While the courses are fairly long, there are not enough racers to make it eventful or as interesting as it could have been, providing periods where things are just plain dull.

The series' simplified gameplay takes a step backwards with Total Destruction, and the overall experience is decidedly mediocre. But sometimes, after a hard day of work, you just want to knock over a skyscraper.

There are no surprises in Sonic Advance 2... The lower your expectations, the more you'll enjoy this game.

Unfortunately, from the second outing onwards (Chicago), the levels are pretty samey.

None of the other games come close to this one in terms of gee-whiz frills and bonus content. But ASB 2004 doesn't really get the job done on the field.

A mediocre medley.

The game will be exciting right up until you realize that the game itself is controlling how close the games will be, and your skill seems to have no bearing on the outcome in the long run unless you get a lucky shot at the end.

It can be a lot of fun -- but anything that has "Sims" in the title should probably hew a little closer to the franchise.

Even the most polished, glitzy pool game would just be another pool game if it didn't bring some new challenge, so the fact that online play is included here counts as a large counterbalance to its presentation failings.

It's a decent action fighter, but definitely repetitive and has little to increase its short life span. The button-masher crowd should have a good time, but we don't think the heroes in a half-shell deserve too much pizza money out of this one.

Lacks the sort of innovation or fine polish to make something really fresh or engaging, and it suffers some of "Myth II"'s inherent flaws.

It's ultimately disappointing that the best Sony could do with their advanced hardware is a poor man's version of a Game Boy game ["Advance Wars"]. But, hey, at least you can play it online.

There aren't really enough features here to recommend Silent Scope 2 to anyone other than those who are maniacally obsessive about the game ...or those rich I-Link-two-big-TVs-in-the-same-room-owning-people.

Masterfully simple, overwhelmingly addictive.

Even backed by "Metal Gear Solid 2" technology, Cy Girls' long stretch of frustrating puzzles will leave players feeling more blonde than Bond.

It's at its best when you can just wreak havoc and tear apart a room, tossing furniture with abandon and scattering objects wildly. But the amount of tedium you'll have to wade through along the way isn't worth it. Frankly, Elebits is a great idea in search of a better game.

Playing Empire Earth is akin to attending a banquet with courses of food... that keep coming long after you've pushed back from the table and undone your belt.

The simple truth is that Juiced is behind the curve. The racing isn't bad, but the game places emphasis on the wrong reward system.

A solid, rather than remarkable, title with some intriguing spins on the established formula.

This game lacks Batman's attitude, Green Lantern's gadgets, The Flash's quickness, and Superman's strength. It's a mediocre action-RPG through and through.

The novelty of the Hulk scenes wears off eventually if you're not a huge fan of the comic books, and the Banner sections are disappointing. Still, it doesn't anger us as much as some movie tie-in mediocrities.

Too often while playing The Witness, I realized that there were a lot of other things I’d rather be doing than playing The Witness. I respect it; I admire it. I just didn’t enjoy it all that much.

Even if you do have a shiny new PSP to play with, you're better off picking up a copy of the original Ape Escape for the PlayStation. It'll control better, and be less than half the price.

A respectable weekend time-waster. It's got enough going on to fill a late night or two, and not so much that many gamers will pine for it when it's gone.

"Ragingly adequate." It looks, plays and feels like a budget paean to Diablo in most respects.

While this is certainly a playable game, and sometimes even fun and challenging, it crucially fails to immerse players in the world of street art and culture. Instead, it simply appropriates the superficial aspects to make yet another passable action title.

It's worth it, but only if you have the patience to deal with a control interface that could drive you batty.

A one-button action/adventure dress-up simulator.

Requiring only five to seven hours to finish, and having virtually no replay value, only the most dedicated fans should own Batman Begins.

The plot to Etherlords, the new fantasy strategy game from Nival and Fishtank, is such complete and utter cobblers.

The music is the type of lame, new-age drivel that will lull you to sleep, and the graphics aren't more than a line of plain balls that fell off the Bust-A-Move truck...Magnetica is one of the most generic puzzle games to come down the conveyor belt.

A decent game to play if you're obsessed with the adventures of the family Parr, but it could have used a lot more polish and whimsy where it counts.

The snarky gargoyles and twisted art design certainly merit the attention. But even a handful of decent jokes weren't enough to complete the illusion that this is a truly updated release, rather than a ten year old game with a nice coat of varnish.

