A distinctly underwhelming game. There's some fun to be had with this Wii action game, but it's far from good and certainly not what you should be expecting from Nintendo.

The Sinking City is well worth playing for the initial rhythm of its casework and the freshness of its setting, but its mechanics, like its mystery, end up flooded.

A lot of what comprises Army of Two: The Third is total crap, and yet I had a lot of fun playing it. We don't know how EA has done it. They probably don't know how they've done it. But they have. And I'm glad they did.

C.O.P. The Recruit makes you appreciate, if indeed it further needed your appreciation, the true worth of Chinatown Wars.

A game that simply isn't that much fun to play. Had we not been treated to Wii Sports then the controls on offer here would no doubt have seemed far more impressive, and the truth is that the Wii game destroys Sony's attempt. Sony's PSN is full of high quality releases, but High Velocity Bowling isn't one of them.

Eat Lead simply isn't a good enough game to make the most of the brilliant script. While you're likely to enjoy Matt's many one-liners and smirk at the sheer absurdness of what's going on, you're not going to enjoy the clumsy combat and generic gameplay.

If you're after a game on a par with the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, you'll find Saw severely lacking.

Bionicle Heroes does little to make a name for itself, with repetitive and overly simplistic gameplay, and some rather uninspiring visuals.

Even if you accept that the Sonic games aren't built for hardcore gamers, that they're now designed to appeal to the mainstream, that's no reason to accept shoddy gameplay. Back in the 90s the Sonic versus Mario debate raged across the planet's playgrounds. Nowadays, there is no argument, and it's because of games like Sonic and the Black Knight.

With a shoddy set of controls, an uninspiring multiplayer mode, and visuals that rival the SNES, you're better off scanning bargain bins and online auctions to get your Bust-A-Move fix.

Essentially a niche game, and for the huge army of mech fans, with a little persistence and a great deal of patience there is a playable game here. Better avoided if you are not a die-hard fan.

The First Descendant is a bland dish presented on exquisite plating, whose stunning boss fights and interwoven upgrade systems are overpowered by shallow missions and grim monetisation. Nexon doesn’t invite you to a power fantasy, it sells you one by letting you pay to skip tiresome progression mechanics.

One day someone is going to combine the RTS with another genre and pull it off really well; Rise & Fall isn't that game.

Ultimately it just feels like you've played it before (and if you completed the first game, then I guess you have), and that feeling permeates every part of the lenghty campaign. Nothing feels fresh, nor is there any depth to any aspect.

A good time-waster, then, but the appeal will probably fizzle out after a couple of hours.

While the core mechanics of Order of the Phoenix are verging on excellent, the game that's been built around them is basically a series of chores in disguise.

If Cricket 24 can capture the full essence and atmosphere from it's new licenses, the game can be elevated to new heights.

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

Sadly, it's just not engaging enough overall.

It takes about forty minutes to see everything the DLC has to offer; less if you know your way about Albion.

If you don't fondly remember the first wave of Crazy Taxi games, steer well clear of this. However, if you fancy a taste of some retro driving action, this may be worth a purchase, but approach with caution and low expectations or prepare for a shock.

It's just run-of-the-mill game design. Bar the occasionally impressive combat, Beowulf doesn't have enough to make it stand out.

A mixed bag, then. The new weapons and vehicles are cool, but no co-op and a uninvolving, short main campaign hampers enjoyment. Let's hope for better in episode 2.

With only the core game mode and two mild variations based on the same levels there's just not enough game here to warrant a purchase.

As a harmless game for kids to play together, Micro Machines V4 serves its purpose, but a bit of flair and a larger scope could have made it the ultimate party racing game.

Online play means that even solo players are able to go up against real opponents, but there aren't enough great mini-games in the collection to warrant more than one or two plays through what is on offer.

It does exactly what it sets out to do. But what it sets out to do is boring, bland, unimaginative and thoroughly dull.

