It's exactly what you'd expect in a licensed third-person action/adventure. But that's the problem. We liked the additional characters and multiplayer options, but the gameplay and graphics are uninspired.

Incredibly disappointing. Derivative, buggy, and underwhelming on almost every level, this is a game that is marred by distracting problems that should have been fixed well before release.

Even by side-scrolling basher standards, the gameplay here is weak and uninspired. The lack of complexity in the fighting system, combined with the lack of variation in the action itself leads to a game that, despite being gorgeous, is still a total snooze.

Keep this one on the bench and hope that some off-season workouts can elevate it to starting status.

If you're already a fan of point-and-click adventure, then you'll probably dig it. If not, then get out the tissues and be prepared to be bored to tears.

Consider Spy vs. Spy a third-person parody of the genre that doesn't add much to the equation.

It borrows or attempt to borrow conventions from several popular shoot-'em-'ups, but in the end it's just a confused mess that's not very fun and not very impressive.

Tenchu just hasn't changed a whole lot since its inception six years ago, and that was hardly acceptable when "Wrath of Heaven" originally came out, last year. It's even less so now.

Yet the biggest sticking point is the camera, which has trouble remaining steady in tight spots or in close encounters, making many sequences needlessly frustrating.

Van Helsing really isn’t a good game. Which means, in the context of flick-based titles, it's about average. If you’re tired of the "Devil May Cry" clones, then Van Helsing is definitely not for you.

Larry's longevity will be directly proportionate to the amount of laughs you derive from bodily functions great and small.

A marginally entertaining third-person shooter whose only real asset is a decent level of personality.

This is one of those games that will remind you that, many times, your imagination is the most powerful console.

Replay is a non-factor with no Xbox Live support, and the only way to enjoy it is to get your mates to enlist with you. But in the end, this one’s as much of a mess as the real Vietnam. Aim to avoid it.

The greatest crime depicted in the game isn't Syndrome's machinations, but the speed with which the lame design renders dull action out of such cool characters.

For some, Shellshock may represent the true horrors of war; for us, it simply embodies the terror of a bad game.

A Bond game without Bond just doesn't make sense, especially when the bad-guy gimmick fails miserably.

A decent party game with a great cast of cheesy giant monsters, but it's just not scaly or radioactive enough to command much respect.

In fact, this game serves as a great example of how wonderful the original games would be on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade service, at an even better price.

If you're looking for a game to kill some time with and don't mind if it's a little stupid or embarrassing, Ride or Die is a racer that's easy to pick up and fairly easy to put down.

Even the game's menus and overall presentation offend.

The die-hard giant robot fan may get some mileage out of the multiplayer modes (despite some lag in larger games) but even they will be disappointed by the poor presentation. Rarely has the future of combat seemed to be stuck so far in the past.

For most gamers the only enjoyment you'll get out of the game will be mocking it with your friends.

Avoid this one; it's a hairball that's not worth coughing up the cash to play.

Though you can certainly do worse than Wings of War at its budget price point, the gameplay ultimately has more holes than the Red Baron’s adversaries.

The biggest issue with Purple Haze for Xbox is that the game simply isn't complete. Why the truncated campaign? Why the revamped levels?

The "outlaw" elements in Outlaw Tennis are devoid of entertainment value. They aren't even integrated into the game all that well.

Either way, Jaws Unleashed is best thrown to the sharks. Having your actual torso bitten off by an actual great white might actually be preferable to this.

The game feels like it was made a few years ago, took few risks, and was just now released. Now it feels dated.

Street racing is a scene based on flash and presentation, and Top Gear RPM Tuning simply doesn't have the goods.

The story mode is boring and full of repetition, the controls are overly simplistic.

Even the most hardcore DBZ fans will feel ripped off if they purchase Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, and non-rabid fans will be angry to the point of violence.

An average-looking game with a number of above-average ideas that ultimately fail to elicit the sense of excitement you should have while playing.

Many faults in control, AI, and presentation, all of which should be at a higher level considering this is the fourth game in the squad-based series.

Doomed to be a bargain bin special, Without Warning is strictly middle-of-the-road from top to bottom. There are a few shining moments in the game, but heed our warning and leave this one to rest in peace.

We can't stress how much fun we had with Super Off Road. It truly is one of the more timeless arcade racing games.

Its attempts to stand out are partially successful at best, but solid production values and a lower than average price tag could be agreeable to people predisposed to this type of gameplay.

