Playing NFL Head Coach and having a good time while doing so is a daunting task, one far more challenging than taking the Browns to the Super Bowl.

It's incredible how nasty and trashy this gameplay looks, when something very similar looked so great. There are a lot of really nice touches here, but they're wasted on a game that feels like a high school talent show version of a great movie.

Other M is a sum of imperfect parts and compromised ideas.

At its core, War in the North isn't a bad game; it's merely a disappointing one.

In spite of its solid online multiplayer, good video editor, and fun arcade game, the overall experience can't rise to the level of the game's great predecessors.

Lots of fun as you're mastering the unique strategies of Star Trek: Tactical Assault, followed by a crushing tedium once you realize that it doesn't really get any better, or even any different.

So much of Red Dead feels like it's caught between two camps -- arcade and more modern third-person action -- that it all feels compromised.

The big reason for diehard Warriors fans to pick up Samurai XL obviously lies in its four new characters. Yep. Four. That's pretty pathetic compared to the nine added to "Dynasty 3 XL" (and even though "Dynasty 4 XL" featured no new warriors, its fun new gameplay modes compensated nicely).

Fans of the film may enjoy the idea of building their own criminal empire, but those expecting a fast-paced action experience are in for a rude awakening.

File #2 doesn't break a lot of new ground like Resident Evil 4 did. For better or for worse, it's simply more of the same with a few cosmetic tweaks.

Cooking Mama: Cook Off has its moments, such as in multiplayer, in which most players will end up on the same level playing field, partly due to some of the flaws of the gameplay mechanic. It seems as though Taito wanted to get a Wii version out quickly, and we wish it hadn't.

When taken as a whole, Children of the Nile is a disappointment. It's not that it's a bad game. In fact, buried under the rubble of the game's interface is the germ of a classic.

A super-deformed take on Diablo, wholly devoid of strategy or audiovisual pizzazz.

This game is good for a quick robot violence fix or if you happen to be a huge Gundam fan, but that's about it.

"GTA: Mexico" with B-level developer talent: The game Robert Rodriguez would have designed if his brain had been replaced by a satsuma: This is Smash TV in sombreros.

Unfortunately, the decision to split things across two titles makes each game feel like an overpriced demo, proving the old adage that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Has all the makings of a truly great air combat sim, but it's hard to recommend while it's crippled by bugs and poor documentation.

"Burnout 3" was a title that changed peoples' tune from "I don't play racing games" to "No, you can't have the controller. It's still my turn." Compared to that, Dominator just isn't as fun.

Collectively, these tweaks add a number of new tactics to the Worms repertoire, and another layer of customization. Revolution is a positive step forward. It's not, however, a game-changer, and if you're tired of the basic Worms template, it's not going to draw you back. It's no revolution. As a revival though, there's lots to like, in the old and the new.

In some ways, the problem with Unreal II is that it tries to wear too many helmets. It's a sequel to the original title, and has a healthy multiplayer mode intact because of Unreal's highly popular tournament editions. In the end, it does both without excelling at either.

Capcom has created a PS3 version of Lost Planet that includes extraordinarily limited bonus content and which doesn't run very well.

This GameCube port has a few new features that the PS2 version didn't, like a few new stages and skill capsules, but you can't escape the fact that the game is already a year old.

The racing isn't as deep as it could have been, and the game's race-first, shoot-second design keeps the player from making full use of all the armaments at your disposal.

A tragically missed opportunity. There are hints of an excellent Total War-style real-time tactics game married to the undeniable crazy charm of the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

It shows flashes of its former brilliance through two new races that are full of personality and are a lot of fun to play with, but falls flat through a lackluster single-player campaign, mediocre (at best) new air units and two devastating bugs that will kill the multiplayer scene until Relic issues an eventual patch.

The most astute comment I've heard about Battlefield 2 still applies to Special Forces: everything about it sucks except for the actual game.

Ultimately, playing the game makes you wish that the developers had spent more time refining the command system (or finding a decent cast of voiceover artists).

Veterans of "Starfleet Command" or "Homeworld" multiplayer champs should get excited, because as tactical space combat simulators go, this is a pretty good one. The rest of us who would rather keep our micromanagement confined to the realm of Excel, on the other hand, will probably go back to our "simpler" RTS games.

There's potential for a very good game here, and we've had our share of both highs and lows with the gameplay, but the sheer number of gameplay bugs, graphical issues, and poor technical performance make it difficult to recommend in its current state.

Simply put, this isn't anywhere near as entertaining as any of the "Resident Evils" or "Silent Hills," but it's no "Blue Stinger," either.

Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

I'm left wondering who Lego Rock Band is really for. It seems to be trying to cater to everyone, but it ends up simply unfocused, and occasionally outright sloppy. It doesn't actively offend, but it's nowhere near a must-have, even for serious music-game fans.

It's a heck of a lot better than the recent batch of Mega Man X games. If you're looking for a hardcore RPG experience, pass on this, but Mega Man fans should appreciate the change of pace.

