It's just too bad this solid gameplay engine is wrapped in such a shallow, ugly package.

This certainly isn't a bad game of pool, but it lives up to few expectations beyond what its meager price tag would suggest.

The game delivers creepy moments aplenty, and your German Shepherd makes a unique and neat teammate to play with, but some gameplay oddness and dog artificial intelligence quirks mar the adventure.

There's enough variety here to keep you busy; it delivers a strong sense of speed; and the control, while not perfect, is good enough to keep you coming back.

The visual performance is poor, the puzzles are drab, and the story mode is laughably lame.

But even if you're a fan of the original bongo-bangin' rhythm game who's eager for more of the same, it's likely that the game's strained musical selection will put a damper on the experience.

The game's poorly implemented design, clunky interface, Stone Age graphics, and horrible sound effects combine to form a product that is impossible to recommend to anyone.

Throw in a better overall sense of presentation and an insanely deep track editor, and what you've got is a truly great sequel.

A slew of noticeably missing features and other problems may well end up drawing too much of your attention away from the game's good parts.

Star Wars Galaxies, then, is in the best shape of its life right now, thanks in no small part to the recently released Episode III Rage of the Wookiees expansion.

Its slavish dedication to convention will scratch the methodical, cerebral itch all diehard adventure game fans have. As a genre exercise, though, it exerts little energy to draw in new players.

The lightsaber dueling is ultimately too repetitive and easily exploited to be very fun for long, and each of the 16 missions (and subsequent bonus missions) don't take more than 10 to 20 minutes apiece to complete.

The 3D levels and the multiplayer mode that's built around them are more than good enough to justify the 10 extra dollars that the DS game costs.

The game's biggest drawback is that it doesn't take much time to complete--perhaps two hours total for both characters.

The lightsaber dueling is ultimately too repetitive and easily exploited to be very fun for long, and each of the 16 missions (and subsequent bonus missions) don't take more than 10 to 20 minutes apiece to complete.

While the backdrop may still have some life left in it, Pariah's combat, story, and weapons loadout are all positively lifeless, making the game feel like nothing more than an also-ran shooter that barely stands on its own, let alone stands up to the genre's best.

While the game's touchy driving model and overly complex career mode won't appeal to everyone, Enthusia is a worthy game for those looking for something different in the four-wheel genre.

Open Tee isn't really any more or less accessible than Tiger, but the playful visual style will likely appeal more to those with no interest in real-world golf, and established Hot Shots fans will definitely find this to be their preferred game.

If you can tolerate the forcibly cute presentation, you'll find Puyo Pop Fever to be a solid, addictive puzzle game.

If you have the computing speed to run it and the patience to endure its few pitfalls, you likely won't find a better, more believable non-NASCAR racer in today's market.

While the futuristic backdrop may still have some life left in it, Pariah's combat, story, and weapons loadout are all positively lifeless, making the game feel like nothing more than an also-ran shooter that barely stands on its own, let alone stands up to the genre's best.

Forza's main success is in finding a blend between pleasing the notoriously fickle minority that likes its driving games consistently challenging and demandingly detailed, while introducing a set of user-friendly assists that will ensure that even those who are new to the racing genre will enjoy themselves.

Between the broken physics and dark graphics--not to mention the egregious lack of a high-score list--Pac-Man Pinball Advance suffers from a litany of problems.

Despite being made mostly of recycled parts, Emerald proves that the Pokémon formula still works.

Newcomers, on the other hand, will discover a somewhat quirky but enjoyable real-time strategy game that focuses on formations and tactics rather than base-building and tank rushes.

While the game is currently the best choice for hoops fanatics looking for a portable fix, veterans of the console versions may find themselves a little frustrated with controls that aren't quite as responsive as they could have been.

Shoddy controls, buggy gameplay, and some of the worst character design we've seen this year, resulting in a game that can't even justify its $15 price tag.

The tactical battles definitely capture the spirit of X-COM, but the whole package doesn't come together in quite the same way.