The gameplay is tedious and repetitive, the graphics are sloppy, and the story isn’t entertaining enough to allow the player to look beyond the game’s flaws.

Once the "coolness" fades after the third hour, you will wish you would have rented this and not purchased it.

Normally, FIFA 06 wouldn't be such a bad game, but I feel that it basically just feels like a launch title.

While its core concept and educational fluid dynamics demonstrations earned the game a couple tenths of a point extra in the Overall category, it unfortunately commits the two cardinal sins of a puzzle game. No replay, and no learning curve.

Gameplay is horrendously simple...Ultimately, Lords of the Realm 3 was a big letdown. It is still a rather decent game, but nowhere near as deep as its predecessor.

Oh the controls, in my opinion they sucked a$$. The rolling technique and all was cool in conjunction with the ducking and aiming aspect; but the way it was executed was horrible.

The squad-based AI is definitely worth a look, and despite all the flag-waving, the game manages to tell an involving story. It’s a shame that more effort wasn’t put into the graphics, or more variation wasn’t put into the gameplay.

I liked the game's attempts at innovation through the weapon system and the devil forging bits, but ultimately, you're just going to be mashing the X button nearly all the way through the game.

The premise behind Viva Piñata is solid, but irritating gameplay and sound issues hindered the overall execution. What could have been a true classic ends up being a remarkably average game.

Even with antiquated graphics and poor audio, the game was really a blast to play.

If you’re willing to take a bit of a downgrade in control and gamble with a bit of frustration in exchange for a terrifically paced story that unfolds in just the right way.

If you’ve already played Mario Party in any of its other incarnations, there’s really nothing new for you here. The mini-games and boards may be different, but the game’s the same.

The Simpsons Road Rage is fun for short stretches of time, but it's a definite rent-first title.

Mediocre, like Lee Majors.

A step backwards from the previous title. There were fewer voice-overs, a worse story (if that was ever possible), and a more limited fighting system.

But since the game operates in 3rd person, and doesn't give you a cursor when you're using important weapons like the flamethrower, you can't aim. This totally sucks.

The game was enjoyable for a few levels. Definitely not $40 worth of levels, though.

It's a quick fun romp that is more pleasure than pain. But, the utter lack of tact make it more of a play on marketing rather than a quality FPS.

On the outside the game has everything going for it - beautifully stylised visuals, atmospheric sound and an interesting storyline - but on the inside it's riddled with bad design choices that could have easily been avoided with a bit of extra thought from the developer.

Unfortunately, Ryan comes off as an unlikable, whiney cliche. Being that this is a racing game, its ultimate success resides in the on track action, as it should.

EA, please learn how to make a basketball game that's actually based off of basketball next year. Buy an NBA rulebook and have the lead designer thoroughly study it, please.

The game could have been excellent if they would have worked out the bit with the cel shading properly. The game could have been above average if they would have added a decent quick-save, and not pissed off the remaining few who did like the game by adding in a decent ending with a hint of closure.

It can be improved upon, by making the story less ambiguous and more involving without making it feel like an afterthought. The gameplay aspect could definitely be less tedious and provide more side quests or alternative options.

The relative lack of multiplayer variety, coupled with a disappointing single player mode, make Counter-Strike difficult to recommend to anyone who is not already a rabid fan of the game, and downright impossible to recommend to anyone who doesn’t have a Live account.

Every character has a good, neutral, or evil status. However, these statuses are jokingly trivial, as they have no bearing on the story and change simply by choosing to attack friendly creatures or not. Seriously, it is hard to see why this is even included in the game.

As it is currently, Spy Fiction is just going to be slumming with "Cy Girls," "Lifeline" and the rest of the gimmicky MGS look-alike also-rans.

The game will probably be remembered the same way that the original Tecmo Bowl was. It was a fun game with revolutionary features at the time, but in the end it will be known for some underdeveloped features that were corrected and surpassed in later versions.

The ball travels with the speed and solidity you’d expect on a real pinball table. This makes timing your shots a pleasurable experience. [JPN Import]

Supposing that anyone of a mature age does have the patience to endure the yelling and whining of little girls (in English AND Japanese!!), a serious strategist won't be happy with this one.

It's a LONG role-playing game, but that's not necessarily a good quality when it becomes more of a chore than a hobby.

Offers enough value to justify its purchase. However, it does not improve the original game, and only fixes some balancing issues that were introduced by the first expansion.

While ten stages is a decent amount for the Arcade, they get old fast, and even the old PS1 DDR games offered close to twice as many tracks. The music is great and the visuals impressive; but those do not a game make.

There's absolutely no reason to own this game. Even a shooter fan like myself isn't going to find enough reason to keep this game around any longer than 3 days tops.

Digital Devil Saga 2, while a quality role-playing game, doesn't live up to the legacy of its immediate predecessor.

