Universe at War does what they said couldn't be done, and it makes a large-scale real-time strategy game -- of the sort thought to be exclusively a PC domain -- fun to play from the couch.

It's not nearly as robust at what you'd expect from a current-gen racing title, but, at 15 dollars, Hydro Thunder Hurricane's blast of late-arcade-era nostalgia is a perfect match for Xbox Live Arcade.

While it's certainly not a perfect game, NCAA Football 11 is a great template for EA's future football offerings to build upon.

Yakuza 4 provides a deep, unique story that you won't often hear told as well a style of gameplay you don't often get to experience. Do yourself a favor and try something different.

While the game manages to capture a surprising amount of content and features from the console/arcade versions, it's still hamstrung by control methods that aren't entirely up to the task.

Though sure to keep children entertained and engaged for hours, this charming adventure will bring plenty of smiles to their parents as well.

Shiren does a great job of straddling the divide between accessibility and challenge, presenting a roguelike experience that may well appeal to any RPG fan. Or at least, any RPG fan willing to give it a chance.

The game is uniquely engaging, and it's not even remotely similar to its predecessors...or any other games, really. The elegant pairing of a psychedelic aesthetic and smart, addictive platforming mechanics is a rare find indeed.

It really seems like the biggest mistake is calling it "DA2," as it's just different enough from Dragon Age: Origins to not feel like a sequel, but more like a reboot. The different main character, the faster and more streamlined combat, and the overall structure makes it feel like a fine Dragon Age adventure, but not a direct follow-up to DAO.

Ultimately, The Forgotten Sands feels like an HD remake of the original Sands of Time; and having played both, I can safely say that Ubisoft's latest installment in the franchise definitely benefits from seven years of gaming evolution. But, in the same sense, there's very little new going on here.

The only thing in Mines of Moria that wholly disappoints is the new "supreme master" tier of item crafting.

It really seems like the biggest mistake is calling it "DA2," as it's just different enough from Dragon Age: Origins to not feel like a sequel, but more like a reboot. The different main character, the faster and more streamlined combat, and the overall structure makes it feel like a fine Dragon Age adventure, but not a direct follow-up to DAO.

TVC, while a fun game, isn't the best in the Versus series. It's definitely better than Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter, but it trails behind Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

It is Shift's ability to bring the roar of the race to life, that manages to drown out much of its flaws.

While the story's stock sci-fi-RPG material and the combat system could use a bit more polish, Spectrobes is a great choice for those looking for a little no-commitment, light RPG action, or for bored Pokéfans still waiting for Platinum.

What's here is basically the best of both worlds -- an easy to pick up, yet deep fighting engine mixed with a substantial career mode and online features.

Even with the issues, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade's a must-play for fans of arcade sports, and I want to commend the makers for mercifully extracting the pointless bloat of pre-game intros and a circling zamboni between periods.

But beyond the 40-50 hour main story, Platinum offers plenty to keep the game going long after you've collected all the badges.

SingStar isn't a revolutionary game -- you're still just performing karaoke on your PlayStation. But uploading silly videos and watching other people's creations really adds a new dimension; it gives you what every karaoke star wants the most: an audience.

While it's certainly not a perfect game, NCAA Football 11 is a great template for EA's future football offerings to build upon.

Bleach: Dark Souls will surely appeal to both fighter fans and anime devotees. The learning curve's gradual enough for casual players, while the varied, complex game mechanics will definitely please seasoned fighting-game vets.

Despite the minor flaws, I loved most every minute of Wolf of the Battlefield. This is a great game to pop in when you're sitting around with only a few minutes to spare, or when a couple of friends are looking for a quick way to kill some time.

You'll enjoy this clever platformer, but only in short spurts.

Assuming you know what you're getting into -- namely, a meaty and occasionally tough action platformer in the 16-bit vein -- there's a lot to love about Monster Tale. It's brimming with detail; the monster evolution mechanics offer plenty of customization and variety; and all in all it's a wonderful homage to the classic games that clearly inspired it.

The graphics aren't sharp, HD models, but Mario Power Tennis looked good when it first came out, and it still looks good today. It's not perfect, and more carefully retooled port would have been preferable, but Mario Power Tennis provides what's important: fun.

The space theme could've been carried further, and the weapons need way more originality, but that doesn't stop A Space Oddity from being one of the most refreshing Worms in quite some time.