For anyone who feels like hip-hop is more than the soundtrack to the suburban mall thug experience, the game is really a disservice to a rich culture that involves more than misogyny and violence.

It's good to have a better Rayman Raving Rabbids installment on DS than the one released last year, but we have a feeling that Ubisoft could have done much more on a handheld system that offers many great examples of mini-game collections.

Awkward controls and handling largely dilute the fun of "kicking ass with the Force," especially during a few big moments toward the end. The Force Unleashed spins an entertaining yarn, but its gameplay prevents it from becoming a rich contributor to "Star Wars'" interactive tapestry.

The PC version of Alan Wake includes the two mildly interesting special episodes that debuted on Xbox 360 post-release as DLC. Continuing from the end of the main game, these gritty episodes delve deeper into the psyche of Alan after his adventure in Bright Falls, but rehash themes and environments seen in the first six episodes. They're worth playing if you just can't get enough of Alan and the darkness swirling inside his noggin, just don't expect new environments or a clear resolution to the character's fate.

Take away the armored masks and you'd have a hard time telling Army of Two: The 40th Day from a glut of other third-person shooters. It's not bad enough to be especially memorable, and it's not good enough that people will talk about it for very long.

There's a good amount of fun to be had here -- just don't expect to be blown away by the experience.

Ghost Rider isn't the best action game on PlayStation Portable, but it's slightly ahead of the comic- and movie-license curve.

Unfortunately, the decision to split things across two titles makes each game feel like an overpriced demo, proving the old adage that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

If you loved the multiplayer part of "Rune" -- go for it. If you're hoping it improves Rune… sorry.

I'm stunned by Redeemer's hefty number of annoying quirks; in both presentation and gameplay, this game is sloppier than a Carl's Jr. Super Star.

Typical sneak/shoot-'em-up action that relies too heavily on remade content and brittle gameplay. Although it was novel four years ago, games have come much farther than this.

A beautiful gaming experience with a solid online aspect. If you can manage to work your way through the steep learning curve for the controls, it gets easy to lose yourself in what the game has to offer.

In the end the bugs and problems simply aren't worth the tradeoff for the few interesting ideas the game does employ.

There's no denying that serious stock car fans that own an Xbox 360 or PS3 will enjoy hitting the track with this racer; it's just a shame it doesn't crackle with the personality the real sport has been known for.

There's a definite lack of polish and far too many bugs, even a couple of patches and a month after its release.

What Infernal has to offer is very simple, pretty graphics, showcased in a variety of levels that take you from a mountainside monastery to an offshore train yard to an aircraft carrier, paired with decent action and surprisingly fun boss battles.

Considering the multiplayer aspects are the brightest spots of Sniper, it's asking price of $50 feels about $10 too high, but it's something I'd definitely consider come sale season.

For everything cool that the game does, from the heightened tension of breaking into a prison to a shootout in a Tokyo nightclub to some amazing chase sequences, it shoots itself in the foot with a terrible cover system, artificial incompetence, and a multiplayer mode that sums up everything that's half-baked about the experience.

If "Tron 3.0" builds on this foundation, adding more variety and incorporating more of the innovative old-school gameplay that the franchise has inspired over the years, it has the potential to become an instant retro classic.

The curse of Japanese racer audio lives on in Auto Modellista. The announcer needs a good punch in the face.

No matter how you slice it, Kinetic gives back what you jump, move, and punch into it. Though it's not a replacement for an actual trainer or a full-fledged gym, it does provide a little more entertaining spin on the whole exercise idea.

Less varied but deeper gameplay would have been the way to go. While the variety of different gaming styles is initially a kick, none of them end up being very memorable.

Undercover may push the nostalgia button for the NFS faithful. But substandard presentation and a host of nagging technical issues cause it to sputter across the line for a distant third-place finish.

But the 360 version's clunky control scheme and savage technical problems bring the game down, and none of the key issues from the PC release have been changed. The problems here don't outweigh the fun, but the margin is very thin.

If you're looking for a quality platformer on the DS, there are plenty of better choices out there. If you're looking for a funny game, however, The Simpsons Game ranks near the top of the list.

The third-person perspective is a bust, and the gameplay is often too linear and tedious. On the bright side, fans of police procedurals and Law & Order in particular should find the cases interesting to unravel.

If you're prepared to treat Metal Slug 4/5 as an arcade game and are interested in discovering secrets and alternate paths then you can get a lot out of this game.

Has a unique visual style, an involving storyline, and several dozen hours of intensely immersive gameplay.

It's interesting that in this batch of baseball games, the owners of current-gen systems, specifically Xbox and PS2 owners, end up getting the more stable, and ultimately more enjoyable version of this game.

While it has a few things going for it like its pretty look and the fact that it's the only cycle game available for the system, its overall difficulty level and its lack of variety in circuits and gameplay modes drag it down.

The multiplayer is by far the strongest element of the game, so hopefully we'll see both more ease of connection and an update to online options in the future. With both of those things in place, most likely in a sequel, Squad Command might not be a game whose biggest enemy is itself.

