It's a second-verse-same-as-the-first stand-alone expansion that adds seafaring jobs but fails to correct any of the issues of the original game.

It hits a few rough patches on the slopes, but sweet controls help make this simple snowboarding game enjoyable.

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

For anyone that poured their heart into any of the last two or three games, however, Mega Man Battle Network 6 definitely comes across as been there, done that.

Dead Block fills the zombie apocalypse with rampant vandalism and ingenious booby traps, yet somehow the result is exceedingly dull.

For a game that needs to present information clearly and effectively, it fails to do so, and this failure has an unfortunate ripple effect on the rest of the game.

While its setting and story are initially intriguing, the experience of playing the game becomes painful over time. Enemies are plentiful and tough to avoid, and the tools that you do have at your disposal are frequently hampered by extreme item scarcity. The complete removal of UI or any helpful visual cues makes stealth encounters a chore. The moments of satisfying key-hunting are bogged down by a world that is a frustrating bore to explore. In retrospect, I wish I could stay in the "before" times, on the other side of that grand reopening banner. At least then, I was optimistic about what awaited inside.

Work Time Fun is ridiculous and there's nothing else quite like it. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for something insane and Japanese, you'll probably love it.

Poor level design poisons Jericho's awesome but unrealized potential.

So even if bawdy caricatures of rednecks and dominatrices don't sound immediately appealing to you, Outlaw Golf 2 offers a tight, challenging game of golf with some unique gameplay ideas, and it comes at a price that makes it a terrific value.

Saints Row reins in the absurdity to a fairly significant degree but still manages to indulge in some of the chaotic action and silly hijinks the series is known for. Its story is simple and fairly predictable, yet spending time with its diverse and well-rounded characters makes it worth seeing through to the end. It's a shame the gameplay isn't quite as progressive, opting instead for out-of-date mechanics and level design. Combat is decent, and the story missions are enjoyable when at their most over-the-top, but there's too much bland filler in between. Rebooting the series made sense, yet in many ways, Saints Row is still stuck in the past and struggling to live up to its legacy.

FIFA Street 2 is a significant improvement over its predecessor and is fun for solo players and small groups of friends alike.

Lords of Shadow 2 should have been a much shorter game. Still, though the game's stealth sections and drab modern settings represent the worst elements of the three-part saga, the tail end of the game contains the best of every aspect that the series is currently known for.

That some inoffensive visuals and a few fun 2D sections are the highlights of a largely 3D game is telling. Sonic Lost World desperately wants to be Mario Galaxy, but in overtly coveting the great Italian plumber, it smothers the talents of its blazing blue hedgehog.

The addictive gameplay of the SimCity series is completely missing in this lackluster spinoff.

Adding zombies into the mix isn't enough to revive Undead Knights from its stale, typical hack-and-slash action.

Rebellion has done well by the Miami Vice name with this sordid blend of guns, boats, and drugs.

Puzzle Kingdoms is a worthy addition to the growing list of puzzle/role-playing hybrid games.

The updated graphics are pretty, but the chaotic leveling system and aged gameplay don't hold up very well.

It is, at best, perfectly playable, and lovely to look at and listen to. But it is also the face of mediocrity and missed opportunities. A bad game can make a case for itself. A boring one is harder to forgive.

A poor story, weak artificial intelligence, and plenty of bugs mar what otherwise could have been a simple yet fun castle-building game.

While this textbook copy of the Capcom classic is a competent regurgitation of the genre's clichés, your patience will be tested by déjà vu from the moment that the first monster bursts out of the walls.

Unfortunately, holes in the core gameplay mechanics and the lack of a standard dynasty mode leave NBA 06 as more of a curiosity than a must-have for basketball fans.

Much like Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros. Melee," the game is just plain fun.

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

Isn't an excellent game, but it's very good.

Anyone looking for an exciting mascot racing game won't find too much to like here once the thrill of four-player multiplayer has worn off.

Fighting fires instead of more typical corporeal opponents is certainly a refreshing change, but the gameplay can't make entirely good on Firefighter's unique concept.

It's nothing that we haven't seen before in some regard, but its variations on the established theme make the experience at least somewhat different from the rest.

You can master the game in less than a day. Add to that the extremely substandard control, and you're left with a game that is barely worth renting.

With its reality-bending story, parade of puzzles, and unwieldy combat, Alone in the Dark is, in some ways, more faithful to some turn-of-the-century horror games than their own revitalized modern remakes. I enjoyed the game's story, setting, and abundant lore, and I felt smart when I'd overcome some of its puzzles. But others proved so obtuse as to be frustrating, and nothing about the combat even climbs to a level I'd call serviceable--it's consistently poor. This isn't Alone in the Dark's first revival attempt, and it's probably not its last, but it isn't the one that will put the series' name in the same breath as the all-time greats it originally helped inspire.