Super Mario 3D Land's playful reverence for (and references to) the 8-bit days reminds us that Super Mario Bros. 3 truly was an amazing game, but it does so at the expense of its own identity. I have a hard time imagining that, 20 years from now, Nintendo's designers will be looking back at 3D Land as a template for a new game the way 3D Land builds on Mario 3's iconography. Ultimately, that's the difference between a good Mario game and a great one.

This isn't the deepest flying game you'll ever play, but it's certainly among the most fun and accessible.

You'll have a bit more choice in the direction that story takes, thanks to some branching paths in the castle. It's a nice change of pace from the first Infinity Blade, though if you stuck with the original long enough to receive the massive content update Chair delivered for that game, you'll have seen the beginnings of those branching paths already.

The mechanics may not seem as new, and you're always several steps ahead of the story, but the eccentric cast of characters in Ace Attorney is always fun to meet again.

And even though the game's overall single-player campaign wasn't as memorable or as consistent of an experience as I was expecting it to be, the game's robust multiplayer modes more than make up for those disappointments. It's definitely one of the better multiplayer games available on PlayStation 3 and easily one of the best-looking games available to console gamers today.

Given the white-knuckle speed and immediacy of Ys Seven's action, it's strange to think the game requires so much patience.

Historia may not have the panache or cachet of this season's other RPG releases, but behind its humble surface is an engaging role-playing game that deserves a chance.

As a portable gaming enthusiast, I love being able to play a game of this quality on the go. I just wish as much attention had been paid to the nuts-and-bolts of the game as was lavished on appearances.

These two games are badass. Those of you who remember them fondly from your Osh Kosh days will be swept up in a wave of nostalgia right at the title screen, and everybody else will be hooked from level one.

The single-player can certainly be a drag with its difficulty and somewhat mundane (and cheap) competition. But in multiplayer, you're constantly being rewarded in one way or another, whether it be through making progress towards a challenge, gaining fans, successfully risking a wreck to win a race, or winning a race by a hair.

The game is a grand adventure through a fantastical version of feudal Japan, and exploring the mythos and art of this other world should be more than enough reason to give it a try.

My Life as a King's depth is surprising for a downloadable title, and it suggests that this could have been slapped on a DVD and sold at retail price. But such as it is, downloadable is the way to go, and based on the evidence here, the Crystal Chronicles series has a bright future ahead of it.

Everything from the bickering banter between Starscream and Megatron, the cold calculated communiques from Soundwave, or the heavy-handed speeches from Optimus to rally his Autobots, it's all here. War for Cybertron is an entertaining game that's just as enjoyable as it is playable.

The main problem is that it doesn't feel like it was poorly designed, but that simple things were simply forgotten. But really, those things don't make the story any less entertaining, the rock god theme less enjoyable, nor the characters' well-animated faces less expressive. And with long practice and good friends, the multiplayer can be incredibly rewarding.

Guardian Heroes isn't a long ride, but it's one worth taking. If you owned a Sega Saturn, this will bring back memories. If you're a newcomer, now you'll know what we saw in the system back in 1996.

Most soccer nuts awaiting this summer's Euro-only tourney in Switzerland and Austria will buy this one anyway, but for those on the fence, I recommend giving this one a shot. Particularly at the slightly reduced $49.99 price tag.

New for some and familiar for others, 1943 will once again keep players up well into the night for just one more round. Before long, the greenhorns will be wily vets, experts on the ins and outs of all three maps, and eager for more.

Regardless of how insane it sounds, it's not the making and sharing of your own levels that makes Little Big Planet special this time. You still get an excellent platformer with an unmistakable style, but the nearly-identical look and feel makes this PSP edition feel like an expansion pack.

Football fundamentals matter now. Successful plays come from knowing the situation, calling the right play, making a good pre-snap read, and then executing -- the same criteria that determines the outcome in a real game.

It's definitely a game for RPG fanatics who go in more for the challenge than the plotline, and no doubt casual players who pick it up for the oh-so-cute cover art will be rather surprised by how brutally it savages their dignity (although a generous learning curve should help ease them into their suffering). Still, it's a definite success, taken on its own terms.

Dead Space ultimately feels like an incredibly polished and varied 6-hour game stretched out to make it twice that long. While I felt like I was repeating the same objectives a few too many times, the combat held up so well that I didn't even mind...too much.

While it borrows unabashedly from several other titles, the game does a great job of providing its own fun and unique flair.

