You're left with a book that can't be read, a game that isn't really played, and a sense of disappointment that can't be waved away by all the wands in Ollivander's shop.

Even for a budget title, Real Heroes: Firefighter is unpolished and sloppy. The experience picks up toward the end, but it's too little too late when you consider the monotonous trudge that leads you there.

Past the novelty of seeing the duo together in another game, Mario & Sonic's latest Olympic outing has little going for it in general. The mini-games suffer from dated controls at a point in the Wii's life where MotionPlus has become the standard, and with so many superior collections out there, this one's just plain hard to recommend.

NBA 07 does nothing to buck the disturbing trend of feature-light, bug-ridden next-gen sports games. If you need an NBA fix, try 2K’s games instead.

So much potential turned into so much dull shooting. Instead of an experience that’s been richly integrated into EVE Online, we’re left with a me-too shooter that’s eager to take and unwilling to give, doing very little to justify its own existence. It may be technically free, but it isn’t worth even a minute of your time.

Playing games should be fun, but you'll find absolutely no joy in Ken's Rage. The mindless battles and atrocious combat are a sad mockery of the source material. If you're foolhardy enough to bite on this, you'll find yourself quite literally able to relate to its furious protagonist.

Sing Party gets by well enough as a minimalistic party experience that's heavy on embarrassment potential and light on actual gameplay, but the inability to switch off the vocals tracks is the biggest detriment to the experience. It's a frustrating design decision that goes against the very spirit of what the game is trying to emulate. Serious karaoke enthusiasts will bristle at having to sing over the original tracks, and casual players will likely be uncomfortable mustering the resolve it takes for party play. What's left is a pretty weak package with limited appeal.

While the various play options and ESPN integration makes for a great front end, the slo-mo gameplay, horrid animation, and awful online execution means that the competition--"NBA 2K7"--is the only game in town for virtual ballers this season.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm's arcade gameplay lacks the challenge and variety needed to make it worth replaying. And rather than trying to advance the genre for a home audience, Namco has opted for a cheap imitation of Western FPS games that feels completely out of place.

THQ's Battle of the Bands doesn't look good, sound good, or feel good.

Some classics should remains where they belong--in our memories.

Another Sonic game, another disappointment. It seems like whenever the hedgehog jumps off the tiny screens of the current handhelds, everything just falls apart for him.

Conceptually speaking, Onechanbara entreats a dangerous dance of kitsch and low-brow entertainment. But poor design philosophy, a general disregard for story, and gameplay that will literally leave you sore land it in a special category of games barely worth the plastic they’re burned on. Sexy just isn’t enough, and contrary to its buxom beauties, Onechanbara is an ugly game from most angles.

While the swift pace and simplified mechanics might seem appealing, the combat is wholly unsatisfying, the environments are shallow and stifling, and the camera is annoying.

Though largely lacking in ingenuity, Watchmen: The End is Nigh proves that if licensed games can’t be good, they can at least look good. The gameplay has a life expectancy of about 45 minutes, and at a pricey $20 for just a few hours of play, it probably should have been released for five bucks and used as a promotional tool for the flick.

There's so little variation in how any given activity is completed that even younger muggles will quickly bore of it. Not even Bellatrix Lestrange would be crazy enough to spend $50 on it.

Genesis thus toys with a promising twist on the real-time strategy formula, but its shortcomings nevertheless manage to repel both audiences it seeks to attract.

The only way Shred won't make you want to tear your hair out is if you play the game on the casual setting, during free ride, and with low expectations.

A poorly-executed horror game with a lot of control and design issues. It’s a rather painful game to play, and fails to provide any real scares. We recommend playing Resident Evil 4 again before spending the time and money on this.

As it stands, these blades still need a lot more sharpening.

Again lacks almost all of the elements that made Cing's previous games stand out amongst fans and critics alike. This dull, plodding experience isn't worth your time or money. Given the lack of meaningful interactive segments, you're better off just reading an actual thriller.

With awkward control schemes, modes that don’t differentiate from one another, and a bleak overall look, it pales in comparison to similar games in the genre.

Like flowers in a trash dump, the fragrance of NeverDead's high points is overpowered by the tons of garbage surrounding them. Even the most worthwhile moments are awkwardly handled, and there's nothing fun or helpful about having your body torn apart over and over again.

It’s good to see a developer at least trying to break the mold on the system, but Dragon Blade is far too archaic and bland to appeal to either side of the Wii equation.

X-Blades doesn’t fail for lack of originality or innovation, because that would imply that it met some meager expectations. X-Blades fails because it’s an ill-conceived lovechild of poor taste and even poorer game design.

Final Fantasy XIV is in no way, shape, or form ready for commercial release. We suppose there is potential down the line for the experience to improve with patches and tweaks, but that doesn't justify why the game is in such shambles at launch.

Knights Contract is far too rough around the edges to be worth its asking price. The needlessly frequent cutscenes interrupt the game's flow, combat against the majority of enemies requires little thought, and you'll be constantly fighting either the camera or the level design. The finishing blow is Gretchen's AI, which makes the boss fights annoying instead of exciting.

Despite all of its flaws, Nitrobike has one thing going for it: if you blowup 15 times during your career you can unlock crash test bowling. It’s not particularly fun and uses some whacked-out physics, but at least it will keep you from playing the main game.