Does Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 deliver an exciting, high-octane console racing experience? Yes, if you own a PS2.

There simply just isn't enough substance here to justify a purchase, even for the novice football player. If you're really looking for a football fix, just go ahead and buy "ESPN NFL 2K5" instead; you'll get a more complete package and the game will stand the test of time much, much better.

The most realistic and polished boxing game that has ever been created. However, at the same time, it doesn't compel me to really appreciate the sport more. While it does force you to learn more about boxing in order to win at high levels.

I came away with a very “been there, done that” feeling after completion, and there are several titles which execute this general style more effectively.

Isn't the greatest game ever made, but it certainly isn't the worst. I personally had a very good time with it, and recommend it to anyone looking for a good, solid singleplayer FPS fix.

It oozes character from every pore, yet bends rather than breaks the steadfast conventions of the FPS. For this reason, a partiality towards the Dredd franchise is not just a recommendation, but a practical requirement when playing the game.

Just a couple steps away from being a great title.

Given that this came out less than a year after KUF: C, this game feels like a mere expansion pack or a patch with a full game price tag. There's not a lot of development in regards to the characters or story.

The lack of exploration (linear gameplay) and terrible sound effects really plagued the game. I also was not keen on the control and shady camera angles.

In the end, it's nothing but some nice 2D art strapped onto a mostly non-engaging story and a halfhearted attempt at a game. The gimmick to gameplay ratio is almost off the charts for this one.

The spell effects are fantastic, and the arenas are cool-looking, but the duelist models and the in-game videos clearly needed some more work, both on the graphical AND content fronts.

If you’ve already tracked down four remotes, you might as well leave this game on the shelf; you’ll get at least as much enjoyment out of the game that came with the console.

Seems like a quick money grab from Rockstar.

Just another example of a PC to Console port that just doesn't cut the mustard.

A game that already has a limited target audience and it is further restricted by its one-dimensional gameplay.

One of the biggest downfalls of Knockout Kings is the mundane and boring audio track.

I wouldn’t recommend a purchase unless you’re a hardcore F1 fan, or even more desperate than me for racing games on the GC.

Until game companies stop using the GBA as their platform for "rough draft" games like this, stop buying them. Don't waste your cash on what amounts to a bad version coasting on the success of another, much higher quality game.

For such a derivative game, if you have any fondness for Japanese RPGs or Tolkien, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is actually quite a bit of fun. For others, this will probably just be one more license game they will never bother to play and although I enjoyed it, I can definitely understand that side of things.

Given the medium, that this is about as good as an FPS can be done on the PSP. (Aside from the retarded Tachikoma, and the ugly versions of the characters.) Which is to say, that nobody should ever, EVER make another FPS on the PSP. This game is proof of why it will never work.

The game's so soundly mediocre I really don't have one thing to complain about.

The complete lack of innovation, uninspired online play and the inability to have a variety of units (why lump Dwarves, Elves, and Men into the same side?) cause the game to lose a lot of its luster.

With that said, PPV will not give you any undesired side effects unless you're an ardent hater of puzzle games; beware of purchase though.

With Ring of Fates, I feel like the seed of a great game is in the card. It just was never allowed to come to fruition, and the end result is a game that feels half-completed.

The concept is all there, but some features, such as funds management, background story and sounds, are only half-baked and appear as if the developers lost interest in completing the title.

Lack of challenge, mediocre presentation, and unfriendly driving simulation makes DDA an unworthy contender in the racing game genre.

The AI and combat was the first street to the road to nowhere. The second biggest flaw was the straight-edged linear gameplay.

Instead of building on everything that made "The Eternal Duelist Soul" a good game, they built upon everything that made "Forbidden Memories" a mediocre game, and then added enough additional confusion and frustration to the game to make it nearly unplayable for all but the most rabid of Yu-Gi-Oh! fans.

Within Draglade, there are several good ideas and the basic seeds of a solid fighting game. At its best, it plays like a stripped-down version of Jump Ultimate Stars.

Sadly, like many other previous WarioWare games, Smooth Moves doesn't have much replay value. Even though there are 200 mini games and about 20 different controller positions, there isn't much to do once you've completed the game.

It is very short and even those that do enjoy it will most likely be left wanting more.

Sure, the series succeeds in the atmosphere department, but atmosphere is more needed for the spectators than the guys playing the game. Madden, to me, is a warm, fluffy roll without the hamburger. Yo EA, where’s the beef?

The graphics are so-so, the gameplay is repetitive and often dated, the difficultly level is uneven, the controls are unoriginal and the sound is pretty dull. Yet despite all this, I found myself playing Asphalt a lot.

A gigantic disappointment. The gameplay is boring, the graphics are boring, and everything else is just plain boring. Even the multiplayer, when it WAS playable without all the debilitating slow-downs, was boring.

