A game which is wholly unsatisfying and verging on unplayable.

When taken in isolation, Black Thorn is a competent, if somewhat uninspiring, add-on. When taken in context, it's overpriced, old-fashioned, and has been released with exquisitely bad timing.

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.

It's a by-the-numbers zombie romp that fails to improve on its less than illustrious predecessor, "The Devil Inside"...disappointing.

Superior graphics...but its poor interface, repetitious campaign modes and unchallenging AI has relegated it to just another also-ran.

Our expectations have been comprehensively destroyed by what is a truly mediocre title. Save the world from a race of parasitic aliens? We'd rather have a nice cup of tea, thanks all the same.

A game about nothing...a dungeon crawl so formulaic as to be forgettable.

Gameplay here packs about as much depth as a thimble, with an offensive mode that rewards you for playing a limited style of game that features nothing but long passes.

It has too many defects and omissions.

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.

It's not so much inspired by Hitchcock, it's more like it imitates him, and imitates rather badly.

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.

The lack of competitive or cooperative multiplayer modes, decent AI, and sense of fair play will keep you away like everyone kept away from Ice-man in the movie.

The game fails on the fact that it's faaar too simple.

Even the parodic nature that was attempted here falls flat after a couple plays, leaving you with a husk of a game that could have been great.

It’s dull, looks bad, gets boring very quickly and is thoroughly overshadowed by its competition.

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

Really just a chip shot compared to its competitors.

Sheep's target audience is the casual gamer who's going to fall for the cutesy box art and admittedly well-done intro FMV. But, unfortunately, they're probably going to come away disappointed and frustrated as well.

The most glaring problem is that all the tracks are inside the confines of generic stadiums instead of the open road.

While the developers have done a good job of crafting a simplistic strategy game, it lacks the depth that most players require today.

It's a shame that the whole thing seems so rushed and inexpertly executed.

Ultima may have been King of the RPGs once, but it has been standing still for too long in a world that moves at a million miles an hour.

Gameplay in The Elly Kedward Tale feels even more linear than either of the first two volumes (is that even remotely possible?).

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

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

Too dull and repetitive for the hardcore gamer, and yet too hard and unrewarding for young children.

A mediocre sequel.

A dull game. Even if you've always wanted to know what managing a casino might be like, Casino Tycoon will likely fail to keep you occupied for more than a couple of days, even counting the game's challenge mode.

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.

Control is also woefully imprecise, to the point where combos can seem time-delayed a second or more.

You can be quietly gnashing your teeth for almost a minute on occasion for all the loading to be completed.

It's hard to comment on what type of game Age of Sails 2 is, simply because most of it doesn't appear to function.

They've apparently tried to recapture the magic of "StarCraft," but in this case the spell has fizzled.

Unfortunately, we didn't quite get the sensation of frantic frustration and glory we usually do with pinball games.

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

Not to say it's a bad game, but each of the elements - RTS and Action/RPG - are only shadows of the best of breed in their genre.

With the bugs fixed and the gameplay tweaked and polished, Superpower could be pretty decent. At the moment, it's disappointing.

A real disappointment.

The real fun should have been doing bad things to other people while rising to power.

Its saving grace might have been the potential it had to provide a more jovial spirit in the "Redneck Rampage" theme, but this is never really accomplished.

The idea is good; a sort of modern weapons-based update to the old-school brawler genre, but the implementation is poor, riddled with camera and control issues, resulting in a less than enjoyable game.

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

Its Star Wars atmosphere is minimal, and its advancement is riddled with repetitive, boring, time-consuming experience-grind busywork... As it stands, Galaxies is little more than a buggy, incomplete time sink.

Looks like a tremendous mistake.

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

Yet another addition to the long line of awful tennis games for the PC.

A game painstakingly styled, but so lacking in depth it's almost embarrassing.

When these sorts of loaded odds are all you get in lieu of a competitive computer player, the whole thing feels like you're being cheated rather than challenged.

You know you're in for a hair-raising experience as soon as the race starts. Unfortunately, the hair that's rising will be on the back of your neck as you realize just how horrid the controls are.

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

It's all dull and straightforward, except for the moments where the designers pad things out with annoying quests that make you backtrack in order to open a blocked door. All of these "puzzles" have obvious solutions, too, so that you're really just putting in time and walking around a lot.

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.

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.

It's only January, but we already have an early favorite for 2006's Worst Game of the Year award. In terms of graphics, gameplay, sound, and most other categories, 25 to Life is so low on the totem it's underground.

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

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.