Unfortunately, some of Crash 'N' Burn's central ideas--the persistent wrecks being the most obvious example--introduce complexity that, in the end, will leave you more frustrated than thrilled.

Atelier Iris 3 is a by-the-numbers role-playing game that exudes a lot of charm but little else.

Like some of the ghosts in The Sixth Sense, Elena's spectral aides are in desperate need of closure.

Marvel TCG isn't too bad as far as digital trading-card games go, but it's unlikely to convert anyone not already invested in TCGs.

It's lovely to have Super Monkey Ball back, but Banana Blitz HD is not a good showcase of what made the series work. It's a remake of a game that was originally designed for a very different, specific purpose and control scheme, and the efforts made to update it for 2019 have made for a lesser game. It's a shame, because a glimmer of what made the series great remains, and it's enough to make us hope that someday we get a new entry that properly returns the series to its roots.

Improvements over the original release of this sci-fi racer don't make up for its floaty controls and poor item balance.

The Diofield Chronicle probably wants to explore ideas around how power is accumulated and how legitimacy is granted with its tales of warring lords and divine rights. But it never truly engages with them. Characters hedge around such issues, expressing tentative misgivings regarding the nobility of their mission before carrying on regardless. Similarly, in brief conversations, it gestures at the possibility of other ways to structure society, but never actually entertains them. With Andrias and his mercenary company the hammer that sees every problem as a nail, it makes for an unsatisfying narrative arc. Yet as you deploy the same tactics across what may as well be the same battlefield against pretty much the same enemies for the umpteenth time, it's an effective metaphor for the conservative and unimaginative game design.

The game suffers from imprecise controls, a lackluster presentation, a few bugs, and other issues that make it difficult to recommend.

Tactical Assault is not a typical strategy game, and the original design feels fresh when you first start playing. But it's also a one-trick pony, boiling down to the same basic maneuvers and slow-paced combat. It also horribly overlooks its license.

FBI problem-solver Nelson Tethers is back for more of the same in Puzzle Agent 2.

Unresponsive controls and confusing level design make Rad Spencer's latest adventure an exercise in frustration.

When you factor in how little this game really differs from any of the last few games in the line, there's really no good reason to go out and buy it.

Squirrel With a Gun isn't aggressively bad, and I didn't hate my time with it. It was basically just a thing that I did for four hours. Nothing about the experience really stands out; the whole game is entirely unremarkable and won't live long in the memory. It's kind of like seeing a squirrel in real life. You go, "Oh look, a squirrel," watch the furry critter scurry up a tree, and then get on with your day. That's Squirrel With a Gun in a nutshell.

Old meets new in Revenge of the Wounded Dragons, an engaging retro beat-'em-up that borrows a few ideas from platformers.

Fans of the film will enjoy interacting with the lovable characters and playing through the movie-inspired sequences, but those diligent enough to go through and complete every objective will probably come away from the game feeling a little disappointed.

Underdome Riot is heavy on challenge and light on rewards. Only diehard teams of maxed-out mercs need apply.

Teen Titans the game makes good use of the license to spice up what is otherwise a very average beat-'em-up.

TMNT has some legitimately neat platforming sequences, but it's more frustrating than a kid-oriented game ought to be, and the combat is completely brain-dead.

Part solid execution and part missed opportunity, Tetris Ultimate is hard to judge. If all you want is a good version of classic Tetris for your new console, this one will suit your needs well. The low price is nice and the gameplay options provided are a nice touch, but it doesn't do enough to earn the "ultimate" moniker.

This gritty cover-based shooter is better than its predecessor, but as a package, it's light on content.

As you guide her through one identical-looking corridor after another, shooting one identical-looking robot after another, you'll almost certainly be unimpressed with the repetitive and cumbersome action at the heart of this game.

Team battles aren't enough to make this latest entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series stand out from the crowd.

Fresh ideas can't save Bladestorm from mediocrity.

You couldn't ask for an easier way to find opponents, trade pieces, and compete in tourneys than with this online-only game from the creators of the acclaimed online collectible card game, Chron X.

Its inelaborate gameplay and terribly dated graphics and sound absolutely scream for it to be a PlayStation game.

While the game isn't especially amazing to look at or play, City Crisis scores points for originality.

Apart from odd attempts at humor that are hard to ignore, the story execution falls flat, the scenarios are tediously scripted, and the skirmish mode is terribly limited.

While some are more interesting than others, in practice, Core Combat's new additions don't seem to add much to PlanetSide.

The designers have traced the footsteps of "Resident Evil" as carefully as a chiropodist. This leaves the end result without even the tiniest smidgen of originality, though it is an acceptable memorial to a classic genre.

A strictly average action game that may interest the few players who haven't graduated to a newer system, but serious gamers will pass it over for something a little more modern.