If nothing else, the game certainly captures the dumb, single-minded spirit of the films. I'm not a fan of the series, but I did have fun with Redemption, despite its total lack of depth. For a while, that is.

The game's lack of personality is underscored by its lack of difficulty. Playing through Samurai Jack is about as challenging as watching an episode of Samurai Jack.

You'll have the most fun playing TNA iMPACT! against friends, since they're most likely to work a match that'll flow creatively while providing a decent challenge. The AI makes a poor tag-team partner, and it's always more fun to pull off a finisher when there are friends around to witness the act.

Despite Uprising's many strengths in unit and map design, imbalanced units and lackluster AI mean it misses the mark.

The humor in Outlaw Tennis provides some quick-and-cheap thrills, even if it does get old fairly fast.

The purpose of parody is to comment on a topic, by means of humorous or satiric imitation, and Eat Lead manages to pull this off admirably. I enjoyed playing this game, not because it was a very good shooter, but because it made me think (and laugh) about the other games I play.

Let's face it, if you've been playing for this long, you aren't playing for the eye candy and you can probably wait for the 3D version to be fully cleansed before diving into it.

It offers a unique setting and design, but it's severely hampered by a mediocre combat engine.

SupCom 2 is a pretty darn fun time... it's probably just not what SupCom fans expected.

.hack does not end triumphantly. A year ago I was optimistic; now I'm just looking forward to playing something -- <I>anything</I> -- else.

The tunes vary widely in difficulty -- and while personal taste in music is something I can't debate in a review, I found the overall selection of music to range from good to, shall we say, "interesting."

These new elements seem to have been thrown in merely for the sake of being different, and the result is a confused mishmash of ideas that is more banal and frustrating than fresh or exciting.

Your best bet for head-to-head fighting fun on Nintendo's newest platform.

It's lacking in originality and refinement, but Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII ends up as a playable and occasionally interesting experiment with traditional action gameplay packed with cutscenes, story and fan-pleasing cameos.

I strongly urge you to pick up the Xbox 360 version. It's more polished, better-looking, runs better, and offers a superior online experience thanks to voice support and more servers and players. The PS3 version is still fun, but the experience is dulled by noticeable slowdown and muddier graphics.

Not as mediocre as "Red Steel," but it doesn't seem like it's significantly better than what the distinctly average "Call of Duty 3."

It's unfortunate that pointless busywork and a poorly designed and integrated puzzles end up throwing roadblocks in what should have been one of the best adventure games in the recent memory.

Upset as I am towards Capcom for the price hike, and putting the cosmetics rant aside, Resident Evil 2 is still one of my favorites in the series.

The brevity and ease of its single-player campaign and the lack of substance in its multiplayer combine to make for a relatively unsatisfying experience.

The controls don't feel like they're adequate enough to stand up to the fast-paced action that the CPU or a multiplayer opponent can deliver.

For all its graphical weaknesses, RE:DC successfully accomplishes the most important thing: the gameplay itself.

On one hand it's very simple and addictive for non-gamers, but on the other hand it's more of a novelty for core gamers. The price is high, although the "free" controller makes it more than worthwhile if you're looking for a second controller and a cheap set of mini-games that are fun for a few hours.

Anyone hoping this long dormant series to be reborn will be sorely disappointed. Anyone that hasn't tried a Mega Man game yet would be better advised to spend $15 on a new copy of "Mega Man 8" on the PSOne.

If you just want a simple and enjoyable portable strategy/RPG to whittle away some time with, Luminous Arc will fill that role very nicely. But if you were hoping for a deep, compelling SRPG you could play competitively against others, you'll find that this light doesn't shine anywhere near as brightly as it should.

A spirited romp, with some very basic but fun play initially, but it eventually wears thin. Its success with an individual depends entirely on how the humor strikes them. While this is certainly not a huge title and there's little innovation, I must admit I enjoyed it.

There isn't anything strikingly bad about the game, but it's an ultimately flavorless one that leaves us hoping the upcoming CivCity: Rome and Caesar IV pack a bit more of a Roman punch.

If you look past the movie license when playing the game, there's just no way to avoid feeling like this is the same basic platform game you've played time and time and time again.

Kane's Wrath's worst sin is simply a failure of imagination. By playing it safe, the Kane's Wrath team has crafted a decently enjoyable but ultimately forgettable experience.

With all the focus developers put into the presentation of the story, it seems like they forgot to tighten up the actual gameplay element. The end result is a great game for Dukes fans, but nothing more than a mediocre racing title for the rest of us.

Though it's a fairly robust expansion, most of its content isn't immediately accessible, nor is it even readily apparent, especially for beginning players.

There are too many times where you'll be asked to complete a goal by an NPC and you'll literally have no clue what to do or how to proceed in order to complete it.

There are much better fighters out there to spend your time with.

"Burnout 3" was a title that changed peoples' tune from "I don't play racing games" to "No, you can't have the controller. It's still my turn." Compared to that, Dominator just isn't as fun.

Most importantly, the gameplay feels just a bit looser and less controlled. That's not to say it fails -- it just could have been better.