I've played my share of games, and none have made my fingers ache like Lowrider. I like games of timed button-presses, but this feels too imprecise and button-mashy.

It's not quite as engrossing a turn-based strategy experience as Final Fantasy Tactics, but its unique setting kept my interest long enough for me to discover the fun that lay beneath the unpleasant exterior.

Sonic doesn't crash and it doesn't look horrific, and that's about all that recommends it. Maybe the 20th anniversary will be better.

Level design is bland, weapons are bland, control is a novelty at best and irritating at worst. As a free Wii launch pack-in meant to familiarize people with Remote/nunchuk controls, this game might have gotten a pass. Right now the only thing it gets is a big thumbs-down.

Just don't be surprised if you quickly become frustrated by the copious battles and find yourself merely slogging though the adventure out of loyalty to the franchise.

I'm not really sure just what active Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader gamers are going to make of this title, but I don't see many of them being pleased with the digital version of their game.

A mess of a game. Buggy, incomplete and all together boring, it's a huge disappointment for fans that are starving for a fun role-playing game on the PC that doesn't require a fast Internet connection.

A poorly implemented, poorly translated adventure game about an uninteresting character doing uninteresting things. Nearly the only things going for it are that it doesn't crash and should be playable on a wide variety of systems.

It doesn't help matters that the game plays like a mindless shooter-by-numbers.

While it's still easing you into the pain to come during the first couple of hours, you can catch a glimpse of the good game this should be in the absence of draconian micromanagement and unfulling base building. It's especially apparent in the multiplayer mode (provided you can finish without a crash), where you might even have fun battling it out in Team Deathmatch or Capture the Flag (er, dragon) in the shared dungeon that smartly keeps each player's base inviolate.

Unfortunately, when there is a lot of action on-screen, there are noticeable slowdowns, which really shouldn't happen with a machine like the PlayStation 2.

Everything you never wanted in an RPG -- an awkward and tedious mess.

It doesn't help matters that the game plays like a mindless shooter-by-numbers.

Red flags like the frustrating controls, uneven flow, and the lack of voice-recognition capability present in its other games make it appear that this one was rushed out the door in time for the season.

If there's a sequel, maybe the developers will spend as much time fleshing out the game as they did their concept art.

Sure, the online functions decently, but it's merely allowing thousands of gamers with buyer's remorse to play a mediocre game.

D1 fans will be able to look past the game's numerous flaws and appreciate the fact that there's a game tailored to their specific tastes. The average gamer, on the other hand, will have a hard time getting the hang of the controls and will be a lot less forgiving of the game's flaws.

Could have been an interesting game, but the simplistic game mode means only the most casual of strategy gamer could possibly find anything to like for more than a mission or two.

An insult to the men and women protecting our country.

Is it daring, deep, or dramatic? Not even close. Does it have some straightforward fun at a reasonable price? You bet.

The graphics are distinctly last-gen, with bland, repetitive environments that feel as slapped together as every other part of this lackluster brawler.

Aliens: Colonial Marines didn't leave me catatonic, but it did leave me scratching my head and wondering how a game that's been in development for roughly seven years at the same studio that gave us Borderlands 2 could be released in such an uninspired, unpolished state. Strangely, and perhaps fittingly, it's all wrapped up on a frustrating note that sets up some sort of Aliens tell-all continuation of the story without giving any actual answers.

The slow load times, the tedious puzzles, and the overall lack of fun in this title are almost awe inspiring. It's really very hard figure out why someone gave the go-ahead on its production.

Superempire put in a password save system for EWJ2, but, sadly, it bites!

The elements were in place for a solid platforming title with a little hand-to-hand combat thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, a painfully annoying camera and some downright boring combat kept that from coming to fruition.

The lack of speed is a real problem here.

The framerate is horrendously bad at times. There's no logical reason why a game representing a sport with nearly as many TOTAL players as other sports have per TEAM should suffer framerate hits.

While a fleshed out narrative for each character would be a bit far reaching, what the Adventure mode amounts to is little more than a series of mini-games that are repeated ad nauseam for under an hour per character.

Just about every aspect of the game seems a half-hearted effort...Twenty hours with this game is ten hours too many.

Even at $29.99 and with an arcade mode that might keep you amused for five or ten minutes, State of Emergency 2 feels simultaneously stale and awkward. It isn't complete trash, but it is too aggravating and unimaginative to be worth more than a Friday night rental.

Due to the game's poorly crafted A.I., this isn't really a game to play alone. Much like actual paintball, Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball just isn't any fun without some friends.

