It has good art assets, visual design, and sound. However, I cannot recommend this title to veteran MMO players or to those seeking to get into the genre.

I'm willing to forgive quite a bit for a budget title as long as there is some redeeming quality to the gameplay. Sadly, since the graphic engine inhibits performance so much and doesn't allow you to experience the feeling of speed you'd expect, it's hard to get excited about this game.

Unless you've got a strong hankering for the 3-D world, you'd be better served with either Worms or Worms 2 in all their 2-D glory.

There's potential in The Axis Unseen. The idea of an adventure game with no HUD and an emphasis on your instincts is an intriguing setup, and the use of a simple set of weapons and powers keeps you from feeling overpowered. However, the combination of laughable physics and a plethora of bugs and design issues make this a game that's difficult to love if you aren't into the heavy metal aesthetic. As it stands now, it is an interesting title, but it needs plenty of patching before it will be worth checking out.

The game is eye-catching and will certainly get you moving around (even if you cheat and use your hands instead of your feet for some game controls), but the lack of longevity and the general wearing of the novelty will make this game very short-lived for anyone else.

AMBL: Alien Monster Bowling League isn't afraid to take some risks, and that's a good thing. A very arcade-like approach to bowling is always welcome when you feel like regular bowling just isn't cutting it anymore, and the special moves make it feel like it was on the right track. Unfortunately, everything from the mini-games to the graphics to the bowling itself felt disconnected, and that was enough to make AMBL feel like it wasn't properly planned out.

Empire of Sin has potential, and I look forward to revisiting it after six months of patches that will hopefully address some of these issues. As it stands today, the game is buggy, poorly balanced, and blatantly half-finished. The initial strong presentation quickly fades to frustration as playing correctly is a fool's errand and cheating the system is the only way to play. That might be appropriate for a Mafia game, but not for this title.

There are probably some niche players out there who will love Down in Flames, but the steep learning curve, unfulfilling graphics and repetitive sound bites definitely rule out this title as an introduction to the genre.

It is difficult to recommend Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire, especially when the Switch has many solid bullet-hell shooters. The level design feels basic, and the combat isn't exciting. Even if you take the terrible cut scenes into account, the game is woefully short for something without an arcade origin. This may still be enjoyable for bullet-hell shooter fans, but most people won't be missing out if they pass on this.

While the art, gameplay and music are fine, it feels like EA made a game so exclusively for children that their parents won't want to play it with them, leaving them to be influenced alone. Even if you can tolerate the tone and have the wherewithal to not spend too much money on DLC, Neighborville is fine. It just won't be your best purchase EVAR.

The nuggets of genuine hilarity hidden within a few encounters are worth a once-over, but Matt Hazard's reboot should perhaps have been left for a later date.

If you're looking for a sub-par RPG with a sub-par storyline, sub-par gameplay, sub-par sounds, and very sub-par multiplayer, then sure, pick up Two Worlds.

The entire control scheme and physics engine need to go back to the drawing board before next year's release in order to remove that constant feeling of dread that lingers during a typical game.

There are about eight hours of somewhat-fun gameplay here, but given the weak multiplayer offerings, there is virtually no replayability.

The problems with Pro Stick are inexcusable, the implementation completely factoring out the human holding the controller.

Trying to straddle the line between simulation wrestling game and fetish video, Rumble Roses XX invariably fails. Like most beautiful people, RRXX has a great package on the outside and glaring faults within.

As a Wii game, however, it really struggles to be any good at all, largely because the interface just doesn't work.

It can be a fun title if you know you have a group of friends willing to jump in, but it would be best to pass on this title until the server woes are addressed.

If you don't have a DS and you have at least two friends with a PSP, get this game when the price inevitably drops like a stone, as Bomberman titles are prone to do. Otherwise, wait for the DS sequel, complete with online support, and leave this one for your friends looking to justify their PSP purchases.

The graphics and sound are average, and nothing really jumps out and grabs your attention. Gameplay is very linear and built around the same engine that brought you "The Two Towers."

Ultra Age gets the combat mostly right. While it isn't perfect, the combat system feels fluid enough that you can make a spectacle of dashing around mobs and tagging them with dazzling combos. Everything else about it feels half-baked, from the pacing to the story to the sound and pick-up system. Those who crave action may overlook these things because the combat is good enough, but those who are looking for something with better quality would be better served looking elsewhere first.

