's about as hard to crack as "The Red-Headed League."

When the incentive to keep playing is to be able to keep playing, it’s easy to burn out on Fire Emblem Heroes. Aside from obtaining your favorite characters--if you even care about that--Fire Emblem Heroes becomes less and less rewarding as time goes on. Grinding for loot in the form of characters can only be fun for so long before chasing rare allies becomes a chore, and in that sense it caters to two ends of a wide spectrum while offering little incentive for anyone in between.

Shadows of Rose might be the most notable part of the Winters' Expansion, but it's The Mercenaries that provides the most bang for your buck. Rose's tale is an uneven and brief continuation of the Winters family story. It successfully makes familiar locations feel fresh again but doesn't do quite enough with Rose's powers to elevate its action or make the experience feel worthwhile. The switch back to a third-person perspective is noteworthy, and its inclusion as an optional way to play Resident Evil Village is a boon for those thinking of replaying the game. The new additions to The Mercenaries make the Winters' Expansion worth it, though, and while Shadows of Rose has its moments, it doesn't pack enough engaging material into its short timeframe to wholly recommend returning to the eponymous village.

The Lost Hobo King is a welcome return to the world of Stacking, but it's over before you know it.

It's easy to imagine how a dyed-in-the-wool Crash fan will fall in love all over again via the N. Sane Trilogy, but if you're experiencing Crash for the first time--or the first time in a while--it might pain you to realize that Crash's original adventures aren't as inventive or surprising as they were 20 years ago.

Fireteam Bravo 3 has the makings of a rewarding shooter, but it lacks the freshness and tactical depth that made its predecessors so engaging.

Yet while Spider-Man 2 sure looks great, it suffers from extremely frustrating level design (and it doesn't really take advantage of the dual-screen layout of Nintendo's new portable, either). Some of these levels can be so annoyingly difficult that they'll make you want to wreck your brand-new Nintendo DS.

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

It's simply not enjoyable to contort your hand around the DS and listen to 25 low-fi songs while you strum the touch screen and fight the pain in your hand.

Poor controls and superfluous features hurt what is otherwise an enjoyable SimCity game.

No amount of lighting or funny animations can make up for the rudimentary 3D platforming on display. You could even say that the look of these games belies their true nature.

I'm disappointed by Cry Wolf, not because it suggests that Fabletown is destined to remain troubled, or that it doesn't overtly answer a vital nagging question, but because a few too many events are overtly manufactured to fit the plot's needs, rather than making each event feel like it progressed from those that came before.

The frequent frustrations of Puddle mean that only the most patient of players will have what it takes to reach the end. That's a shame, because it presents a fascinating journey through forests and foundries, into outer space and inner space.