One of the two original ideas - betting on the outcome of the race - effectively nullifies any challenge, small as it were. Contrary to its overly hard predecessor, Juiced 2 allows the player to instantly bounce back from defeat using this easy money. The other somewhat original idea, the DNA that is supposed to store information about drivers' traits and skills, is a complete fiasco. Raising the stats of your driver has virtually no influence on the handling of the car and who gives a hoot about the skills of all those losers who are seen mostly in the rear mirror? Other than that, it's a lackluster Need for Speed clone. [March 2008]

Not your typical movie franchise - this one is actually quite decent. It has quests, secrets, simple yet satisfactory combat and scenes from the movie, but everything looks just a bit too much last year. [May 2008]

This beat-em-up appeals outright to my instincts with its old school simplicity and intuitiveness. Unfortunately the more I play, the more I long for the end. What initially appears so attractive, becomes stale and boring after about 40 minutes. The specials are worn after two uses, it's more efficient to use one and the same combo all over again. [May 2009]

Neither fish nor fowl, this game fails on both counts, with character development not deep enough for a roleplayer and controls too clumsy for an action gamer. The presentation is at times truly stunning, but the dumbing down went too far. [Oct 2008]

The good news is that it's the best snowboarding game in existence. Unfortunately it's also the bad news. Admittedly, riding off the trail, jumping over gorges and narrowly escaping the avalanches is lots of fun, but it barely makes up for burdensome assignments that are forced upon the player. [Mar 2009]

It’s not an action game, not with the scarce ammo and omnipresent puzzles, but it’s not Silent Hill either. Rather an adventure in a horror set created mostly with the use of flashlight, screams, whispers and lapping sounds – the monsters, when they finally appear, are somewhat disappointing. [Dec 2007]

Decent visuals, juicy combat system and the interesting character development are the games strong points, but a horde of glaring design errors pushes them aside. And it takes a lot of dedication to suffer through the incredibly boring preparations to the journey. [Feb 2009]

Unlike a typical movie franchise, this game is not just a pleasant reminder of the most hilarious moments of the film, but also a very decent arcade game in its own right. [Feb 2009]

Pixar has been lucky so far with computer game franchises of their titles. Even this simple platform/puzzle game is charming thanks to its hero and his flawless animation. [Sept 2008]

It's fast, spectacular and full of action - three attributes I require from every good racer are there, and in double helping. I can get new vehicles without stopping even for a moment. But the missions on foot are much worse and as a consequence the overall experience is rather unidimensional. [May 2009]

It's hard to make a winning shooter these days, because it's so easy to make an average one. If you don't have anything original to show, you are lost in a crowd. And that's what happened to this really decent game. The weapons and the graphics are nothing to write home about, the heroes are a bit cliched, the cooperation between them is the best part, but that's just not enough. [Apr 2008]

The concepts that work in an online shooter not necessarily translate directly to a game consisting of swordplay, archery and area spells, as this example proves. The simplified and shallow rules don't leave much room for skill development that is crucial in every game that aims to foster longtime online competition. [Mar 2009]

It's just a hack'n'slash done (more or less) right, like Loki, Dungeon Siege, Titan Quest or grandpa Diablo. Nothing more, nothing less and it wouldn't be memorable at all, were it not for the cheeky cursor - a tiny winged lady sprite who offers helpful hints and abrasive but to the point commentary of our doings. [May 2008]

Built of ready blocks and with graphics stuck somewhere between realism and cel-shading, it looks like a homage to the old 2D platformers, but it’s a game for children who, alas, never played them…Spidey cocoons the enemies, shoots the web, topples the bigger baddies to save the day and this game. What a pity that the opponents pose absolutely no challenge, no matter their size. [Dec 2007]

Interesting story and good looks won't get you anywhere if you have just the ancient keyboard and mouse to control your character fighting several enemies at the time. And there is no other way but forward, from one quest to another, so when you are blocked by a vicious bug or when a vanquished foe who clearly was swinging a sword drops a cabbage again, you can but sit and weep. [Apr 2008]

A horror that isn't scary? Fail. Awkward controls are tiring, gameplay is shockingly plain. There is a lot of new concepts, but technical deficiencies take out the fun from this game. For example the fires are amazing, but fireproof wood does the whole idea in. [Aug 2008]

Just a few attack moves in a fighting game - that does not bode well. Sometimes a thing or two flashes in the chaos of the combat and draws our attention, but in the end this tired Devil May Cry imitation gives out the moan of a loser crushed by superior contenders. [Apr 2009]

The only saving grace is the excellent, original voice acting. Instead of taking up the investigative work we are forced to partake in a string of minigames that could well serve as the developmental tools in the kindergarten, were it not for their gruesome matter. The ancient, two dimensional, low resolution graphics is also a grim joke. [Mar 2009]