It's another throwaway shooter with bad AI, forgettable single player levels, and glib unremarkable multiplayer options. Here lies Rainbow Six. Rest in peace, while we go reinstall "Raven Shield."

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

The overall effect is of the track moving around and past your horizontally-locked vehicle, much like that seen in archaic arcade games like "Pole Position."

Ultimately, Divided Ground is brought down by broken campaigns, a wealth of bugs, poor play balancing, lackluster AI and lack of a decent, printed manual.

More of a tech demo than a solid game. The engine is pretty and the characters look great, but it's sorely lacking in the gameplay department.

It's a schizophrenic game that tests poorly as both a brawler and a fighter. 80 percent of the game is too easy, and the balance is cheap and simply not fun.

Despite its relative good looks, Dead to Rights: Reckoning is more an exercise in frustration than an enjoyable diversion. Not even the four player WiFi deathmatch mode is enough to save this one from the bowels of the budget bargain bin.

Quite simply, Ys isn't good enough to make it worth the pain in the butt of the constant loading. It's designed to play fast and easy, but on the PSP, it's a staccato exercise in waiting before you're allowed to do a few very simple things.

Why not make a game starring Sonic and only Sonic, where he's running around on his own two legs, without any weapons besides his own body, in an action/platformer? Crazy? Yes, but it just might work.

And while the game generally looks and sounds just fine, you'll come away thinking about the interminably dull dialogue passages and unconvincing characters.

Street Supremacy may be pretty cool for its strategic twist, but when actually getting behind the wheel is so ponderous and unengaging, then for all you care, those other gangs can just have Tokyo.

A game with no surprises and a superficial combat model, but giant robot fetishists and long-time series fans at least have one less reason to complain.

It's probably too much to ask that a single game capture all the nuances of a huge event like the Winter Olympics. But there isn't even the fun and spirit of gameplay that imbued the original "Track and Field," and that was on the Atari-bloody-2600! When a modern game is getting lapped by an 8-bit wonder, something is really rotten in... well, Torino isn't in Denmark, but you get the point

Only the Sabotage online mode, where teams attempt to interrogate rivals for parts of a six-number code, stands out as unique. One mode won't win the war, much less our gaming money for the month.

Only the Sabotage online mode, where teams attempt to interrogate rivals for parts of a six-number code, stands out as unique. One mode won't win the war, much less our gaming money for the month.

While the symbol-drawing controls and cunning elemental system are deep and enjoyable, the rest of the game drags it down to a level of tedium from which even the competent multiplayer can't rescue it.

A passing diversion, totally bereft of the addictive zeal of the original. In this case that's a step forward, if only a very tiny one.

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.

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.

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.

Multiplayer is better, but it'd be the scurvy dog indeed that talked his friends into buying this cash-in.

The swordfights, which seem to promise the ability to jump around and swing your Wiimote like a living room ninja, are a profound disappointment.

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.

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.

Even if you're absolutely infatuated with the Cars premise, this is no way to show the love.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Only the most blinkered Mobile Suit fetishist could love this clunky battle sim, which trades speed, finesse, and depth for...well, nothing, really.

Typically, poor graphic performance is just a sideline to how a game performs, but here the lousy shadows and contrasty scenes detract from the action just as much as the dreadful AI and thin premise. As a result, Bullet Witch should be completely avoided.

Team Ninja has headed in exactly the wrong direction: more throwaway minigames, the same frustrating friends system, less focus on the volleyball. Instead, it winds up seeming just as superficial as the bosoms of its stars.

Vampire Rain fails at almost everything it tries. Despite the undeniably appealing setting, there's nothing here that justifies even a reserved recommendation. Depressing, derivative, and controller-throwingly frustrating, here's one occasion when you should let the rain stop you from playing.

Despite what high-school productions of Macbeth may illustrate, swordfighting is actually pretty hard work. So is making a good movie-based video game. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for Wii fails at both of these tasks, and leaves you with a metaphorical pain in the neck and an all-too-real pain in the shoulder.

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.

The most frustrating aspect of the game is the annoyance of not being able to save it until the end of each level.

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.

A slapdash and deeply disappointing GBA makeover that will do nothing to win over new Mortal Kombat fans and will enrage hardened aficionados hoping for handheld heaven.

And even if the training mode was more fun and well thought out, it still all boils down to how good the main game is...and frankly, the main game isn't very good anyway.

Dreary when it should be light and enjoyable, Monster Force is the videogame equivalent of last year's Time magazines in a doctor's waiting room.

This type of game and this type of game system go together like oil and water.