There's nothing outright horrific about Big Mutha Truckers 2; in extremely short bursts, it can even be a bit of no-brainer fun. But there's too much that's underdeveloped and gruelingly tedious over the long haul.

Character choices aside, if you can get past the occasionally spotty controls and the somewhat sluggish combat, you'll have a decent time with this game, especially if you grew up watching Godzilla and King Ghidorah duke it out on Saturday afternoon TV. Just don't set your expectations too high.

If the A.I. was better and the combat system wasn't so clunky, Cops could have been the next great tactical shooter. As it is, however, it's a game in need of a minor overhaul to make it the great game it could have been.

A bad adventure game based on far better books. Go read them.

A throwaway title, and an afternoon of modest fun that kids will get the most out of, since they'll be least put off by the abbreviated levels and most challenged by the puzzles.

All of the elements were there to make this an addictive and challenging title. Instead, it's a slow-paced and confusing jumble.

That lackluster combat is a lot to get past in order to enjoy the tiny morsels of classic Hellboy wit, and the lingering bugs that cause Hellboy to snag and hang on bits of the environment don't help either.

In a way, Cortex Command seems like it's asking for a lot of concessions because, for the most part, it still feels like an unfinished game.

As expected, Tony Hawk Ride is an experiment -- an interesting and ambitious experiment, but one that doesn't come together as a fully functional experience.

A gathering of half-baked ideas that amount to a clumsy, dated experience.

It's poorly designed, poorly executed, and downright frustrating to play.

There isn't a single original or inspired moment in any of the game's 16 levels...The level design is so pathetic that the game first recycles a background tile set from Level 1 in Level 3!

Salvation is headed -- like so many hastily churned-out movie tie-ins before it -- to the dustbin of gaming history. Stay away.

TNA iMPACT! players will likely be torn about how they feel about the countering system, as it's easy to learn yet difficult to master.

You'll have to deal with a clunky interface and menu, silly single-player missions, brain-dead A.I., bizarre vehicle physics, horrible net code, dull graphics and sound, and more bugs than a Georgia swamp in June.

While Final Fight: Streetwise isn't broken to the point of being completely unplayable, it is absolutely not worth your time.

A pointed lesson to other designers that including co-op, especially local co-op, is a great value-add to even an otherwise totally worthless game.

A mediocre game. It's certainly not the worst I've played, but neither does it have the spark that draws gamers in.

While the multiplayer options are moderately enjoyable, only the youngest of gamers will find themselves with any longevity.

Chronicles has some of the most unresponsive controls I've experienced in a long time.

Perhaps with a more DS-specific control scheme, this game could have been far better, but as it stands, it's the weakest of the bunch and entertaining only in short spurts.

If you're a parent buying this for your kids so that you can save yourself thirty dollars, we can't really blame you. But if you're out of middle-school and decide that this is worth your money you have no one to blame but yourself.

It feels a bit PS1-era, prior to the introduction of the Dual Shock, honestly. Once I messed around with the controls for a while, I got used to them, but I am not enthusiastic about them.

Whatever you do, don't buy Alon D'ar.

Some enjoyable moments clearly prevailed. However, they were simply too few and far between. Would I recommend it? Only to neophyte questers and those starved for an adventure, any adventure.

Since the controls are so clunky, you'll be wobbling to align properly with the criminal in question; so while he's nailing you with bullets, your sole concern is landing one shot.

While Final Fight: Streetwise isn't broken to the point of being completely unplayable, it is absolutely not worth your time.

A pointed lesson to other designers that including co-op, especially local co-op, is a great value-add to even an otherwise totally worthless game.

Compared to Commandos and even knockoffs like Desperados and Prisoners, it's primitive and feeble, like an old Mafia boss that's out of touch and can't see the G-men bearing in on him.

It also runs poorly, replete with graphical glitches and technical hiccups that make the game feel shoddy and unfinished. At a moment when so many excellent shooters are on the market and thriving in the multiplayer scene, there's very little incentive to endure something like this.

It also runs poorly, replete with graphical glitches and technical hiccups that make the game feel shoddy and unfinished. At a moment when so many excellent shooters are on the market and thriving in the multiplayer scene, there's very little incentive to endure something like this.

The muddy controls alone are enough to sink this game. Add to that the slow, insomnia-curing pacing of the gameplay, and it's easy to see that this ship is taking on water fast.

In stark contrast to my experiences with the console and PC versions of TMNT (not to mention the shockingly awesome GBA version), the DS version managed to disappoint at every opportunity. It wasn't fun for a second and I would strongly caution any gamer tempted to even rent this one.

