While the spirits are varied enough to keep any serious collector hunting and combining for a long time, the uninspired battle system and the complete lack of battle effects make the game feel like more like collecting for the sake of collecting.

The story side captures the feel of the console game, with the same story, characters, voices, and whatnot, but with that lack of freedom comes a stripped down take that doesn't take very long to complete, especially if you're experienced with the game already.

Dragon Song doesn't completely suck. It has flaws. It has numerous crushing issues. It's an RPG you shouldn't probably be even wasting your time on if you care for RPGs at all.

Hydrophobia features a compelling world and premise that's reminiscent of the creepy, built-up universes of BioShock and Half-Life. But, unlike those masterpieces, this seemingly unfinished XBLA game features too many narrative holes and missing gameplay elements, making it seem like there was more work to be done.

As the first FPS for PSP, Coded Arms is a decent try at it, though not one that's really going to rewrite the books on the genre.

Far from being an impeccably, unbroken, master of its craft. Barring that discrimination though, the busily scopic alternatives in the field to thrive past demanding circular sales makes up for some of the faults in this intriguingly orgasmic Playboy experience.

Its existence is puzzling, its release an admittance of surrender, and its song selection showcases one singer while snubbing another... yet because Guitar Hero remains fun, Guitar Hero: Van Halen comes away as a decent diversion.

I guess Dynasty Warriors 6 is not the perfect harmony Koei or the fans were hoping for.

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam is a fun and much-needed break from the stagnant series, but this original concept doesn’t fill the void for more than a couple of days at the most.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is ridiculously easy and can be finished off by a determined family in a few hours.

If this game interests you at all, let me make a recommendation – buy Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 instead.

If you're looking for a deep franchise mode, stellar graphics, minor league affiliates, pinpoint pitching and stats galore, look away. But if you're in the market for a fun baseball game that anyone can pick up and enjoy, then you can't go wrong with MLB SlugFest 2006.

Battle of the Bands is a one-hit Wii wonder because is cleverly takes 30 well-known songs and remixes them in five different styles and does little else.

APB is clever but inconsistent, though Realtime Worlds has proven to be a developer to watch. This game shows that they understood the lay of the land back in 2005, when APB was initially conceived.

I love Midway and I love the wild, crazy antics of the Rush series. But the way to stand out in the popular new genre of street racing is not to make a poor man's version of The Fast and the Furious.

I don't think it's the idea that you put a swordsman against an army of outlaws in the Old Western period that doesn't work well for Samurai Western. Rather, it seems to be the presentation of it.

Tries to place its players into a real-life war when the experience is less about the true occurrences of the way the war was and more about a game that, even as a game, ShellShock isn't that terribly amazing.

The new missions are nice but the lack of major gameplay changes or new PCs is a drag.

Far more action than RPG, and along with a ridiculously linear path and almost no variety in gameplay, even lacking a decent story and highly dumbed-down mechanics, there's not a whole lot to recommend here unless you really, really love the genre and don't mind playing something that doesn't require as much micromanagement while waiting for some legitimate entries on PS3.

Delta Force: Black Hawk Down is so last decade!

It’s an excellent diversion when you just want to play something simple and fun with your friends for an hour or two.

I’d say overall Wii Play is worth it, if only for the extra controller. I now have three. If you know an easy way to get another nunchuck I’d love to know.

Appropriately, during the ending credits John Lee Hooker sings, "Lord have mercy, don't let me go to Vietnam." Gee, I guess he must have played this game too.

I’ll say it again, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is for the fans and even they may find this game unappealing.

Raging Blast 2 is pure fan service, a toy box that lets kids reenact fights between their favorite Dragon Ball characters. If this is what you want, great, because it's all you're getting.

It's yet another generic, short, and easy to complete licensed title for a handheld that is already littered with the like.

If you need a hoops sim and can't stand NBA Street, or want something to play online and show off how cool Wi-Fi can be, this is your only choice, and that might be good enough as long as the problems with the game can be forgiven with time.

At 800 gamer points ($10.00) the game is way overpriced for its few fleeting moments of fun.

This series shows promise, but currently lacks what it takes to be in the next echelon of its genre.

2D fighting games are struggling to stay alive in an ever-growing industry, and developers need to really pull out all the stops to wow us. Unfortunately, Chaos feels too much like the same old thing.

By allowing players to employ the motion-sensing controller in a bevy of unique ways, the title has a lot in common with "Wii Sports." Unfortunately many modes feel either underdeveloped, ho-hum, or both--also like "Wii Sports."

