Thoroughly mediocre.

An old-school "Myst" adventure tarted up in new clothes. For all the superficial changes to gameplay, anyone who completed the original game ten years ago will encounter a lot of deja vu here.

If you can pick it up second-hand or for a markdown on the retail cost, you certainly won't regret it.

A system hog...There are better choices for flying on the Western front in the Second World War, most notably "Rowan's Battle of Britain," which remains an enjoyable sim two years after its release date.

Its control system is weak, the gameplay mechanics are basic and repetitive and The Rock is woefully underused.

The incredibly stupid AI is also a big problem since it is hard to overlook the mechanical flaws when the gameplay is only moderately engaging.

There's some mindless fun on offer here, but in terms of depth and replay value, Alter Echo simply doesn't cut the mustard.

A fair third-person action beat 'em up, like countless others in the genre, but if you take away all the X-Men trappings you'd be left with something much weaker.

So Wreckless, while being a graphical tour de force, and a superb showcase title for the polygon-pushing potential of the Xbox, is one of those games that's all talk and no trousers.

For fans of micro-management, it's hard to imagine a better game than this immensely deep system of administration, but alas, we got bored very quickly thanks to the overly elaborate profession and skill trees.

Where NBA Live offends most is sadly in its gameplay. A reviewer could literally fill an entire page of notes with criticisms of this nature.

Even those desperate for a fix of "Elite"-style freelancing will end up disappointed and unsatisfied.

It's like a melted snowman -- something that could've been good, but instead turned out to be a goopy pile of mush.

If the controls were tighter and the targeting system sharpened up, Mega Man X7 could have been a killer update. As-is, the game is a lethargic has-been.

There are innumerable superior first-person shooters and a good number of top-quality mission-based combat games - AquaNox 2: Revelation combines elements of both, but it's really not a compelling mixture.

Most egregiously, this game costs $60. That’s about $50 too much. A better choice? Go crank Goldfinger’s “Superman,” fire up your old PlayStation or Dreamcast, dig up a copy of the original game, and relive the glory days the right way.

A rather uninspired tome, which is bogged down by obscure puzzles, slow story development, and even slower and unvaried gameplay.

Looks and plays almost exactly like the new addition to the High Heat series of a year ago.

While it did have its good qualities, the lack of any real replay value makes Hitman one of those games that just isn't quite worth the price tag.

It's a rap-flavored karaoke program with a minor gameplay element and nowhere near enough songs. It's a missed opportunity... and that's whack, yo.

A somewhat competent, but ultimately flawed game that boasts interesting ideas, yet fails to master any of them.

Despite its kiddy appearance and theme, it's far too frustrating and unhelpful to recommend for a youngster. Or anyone that hasn't exhausted the many better options, for that matter.

What's disappointing is that Lord of the Rings is not really that great at getting you into the action.

Severely limp-wristed, Bloody Roar 4 gets smacked senseless by its immediate peers. It's a crying shame, as fans of the product line might even take offense. Little care or concern was invested in the game, and it shows.

While the size of the game and the sheer inventiveness of the many levels are admirable, such problems with core elements of the engine make play unfulfilling.

[It's] like my relationship with broccoli. Playing it was definitely not love at first fight, but after a while, you warm up to it...an in-depth wargaming experience.

It would have been much easier to justify a purchase if Battle for Naboo was released closer to a budget price.

Since the game is rooted so strictly in reality, you'll see no special moves and very few cool combos. What is here is overly difficult to control for how simple it is.

Its control system is weak, the gameplay mechanics are basic and repetitive and The Rock is woefully underused.

The limited AI and by-the-numbers level design completely backfire. And while quick kills form combos that pay off in cash, little is done with the system. Even the multiplayer feels tacked on.

Animal creation, plot, and fast-paced multiplayer and skirmish options all lend a certain amount of charm to the proceedings, although play is much more boring than you'd expect in a game where you can breed an unholy attack force of elephants with scorpion stingers and pincers.

Suffers from a distinct lack of character. Nothing here really draws the player in, and as a result, the whole experience feels more like an exercise than the entertaining diversion a game should be.

The levels don't display anything like the creativity of past Time Crisis games, and although shooting up the place with automatic weapons is fun, it won't keep you coming back for more.

After you see through its repetitive gameplay, gimmicky execution scenes, and tiresome, self-consciously obscene dialogue, there isn't much left. Manhunt's gameplay isn't deep or varied enough to match up to the alternatives on any platform.