The presentation is passable, but the gameplay itself is an exercise in pure tedium. The pervasive sense of overwhelming boredom is what really kills it, since a competitive, group-oriented game should ideally be the exact opposite of digital Ambien.

If you've got a 7-10 year-old who enjoyed the movie, feel free to tack another star on to the score; otherwise, consider yourself warned -- this is not your father's Spider-Man 2.

At its best moments, mediocre. At its worst, it's redundant, unforgiving, and glaringly ugly. You simply have no time to be messing around with this sort of game.

25 to Life is almost like a dirty joke -- You're laughing at how bad it is and feeling guilty at the same time. Don't waste your time or money on this game, it'll make your think-bone hurt.

Just an exercise in scribbling faster than everybody else, with no real challenge and no rewards. It's just not fun: who wants to buy a game that offers no fun at all?

Sadly, much of the game feels as if it were rushed, and the game's story and characters are presented so poorly as to all but ruin what could have an enjoyable experience.

GT Pro Series simply fails to deliver any sort of substantial racing experience. No matter how many cars you have or how many ways you can tweak them out, the fact is, if it's no fun to actually drive around, then it fails as a racing game.

The Golden Compass isn't the worst game based on a movie, but it's close. It's a combination of uninspired platforming, poorly implemented mini-games and slow and broken storytelling.

Luckily, after spending some time with Street Supremacy it's easy to see the loser: anybody who buys this game.

At its best moments, mediocre. At its worst, it's redundant, unforgiving, and glaringly ugly. You simply have no time to be messing around with this sort of game.

It's mostly tedious, sloppy, and stale, with bugs and crashes adding insult to injury. You could find a better shooter blindfolded.

If you enjoy puzzle-oriented RPGs or the Freedom series, you might enjoy this game. Otherwise it should stay on the shelf.

The presentation is passable, but the gameplay itself is an exercise in pure tedium. The pervasive sense of overwhelming boredom is what really kills it, since a competitive, group-oriented game should ideally be the exact opposite of digital Ambien.

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.

The in-game fighters are ugly, poorly animated, 3D-rendered sprites that make them look as though all your favorite characters have been replaced by rubber dolls -- and not the good kind.

The Golden Compass isn't the worst game based on a movie, but it's close. It's a combination of uninspired platforming, poorly implemented mini-games and slow and broken storytelling.

With apologies to The Little Mermaid, perhaps third-person shooters aren't one of those things that's "much better, down where it's wetter, under the sea."

As congenial as it is, there's absolutely nothing to enjoy in Torino 2006. The events are short and dull, the in-game commentary is dreadful and broken, and the atmosphere possesses the exhilaration of a Yanni concert.

There is a special level of Video Game Hell reserved for ROTSS. Simply by existing, it has made the world that much less fun. It's the videogame equivalent of watching your dog being run over, with worse production values.

Its uninspired game design feels completely mired in an era that we'd sooner be done with. There's simply no reason to waste your time with it.

If you've played a weapon-based racer before, you've already played something worth going back to before wandering into the budget-priced land of Pocket Racers.

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.

25 to Life is almost like a dirty joke -- You're laughing at how bad it is and feeling guilty at the same time. Don't waste your time or money on this game, it'll make your think-bone hurt.

Unfortunately, it's a mostly uninspired affair, trying to blend several easy-listening game styles, but ultimately never quite hitting the right notes.

You'll spend far too much time in the park, and not enough in the attractions, and that's just not very fun, no matter how old you are.

Turn It Around is a one-trick pony that's still looking to perfect its one trick. The game lacks the diversity of play that has helped make other titles in the mini-game genre meet with at least a moderate amount of success.

So let's see - we've got a poor driving engine, broken crash mechanics, stripped down modes (due to a lack of cars), bugs and some below average audio. Sound like a winner? No. If you want to see a quality portable racer, check this title out on the PSP.

Conquest is frustrating because a true update to the original series with modern design elements and sharp graphics would be a welcome sight for any real-time strategy fan. To drop this game on the public is a low blow to anyone who remembers the old game.

In case you haven't been paying attention for the past 1,000 or so words, you have to really like samurai to want to play this. And I mean really, really like samurai.

If you like The Simpsons and love skateboarding, you'll still hate this awful game... One of the worst games of 2002.

So much presentation and bulked up features, with nothing of substance underneath.

As representations of the End Times go, this one's about as scary as a Sunday school play (and not as well written).

With its silly premise, repetitive gameplay and graphics fit for the PSone, Evolution Snowboarding decends like an avalanche from the highest crest to the lowest valley.

The numerous lackluster features that run rampant in Attack of the Clones prove that it's just a reckless padewan with limited knowledge of the Force.