It's a shame that the one good idea in this streetball title had to be overshadowed by bad execution and a mediocre presentation.

Like the previous games in the series, the gameplay is incredibly repetitive and uncomplicated, and anyone over the age of 11 will quickly tire of the game after only a few levels.

It's definitely preferred to the average character-based kids' games; just don't expect to cast your Tony Hawk or Katamari aside to play it.

If this whole review sounds a little down on what appears to be a competent video poker game, it's because in this reviewer's opinion, World Poker Tour is missing the two key ingredients in any good poker game. Money and intimacy.

The camera is even worse than in the main mode -- odd, when it could've just taken a zoomed-in version of the isometric view that games like Baldur's Gate have used for eons.

Two years later, this doesn't look any better than Cavia's earlier efforts -- its visuals are marred by aliasing that's unforgivable at this stage, and the animation blending is so primitive that you can't even reload while moving -- while its design doesn't try very hard at much of anything.

Next to Silkworm and Ninja Gaiden, these efforts are just warm-up practice for the real thing. Even at a budget price, spend accordingly.

Arena Football may be an engaging sport to watch in real life, with the excitement of packed arenas and the promise of frenzied action on the shortened field, but the developers did a poor job in conveying that sense of atmosphere in the game.

Interestingly, the saddest part of The Bible Game is how it manages to completely ignore the core messages of religion in favor of trite Nouveau Christian catchphrases. It's all content without meaning or context.

A middling action/adventure, The DaVinci Code has some interesting elements and puzzles, but tries too hard to be a jack of all trades. The presentation is mediocre, the combat extraneous and out of place, and the levels uninspired. The puzzles and teamwork elements are the high point, but overall, this is yet another forgettable attempt to cash in on a popular franchise.

Warpath isn't horrible, but it is incredibly uninspired. The design is, on every level, lackluster, as if the developers were so sick of the genre that they didn't even try this time.

But mostly, the game is so lacking in charisma and character that the miles sort of tick away, leaving less impact than a skid mark and the smell of burnt rubber.

Performance gets choppy in certain parts of the city (Istanbul especially). Cars tend to pop into view and there are never more than maybe four or five other cars onscreen at any given time.

Unfortunately, when the best part of a game is the absurdly vulgar audio, there's definitely a problem in the overall design.

The game creators obviously didn't consult Palahniuk. Maybe he would've sat them down, and explained the yet-released ninth rule: Don't make a crap fighting game and call it Fight Club.

The video game equivalent to a straight-to-video B-movie: it can be entertaining in spots, even though you know the whole is painfully lame.

It feels like every single car in the game is driving around on bald tires. No matter what you do, you'll be sliding off the road.

Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending upon how you view these things), quite a few of the game's levels can be beaten simply by running like heck through them and avoiding all conflict.

Even factoring in the many heart-pounding battles with gangs of bloodthirsty zombies, there's no denying that most of the game is spent walking around hallways trying to find a key or some other random object.

No one will mistake the visuals of Resident Evil 3 for anything other than a GameCube port of a Dreamcast port of a PlayStation game. But considering the source material is over three years old, it could've been worse.

Legends of Wrestling has, at heart, a deep and intricate gameplay system, but it's mired in overly complicated controls and a shocking unresponsiveness.

Like so many other licensed games, seems to focus more on the presentation and style of the characters than the actual game itself.

Constant camera-fixing is still a big problem, however. Add to that the uninspired gameplay, and it's just not enough that the game looks good.

Chief among the defects of Rocky is that despite the game's well-conceived interplay of jabs, uppercuts, blocks, power-punches and what have you, it's too easy to cheap-shot your way to victory.

Improvements to the solo adventure and the addition of some basic multiplayer modes elevate the game above its predecessors, but it can't turn the tide of battle in the franchise's favor.

Visually, the game has a rather muddy and faded look -- it just isn't up to snuff. Although car damage can affect driving, none of it shows up in the visuals.

A huge step backwards for the series.

There's no sense of continuity since you have to keep stopping and starting. And where are the puzzles or something other to do besides shooting at hard-to-see robots?

The biggest trouble spot in Jimmy Neutron, though, is the fixed camera, which lets you see each area in the game from only one angle. While a fixed camera does a great deal to prevent the visual confusion that's often a problem in platform games, it means the environments can't be fully viewed.

Lacking in virtually every area. The graphics are terrible, the controls are clunky, and the gameplay is uninspired.