You might die a little too easily at times, but with such a short campaign, and puzzles that are easy to figure out (if sometimes are hard to pull off) AYIM's is an indie game worth owning on Wii.

Everything from the bickering banter between Starscream and Megatron, the cold calculated communiques from Soundwave, or the heavy-handed speeches from Optimus to rally his Autobots, it's all here. War for Cybertron is an entertaining game that's just as enjoyable as it is playable.

Despite the minor flaws, I loved most every minute of Wolf of the Battlefield. This is a great game to pop in when you're sitting around with only a few minutes to spare, or when a couple of friends are looking for a quick way to kill some time.

It won't light the world on fire, but this next-gen playground of destruction offers you tons to do (well, tons to explode), it's always enjoyable, and I dove right back in after the credits rolled.

Though once you get sucked in, it's hard not to search for the absolute fastest path out. After all, it's only 30 seconds, right?

What's here is basically the best of both worlds -- an easy to pick up, yet deep fighting engine mixed with a substantial career mode and online features.

As a Ghostbusters fan, this game comes through by delivering an entertaining experience with plenty of laughs and just the right amount of action. Instead of being a hashed-together port, the Wii version of Ghostbusters shows that when a developer puts real effort into tailoring the look and gameplay of a port to the system, the results can be every bit as enjoyable as the original.

MM9 is an unapologetic nod to one of gaming's greatest eras. It might've been made especially for nostalgia-crazed dorks like me, but it's something that any challenge-seeking gamer can dig.

If X-Scape's '80s style and immersive first-person gameplay catches your eye, then there's a damn good chance you'll love this throwback adventure. It's easily one of the most unique titles exclusively available for the DSi.

If you're really picky, you can quibble about certain aspects -- not as many cool visual effects as you'd hope for in a modern shooter (depth-of-field, motion blur, etc.) or occasional slowdown (mostly when respawning after an active firefight), to name two. But, overall, Resistance 2 is an extremely well-assembled FPS, with an improved campaign, fun competitive multiplayer, and a damn neat take on co-op. I wouldn't go as far as to say this is the definitive PS3 game, but it's certainly one of the best PS3 exclusives I've played.

SVR 2010 is the ultimate wrestling gamer's sandbox. And the combination of one of the most finely tuned 3D wrestling engines with the ability to create and download so much new content, makes 2010 the best SmackDown title to date.

Lunar is something you can sit back and relax with, a game that almost takes place in the background -- in a good way. In some ways, it feels a little too old and set in its ways, but this version is a slice of gaming history that's been wonderfully reworked for the PSP.

Most soccer nuts awaiting this summer's Euro-only tourney in Switzerland and Austria will buy this one anyway, but for those on the fence, I recommend giving this one a shot. Particularly at the slightly reduced $49.99 price tag.

Fruit Ninja Kinect feels like an Eyetoy game from last gen -- and if you're familiar with Sony's attempt at motion gaming this shouldn't surprise you -- but the level of precision feels much better executed here thanks to the technology.

Catchy mixes, impressive visuals, and a much improved career mode make DJ Hero 2 worth checking out.

It is Shift's ability to bring the roar of the race to life, that manages to drown out much of its flaws.

What Perfect Dark still manages better than most is putting all those good things together in one convenient place. It's kind of a jack-of all-trades game that's long since been eclipsed in all its individual skills, but still ranks pretty strongly overall.

Catchy mixes, impressive visuals, and a much improved career mode make DJ Hero 2 worth checking out.

In a way, Dark Legend is like Overlord with training wheels on. Which isn't by any means a bad thing.

Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu.

It's tough for me to complain too much in the face of what is really a well thought out sequel that takes full advantage of the PSP though.

At its peak, Vanquish is a beautifully fast and intense fusion of East and West third-person gameplay -- it just isn't quite as good as the director or the studio's previous work.

Some repetitive puzzle design and a half-baked multiplayer component still aren't enough to completely tarnish Singularity, however. Beneath its flawed exterior lies a fine shooter that experiments with time manipulation more aptly than any game since Braid.

The developers executed that concept quite well. If the setup makes you chuckle, chances are the game will, too.

The team at Rare did an awesome job of retaining a surprising amount of features in this DS iteration. Even the colorful art style makes the transition, though it's understandably nowhere near as gorgeous as Pocket Paradise's console counterparts.