Unlike many games, Transformers is actually less than the sum of its parts. It may look and sound kind of nice, and give you all sorts of things to do, but who cares when it's just not any fun and you want it to transform into another game after 30 minutes of play time?

However, at $30, the title's price is far too high when you consider the too-precious save memory and the fact that there are other, similar and less expensive games available for the DS.

The hack-'n'-slash gameplay is fun, the graphics are serviceable, and the audio is fitting, if a bit sparse, but the artificial lengthening of the game can make it tedious, due to the incessant backtracking you'll have to do, and the lack of a map.

Yet another badly made isometric Gameboy Advance game; yet another below-average action game. Why developers don't put their hearts into what they create, I'll never know.

Stormrise is the perfect example of good ideas not always translating into good games.

Just satisfactory. Hero mode is a nice distraction from the redundant campaigns, but everything in the game lacks sufficient depth.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is for a very specific type of Yu-Gi-Oh! player who favors battles against the CPU instead of real people. That player also knows all of the rules of the game, wants a fixed set of cards, and doesn't want further updates from new cards. For them, most of the games in the compilation will be fine if they can get over each title's shortcomings. For everyone else, especially newcomers, the games are cumbersome and unintuitive, so only those with an immense amount of patience would want to give the titles a shot.

Takes so long getting to the meat of the story that all but the most die-hard of players will have gone elsewhere to eat long before then.

Overall, The Sisters: Party of the Year has some good ideas. The open world of the campaign works well not just because of the number of things to do and collect but also because it feels alive for what is essentially a small town. Including a story mode in the first place makes it stand out among its contemporaries. That said, from the mediocre minigames to the restrictive open world and presentation issues, there's not much to entice players to give it more than one playthrough, much less seek out ways to view the source material. You'd be better served checking out some of the stronger minigame compilations.

My gut wants to give credit to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation for being a sizeable, faithful rendition of the Assassin's Creed series on a portable platform. However, I can't overlook the glaring technical issues, and I have a hard time seeing past the forced Vita-specific control gimmicks that mar the single-player campaign. If you're willing to put up with a lot of rough edges, you'll find aspects of Aveline's story to be superior to that of Connor's from AC3, despite the loss of scale in both the literal and figurative sense. I know the Vita is capable of producing better results than this, and I hope that Ubisoft puts some more polish into its next Vita title.

I wanted to like Star Ocean: The Divine Force a lot more than I did. It has a lot of interesting ideas and concepts, and I'm a prime target for Star Ocean 2 nostalgia bait. The game didn't have the time or budget to do what it wanted to do, and what we have is a half-baked title that does very little well. The story is dull, the combat is repetitive and poorly balanced, and the unique features fall by the wayside as the game progresses. There are glimmers that something great could have been created, but it isn't the game that we ended up with. It's difficult to recommend The Divine Force to even die-hard JRPG fans, since the game's few strengths are eclipsed by its many flaws. Wait for a sale if you're curious, but otherwise, there are plenty of other better JRPGs to play this year.

Crafting a dungeon-crawler in the world of Immortals Fenyx Rising is a great idea, but the dev team behind The Lost Gods DLC didn't meet that goal. They nailed the look but completely missed on the gameplay. As a result, The Lost Gods feels like a mishmash of ideas without mastering any of them.

In the end, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots is a game with a decent concept that got bogged down by limited execution and what feels like a lack of interest on the part of the developers.

You could definitely pass up C.O.R.E., and while I like the idea of someone at least trying to put out a genre title that doesn't typically get made on the NDS, I also feel that C.O.R.E. is an example of why FPSes don't make the transition well to the DS.

In the end, the XBLA port of NiGHTS is basically a poor man's version of the original. While it's technically the same game, the lack of proper analog control makes the HD version a historical curiosity rather than a must-play experience. If you have the means, track down a Saturn copy along with the analog controller. You'll be glad you did.

There were some obvious attempts to bring the game beyond the usual mediocre fare provided by film-to-game adaptations, but the few bright parts are eclipsed by the repetitive gameplay, lackluster graphics and atrocious controls. More frustrating than fun.