It should go over well with fans of the genre--it's an altogether solid shooter, if a tad uninspired.

It's too easy to be exciting, but Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension is a varied and entertaining game for young players.

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.

The Occupation is the sort of game you'll find yourself thinking about when you're not playing it, that gets under your skin in ways you didn't even realize. I'm going to play it again. Maybe this time I'll completely crack the case.

Younger fans of the show will likely enjoy watching the story gradually unfold as they constantly use the characters' superpowers to fight monsters in Lyoko's virtual world. However, the game's sluggish pace, repetitive combat, and straightforward puzzles guarantee that older or experienced players will lose interest long before the story reaches its conclusion.

For better or worse, Elite Squadron delivers more of the same Battlefront action you already know.

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.

MX vs. ATV Alive has the potential to be a very good racing game, but right now, it's sorely in need of more content.

If you aren't already dedicated to reaching the level cap and completing every late-game activity, Warmind doesn't offer many draws for you; the only reason to do anything is to level up or get new loot, and that can keep you busy for a while this time around.

Frustrating issues make Shaun White Snowboarding seem less like a downhill rush and more like an uphill grind.

Though the novel camera feature fuels some goofy fun, DanceMasters only holds lasting appeal for dedicated dance fiends.

Outside of a few bug fixes and a few insignificant additions, this is the exact same game you played last year.

Regardless of what mode you play, "with friends" is definitely how this slick near-future shooter thrives, delivering a solid team-based experience with just enough style and substance to keep you entertained.

Diddy Kong Racing DS is a decent racer with plenty to do and some interesting new content, but the seemingly endless amount of tasks you must complete to enjoy all of it may irritate anyone who simply wants to race.

First Battalion is an action-heavy World War II tank game with fairly simple gameplay mechanics and not much depth.

This inattention to detail is emblematic of the Madden NFL 13 experience. Aside from new commentary and a few Vita-specific controls, this is the same basic game that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners played last year, only with a choppy frame rate dragging the core action down.

Prophecy significantly improves upon the original Hydrophobia, but not all of the issues from last year's Xbox Live Arcade game have been resolved.

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

This more or less reflects Bloodlines 2 as a whole: sometimes charming, other times, not so much. There is a lot here that is great; I loved the narrative, the characters, the drama, and the sheer power fantasy of it all. At the same time, it's one of the more unpolished games I've reviewed, and definitely lacks the same level of ambition, scope, choice, and general tightness of other modern RPGs. Oftentimes, I found myself thinking that Bloodlines 2 is a great game in spite of itself--which really only makes it a pretty good game, ultimately.

The execution of many of Gangland's different elements falls short of its lofty promise, thus leaving a game that has a lot of good ideas but is sometimes convoluted and often frustrating.

NBA 07 on the PlayStation 3 doesn't have the entertaining story mode that the PlayStation 2 version has, but it does have most of that version's flaws, and some new ones, too.

Rocky isn't a great boxing game, and it doesn't quite deliver the same level of excitement as the films it's based on.

Dabblers should find KAO's charming antics and approachable gameplay well suited to a weekend or two of lighthearted entertainment.

There's no great gameplay to be found in Medal of Honor: Vanguard, so there's nothing to hide those feelings of déjà vu that you'll get when you play it. Nearly everything in the game has been done before, and it has all been done better.

While it's certainly a competent racing game, Ridge Racer DS's awkward driving and collision model feel very dated by today's standards.

The essential elements of Sir, You Are Being Hunted--the conflicts between man and machine, between hunter and hunted--aren't getting their due. Here is a game that wants to tell a basic story, but that's left too much space between its opposing forces to make them duel.

Stacked presents itself as a typical game of poker, but thanks to an intriguing artificial intelligence system, it plays things much smarter than your average poker title.

The King of Fighters XII is the latest chapter in 15 years of fighting game history. It's also a disappointment.

Too many design issues leave this physics-based puzzler grounded.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival is a disappointing conclusion to a beloved series' second chapter

It nails the show's insanely enjoyable brand of humor, but can't quite pull out a gameplay design to match.

Despite a slow start and some lingering issues, Revenge of the Fallen really makes it fun to be a Transformer.

The ability to alter terrain isn't enough to save Fracture from becoming the latest run-of-the-mill shooter.

With far more technical issues than normal and large chunks of recycled content, Madden NFL 21 feels more like an update than a brand-new game.

While it won't dazzle you with ambitious, creative puzzle-solving, its central story is as haunting and consuming as you want a good Lovecraft tale to be. But then, like some nightmare creature, an action sequence comes out of nowhere and ruins the experience.

An enjoyable if short-lived experience, and it serves as a good introduction for the uninitiated to the world of rhythm games.

Outcry is one of the more surreal and impenetrable adventure games ever made.