Running, jumping, flying, smashing faces - that's superheroes' job description, right? But they usually have a reason to do it, a reason sorely lacking in this game. Unless it's just the aggression caused by the frustration caused by the general want of sense in life. [Jan 2009]

In theory, all it takes to make fans of the series happy is giving them an interactive episode. And that's exactly what they got. Unfortunately the spirit of the series is lost and there is nothing mysterious about its disappearance: because there is no mystery in the game at all. It's just a guided tour through the well known set, only slightly masked as an adventure. Fans will be happy, the rest... well, whatever were you looking for, it isn't there. [Apr 2008]

On consoles it’s quite playable, but the PC version is a sad joke. It looks like nobody bothered with betatesting it - how you can publish a sports game with broken controls?! [Sept 2008]

It's been a long time since I had to play something as bland and useless. Everything in this game is as ancient as its heroes. This kind of action wasn't much fun when it first appeared on PlayStation 2 in Dynasty Warriors or Samurai Warriors. On PC and in 2008 it is genuinely annoying. [June 2008]

With a mix of cool critters, macabre and some old school running-with-guns, no-place-to-hide gameplay, this simple, entirely linear and heavily scripted shooter bravely fights for some respect and appreciation, and it succeeds, to an extent. [Jan 2009]

Forsaken gods? Rather forsaken legacy and a blatant ripoff. After two years of development we receive a game with a plethora of bugs, jerky graphics and frequent crashes to the desktop, a game that strips this franchise of the pitiful remains of its former glory. [Jan 2009]

Real time strategy with mediocre features, twisted storyline and boring gameplay looking for experienced gamer with a Vista PC. No takers? I am not surprised. Issuing orders is such an unnecessarily complicated task here that it takes a real effort not to throw the mouse in frustration. [May 2009]

A role playing game that poses as a strategy by using just the numbers. This means that your adventuring party can have as many as twenty or thirty members, and you have to take care of every soldier's needs and wants, from armor to magic crystals to retirement plans. The game's ugly looks combined with the unintelligible interface and bad AI make the whole thing marginally playable in the best moments and huge pain in the posterior in the worst. [Apr 2008]

Vietnam veteran Joey Verolla is a really, really tough guy who can not only lift two kalashnikovs but also fire them simultaneously. And he does this trick with any other handgun, even SPAS. If it doesn't properly impress his enemies, it's because they are brainless. As is the entire game - despite some interesting mission designs, quite amusing (and gory) finishing sequences and virtually useless ability to seek cover by putting your back to the wall, this shooter is as simple as some precursors of the genre. [March 2008]

Frantic shoot-outs in the Vietnam jungles and tunnels return in a game that has not much to show besides an amazing level of gore. Enemies often lose limbs, and during the close quarters combat blood starts to overflow the field of vision, but the confrontation with legions of mindless drones (only some of them have an excuse) is simply tedious. [Apr 2009]

Brave construction worker breaks necks, perforates SS uniforms and fights for freedom while I sink slowly in my chair, disbelieving. It's been a long time since I've seen in a game such angular objects, bleary textures and enemies who ignore a 9 mm burst through the chest. A total waste of Unreal 3 engine. [May 2008]

Ford and Land Rover licenses serve no discernible purpose here - the cars are devoid of detail and although the acceleration and cornering depend on mass and power, one would expect far more variety in handling. But when the bulky SUV hits a patch of reeds and suddenly stops, everything becomes crystal clear. It's just another repackaged budget racer. [June 2008]

It's a shooter utilizing the CryEngine 2 and featuring one hard-as-nails mega-macho-man with a huge gun for a hand. If this description made you smile, you'll cringe anyway when you see how many bugs can be squeezed into every single map and how thinly can a texture be drawn. [May 2009]

It's huge. It's green. It's bad. And it's lame. The comic and the movie rock, but on a PC Hulk receives a thrashing from any budget arcade game. [Aug 2008]

He can fly! And that'd be about it - Iron Man can't jump, climb the ladder or pick any Goddamned thing. When the novelty of flying wears off, all that remains is a very disappointing shooter lacking any challenge. Oh, and I saw much prettier games on PlayStation 2. [July 2008]

Budget titles have some rules too. Unfortunately the makers of Conspiracy Island know all the bad ones - clichéd plot and characters, wooden animation, prefabricated levels - and just one good: lots of action! [Oct 2008]

The only bright (white) spot in the general mediocrity is the polar bear Iorek who fights like a professional wrestler. All the rest of the action consists of jumping and minigames repeated without much diversity. That is, if we don't count the occasional changes of the point of view that cause no end of frustration - it's easy to fall to your death from a shelf or plank when suddenly forward becomes right. Combined with very sparse save points, it seems like an attempt to punish the player for even trying. [March 2008]

Game mechanisms similar to the LEGO series don't help - the game is repetitive and boring. While the exclusive footage might appeal to fans, others will point out general blandness and lack of luster. [Aug 2008]