There's nothing sadder than watching something that used to be great take that long, painful slide into irrelevance and oblivion.

Playing against a pal or three isn't truly any less repetitive and tiresome than the endless sequence of door breaches and fire-and-forget gun battles that define the single-player experience, but it's at least different enough to add some middling interest to a game with little in reserve.

For regular gamers, this is more of the same with a few slight twists. Unfortunately, none of the twists happen in gameplay, where they're desperately needed.

It's easy to see the potential for King Arthur 2 to have been a good game rather than "not bad." But it never gets there, mostly because it's doing a half-dozen unrelated things at once, and none of them very well.

Most companies believe slapping a license is work enough, and while the Goblet of Fire isn't a terrible adventure, it's not nearly as compelling from a visual or gameplay standpoint than what you could pick up for your GameCube.

The lack of speed is a real problem here.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the game in concept, and done properly, it would easily have established it as a classic on par with the film on which it's based. Instead we get brilliant concepts ham-handedly executed.

Much of Genesis' desert dry tedium would evaporate if it was just a turn-based title. You wouldn't have to spend what feels like an eternity manually sending units to check on every little thing. As is, though, this Game of Thrones feels more like a game of musical chairs set to elevator music: slow, devoid of charm, and utterly lacking in payoff.

More problematic is the game's land-based combat. While I understand the difficulty in creating a decent sword-fighting system, the, Tortuga is button-mashing at its worst -- and not even multiple buttons!

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.

If you need the realistic tracks and real vehicles, Asphalt: Urban GT will deliver. Otherwise, you'll probably want to get your DS racing kicks elsewhere.

Maybe one day Frogger will get his chance to recapture his '80s video-game glory, but if Ancient Shadow is any indication, you can probably expect a new hit single from the Bee Gees first.

We really wanted to like Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm, but the series is stagnating in gameplay that was obtusely old-fashioned ten years ago. It's unfortunate, but the magic is long-gone.

If you have the means, then for goodness sake, stick with the Wii version of Raving Rabbids. It's a far more enjoyable (and prettier) experience.

The basic gameplay of Avatar is so fundamentally flawed that even those few bright spots would only set you up for disappointment. Because, despite the guiding hand of Cameron, Avatar is ultimately just another big-name movie game that doesn't fulfill its early promise.

Extended stretches of confused incredulity, punctuated now and then by bursts of intense anger. And yeah -- I just equated FFXIV with a filthy bathroom.

The game just falls short in too many ways. There are no mini-games to play when maze-running gets old, and there's no multiplayer.

With more mini-game variety (a lot more) and better multiplayer support, it could have been a simple, fun diversion. As it is, however, it's often an exercise in tedium and frustration.

Feels rushed and slapped-together as a low-budget attempt to cash in on the holiday film release and make a quick buck from the fans before word gets out that it's not worth half its retail price.

Knowing THQ could have done worse isn't a glowing compliment though, and at forty bucks and four hours, the little side-scrolling mini-game included (played by spending tokens you find in the main game) and lame unlockables add no real value.

Perhaps the worst offense of all would have to be Wolverine. Not only has Z-Axis managed to take everyone's favorite adamantium-infused Canadian wildman and turn him into possibly the most boring hero ever, they've pinned a sizable majority of the action upon playing as him. Boring, you say? Yes.

Knowing THQ could have done worse isn't a glowing compliment though, and at forty bucks and four hours, the little side-scrolling mini-game included (played by spending tokens you find in the main game) and lame unlockables add no real value.

If you like fighting games, pick up another one.

While the gameplay remains solid and the features are there in full force, the technical issues and sub-par graphics make it absolutely impossible to recommend over Sony's "MLB 08: The Show."

A failure. Despite the excellent art, and even ignoring the frustrating puzzles, the biggest problem here lies in a group of obnoxiously stereotypical characters working their way through bad dialogue and a poorly plotted and paced script, topped off with three horrifying words: "To Be Continued..."

One of those "if only" games: if only the RPG elements had been fully developed; if only the game world were larger; if only the combat were smoother and not slow as molasses; if only the A.I. were stronger; if only the bugs and general sloppiness had been worked out.

Fans of shooters will find, quickly enough, that the absolute reliance on purchased abilities over skill makes this a poor Counterstrike-style title. RPG fans will, likewise, find that there aren't enough RPG elements to make a whole game out of. And both sides should have the common sense to realize that when a company sneaks out a test game disguised as a full retail product, you don't reward it by buying it.

That rushed feeling permeates through the entire game.