Skate It is better in theory than it is in practise. We can forgive the awful Wii Balance Board controls because you're not forced to use Nintendo's Wii Fit peripheral to play the game. But we just can't get away from the fact that EA's focus on creating a hardcore skater sim has resulted in a frustrating experience, for no other reason than the Wii itself isn't built for that kind of game.

It's an interesting game rather than a truly good one, but if you want something a little bit different it definitely delivers on that front.

London 2012 is likely be another piece of licensed memorabilia for anyone who already has the dinnerware, tea towel, and bedspread, but it'll struggle to convince any of the Olympiad unconverted who have a picture of Sebastian Coe affixed to a dartboard in their kitchen.

Switching to d-pad and button controls makes it a solid tennis game, and its local wireless support for up to four players makes it a good option for social DS players.

As a budget release you can forgive many of its problems, but that doesn't make it a better game.

A game crippled by its archaic save system. No matter how much fun the game is while you're battling hundreds of on-screen enemies, nothing can balance out the sheer frustration experienced when you die for the fifth time at the hands of the end of level boss.

The fundamental gameplay created by the 'monkey in a ball' mechanic simply doesn't work within the confines of an adventure title.

It's just run-of-the-mill game design. Bar the occasionally impressive combat, Beowulf doesn't have enough to make it stand out.

This is a standard Facebook game in iOS' clothing that ambitiously tries to make use of the iPhone without ever really doing anything at all.

As a harmless game for kids to play together, Micro Machines V4 serves its purpose, but a bit of flair and a larger scope could have made it the ultimate party racing game.

Bloober Team has summoned a rich atmosphere, under all that writing, and one or two sequences offer glimpses of a purer game.

When combat is between you and one other, Darksiders 3 can provide some decent, button-mashy fun, but the real fight is with the baffling world design and some cheap deaths.

Stretching your limbs across the battlefield to stop an impending throw is good fun, but there's absolute anarchy when you throw in an extra body. The mediocre mini-games, and antiquated single-player further block the punch of Arms.

Snow Day’s moment-to-moment slapstick humor and inventive combat are undermined by unfulfilling progression and an acute lack of content.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions’ simplistic gameplay and barebones content are fun for a couple of hours, but provide little more depth than it likely would have as a minigame in Hogwarts Legacy.

Occasional glimmers of hope with Blood Stone are killed by an unwavering torrent of mediocrity - I haven't even mentioned the throwaway multiplayer mode, for instance, and I think that's for the best.

While the core mechanics of Order of the Phoenix are verging on excellent, the game that's been built around them is basically a series of chores in disguise.

The best time I had with the game was a ten-minute stretch that contained (a) no crashes or bugs, (b) the right level and world tier—essentially, a measure of enemy toughness—and (c) a harmony of tactics, sorcery, and gunfire.

An interesting psychological horror which sadly doesn't make the most of its setup.

Monster Madness: Grave Danger needed to be a big improvement over the original game if it was going to compete with the PS3's best titles, but it's not. It plays better than the Xbox 360 version, but the core game is essentially what it was.

The Fight is an exhausting experience, and in more than just the physical sense of the word. Its structure invites boredom, there's no narrative to speak of, and more importantly, the Move controls lack responsiveness.

Bedlam: The Game isn't particularly well made, nor much fun to play, but it is interesting. I've played far better games that I'll remember less.

There is something to be gained from Target Liberty, and if you do enjoy the likes of Commandos it may be worth your time. For anyone else though, this sloth of a game will likely be far too lumbering and largely thrill free.

The fundamental gameplay created by the 'monkey in a ball' mechanic simply doesn't work within the confines of an adventure title.

Sonic Adventure doesn't just make you realise its age, it also makes you question the world we live in: just how did this ever become the most successful Dreamcast game?

I stopped getting involved in the bulk of the fighting after a only a few short hours, instead choosing to simply ran to each cannon. Then I did the five-minute puzzle bit at the end and got a ‘well done’ screen for my efforts. For all its promise, then, sadly Platformines is a deflating balloon of a game.