A lackluster follow-up to the exceptional Generations, particularly because the enhancements here are non-existent.

Despite selling for a steal, Space Raiders barely justifies the price of admission. Hard-core audiences will scoff at the game's wasted potential.

What we have here is the most basic and elementary of fighting games. It's nothing to look at, listen to, or play.

An average game that is easy enough for anyone to play, but it lacks the overall depth and variety needed to keep you coming back for more.

A mostly brainless fighter that manages to capture the magic and appeal of the source material.

Light on substance and heavy on style. If you're a One Piece madman who simply has to have everything to do with the series, it's not a horrible game. It's just not exceptional. As a multiplayer party game, it's good for a quick fix every once in a while.

Amazing Island is the sort of game that lies tantalizingly close to the edge of coolness, yet remains firmly on the side of mediocrity.

The game gets points for presentation but falls short when it comes to gameplay.

The greatest crime depicted in the game isn't Syndrome's machinations, but the speed with which the lame design renders dull action out of such cool characters.

Imagine an M-rated RPG set in the Virtua Fighter universe with the real VF combat engine. Until that day comes you'll experience more virtua pain than virtua pleasure with this one.

And urgency is desperately what this game needs, but sadly doesn't have. Boredom is sure to set in during the very first level.

For most gamers the only enjoyment you'll get out of the game will be mocking it with your friends.

The story mode is boring and full of repetition, the controls are overly simplistic, and the lack of online play on the Cube hurts the game even more.

Quaint graphics, recognizable characters, easy gameplay, and many mini-games give Barnyard some staying power with its target audience. For older gamers, the game is entirely standard and boring.

Even the most hardcore DBZ fans will feel ripped off if they purchase Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, and non-rabid fans will be angry to the point of violence.

We can't stress how much fun we had with Super Off Road. It truly is one of the more timeless arcade racing games.

If you can't go anywhere without your Chococat pencil case, go ahead and pick up Roller Rescue. We're sure you'll manage to delude yourself into thinking it's great.

It's definitely preferred to the average character-based kids' games; just don't expect to cast your Tony Hawk or Katamari aside to play it.

A Bond game without Bond just doesn't make sense, especially when the bad-guy gimmick fails miserably.

Even the bosses are cliché. They're all pattern-based, take three hits to defeat, and are unlikely to pose a challenge for anyone but the younger set who will find some of the platform action too hard.

Aside from the premise and dialogue, NeverDead does little else right. The controls feel underdone and glitchy, the graphics are lackluster, and the combat and level design for most of the game are just underwhelming.

Feels like a great game that wasn't finished. It's not that the game's too short; it's that it's too sparse. More enemy types, weapons, and spells could have really fleshed this out into a hack-and-slash classic. As is, it feels like a demo stretched into a full length game -- and a short one at that.

Blades of Time is a mediocre game, with an inventive combat system utilizing time manipulation. Dreadful writing and one of the most annoying protagonists in a dog's age dampen its charms, while the puzzles between combat show a dearth of creativity.

Armored Core V is what people have come to expect of mech-combat games: it's fun, pretty, and provides overall smooth gameplay; however it's nothing groundbreaking and is so impossibly confusing that only hardcore fans will truly enjoy it.

It's technically flawed in some key ways, but the biggest sin that Resistance: Burning Skies commits is its top-to-bottom lack of ambition.

Amy is bad, sloppy, and seems as if it was released in an unfinished state. Make no mistake: It's not good-bad. It doesn't have the loveable cult vibe of a game like Deadly Premonition, a goofy-fun gaming experience with similar last-gen graphics and terrible voice acting. Amy is alternatively throw-your-controller frustrating and deadly dull.

Battleship is little more than a checkmark on a to-do list; a completed contractual obligation. Just a handful of red pegs on a board, signifying a failed effort.

A half-baked, incomplete, predictable, buggy, broken mess of a game that punished players for purchasing it. It pulls together to be one of the most improperly executed titles in recent memory. There's no getting around the fact, 007 Legends is a bad game.

Even if you can look past the uninspired visual presentation, Farscape is a somewhat tedious and boring affair that is likely to compel only die-hard fans of the show to play it to the very end.

What's more troubling is the absurd number of glitches littered throughout the game -- in gameplay, graphics, and sound.

This game has about as much to do with the license as an episode of "Sanford & Son."

