About as average as a strategy game can get. It’s certainly not terrible, and there’s a lot of missions spread across two campaigns to enjoy – if you enjoy it, that is. The graphics and sound are fine, but the gameplay is far from perfect, and doesn’t try to push the boundaries of ingenuity.

By the end of the tutorial, it becomes painfully clear that All Star Cheer Squad is a complete mess of a title, and it doesn't improve as you progress through the game.

What is sad about Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is how much potential there is. A slightly goofy take on the universe isn't a bad concept, and the combat, while not as refined, can be fun at times. However, the litany of problems, from the stubbornly low enemy count to the bad camera and terrible platforming bog, put a damper on the game's few positives.

Despite decent music and my love for samurai games, there is little to recommend in Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story. There is little pay-off to finishing the game, aside from a cut scene and a new post-game dungeon. The bugs and clunky menus encountered along the way make the journey a slog. There are plenty of better roguelites, loot-driven RPGs, and samurai games out there.

If you have a PlayStation 2 or Wii with no plans to upgrade to Rock Band 2, then this is a fine choice because you lose nothing and gain 20 songs in the process. If you have the other consoles and have no plans to connect them online, then this is also for you. If you have them connected online, however, then this will only be appealing if you really want to hunt down every Rock Band-related Achievement or Trophy out there, since this pack contains no exclusive songs.

There is no individuality or unique feel to any of the supposedly varied tracks. The mission variety is a thinly veiled joke, and the graphics aren't enough to make you forget that you're not having any fun.

Taken on its own, Berzerk: Recharged isn't a bad game. The shooting is still fine, the additions of health and power-ups are neat, as is the presence of co-op. The overall high score chase remains as compelling as ever for those with a classic arcade mindset. Aside from some notable exclusions, the problem is that this title enters a market rife with other twin-stick shooters that do more and offer more to the player, so it's difficult to get excited when picking up the controller. Unless you're filled with nostalgia for the original title and willing to forgive the misses, you can push aside Berzerk in favor of the countless other twin-stick shooters on the platform.

I feel weird rating The Uncertain: Light at the End, since I haven't played the prior title or the upcoming conclusion, but I also think that a game, whether it's part of an intended series or not, should stand on its own. Light and the End does not. The story is all right, and the premise behind the game is stellar, but the broken mechanics and omitted quality of life options made it really frustrating to play, and I didn't enjoy it. Hopefully the next game makes up for these shortcomings, but in the meantime, if you value your time, I would suggest skipping Light and the End in its current state.

The concept behind Darkest of Days is a pretty original one, and the companies involved should be commended for trying something different with the crowded first-person shooter genre. Unfortunately, good concepts alone don't make for good games, and this is an example of what happens when you ignore every other aspect of the title.

A mediocre "licensed" title, obviously made to capitalize on a recent film. Considering how poorly the movie fared with the critics, is the game score any surprise?

Gameplay-wise, 187 is mediocrity hampered by bad mechanics and ambience. Theme-wise, it is, at best, a parody, and at worst, downright insulting. It is not fun to play, it hurts the ears, the eyes, and the mind. It takes a lot for a game to do that.

Aliens are here, kidnapping and impregnating women, and it's Duke's job to blow them away. The more intriguing aspect of Duke Nukem Forever is how the character's apparent mythos appears to be the engine of the entire experience. He's worshipped as a living god in the game, with his own burger joint, strip club, museum and stadium. His mission is about rescuing babes and kicking ass, which is well within his strike zone, but did it need to leak into every capillary of the experience? It's as if Gearbox was relying a little too much on the "Dukeness" to cover up any weaknesses. Who care if the game looks dated? It's Duke! Let's have him mess with Halo because he's Duke!

An exercise in frustration. I wish I could score this game on its potential, but I don't know how much time and effort Crazy House is going to put into shaping up this game into what its consumers deserve.

If you want to summarize Far Cry: Vengeance, take Red Steel, polish the controls to a mirror sheen, toss in the Predator mode that is now a trademark of the series, and then pull out some steel wool to scratch up everything else.

Zorro: The Chronicles is a below-average game made worse by a litany of bugs. From an unruly camera to the ease with which you can get stuck in the environment, it tests the player's willingness to stick with it. If you are lucky enough to make it through a play session without any of these issues, you'll find an unrefined combat system that's accompanied by a childish approach that aims younger than the ESRB rating. It has the bones to be a kid-friendly version of the Batman: Arkham series, but the execution is more than lacking, and you'll be hard-pressed to give this a shot unless you know someone who just discovered the series or can find this title on sale.

A Bastard's Tale is the kind of game you want to like. The level of challenge is very high, and those with an extreme amount of patience will get the most out of it. However, the combat is rough and unfair most of the time, and your lack of agility can make defeat sting much more. It is short and cheap, but unless you're a masochist, you're better off giving passing on this one.

There is absolutely no reason to buy, rent or even think twice about this game. It will only continue to break your heart over the course of one repeated, anguish-filled day.

Aliens are here, kidnapping and impregnating women, and it's Duke's job to blow them away. The more intriguing aspect of Duke Nukem Forever is how the character's apparent mythos appears to be the engine of the entire experience. He's worshipped as a living god in the game, with his own burger joint, strip club, museum and stadium. His mission is about rescuing babes and kicking ass, which is well within his strike zone, but did it need to leak into every capillary of the experience? It's as if Gearbox was relying a little too much on the "Dukeness" to cover up any weaknesses. Who care if the game looks dated? It's Duke! Let's have him mess with Halo because he's Duke!

Nordenfelt is a tough game to like. If you're still getting your feet wet in the bullet hell shooter genre or are more of a casual fan, the game does more to frustrate than entertain.

A game with which the player can stay active and engaged, but not one which the player will enjoy with more than the slightest note of glee.

For a franchise that started out by redefining the RTS genre, Empire Earth III has sadly taken a serious turn for the worse, and in this incarnation, you'll find very little of what made the original Empire Earth great.

Ultimately, what damns SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom is its limited quality of use of just about everyone who isn't SpongeBob, combined with its utterly generic gameplay.

Anyone who likes the Neptunia characters would probably rather see them in their own events instead of fawning over a faceless protagonist. If you don't fall into either of those niches, the game doesn't offer anything. It's one simple minigame tied to some lackluster simulation-style gameplay, and it doesn't do anything well enough to carry the title for those who aren't fond of the Neptunia franchise.

After playing for a while, you'll realize that Tetris Evolution may have been better suited as an Xbox Live Arcade game priced somewhere closer to $10. There is no real evolution to be seen; it's the same classic Tetris you've played for years, albeit with a handful of different game modes and a few more graphical options in an attempt to stir up the experience.

While I see the importance of having simple games on the Switch to pass the time on the subway, waiting at the doctor's office, etc., there are many other games that sate this desire. The overwhelming simplicity of Paper Train's design and its lack of follow-through is disappointing, causing the player's experience to grind to a halt out of the gate.

It is a great disappointment that The Golden Compass for the NDS should be so sub-par.

ATV Quad Kings isn't a great title by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time, it does what it sets out to do, and it does it well enough to get by. The racing is basic but fun for an hour or two, when you're not fighting against certain control issues. If you're looking for a realistic racer, or a polished one, for that matter, this isn't the game for you, but if you do have $20 to spend and you're not sure what to get, you could do worse than this.

This title is an unoriginal, yawn-inducing experience, and it's next to impossible to draw out any lasting enjoyment.