Cursed Mountain has some good ideas and at times manages to put together some decent art design to create glimpses of a good game. For the most part, though, you're having to contend with an awkward control scheme and drab presentation.

Sonic Adventure doesn't just make you realise its age, it also makes you question the world we live in: just how did this ever become the most successful Dreamcast game?

Wattam should be played, if for no other reason than to see a designer expressing ambivalence about his own ideas.

Its undeniably attractive presentation may make it look like the next must-have, cultish handheld release, but sadly Nervous Brickdown is all style and no charm.

While a decent dungeon crawler in its own right, it just feels unimpressive in comparison to its rivals. Unless you must have a DC Comics dungeon crawler, you'd be better off looking at "Marvel Ultimate Alliance."

Essentially Wild ARMs 4 is an average RPG that half-heartedly tries to add a couple of new ideas, but these additions aren't done well enough and don't change the RPG formula enough to warrant much attention.

Despite its sequel status it's largely the same game that Xbox 360 gamers have been playing for over a year and the new additions do little to enhance the game as a whole - in some cases they make it a more frustrating game.

And therein lies the game’s real issue. Whereas Dishonored (which does feel like Thief’s more charismatic and popular older brother) and Mark of the Ninja have toyed with established hide-and-seek mechanics and shown that there are still ideas to mine in this genre, Thief just sticks to the shadows.

KSR is fun in short bursts. Any session beyond 20 minutes and you’ll be frustrated by the long load times, feel self-conscious because you look like a pillock, and get bored by the lack of challenge. The tech is there. Sadly, the game isn’t yet.

Is it new? Not really. Does it run, look and control like a drunk forklift truck ? Yes. Will it make you question your sanity due to its repetitive nature? Undoubtedly. But is it fun? Yes.

As an Xbox 360 RPG, even as an Xbox 360 fantasy RPG, it's so unpolished, so devoid of the oomph demanded by current gen games, so inaccessible and needlessly punishing, that it's offensive.

While the core mechanics of Order of the Phoenix are verging on excellent, the game that's been built around them is basically a series of chores in disguise.

You'll get moments of fun simply from being Hulk, but this isn't enough to carry the whole game. The incredibly disappointing presentation is sadly the final nail in Hulk's coffin.

In short bursts it’s a lot easier to get on with too, as prolonged play leaves it feeling very tedious. It’s atmospheric, although oddly nowhere near to the extent of the first game, and there’s no place as unique as that game’s holiday resort.

Toren's cryptic storytelling and focus on signs, superstitions, ancient beliefs and systems is often close to being too self-indulgent, but its aforementioned style is enough to see it over the line.

Knack 2 doesn't have exactly the same problems as Knack, it's just moved things into different places and ended up mostly the same. Which is at least emblematic of Knack himself, I suppose.

The brain behind (Bojan Brbora) 4PM deserves a lot of credit for what he has attempted to achieve, but when all is said and done, this feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realised game.

Occasionally you'll witness flashes of brilliance, glimpses that suggest Io could yet salvage something from this wreckage for its next Hitman game. And then you finish a stage with a tedious quick-time event, snapping the neck of a morbidly obese Danny Trejo-alike in a wrestling match watched by hundreds - astonishingly earning yourself a Silent Assassin rating in the process - and you shake your head sadly and wonder how it all went so badly wrong.

Spider-man: Friend or Foe is another title that clearly isn't made for experienced gamers, and certainly won't please anyone aged in their teens or older.

An ambitious failure that sounds great on paper but proves to be a tediously slow, uninvolving experience for anyone less than a hardcore giant robot fan.

Overall, Space Siege is a game with a catalogue of both major and minor flaws, sloppy, derivative or rushed design, which is uncharacteristic of a developer with this pedigree. Whether you judge it as an RPG or as a third-person action game, Space Siege fails to pass muster, yet despite all the flaws, the game is hard to utterly condemn.

Despite fun combat and characters, Agents of Mayhem becomes repetitive and grinding. In trying to chase the popularity of Saints Row, it misses having an identity of its own.