MOO3 collapses under the weight of its own ambitious design. We doubt this can be fixed in a patch. Gamers need not apply. Masochists, you're on your own.

The whole game is embarrassingly shoddy. From the glitch that prevents sound from playing during the opening cutscene, to the finger-cramping control scheme, Conflict Zone fails to ever become fun.

If ever a game deserved the term "played out," it would be this one.

Lockups were frequent enough to be annoying, and since the game only saves at certain checkpoints in a level, you'll probably be replaying more of this game than you'll ever want to.

With its kickin' mid-'90s visuals, unintelligible voice samples, and total lack of coherence, Mobile Light Force 2 is the videogame equivalent of a cheesy, late-night kung fu flick.

The single-player mode is a painful and sometimes laughable experience. Multiplayer fares much better, provided you can find people to play with online, but there are much better titles out there to choose from.

Fails on its own with boring level design and sloppy, unsatisfying gameplay. The vulgarity of the setting just makes it worse.

It's hard to imagine that Corvette, though it's priced to compete with a case of Bud, will be able to satisfy. There are much more competitive racers that also feature the fabled 'vette, along with decent physics, AI, and play modes.

It's rare to find a game this poorly conceived and executed from top to bottom.

It doesn't help matters when Purge looks as bad as it does. It's an ugly little game. The maps are genuinely uninteresting, with far too many forced corridors designed to help you set up choke points.

Strictly for Barbie collectors or fans of the show who have no understanding of what makes a good videogame, American Idol is a cheap rip-off of other, much better games, and an overall unimpressive attempt to cash in on a popular TV phenomenon.

This benchwarmer fails to meet the minimum requirements for a modern sports game and will continue to ride the pine until next year.

Introduces far more gameplay problems than solutions.

It looks appalling, contains some absolutely egregious gameplay, and subjects the player to some downright execrable dialogue. Whatever it is, Bad Boys is nowhere near good.

Unfortunately, while hitting porn stars with weed whackers to the finely articulate tunes of the Insane Clown Posse might sound like a dream come true to some, the junior high-level execution of this game just brings down any possibility of a truly good wrestling title.

The gameplay isn’t remotely interesting or entertaining and neither is the subject matter. It’s crass and juvenile, but not in a good way. There’s no way to rehabilitate this piece of garbage.

Infuriating and boring.

A poorly conceived, poorly executed mess. It’s an insult to the intelligence of gamers everywhere, and that’s no mean feat.

From the typo-riddled tutorial to the mind-numbing elevator music, there’s nothing good about this game.

Shining Tears is an applicable title for this game, because anyone who spends their time and money on it will break down in tears... Avoid it like a proposition from a girl walking out of the VD clinic.

Lousy graphics, terrible gameplay, and no other redeeming values make Dragon Booster one of the worst DS games on the market. Trust us, don’t buy it, and if you see someone else trying to buy it, fling yourself at them.

One of those games that wastes the best material on cutscenes.

Finally, there’s multiplayer. It doesn’t work. There’s a multiplayer button on the main menu, but it just takes you to the Speedco Web site. That’s ok guys. The game sucks and I doubt shooting varmints along side critterlover678 will make it any better.

By far the worst part of Smart Bomb is the loading screen.

At the end of the day, what you’ll find in the box is a bunch of nice extras that are packaged with a horrible batch of code that barely qualifies as a game.

Bad Day L.A. aims for the biting wit of the "Dave Chapelle Show" but ends up more akin to the jackassery of "Mind of Mencia." Just sort of sad and unfunny.

It's over-ambitious, poorly implemented control setup puts it squarely in the rank of games that tried too hard to utilize the hardware rather than offer a fun, interesting experience.

The experience is a little like being served greasy fast food from an employee that really hates his job. Not only is the product prepared to the lowest possible standard, the bun is mashed, the ketchup and mustard are in one big glob off to the side, and the meat is soggy.

The basic mechanic of the game, building bigger and bigger stuff, is the same as it is in just about all the other Tycoon games; it just happens that in this case you’re building things that are very disinteresting.

Yes, lucky shots are really the only way you will kill or be killed in Renegade Paintball.

They made the world, but forgot to put a game in it. There's so little friction here that a sharp gamer can easily blow through the game in four or five hours.

This is the most low-rent sports game this side of "NRA Varmint Hunter."

It’s not involving enough to be a simulator, nor enough fun to be worth your time.

