Bottom line: this is a bad basketball game. The last Sony-published hoops title, NBA ShootOut 2004, was extremely solid, so these massive leaps backwards befuddle me to no end.

It's an amusing homage to the '90s, and too likeable to hate, but it's impossible to recommend to anyone but die-hard SimTower fans.

It feels like Hudson got about halfway through developing it, got tired, and decided to call it quits.

It's hard to figure how they could have got the story, characters, and point more wrong than this. Perhaps by replacing Tyler Durden with, say, Dick Cheney, things would have been worse.

Mutant Nightmare, while wholly competent, goes down like pabulum and possesses all the (as the kids are wont to say) mad flava of boiled water.

For most people, that's exactly what Lost in Blue 2 will be: a complete waste of time. But for a small audience of those that enjoy insurmountable challenges and crushing defeat, Lost in Blue 2 will fit the bill nicely.

This racer needs a serious adrenaline injection to truly compete.

Most of the missions are dull and repetitive, involving menial tasks like delivering cargo or flying around and popping balloons. The environments try hard to look nice and give off a "come explore me" vibe, but they're just too darned bland to generate any real interest.

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.

Touch Detective has great stylized graphics, interesting-looking characters, a simple interface, and humorous writing, but it all adds up to nothing when the core storyline and gameplay are so lackadaisical.

One gets the feeling that the show's creators are trying to wash their hands of Via Domus, awkwardly placed as it is in the series' now-sprawling legendarium. But above and beyond that, fans should approach it as a lark; it's not very accomplished as a game.

The typical stigma of a launch game includes bugs, glitches, unpolished visuals, short and hurried gameplay, and a general lack of depth. Sadly, Spider-Man 2 fits the bill.

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

A somewhat benign, scaled-down version of the console version that might catch some parents' eye on the shelf come holiday shopping time.

Exactly what I expected it to be -- a perfectly mediocre game with a few good jokes and not a whole lot of gameplay.

A pile of uninspired, by-the-numbers gameplay and missed opportunities.

Even at $30, NHL 07 on the PC is overpriced. It's a budget title, plain and simple, almost exactly like last year's game with a minimal effort to include the new Skill Stick.

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.

I can't say I had no fun at all playing Jagged Alliance: Back in Action -- in fact, I'm having an entertaining time replaying the early missions with an all-melee hit squad and doing better than my first time around -- but I can say that of the 50 hours of my life it took to put a bullet in the queen, I want about half of them back. Even hardcore strategy players are going to have a hell of a time liberating Arulco without it turning into a frustrating quagmire.

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 only the mini-games that you have to constantly play were more alluring.

All things considered, it's probably a blessing that Dead To Rights II is a short game. Most players will easily nail the coffin shut in a weekend.

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.

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.

The AI is shoddy, ball physics are often laughable, and, worst of all, there's no online play for any of the systems.

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.

All In seems like Crave's attempt to bet the farm on nothing more than a high card. The few improvements the game makes over last year's entry pale in comparison to its shortcomings.

While folks new to the license will undoubtedly be disappointed in the unmanageable controls and cheesy voice acting, die-hard fans of the series will not be terribly surprised by the subpar elements.