Unless there's a sale or free PSN Plus download in the future, you can pass on Do Not Fall's mediocre experience.

Overall, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes takes an okay series of PS2 games and manages to downgrade them severely, not once, but twice — once from PS2 to PSP and again, in mostly inexcusable fashion, from Japan to the U.S.

Mech Rage is a game that you play out of curiosity or because you want something that wraps up quickly. It does the shooting elements well enough, but some fights can feel like slogs due to the puny amount of damage you deliver. The overall length of the game is very short, but that ends up being a positive given the generic story and the lack of variety in the presentation. The title isn't easy to recommend unless you can find it on sale.

Even if Away: Journey to the Unexpected weren't a roguelike, it still has issues that would put it in mediocre territory. The main melee combat would be awful, the level designs would be boring, and the boss fights wouldn't be exciting. While some people may be fine with that, the forced repetitive nature of the roguelike makes Away feel unnecessarily padded, especially since parts of the title are too forgiving for the genre. It may look nice most of the time, and the story is so off the wall that it's endearing, but Away should only be on your radar if you can purchase it on sale and don't mind its baggage.

The Wii control implementation in the title is passable at its best, downright awkward at its nadir.

Being able to control my favorite characters would be fun, but if the gameplay of those made-up games were the same as that of Inuyasha: Feudal Combat, well ... being a fan of a particular anime series only goes so far, you know?

Unlike many games, Transformers is actually less than the sum of its parts. It may look and sound kind of nice, and give you all sorts of things to do, but who cares when it's just not any fun and you want it to transform into another game after 30 minutes of play time?

Unfortunately, MLB 2K11 is the worst kind of sports game - a $60 roster update and little else.

Unfortunately, MLB 2K11 is the worst kind of sports game - a $60 roster update and little else.

The only real reason to play this game is because you can't play 2002 on Xbox Live, while Neowave is readily compatible.

The underlying idea behind Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir good, but the overall package isn't up to snuff.

Even if you're wanting to play a cool mini-golf game on the Wii, I have to say you'd be better off waiting for something else to come down the line rather than waste your money on Carnival Games: MiniGolf.

It's just no fun. There have been a lot of classic shooters that are just mayhem with no story to speak of ("Quake") and shooters that depended on tiny details and story as much as the graphics engine ("No One Lives Forever 2"). Contract Jack does neither story nor mayhem well.

It is a fun game, and that is ultimately the most important goal for a developer. However, there are so many stark shortcomings that I cannot help but warn people away from spending more than bargain-bin prices on it.

This is simply "Serious Sam" with a few undead Nazis thrown in. Have at.

WTF: Work Time Fun can be summarized by saying "Waste of Time, Fool." The game is pointlessness incarnated, even more than "WarioWare, Inc." or "Ape Escape Academy."

Tad the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet is a return to the type of licensed game we thought had died out a while ago. It follows the events of the movie without bothering to get anyone else up to speed, the platforming is perfunctory, and it looks mostly nice if you don't look deeply into it. The game's low difficulty level makes it a good choice for younger gamers, but the number of bugs will frustrate those same players. Fans of the movie or character might be tempted by the relatively low price, but this is a tough sell, even for those who love collect-a-thons.

I was able to play this game for hours straight without realizing it while having the advantage of being able to get up and walk away at literally any moment without it negatively impacting things.

There are parts of Ray's The Dead that are enjoyable. The idea of being a Pikmin-like zombie game is appealing, as is the game's desire to tell a more nuanced story around your character's life, death, and rebirth. However, the controls lack precision, and the inherent strategy falls apart due to haphazard enemy placement and odd design decisions. For a title with this long of a wait, it should've been better.

On its own, The Walking Dead: Onslaught isn't a bad title. The gameplay is decent enough if you wanted something with a little more substance than the first crop of PSVR titles, and the length is more in line with a traditional modern title versus a VR-specific offering. The problem is that the bugs with hit detection and checkpoint triggering are enough to sap away any of the fun that the game could have provided. The other problem is that we aren't that far removed from The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, a much more satisfying experience that feels like what all VR games should aspire to. This probably would have gotten a higher recommendation if the release dates were reversed, but as it stands now, this is more for the TV show fan who wants a fun diversion, as long as they're willing to accept some big issues; this isn't suited for someone who's looking for the next big VR milestone title.