The great selection of poker styles is ruined by limited play options, a horrible presentation and crappy player A.I. Save yourself some cash and just buy a deck of cards instead.

The game isn’t completely without merit, just seriously lacking in fun.

It’s difficult in a mean, nasty way. I’m sure there are some people out there who are up for a challenge like this. Those people are idiots who have no life. If you really like to be punished this much, I recommend checking out your local S&M bar. You’ll likely find the developers of this game there holding a whip with your name on it.

This one is too vacant, tries too hard to be cool, and fails to be compelling in either single- or multiplayer.

The game sucks. The ESRB sucks. And if you buy this game, you’ll suck too.

Crossfire wouldn’t pass muster as a PS2 game, let alone a PS3 launch title. Onlookers will probably mistake it for a PS2 game at first glance. It’s not like we expected a Gundam game to set the world on fire, but even for a Gundam title, Crossfire is a special kind of bad.

The fielding controls are slow and unresponsive, the baserunning interface is a mess, you can’t check your swing, and—for a nice dose of creepy—the wispy-voiced but obviously adult announcer casually mentions that he’s got to run because his mom is coming to pick him up.

Sneak King is the gaming equivalent of the Whopper – tasty at first, though nothing special, and it makes you feel kind of ill by the end.

If you’re not a fan of the original, or indeed, haven’t played the original, you’ll be completely lost. And even if you are into this series, any complaints you had about the last game have not been addressed in this sequel.

An ill-conceived mess. The board game is lifeless. The mini-games barely qualify as games. This is easily one of the worst titles for the Nintendo Wii.

It moves really slowly through some of the most boring levels in the history of the genre, and constantly drops new enemies into the scene completely out of nowhere. It’s just not fun at all.

The game tells its story horribly, your character is both improbable and without any personality, the AI is terrible, the gameplay lackluster, and graphics middling. Even as a budget title, which Turning Point is certainly doomed to become, the game is hardly worth the bother.

The game tells its story horribly, your character is both improbable and without any personality, the AI is terrible, the gameplay lackluster, and graphics middling. Even as a budget title, which Turning Point is certainly doomed to become, the game is hardly worth the bother.

The game tells its story horribly, your character is both improbable and without any personality, the AI is terrible, the gameplay lackluster, and graphics middling. Even as a budget title, which Turning Point is certainly doomed to become, the game is hardly worth the bother.

I think Boogie is a horrible game. It’s so bad; I’m nearly offended that I even had to play it. Sure it’s aimed squarely at the casual market, but casual gamers aren’t necessarily stupid gamers.

Play the first level of Cake Mania and you've played them all.

The game fails on every level. The controls are a mess, the camera is terrible, and the presentation is offensively bad.

Basically, Drift 2 feels like a repackaging of the original Drift, with almost nothing done to improve on the myriad problems of the prequel.

Incredibly repetitive.

A simple, unpolished action game. The music is comprised of simple, repetitive loops that are just begging for the mute button, the voice acting is absolutely atrocious, the plot of each campaign is held tenuously together by the slimmest of threads, and the most important part of a game, the gameplay, is shallow and unsatisfying.

The controls aren't nuanced enough to please hardcore fighting or boxing fans. The frenetic pace and cheap shots will clearly alienate the more casual gamer. If your sole reason for getting this game is to enjoy multiplayer with your friends, it might be worth a look. Otherwise, stay away from this stinker.

The controls aren't nuanced enough to please hardcore fighting or boxing fans. The frenetic pace and cheap shots will clearly alienate the more casual gamer. If your sole reason for getting this game is to enjoy multiplayer with your friends, it might be worth a look. Otherwise, stay away from this stinker.

We can only recommend this to people who are interested in quitting videogames completely.

If you’re yearning to do something other than dress your cat as Baby for the tenth time, then I highly recommend checking out your local internet provider for a slew of better flash games that won’t cost you a dime. Dirty Dancing – The Videogame is a cheap attempt to cash in on a twenty year-old movie.

Practically unplayable and should be avoided at all costs.

Practically unplayable and should be avoided at all costs.

The soundtrack is the only thing in Castlevania Judgment that does proper homage to the series.

Titillation just for its own sake seldom works in gaming, but here, it’s been taken to new low. This virtual bikini romp suffers from poor graphics, primitive level design, and controls that will make the player feel like an idiot (or worse). If you really need to see Japanese girls in cosplay outfits to feel manly, just buy some tissue and browse the internet.