While the campaign mode doesn't offer as much arcade action and the new strategic additions actually lessen the overall space combat feel, there's still plenty here for Trek fans and non-Trekkies alike.

Challenging and strangely enjoyable.

The new control system hurts more than it helps...While the game is competent, it lacks the depth that made the previous Mario Golf game so enthralling.

Not as good as its predecessor.

We probably shouldn't be too surprised that Russia emphasizes repetitive action over character and style: it's just following lessons learned on the big screen.

A well-crafted game with some incredible graphics, but it gets old very quickly.

What makes the game worth recommending is that the mixture of so-so adventuring with so-so combat makes for a pretty good game that's addictive and more strategic than games that are strictly focused on adventure or fighting.

It's a fun diversion with big, bold graphics, but somewhat repetitive and predictable gameplay.

It isn't so attractive after you sit down to play it. Still, the glitz and intense combat can make you forget that there is no substance here for at least a few hours.

Depending on your hardware, you'll either appreciate the two-year old technology or roll your eyes with disappointment.

With its frustrating, haphazard single-player and a set of multiplayer features outshone by others in its class, this one's only for fans of the movie.

A mediocre FPS combined with a mediocre RTS, where the units don't necessarily do as you tell them. The thinking behind the combination is pretty sound, but it falls victim to the classic problem with this sort of genre-spanning game - you can't take two sub-par games and make one good one.

If you think about this game too much, then playing it can be disheartening, as it takes the feeling that you're completely wasting your time and really drives it home. However, some of the simple little mini-games are oddly addicting.

You've never played anything like this, which may make it worth checking out for many gamers. Just be prepared for fits of frustration and an unnecessary microphone mechanic. Odama may win the battle of innovation, but it also loses the war for being considered a great game.

Comes off lacking; the action is often repetitive and unwieldy, the platforming is iffy due to control quality, and the look and sound of the whole enterprise are on the uninspired side.

This unique and head-bangingly challenging game is really not at all suited for the non-hardcore, and if you don't like games that require your entire mind and body as a sacrifice, you're likely to loathe and fear Ikaruga.

Ultimately falls far short of the revered PC series with its less sophisticated controls and missions and ridiculously short length.

It's still as fun a fighter as the previous iterations of the series have been, but with weak graphics and bland new fighters, there's definitely room for improvement.

Serious simulation enthusiasts, however, are well advised to stay clear of this game, especially if, like me, you spent hundreds of hours in "EF2000" in the mid-nineties.

Big Mutha Truckers 2 isn't horrible, but the game-play is merely average compared to other mission-based arcade racers. And while it tries to be funny with its racy dialogue and stereotypical characters, it fails more often than it succeeds.

More like a short story where you can count the characters and locations on one hand. It's not an ambitious project, but still has a fairly high entertainment value.

War of the Ring's primary flaw is that it fails to really make use of its license. Remove the LOTR backdrop and names, and you could be playing any generic fantasy RTS game. It's missing the dramatic scope of the books.

For every few strides Asphalt: Urban GT takes, it seems to stumble once. In the end, it's serviceable, very good-looking, but by no means an outstanding portable racer.

A case of a game fell at the last fence, dropping from the potential of greatness to being average instead.

A great-looking game, and can be very relaxing to play, but the illogical puzzles and sparse, uninteresting plot leave it feeling rather flat.

It's an uneven mix of the flashy, the goofy, the hectic, and the insipid -- that pretty much sums up the Custom Robo experience.

Crash Purple doesn't come anywhere near the superb mayhem of "WarioWare," while the platform segments are poorly developed and feel like an afterthought.

One of the major gripes about Frantix is the control; not that it's bad, but rather that it's awkward and inappropriate for timed challenges.

The story may be unique, but the overall game design, as represented by the combat model, is one characterized by laziness masked as tradition. It's accepted that survival horror has lame combat, boss battles and fetch quests, so Rule of Rose has all those things, too.

We're still waiting for something that is truly a progression in EVERY way for a genre that has seemingly stagnated over the last two years.

Its short length, bland storyline and by-the-numbers gameplay aren't going to win over the new, more demanding generation of gamers.

Unlike the offline game, The Sims Online lacks the mad energy and pleasant frustration of managing a complex system of happiness, goals and limited time.