Despite all of its flaws, Earthfall: Alien Horde is the only shooter of its type on the Switch. That alone gives it a base for longer than most lower-budget titles with an online component. If you're a more discerning player or one who has more options than the Switch, the pull isn't going to be that strong. Dull objectives, endless combat with frustrating foes, lifeless shooting, and a lack of polish in the performance area leave a game that can't match up with its contemporaries or the classics that it's trying to emulate. It'll work if you have nothing else available, but you'll also wish that other four-player, co-op, first-person shooters would arrive on the Switch platform.

The reason for this game's existence is a complete enigma to me. If you do happen to see it in a bargain bin for a few dollars, it might be worth the purchase, as there is some fun to be had, and it's very short, so you won't have to deal with it's annoying features for very long. That's the best I can say about this one.

The game exists as a way to take a bunch of little games which could have easily been momentary distractions at work or the like (think Flash game level of complexity, only not nearly good as some of the better Flash games you've played), tied together by a lame premise and sold as a retail package.

Taken on its own, Golden Force is decent. It looks wonderful, with some solid combat mechanics and very engaging boss fights. Start to compare it to other pixel platformers on the system, and you'll come to lament the forced trial-and-error gameplay, tedious combat, and unnecessarily broken upgrade economy. Patient players may stick it out, but for everyone else, the Switch has plenty of other well-crafted platformers.

Given the lack of online play and some of the bland presentation, it's difficult for even the biggest Gundam fan to get behind this title.

It's really difficult to recommend this game to anyone since Sid Meier's Pirates! has everything that Tortuga does, and even manages to do it better.

Mostly, The Simpsons Arcade Game is a phoned-in port. With so many companies generating improved remakes and ports, it's sad to see that Revolution has chosen to run something so simplistic for a game that hasn't aged very well.

Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta is one side story that Wasteland warriors can afford to survive without.

There are two ways to look at Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection. The games aren't that great. The first Bubsy game is tolerable, but each sequel has enough bad design decisions that you need the patience of a saint and a healthy helping of cheats and the rewind function to want to reach the end. As far as being an interactive historical archive, this collection is only matched by Atari 50 and the like. It's packed with enough extras and behind-the-scenes material to be fascinating — even for those who aren't fans of the series. Ultimately, it is good that this compilation exists, as even the bad games should be preserved for future generations. The chances that you'll actually want to play anything are very slim.

Liberated is a game that could have been better. The premise is fine but full of clichés, and there's nothing new to make it more interesting to those who have heard these stories countless times already. The presentation is nice, but the pauses between page turns feel unnecessary considering the style. The gameplay feels repetitive, since direct violence is the only viable answer. Unless you've been dying to get this one the moment it was announced, you'd be better served putting it off for something else instead.

It's difficult to not view the NCIS game as a blatant cash grab. It may be available at the lower price point of $40 ($30 for PC), but the four cases only take about four hours to complete and there is zero replay value.

In spite of Chicken Little having a few fun levels, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone over 10 years of age.

If your kids are looking for a game based on a familiar television show, I'd recommend Avatar: The Last Airbender on any of its available platforms. There are bigger, better, and far more entertaining games out there than this.

It's difficult to not view the NCIS game as a blatant cash grab. It may be available at the lower price point of $40 ($30 for PC), but the four cases only take about four hours to complete and there is zero replay value.

The broad strokes of story in the Official Game aren't without their intrigue, but the overwhelming pedestrian nature of the combat and uninspired treatment of the villains crush both the dramatic potential of the story and the gameplay possibilities of the characters' unique abilities.

Pokemon Battle Revolution simply isn't worth the money. Other than the privilege of being the first Nintendo Wii title with online capability, it has nothing else going for it.

Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle is sort of just there. The story doesn't offer anything interesting to shed a different light on the main story.

I'm actually amazed how much content is in this title, but a wealth of features iced on top of a clunker is not worthy of consideration, not even for Dynasty Warriors or "Gundam" fans.