If you're a big fan of The Weakest Link and have posters of Anne Robinson on your wall, then I guess it's fair to say you should seek psychiatric help – er, sorry I meant you should definitely consider buying The Weakest Link.

This is the wartime equivalent of a slow year's "Madden" update, with only the most basic changes and additions to justify a purchase. And with only the most bare bone offline multiplayer offering, even a bad edition of "Madden" has more to offer.

Despite all these problems, the response and assistance available from Game Masters is plentiful and a refreshing change for an MMORPG.

Only the diehards will appreciate the detail and complexity, while the rest of us only see the flaws.

Also aggravating is the half-assed presentation. Cutscenes are crap, and voiceovers are all delivered by stand-ins instead of authentic actors. Even Paulie sounds like he's being voiced by someone's roommate.

More of the same from the Crash series, albeit wrapped up in nice new PS2 visuals. If you want innovation, try elsewhere.

Not only is this title sorely lacking for those kinds of innovative features, but it just doesn't compete with even the original "Midtown Madness" for gameplay and graphical variety.

As generic and forgettable as the game's name.

It's just one extended chair wrecking, box-shoving session. And that's a house of pain, to be sure.

Without a more dynamic AI and combat model, each event seems like a pale recreation of the last. Eventually, it's tough to remember why you're still fighting.

Sure, the arcade side of the game remains commendable, but with broken franchise AI, a lack of mouse support, horrifically frustrating interface, and no online play, High Heat 2004 is one of the worst console ports imaginable that regrettably shouldn't have been developed as a console port in the first place.

The PS2 version of Rainbow Six 3 lacks in nearly every department: graphics, gameplay, multiplayer, and weapons selection.

It's even less successful as an adventure game because it's so superficial, small, and indistinct. There are very few memorable characters, although everyone has his or her own name.

As if mocking its own pompous title, Pokemon Battle Revolution is, amazingly, a step back for the historically reviled console Pokemon games - there's plenty of style, but less substance than ever before.

A bad game. Bad deeds deserve punishment, so I vote to have the entire Army Men development team plastifricated for unleashing this "game" onto the world.

Had Freaky Flyers been a bit more focused, it could have easily been a top tier game, but as-is, the game simply spreads itself too thin.

There's something wrong with the game, though, which comes down to two fundamental problems: interface and gameplay. Smart has called it "idiot proof," but the truth is that the game is still way too cryptic.

Because of its shallow combat and poor presentation, the game loses its thrill very quickly for anyone not a devotee of the subject matter.

If gamers aren't put off by the distinctly lack-lustre character visuals, they will be by the dire English voice-overs, stilted and forced from a poorly translated German script.

It's just one extended chair wrecking, box-shoving session. And that's a house of pain, to be sure.

Simple gameplay, but like all good games of this genre, it’s oh-so frustrating at times.

Depressingly average in almost every respect.

The biggest problem with the game, though, is the AI - both the enemy's and your own units.

Good points aside, E:BD is a tired game based on a limited concept that was beaten to death in 1998.

One notable disappointing absence in this game is any of the female wrestlers - come on, THQ, let's not be all macho about this!

The latest release in this hopelessly unrealistic arcade series that just fell yet another notch on the realism scale.

It's one of the few Trek games to nail the scale and speed, it has gorgeously straightforward graphics and a good sense of scope and pace. This, however, is combined with an insulting flight scheme, and the game rewards in-the-know Trek fans with one hand while it sissy-slaps them with the other.

While The Sims: Unleashed offers plenty of new features, game objects and gameplay changes, it doesn't significantly add pleasure to the game, which is a real disappointment.

The moaning and suffering of hit civilians can be quite disturbing in their realism, as are the fire effects and animations. While the graphics fail to evoke the surreal atmosphere that was intended, the sound plays its part superbly.

Lots of different stars, ships, and aliens may be nice, but there is no excuse for unwieldy controls, a horribly high learning curve and pacing that takes a good dozen hours before things get interesting.

It's like a melted snowman -- something that could've been good, but instead turned out to be a goopy pile of mush.

Despite its kiddy appearance and theme, it's far too frustrating and unhelpful to recommend for a youngster. Or anyone that hasn't exhausted the many better options, for that matter.

What makes Tomb Raider: The Prophecy so dreary is the level design.

There's a fine strategy game under here somewhere, but the clumsy interface and staid presentation mean few people will have the patience to find it.

