Global Star

Do videogames based on movies really need to hit shelves the day their films open? "Of course!" answer marketing teams everywhere. What better time for games like Van Helsing or Fantastic 4 to shake their moneymakers than when their companion films are still big news, burning brightly in people's minds? While this practice makes good money for game companies, it doesn't make good games. High Voltage's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn't meant for old fogeys like me; it's designed for children, which makes its technical flaws all the more disgusting.

Game Description: Explore deep inside the factory and play the story as Charlie Bucket. Find a Golden Ticket and, along with four other children, win a personal tour of Willy Wonka's factory guided by the notorious and reclusive candy maker himself. Explore the many extraordinary environments of the factory, including some from the book that do not appear in the film. Discover what happens after the other children, greed-driven and unrestrained, wreak havoc through the factory. Then save the chocolate factory from their destruction by solving mystifying puzzles and using inventive candy powers. By helping the Oompa-Loompas and restoring order to the factory, Charlie can earn the respect of Willy Wonka and win an unexpected prize!

The tone and poise of its plain and sincere story are far enough removed from typical videogame fare to warrant valuing it among the few point 'n click adventures that have made it onto the current generation of consoles.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language

Carve is one of the innumerable water racing games that strives to cash in on the immense popularity of Nintendo's Wave Race from way back 1996.

Game Description: Perform tricks as you outrace your opponent in Carve, a watercraft racing game featuring a variety of vehicles and courses, unlockable extras, and online play. You are about to embark on the ride of a lifetime. You and your teammate will span the globe and battle other hardened teams that are just as determined as you are to capture the top rank position in the sport of extreme watercraft racing. Prepare yourself for the ultimate watercraft racing experience.

Judging by the half-assed box cover art, budget price, and banal title ("Next Encounter?" That's honestly the best they could come up with?), Serious Sam: Next Encounter is clearly a game that no one, not even publisher Global Star Software, wanted.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language, Violence