At its peak, Vanquish is a beautifully fast and intense fusion of East and West third-person gameplay -- it just isn't quite as good as the director or the studio's previous work.

I would have liked to see an expanded tutorial mode, something beyond just showing players combos and such, but at the end of the day I am glad Capcom's main focus was improving the core gameplay even if it means skimping out on some of the more trivial features aimed at a more casual audience. For competitive players though, this is truly the ultimate version of the game, both in name and execution.

Call it a first-person Diablo, an evolution of Resistance 2's co-op mode, Monster Hunter for the west, or a party game for FPS gamers. Call it the best example of the transformative power of multiplayer. Whatever you designate it, Borderlands is a decent single-player FPS/RPG that simply becomes great -- when playing with others. Besides, sheer midget panic is something that has to be shared with friends.

The single-player can certainly be a drag with its difficulty and somewhat mundane (and cheap) competition. But in multiplayer, you're constantly being rewarded in one way or another, whether it be through making progress towards a challenge, gaining fans, successfully risking a wreck to win a race, or winning a race by a hair.

I would have liked to see an expanded tutorial mode, something beyond just showing players combos and such, but at the end of the day I am glad Capcom's main focus was improving the core gameplay even if it means skimping out on some of the more trivial features aimed at a more casual audience. For competitive players though, this is truly the ultimate version of the game, both in name and execution.

But Revolution's greatest omission is testament to just how addicting the game is. It's disappointing not having the option to play "one more turn..." after a victory condition is achieved and continuing to build (or rebuild) your empire.

Scoring, match-making, and goalie quirks aside, this game literally has no competition in the marketplace other than itself.

Rage HD might not be massive in scope, but its potential audience sure is.

NBA 2K12 will have to settle for being the closest thing to perfect I've ever seen in an offline sports video game. But it could have done much more -- it could have saved our season.

Scoring, match-making, and goalie quirks aside, this game literally has no competition in the marketplace other than itself.

It sure wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit.

NBA 2K12 will have to settle for being the closest thing to perfect I've ever seen in an offline sports video game. But it could have done much more -- it could have saved our season.

While Revelations lacks that one supreme improvement or standout mechanic that defined AC2 and Brotherhood each, it's still a damn fine sendoff for Altair and Ezio.

It sure wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit.

A "good" game whose bugs keep it from being "excellent."

As an expansion of the Dead Space universe, it provides necessary sustenance for Dead Space fans, and a fun introduction for newcomers. The game avoids treating the Wii as a gimmick, incorporating a minimum amount of waggle -- except for when you need to brush off an enemy or activate your Glow Worm (for some reason, in this future nobody has a flashlight, but there are plenty of glow sticks).

I'd be hard pressed to find a better golf videogame out there today other than Tiger Woods 10, but EA needs to be mindful of complacency with next year's release. They got awfully close to not making par this time around.

While Revelations lacks that one supreme improvement or standout mechanic that defined AC2 and Brotherhood each, it's still a damn fine sendoff for Altair and Ezio.

Innovative only in its exceptional presentation, L.A. Remix is nevertheless a fast and furious jaunt through not one but two massive bergs, and it does just about everything a city racer could ever be expected to do within the miniaturized PSP environment. Despite its few foibles, this is a keeper.

Even when the least exciting elements of the game eat up half of my playtime, I still find an excuse to fire up Darkspore every single day.

While not every one of Retro's experimental ideas panned out (I'll never quite forgive Corruption for its embarrassing final battle), Trilogy is a welcome reminder that all three episodes are worth experiencing. Or, as the case may be, experiencing again.

The real appeal of Cave Story 3D is a chance to see Pixel's low-rez world rendered in elaborate detail.

MM9 is an unapologetic nod to one of gaming's greatest eras. It might've been made especially for nostalgia-crazed dorks like me, but it's something that any challenge-seeking gamer can dig.

Whether Tropico 4 is really Tropico 3.5 is immaterial; it's fun, it's cheap, and it's worth playing.

Prince of Persia delivers well-crafted gameplay that borrows elements from its predecessors (and plenty of other titles) but makes great strides in developing a new identity for a series -- and a character that isn't as completely annoying as you might think from the first few lines of dialogue -- that seemingly lost its focus over the past few years. Of course, some issues here and there disrupt its goal in surpassing The Sands of Time, but it's an incredibly enjoyable journey nonetheless.