This is the last of the map packs, and that's undoubtedly a good thing.

WWE 2K15 has made a lot of sacrifices for little gain. The depleted roster, stripped-back creation suite and restrictive wrestling all in the name of a visual upgrade fail to capture the most important aspects of the real-world franchise: excitement and entertainment.

Three very worthwhile games then, in a package sadly marred by poor decision making from the publisher. With a bit more care this could have been essential. As it is, there's a load of nonsense waiting for players to wade through before they get to the good stuff. Which seems to be a fitting description of the franchise as a whole these days.

Where the action comes alive is in the leaving behind of bodies altogether. Most missions involve breaking and entering, and the thrill lies in the absence of any breaking.

Heatseeker's final insult to players comes when it requires that you land. Though not a prerequisite of many missions, when you do need to touch down it is an infuriating and clumsy battle, mostly resulting in your plane exploding just above the surface beneath you.

The dull, repetitive gameplay is what hurts it the most, leaving some merely average visuals to pick up the pieces.

It might be strange to criticise a mini-game collection for a lack of depth, but that's Wii Degree's biggest problem. Without 50+ games to play and none of the long-term appeal of Brain Training, what you've got is a game that will please you for a week and then rarely leave its case.

You only have to see the opening cutscene to realise that Pac-Man World 3 isn't a game for adults. As a children's game it's not bad at all, with some 3D platforming gameplay that treads a familiar path, and plenty of variety to keep things interesting.

It has a lot going for it, from its superb visuals and style to the rather excellent character creation tool, but the button-mashing gameplay and easy exploits ruin all the good work.

If you want a short return to Pandora and don’t mind a bit of irritation while you’re there, this is the DLC for you. Everyone else should be wary that this is cheap in more ways than one.

This is a case of an MMO that will inevitably evolve within nine months time, but not before it spoils its first impression like an unwieldy teenager trying to impress a Compton street gang.

The lack of challenge in The Artful Escape, not just in its play but in its emotional texture, somewhat shreds the odyssey.

This is a bland, buggy and often boring title, one that belies the intentions of its developers and leaves the much-maligned modern shooter looking worse as a result.

There are fleeting moments of fun to be had in this six hour campaign, and the two player offline co-op could make for an agreeable game for parents to play with kids. But Scarygirl is simply a functional platformer-come-brawler that's almost entirely devoid of distinction. With so many better adventures on XBLA, there's little reason to shell out for this one.

Splinter Cell 3D's biggest shortcoming is that it's simply not a game suited to a handheld console. Ultimately it's an awkward game to play. Grin and bear its problems and the nine-mission campaign is still a good one, but playing Chaos Theory on this handheld is considerably less enjoyable than it should be.

Tactics is for those who’ve watched The Dark Crystal, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the depth and richness of the show. You should give that a go, though. I know it’s got Muppets in it. It’s still good.

For all its charm and my early enthusiasm for Party Animals, there simply isn't enough creativity to make this a title families will keep coming back to.

Lightsaber Duels will please younger fans of The Clone Wars movie who don't know any better, but for anyone else the combat system will be too frustrating to forgive. The wait goes on for that perfect Wii lightsaber game. Roll on spring 2009.

Overall, while there have been some improvements to the series, and the load times mean that you can get through rounds much quicker, the shocking lack of content across the board means that Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour is a disappointment.

Staff of Kings tries to do so many things that it fails to nail any of them. The combat is clumsy, the adventuring is dull, the shooting is uninspired and the presentation is severely lacking.

One of the most generic, bland and uninspired shooters I've played in a long time, and in turn has potentially sullied the work done on the series in the past.

You'll get moments of fun simply from being Hulk, but this isn't enough to carry the whole game. The incredibly disappointing presentation is sadly the final nail in Hulk's coffin.

Though the premise of developing and building your very own New York seems a fantastic idea, for those of us brought up with the freedom of the Sim City series, the restrictions are just too much to bear.