Tekken 3D Prime Edition gets its points from its well-done console-to-handheld translation and its absolutely gorgeous visuals. However, with half of the game missing in action, I just can't recommend this in good conscience. If you really need some current-edition Tekken on the go, then at least wait for a price drop.

Basically, there's not enough content to the Wii port of Dirt 2 to warrant a purchase, and you certainly don't want to pick this up if you have access to another home console version of the game.

Traitors Gate II has a few good ideas and some graphics in areas that are somewhat imaginative. This can not make up for the boring game play and downright buggy control system.

Penguins of Madagascar is ambitious for a children's game but ultimately flawed.

A.I.L.A. is a game that has potential but fails with the follow-through. The idea of AI generating experiences meant to terrify you while also affecting you outside of the game still works. The games that represent different horror experiences do a good job of taking something familiar and making it its own. While the puzzles are fine, the combat drags down everything greatly, and the pacing means that the whole game becomes an unenjoyable roller coaster ride. There's a chance for improvement with patches, but at the moment, you'll want to wait and see if things get better before diving in.

Overall, Summon Night : Twin Age might be passable for people with fairly low expectations, but the drawn-out combat mechanics, poor party support, and agonizing voice acting really drive a knife into this title's back.

By and large, Dirt 2 is an unremarkable and mostly boring racing game, and the more you play it, the worse the flaws get.

Rad Rodgers: Radical Edition has the basic building blocks to be a good throwback platform shooter, but it doesn't put it together very well. The shooting seems fine until you realize that most of the enemies are there only so you have something to shoot. The platforming is fine until Dusty gets temperamental in deciding whether to climb a platform. The Pixelverse sections are frustrating, the presentation feels badly done, and the extras don't add anything significant to the game. On a system with so many other better options in this genre, it's difficult to recommend this one.

The enjoyment of seeing all of your favorite characters in a new story may not be worth the frustration of the endlessly tedious random battles. If you can get past the endless swarms of identical enemies, a rather lackluster adventure awaits you.

This one may prove to be an appealing bargain bin title for a few hours of entertaining destruction, but only Diablo fans will feel truly at home, and they have other choices that they'll probably enjoy more.

Solid vehicle controls, great physics, good graphics, not even Hollywood voice actors can save Driv3r. This game is mediocrity in every sense of the word, and it’s all the designers’ fault.

No matter how you cut it, DW5E is an experiment that has gone wrong, and this is coming from someone who unabashedly loves this franchise.

Mana Khemia 2: The Fall of Alchemy feels like a half-finished game.

Since the game gives more than a passing glance at animal satisfaction, this game could have been much better if it built upon that better. This one just didn't hold my interest.

It simply has no place in the current sea of PlayStation 2 shooters; it is far too flawed, far too easy, and lacks far too much of the intensity that gamers pick up tactical shooters for in the first place.

While LocoCycle is far from the worst game of the Xbox One launch, it certainly isn't the best.

If you haven't had the chance to play the first two games, do that instead. If you've already gone through those titles, rent this if you feel like blowing through something disposable for an afternoon.

For now, only die-hard motorcycle fans should give this a rental; everyone else should wait until a sequel can hopefully polish up these shortcomings.

Tasomachi: Beyond the Light starts off with an intriguing premise, but the plot doesn't go anywhere, and the ending feels abrupt. The environments are great to look at, and the platforming challenges vary greatly, but the platforming mechanics aren't tight enough to be enjoyable. It's a short game that can feel long, and while the dedicated collect-a-thon crowd may find it a tad enjoyable, everyone else will likely bail before getting the bare minimum needed to finish it all.

If you're a really big fan of the storyline of .hack//GU, then that is the only reason to keep playing this franchise. Even then, the plot is both incredibly predictable and filled to the brim of clichéd characters and logic holes that make it very difficult to take seriously.

All games have bugs and issues, as none are truly technical paragons of perfection. Yet the same excuse ignores the truly worst of the worst, issues that are severe enough to impact a player's enjoyment of the game to the extent that Dead Island does

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires is in need of serious polish.

Compared to the competition, RotSS feels more like a side story that borrows just enough gameplay elements to provide fan service for those who can't get enough of the film, but as a game, it's not much of a leap from an expensive bag of stale popcorn at the theater.