Good fun while you're playing it, but most of the time... you aren't.

The dated technology and lack of features -- most importantly, the unchanging, scripted campaign -- kills the longevity of what might have been a breath of fresh air in the simulation scene.

The bosses are either too easy or too irritating. And most of the great enemies we saw in the recent Xbox release are nowhere to be found, leaving dull soldiers and a scattered few fun baddies.

For all its problems, Vendetta is a laugh and offers some fun moments, although has little or no value once placed against some of the better console FPSs.

Level design is often irritating as well. Poor graphic design makes it hard to tell where you can step and where you can't, so some jump-heavy areas become frustrating exercises in trial and error.

Underneath the innovative touches and solid graphics lies a fundamentally unoriginal RTS with crap AI, boring missions and comedic value on par with Norman Tebbit in a clown costume.

While Aftermath is a brave try, it lacks variety and strategic depth, relying instead on dumb but heavily armed enemies to provide a challenge. It's of passing interest, but ultimately destined to be abandoned in frustration in most cases.

Had Freaky Flyers been a bit more focused, it could have easily been a top tier game, but as-is, the game simply spreads itself too thin.

After you see through its repetitive gameplay, gimmicky execution scenes, and tiresome, self-consciously obscene dialogue, there isn't much left. Manhunt's gameplay isn't deep or varied enough to match up to the alternatives on any platform.

Kings' city-building isn't deep enough for a well-functioning settlement to be its own reward, and the combat is confused and equally shallow.

Its key omission, though, comes in the loss of the original's delightfully open-ended nature. There is no "good" or "bad' way to win a bowling match -- you either win or you lose -- in which case all you need to do is try again.

it's just woefully undercooked in many parts.

Features have been piled upon features in an attempt to enhance gameplay, but this has only succeeded in bulking things up to the point where you risk an aneurysm if you try to figure everything out.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

A competent, but decidedly average racing game.

Thoroughly mediocre.

Ultimately, the only ones likely to enjoy RTX Red Rock are the hardcore sci-fi buffs who can look past the flawed game engine and through to the core story. There is a lot of potential in RTX, sadly most of it is unrealized.

Could have been great, but relies too heavily on the "Jango Fett is cool" idea, and doesn't have the depth of gameplay needed to hold most people's interest.

But take away the shocking aspects and anti-culture roster of fighters and what's left is still just a mediocre fighting game.

If at first you succeed, don't change a thing. That could be the motto of Chris Sawyer's RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, a sequel that is essentially the exact same game as its predecessor.

The formula has merit, but if Square expects to launch a dynasty, it should have escorted the game out the door armed with more than a white belt and Etch-A-Sketch graphics engine.

This kind of thing only works when you’re invested in the characters and plot, and with little emotional payoff, the branching narrative feels more like a fun gimmick than anything else...And despite its impressive vision, “gimmicky” is a pretty accurate description of Quantum Break. I give Remedy credit for having the stones to actually follow through on its promise of combining a TV show and a video game, and perhaps there’s indeed a future here. But in a world crammed to the gills with great shows and great games, an experience that does neither particularly well just isn’t worth your precious time.

About the only thing Fatal Shadows does well is the rooftop sneaking, and that's nowhere near enough to carry the game on its own.

The idea of a pirate RPG with naval combat and basic economic functions is such a good one, but here it's largely obscured by the awkward interface, strange design decisions, and poor attention to detail.

Not that simple-minded action isn't worth some time, but Spawn just feels like it's mired in the past, with simple platforming, basic attack combos and a few collectibles to string you along. After a while, with eyes blurry from too much same-y destruction, Spawn just felt like "Bad Dudes" dragged kicking and screaming into 3D.

A seriously retro-minded and generally uninspired project.

The backdrops and characters are all superbly detailed, with the characters themselves being in real-time 3D, while the backdrops are pre-rendered...A potentially good game spoiled by stupid bugs.

Not that simple-minded action isn't worth some time, but Spawn just feels like it's mired in the past, with simple platforming, basic attack combos and a few collectibles to string you along. After a while, with eyes blurry from too much same-y destruction, Spawn just felt like "Bad Dudes" dragged kicking and screaming into 3D.

The bugs. Yes, Far Gate comes complete with a few choice ones, our favourite being the one that will, without warning or ceremony, drop you to the desktop without even an error message.

Too much micro-management to contend with and an exorbitant amount of time to...are the primary stumbling blocks.