Boring landscapes, crummy models, and weak animation. On top of that, it chugs. It's the worst of both worlds, baby!

It is relatively short (when you consider the 30 hour RPGs on GBA), and has no innovative features whatsoever. If you can get past that, it can be an enjoyable game, although nowhere near the caliber of other shooters fashioned in a traditional style (like "Gunbird 2").

The biggest problem, though, lies in the game play. When you first run into an area, you'll find it, more often than not, mind-bendingy difficult.

Mario Power Tennis certainly has a lot going for it, but there are several factors that keep it from being truly enjoyable, most notably the lack of a decent doubles mode, the problematic Power shot, and the poor menu navigation.

At $3.99 with the purchase of a Burger King value meal, Sneak King is far cheaper, and surprisingly better, than most games on the Xbox Live Arcade.

The gameplay, although amusing at first, is far too shallow to be interesting in the long run and you’ll end up feeling cheated even if you rent the game.

It was a blast to play with friends, but the single player modules really left me wanting a lot more.

Last year, I was absolutely incensed by "NBA Live 2004." The game that became the gold standard for basketball games back in 1995 had thrown up a brick...Another year, and I find myself looking back at my NBA Live 2004 review a lot...to cut and paste text for this year's review. They fixed virtually nothing; it’s practically same game.

While "B&W" simply was dull and arduous, B&W2 ended up being far too easy to handle with little reason to go through again as the opposite alignment.

A solidly mediocre crossover fighting game. Hardcore fans of SNK's works may enjoy this one, as may folks who have no fighting games on their XBox. As for the average gamer, pass.

It's just too easy. That added onto the obstacle glitch in this game really kills the thrill of strategy, simply because there is none.

Decidedly mediocre. Being able to play as a Jedi is definitely one of its strongest qualities, but it really doesn't make up for a really lackluster massive battlefield shooter.

The weak control scheme, combined with parts of the game that are completely counter-intuitive, hamper the game tremendously to the point where a serious gamer will, at best, pick this up for a rental. I think Capcom became so blinded by the concept that they forgot that the execution is just as important, if not moreso, than the design.

Mass Effect is a serviceable game and there is plenty of fun to be had, just be prepared to be frequently slapped in the face by how inconsistent everything is. Mass Effect is a resoundingly average game in every aspect, which is a complete letdown given BioWare’s history.

Despite lame attempts at entertainment, the game feels more like work than anything else... If you want topless women and extreme sports together, you’d be better off buying a copy of Playboy and alternating reading it with runs of "Tony Hawk."

I found the games uninspiring, difficult to control and choppier than Steak-Ums.

As much time that actually went into the game (almost an embarrassing amount of time), the game felt unpolished like you were playing a beta version of it.

My excitement was diminished after a good 20 minutes or so, and the tactics I was looking to learn from this title did not transpire when playing Halo 2. And in the end, my comrades over on Xbox Live were still there to ridicule me of my purchase, so I am here to inform you not to make the same mistake I have. Stay away.

The puzzles are easy, the game gives you more health power-ups than you will ever use, and there isn't a single enemy that's remotely challenging after you pick up the second gun frame in the Prologue. All the "innovation" that this game was supposed to entail amounts to nothing but a big pile of Company Dinner-Fed, Marketing Grade manure.

There's cheesecake here, there's just not anything else. I think if they revamped this to fix the graphics, and plug in a deeper fighting interface with gauges and such to facilitate playability from the masses, they could pimp this out to be a rival to the "Dead or Alive" series.

Grandia III is one of those games that you enjoy enough while you play, but afterwards, you can’t remember for the life of you why. Everything in this game has been done before better elsewhere.

With software as well as hardware fiercely competing for recognition, Crash falls far short of the mark and when compared to others in the genre looks pathetic.

The game, much like the movie gets passed off as uninspired, and a reason to have some explosions. If you're cool with that, you'll be cool with this.

Awful, awful showing, guys. I'm hard pressed to think of another existing franchise that has followed up a hit with such an utter mess.

Overall, SRS is a fairly average racing game that seems to rely too much on its one gimmick of winning girlfriends and not enough on actually being a fun racer.

Iron Man is strictly about the suit. It's almost like the video game was based entirely around the suit, with a few levels thrown in for good measure.

Merely an average third-person shooter that happened to take place in snapshots of things I’ve already seen in a hundred Clint Eastwood or John Wayne westerns.

There are many better DDR mixes out there, ones with actual challenge and ones where you can use better third-party mats. It's not that DDR Mario Mix is bad. It just doesn't take enough classic DDR elements and bogs the game down with too much extraneous junk.

Then there's stuff that's just disgraceful to Asian people in general. For instance, Li Mei looks like she's a drug-addled prostitute. And this is before she gets punched in the face.

They tried to cram too many unusual features into the game, and though each is interesting and has potential individually, the resulting hodgepodge is no better than the average RPG.