Never more than a cheap imitation of something great, thanks to a host of technical problems and an overall lack of polish.

The robot construction is simplistic in the extreme, the arenas are forgettable, and the actual combat is the epitome of boredom.

A few fighting scenes and some great cinema sequences don't do much to jazz up this tired shooter.

You might not enjoy looking back on the repetitive track design and poor graphics, but you won't recoil in shock or anything. It's more likely that you won't be able to remember anything about this game at all.

Extras like a free, waypoint-based track editor add charm. The same thing goes for online car-swapping features. But between a Super Nintendo-era audio-library, limp-wristed vehicular duels, and snooze-inducing stages, it's too little, too late.

If you are looking for a playable, original strategy game then you're best off looking elsewhere. And if you want ants, well, just buy an Ant Farm.

It's one of the better wrestling games available on any platform - except for the one unfortunate flaw that it gets sort of old after only a few hours of gametime.

Hardened "Sims" fans already inhabit a virtual world they would loathe to leave for such a pale imitation, and management aficionados will decry the lack of depth and flexibility within the gameplay.

In the spirit of generosity, we'll offer that there's about 30 minutes of entertainment to be had.

If you're desperate for a Prince of Persia fix then give the free first episode a try and you might, just might, like it a little bit.

The hell of the game is that the environmental puzzle setups look pretty good -- climb the wall, lash onto the nearest outcropping, swing to clamber chainlink fences, etc. It's just a shame the game actively fights your ability to navigate them.

If this version of Need for Speed: Carbon either looked or handled better, it might have been a worthwhile contender. But this lazy port simply doesn't have what it takes to bring the Need for Speed franchise to the Wii.

Scratch below the surface, however, and the game reveals its suspect paint job with the actual degree of variation in gameplay terms proving very limited.

The game mechanics are so badly crippled that it probably doesn't even deserve to be called a strategy game.

Aome awfully big albatrosses around its neck in the way of major bugs, repetitive gameplay and interface nightmares weigh it down.

Really just a chip shot compared to its competitors.

The chief offence is the total lack of any tutorial modes to help flesh out the numerous nuances of the game. Within your first go, the chances of you understanding anything that is happening on-screen are akin to the chances of Mike Tyson giving up boxing to become a ballerina…as disturbing a thought as that may be.

Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza sucks. All that follows is exposition thereon.

The paper-thin kid's game with all the heart-pounding first-person shooter action of a "Diagnosis Murder" episode.

It misses on all counts beyond the purely visual - it's not similar enough to the movie to attract Shrek fans, it's not playable enough to attract platform game aficionados, and it's too difficult for the kids to enjoy once they've stopped laughing at the fart jokes.

The adventure boldly promised by the title is lacking, leaving only a half-hearted tale that's trailing dozens of frustrated players and broken controllers in its wake.

Ballistics is never lacking for a quick, cheap thrill. Unfortunately, the gameplay is actually skin deep, it crashes often, and ultimately doesn't deliver on its eye candy promises.

Single-player won't occupy you for long -- the daft AI and total lack of variety will see to that. Live play will keep you smiling for a little while, but the sad truth is that Act Zero is totally inadequate. Treat it like it's one of the bombs getting flung around the map and run the other way.

The racing in Bandits: Phoenix Rising is not that compelling, and the shooting loses its appeal after the first mission.

The gene-stealing and blood-drinking theme makes for an interesting concept with great gameplay implications. But the bottom line is that as a game, Genesis Rising sucks, both literally and figuratively.

In the spirit of generosity, we'll offer that there's about 30 minutes of entertainment to be had. Any fan of "Grand Theft Auto"'s goofy violence will grin as the shark tears people limb from limb. Hours of doing that and little else for hours, however, will dull the enthusiasm of even the most bloodthirsty gamer.

Like many games of this style, there is some vague, half-guilty pleasure in the mechanical repetitiveness of the game's combat. But ultimately, X-Men is in the time-honored tradition of licensed games -- rushed, derivative, and well worth avoiding.

Although the two-player mode is entertaining, there's not enough variety to keep you going for long, and the quibbles with the camera and the music are the icing on an unsatisfying cake. Avoid.