Its existence is puzzling, its release an admittance of surrender, and its song selection showcases one singer while snubbing another... yet because Guitar Hero remains fun, Guitar Hero: Van Halen comes away as a decent diversion.

A subpar game of footie that really isn't worth worrying about. The PSP version is pretty good...this one is not.

Nothing but a crummy RPG. There's no other way to look at it.

Overall, it’s a decent effort but the repetitious gameplay makes it little more than a rental.

While Touch the Dead is fun for a short while, it quickly becomes frustrating due to the cumbersome reloading controls and the designer’s cheap attempts to make the game more difficult.

Tenchu Z is sadly a low point for the series and for stealth games in general. It’s not that it’s a horrible game; it’s just boringly repetitive and not very challenging.

In the ranks of Xbox wrestling games, let alone all-time wrestling games, this one ranks quite low, mainly because of its poor execution and obvious lack of polish.

It’s twice as beautiful as the PS2 version and twice as long with twice as many characters, too. Sadly, its near-perfect presentation tanks because of awful camera angles and poor controller mechanics, both choppy and unsuitable for an action game like this.

An experiment in crafting a new style of extreme racing game that ultimately fell flat on its face.

The very short length and ease of gameplay makes this a rental at best, which is a bit of a shame since a little more work and effort could have made this a truly fun and engaging game.

The title has a lot of potential, with a staff behind it that believe in the game, but currently paying the premium subscription fee would not be recommended.

If you’ve played Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, you won’t find anything new or exciting about Pac-Man World Rally. What you’ll find is an average knockoff of Nintendo’s venerable series that feels like it took palette-swapping to new heights.

Battle royale effectively spruces up an otherwise dull game, but even this mode isn’t an ultimate savior.

For fans of Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Import Tuner Challenge is a must-buy.

At $5, it's priced right, but Minesweeper Flags is strictly average fare, even for an Xbox Live Arcade title.

Despite the rough edges, the price alone makes Sneak King worth checking out, particularly for the younger audience.

You'll probably find a couple hours of fun in WarPath but overall, it's really only worth a rental when there are so many other superior shooters out there at the same (or even cheaper) price.

If you have played previous Bust-A-Move games, you have pretty much played this one. Majesco must be applauded for attempts at diversify the gameplay with the shooter mode and revised multiplayer. Unfortunately the first is totally uninteresting and the second too hectic to enjoy.

While Pokemon fanatics will eat this game up, many other players will grow bored within the first ten minutes.

Tolerable maybe, and fine for a 40 minute laugh session, but definitely not special.

If you can look past the remarkably average gameplay, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is an enjoyable action parody.

Gang Battle, the pub mini-games and, to a lesser extent, free-roaming mode make this title fun for a bit, just not enough to justify a copy at full price.

Nevertheless, the usually timed Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge is an okay rental choice if you’re looking for brief, sporty mini-games based on Olympic events and aren’t keen on Mario & Sonic lighting your torch.

It picks out a crew of three playable X-Men no right-minded comic book geek would pair, and slaps together a fairly mediocre combat system without a good deal of balance.

It feels rushed in so many aspects, and has virtually no replay value. What few positives the game does have are easily overshadowed by all that went wrong.

Fleeting moments of fun are not enough to make Rampage: Total Destruction a must play for anybody.

You might find a few minutes of amusement playing against your friends but why bother? There are a lot better games out there.

Calling this game a nice $30.00 coaster would be a compliment, as it would mean that you’d actually have to go into a store and buy it. Instead, avoid it like the plague and hope that it gets buried somewhere in a New Mexican Desert.

As a collection of short minigames, Ape Escape Academy makes it to graduation with passing grades. However, it goes from being lame because you don’t know what to do in any of the minigames, to being fun because you’ve got the hang of them, to being lame again because the fun is lost after a couple of tries.

The game looks ugly, the controls are poorly done, and the storyline gets dull in a hurry. There is some decent action here and there, but quite frankly the game is so bad it smells worse then bad weed.

Simply put, there are a lot better bike and extreme sports games out there.

X-Blades has the elements to make a fun hack-and-slash with the pretty half-naked girl, nice variety of magical spells and flashy effects. But the lack of variety, dumb enemy AI, annoying gameplay choices and a truly dislikable main character makes this a rental at best.

Fan boys will get they’re fix, and that’s about the extent of FBM’s scope, providing little to none entertainment value past the first 30 minutes.