Nothing short of a total disaster.

Woefully inadequate. Cleavers and cleavage, sadly, aren't enough.

Even at a scant five hours, it's hard to believe that playing this game will be a worthwhile experience for any gamers, no matter how fond they are of the series.

No matter which monster you pick, you're in for a set of eight disappointingly quick battles.

It's fun to set up teams and track standings, but the soccer is lackluster.

An aggravating save system makes the game almost completely unsuitable for taking on the go, and popping Surma in your Game Boy only amplifies the game's audiovisual ugliness.

A short diversion at best -- not something you should spend your hard-earned cash on.

Simply an awful game and isn't deserving of your time or money.

In general the mini games aren't entertaining or educational. Most of them involve a lot of running around and pressing a button. They're very short and basic but they all seem kind of pointless.

Perhaps the most disappointing martial arts adaptation to hit consoles since "The Karate Kid" on the 8-bit NES.

Not funny, despite its pathetic attempt at being so. The jokes are racist for the sake of being racist, confuse fecal references with wit, and are just generally asinine.

A terrible game... It may not be the worst game of the year, but it is the most disappointing.

If you like boring, repetitive, badly done combat, then run, don't walk, to the store and pick this bomb up.

Awful plot, abysmal gameplay, crappy graphics, and spartan sound bytes: these features do not a winner make.

Evil incantations have adversely affected the game's characters and the game engine itself. Simply put, Nightcaster II has problems.

A steaming pile of unplayable cel shading.

All of these clichéd mission objectives wouldn't be so bad if the play mechanics were compelling. Instead, you just bolt around trying to shoot at enemies with weapons that are entirely too lame.

Unfortunately, while hitting porn stars with weed whackers to the finely articulate tunes of the Insane Clown Posse might sound like a dream come true to some, the junior high-level execution of this game just brings down any possibility of a truly good wrestling title.

Do yourself a favor. Take that money and go buy an old Sega Genesis and a copy of Streets of Rage. You'll spend less money, and have a much better time. Honest.

This is some of the weakest, button-mashy gameplay you'll ever experience.

At least we now have a low bar for Grand Theft Auto clones.

What possessed Sega to go in this direction is beyond us. Maybe maintain the edgy appeal that Sonic never had in the first place. In doing so, they betrayed the very thing that makes Sonic well...Sonic.

At the end of the day, what you'll find in the box is a bunch of nice extras that are packaged with a horrible batch of code that barely qualifies as a game.

Yes, lucky shots are really the only way you will kill or be killed in Renegade Paintball.

This is the most low-rent sports game this side of "NRA Varmint Hunter."

It looks appalling, contains some absolutely egregious gameplay, and subjects the player to some downright execrable dialogue. Whatever it is, Bad Boys is nowhere near good.

A disaster. It's a mile-long train wreck in Gotham City's dirtiest and most rat-infested train yard.

In the end, it's almost physically painful to try to wade through this game, especially if you've already played it in its previous incarnations.

We could go on to describe the pointless level design, sloppy controls, and graphical glitches galore, but how much more convincing do you need? Don't buy it!

A series of frustrating elements add up to an overall inferior experience.

The sloppiness of the gameplay is matched by the bland, glitchy graphics. Environments are simplistically rendered, with muddy colors and blurry textures.

It looks appalling, contains some absolutely egregious gameplay, and subjects the player to some downright execrable dialogue. Whatever it is, Bad Boys is nowhere near good.

A hollow, stripped-down experience.

As far as we can tell, Mamodo Battles was made for stupid, uncoordinated kids with poor taste in gaming and a big love of all things Zatch Bell!

This is some of the weakest, button-mashy gameplay you'll ever experience.

The fielding controls are slow and unresponsive, the baserunning interface is a mess, you can't check your swing, and-for a nice dose of creepy-the wispy-voiced but obviously adult announcer casually mentions that he's got to run because his mom is coming to pick him up.

Aiming to be the first Kinect game for the hardcore audience, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor fails miserably at the most fundamental necessity: motion controls that actually work. The story lacks any substance and can't make up for this horrid attempt at creating a follow-up to one of the most-revered mech-shooter series to date.

Its sins are so atrocious that Activision really ought to address whatever it was that happened here publicly. This is a broken game, and perhaps a half-finished game. It isn't worth your money or your time, and it effectively kills the PS Vita's chances of ending its launch year with at least one quality portable FPS in the books.