None of the other games come close to this one in terms of gee-whiz frills and bonus content. But ASB 2004 doesn't really get the job done on the field.

The only way to avoid relegating this to the ‘I’ve got nothing better to do for the next twenty minutes’ league is to persuade your friends to buy a light gun and bring over their console and a spare TV and act like John Woo for an evening – great fun!

This game lacks Batman's attitude, Green Lantern's gadgets, The Flash's quickness, and Superman's strength. It's a mediocre action-RPG through and through.

Without more variety in the missions, consistency and depth to the characters, and a purpose to the expansive and pretty scenery, there are far better games to pick from this year.

Comes off lacking; the action is often repetitive and unwieldy, the platforming is iffy due to control quality, and the look and sound of the whole enterprise are on the uninspired side.

If you’re a serious strategy aficionado who expects more than to be seduced by lush eye candy, you’ll lament the restricted control system and the over-emphasis on storyline at the expense of intricate gameplay.

Doesn't stray terribly far from the formula, to both its credit and detriment.

A decent chapter in a larger story, but as a standalone game it's simply not that exciting. It's hard to get over the dumbed-down combat and character development systems.

Though it's engaging, fun and novel for the first few hours, there's only so many ways you can come up with to use Abe and Munch's powers.

At the core of any racing game should be the feeling of fast movement, and the Gameube version just doesn't seem to deliver in this regard.

Yakuza also features one of the worst stealth-based sequences in all of video game history.

If you are looking for a solid, turn-based strategy wargaming bundle of titles, there's tremendous value in what is being offered with The War Engine.

Racer Revenge isn't a bad game in terms of action when you're out there mid-gameplay, but it does nothing to add to the fun we had with Episode I Racer.

The story and the graphics certainly make the grade, but a few tweaks are still needed in the gameplay to cement this one as a classic.

Those expecting something completely different, such as the ability to pilot spaceships or man turrets, will need to wait until the next release.

There is a big flaw in this Operation, however, and it's control. Simply put, the simplicity and elegance of "Splinter Cell" is not to be found in the IMF.

Requiring only five to seven hours to finish, and having virtually no replay value, only the most dedicated fans should own Batman Begins.

Ion Storm seems absolutely dead set on making you scream with frustration for the long haul through the opening section of the game.

Many of the tracks and events have simply been lifted from earlier entries, and the controls aren't reliable enough to consistently deliver the elation that characterized the best SSX titles.

A good looking, fun romp, granted. It just lacks the necessary polish to make it anywhere near as fun as the games it clearly takes inspiration from. Not to mention the need for a learning curve that could be a tad smoother.

The fast pace, smarter computer-controlled players, and freestyle control system make it enjoyable at times, although it also makes you think that such things might have been better suited for the next version of "NBA Street" than a game with pretensions to simhood.

This is decent but minimal new content that you'll want mainly because you're sick of the few maps you were given in the original game.

The auto-target feature for the bungun is way too helpful and intrusive. The double-jump looks and feels absolutely wrong. Most of all, the overall game is just a little too unchallenging, a little bit rote, and a little too, well, immature.

It's a shame that a better marriage of the imaginative and compelling mini-games of "Crash" and the interesting platforming segments from Spyro couldn't be found. If you're determined to pick up one of these games, Crash is a slightly better choice.

American role-playing veterans who aren't absolutely dying to do turn-based battles on their shiny new console are advised to wait for a true RPG killer app on 360 -- however long that's going to take.

While being by and large a straight-forward action shooter, it's really aching to be a tactical shooter, and in that vein it's a pity there's not more control over your team members.

The bungled trick feature is really a disappointment, because the action-packed moto-racer hiding in Speed Kings would have been a fine thing on its own.

Approach this sharp blade with caution, because it's likely to turn on you before mastery comes.

Appealing just to player management aficionados and ignoring the excitement at the heart of the game will eventually cost them dear.

Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.

Obviously, the full season is the mode most fans will run for, but the other modes are the icing on the cake that keep you coming back for more after you've won the championship, and their absence here is disappointing.

Not a particularly stellar experience.

It all pales when compared to better PS2 military shooters like "SOCOM II." The series is in need of a real sequel, a graphics upgrade, and a new and more refreshing direction if it wants to remain a contender in the tactical military shooter wars.