Legendary could have been and should have been so much more; especially with it's awesome premise. Instead, we're stuck with a game that feels like it's more set-up for a sequel than as a standalone game.

There are the seeds of a good Family Guy-based game here, but they're buried under some extremely repetitive and annoying gameplay.

Abstraction's first published game is definitely there in terms of gameplay.

This downloadable reincarnation could've introduced Maverick to a new generation of flight combat fans who haven't seen the film. With lackluster campaign missions, empty-looking levels and awkward dialogue between every other character but your own, this is almost guaranteed to not happen.

By charging above the bargain price-point, this game should've done more.

Overall, Fuzion Frenzy 2 manages to bring back some good memories, but fails to improve upon the original in many ways.

Good for a few party nights if your friends haven't played it already, but be warned that the game has almost zero replay value.

If you were expecting a new Pilotwings for the Wii, you’re just going to have to wait.

In the end what we’re left with is this: a game that has plenty of unfulfilled potential with a taste of what could have been.

It’s just broken. It’s so broken in fact that one wonders if they weren’t trying to intentionally botch the game- it’s just that bad.

Although Nintendo and Paon must be applauded for trying to do something innovative, a racer like this simply does not work with a rhythm based control scheme. Those Wii owners looking for a quality racing title would be better off waiting until next year for Mario Kart Wii.

From its recycled characters at each port to its recycled gameplay every couple of minutes, I’d suggest you read a book about the Civil War rather play this game.

Having a platformer that punishes players for missing jumps would be fine if determining where a jump begins is clear or even grappling areas, but that's not the case here. Couple that with the combat system that has frequent problems registering hits and you have one frustrating to play game.

CSI is so boring that it almost makes you want to kill yourself so you can be just like the dead bodies in the game.

EA Games screwed up the controls so bad that's it hard not to miss that important jump, and that means you have to go through some overly tedious levels all over again. The bottom-line is that the gameplay is so horrible here that I think nobody will cry if this cat gets run over by a car.

There is certainly enough content here, but the poor controls and graphics don't give players any incentive to check it out.

But returning with an action shooting game that everyone's seen before dozens of times and better too doesn't work. It hasn't worked so well before when others have done it and it certainly doesn't work now when State of Emergency 2 does a half-assed job at thinking it can be better by renovating what made the first game so special: its rioting.

One smart idea Activision/Creat Studios did was making this game simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, even if the controls don't handle too well at times.

Don't just skip the cinematics, skip Mindjack altogether. Playing this game made me wish it were as easy to enjoy a crummy videogame as it is a B-movie, but really, Mindjack is worse than that. It's more like a student film.

It's El Stinko for this title, folks. Unless you're some diehard fan of ICP (or Tera Patrick, maybe?), you should steer clear of this at all costs.

Not all of them are hits; however, there are a couple of gems that deserve being rediscovered.

Don't just skip the cinematics, skip Mindjack altogether. Playing this game made me wish it were as easy to enjoy a crummy videogame as it is a B-movie, but really, Mindjack is worse than that. It's more like a student film.

The concept of team battling is presented in a very entertaining, addictive way, and the ultimate cross between strategy, RPG, fighting...and of course racing games is enough to make someone's mind explode. But it's all ruined by unpolished, at times horrible control, nearly rendering the game unplayable in spots.

Twin stick shooter fans have many other places to look to get their fix on the XBLA and almost all of them would be a better choice than 0 Day.

There are a couple of interesting concepts included in the package (customization items for your online avatar are awarded for completing single-player secondary objectives) but the game as a whole never rises above mediocrity.

Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers is not a classic. Even at the game’s low price of $39.99, I would be inclined to say that it’s overpriced with it's craptastic storyline, an outdated presentation, and redundant gameplay.

There are a lot better stealth games out there so there is no reason to waste your time and money on this mess.

Sparse level designs and first-generation-like PS2 graphics are combined with unintelligent and unoriginal gameplay for the most corrupt television-to-game package in a long time.

Bomberman: Act Zero is Hudson Soft’s attempt to try something new and having it blow up in its face as if the company just laid down a bomb and became trapped in between boxes.

Strike one: Piss poor gameplay. Strike two: Abominable graphics and sound quality. Strike three: A plot so thin, it would have no bearing even to collective fans of the anime.

But with boring gameplay and dated graphics, nothing's worth fighting for in this budget-like game at a non-budget $40 price. It’s not even worth the quarter it costs in arcades.

Digital Leisures should be ashamed of themselves for releasing such a pile of crap.