Had Madness Returns cut its length by half and tossed in a few more gameplay mechanics, it could have easily been one of the best titles released this year.

Gatling Gears will cost you $9.99, but it is worth a play through. I don't think you'll find that it has much replay value, but maybe down the line you'll have a sudden urge to blow things up in your mech.

With very good controls transitioned from a PC title onto consoles, Dungeon Siege III has gratifying old-school dungeon crawling combined with RPG elements for ton of hack & slash adventuring fun, especially for gamers that indulge in co-op gameplay.

This might be a horrible back-handed comment on The Cartel, but playing it sparked me to go back and play some Bound in Blood, which has a far better single-player experience and I'd rather ride a horse in first-person than drive an SUV in first-person.

Insect Armageddon is missing the magic B-movie sensibility of its predecessor -- Insect Armageddon looks too sophisticated! -- but it's still an okay action game to play with friends and strangers who would rather blast giant monsters than serve as cannon fodder in Call of Duty or Battlefield.

A lot less raunchy juvenile humor and more focus on fixing the weapon aiming would have elevated Shadows of the Damned from the depths of hell to a almost heavenly third-person shooter experience. As it is, though, once gamers acclimate their aiming and focus their efforts on the demon-hunting adventure found in the shadows of the debauchery, Shadows of the Damned is a sometimes-scary ride to Hades and back.

If you have to suffer through a zombie armageddon, there's no better way to pass the time until the doomsday clock reaches midnight than unleashing carnage on the PS3 with the apocalyptically action-packed need-for-killing-speed enjoyment of Armageddon Riders.

In the end, The Masters is, in the purest sense, a golf simulator. It does not require extensive practice, nor does it have enough to entice people who have no interest in the sport. For those that do, however, your devotion will be greatly rewarded.

This could have been a seriously awesome game. Instead, we get a clone that blows its own legs off with a clichéd storyline that ignores the internal logic of it's own world.

Alive offers a great racing experience. It's just a shame that everything outside of the actual racing is sub standard. The frustrating levelling up system almost ruined the entire experience for me and the lack of tutorials leaves a lot to be desired.

While neither innovative in its gameplay mechanics or its fright-fests, F.E.A.R. 3's solo outing is still a better-than-average experience that is made all the more entertaining with another player. Its multiplayer offerings are on the opposite side of the spectrum, featuring interesting and fun new gameplay modes that deserve to be imitated by future FPS titles. Unfortunately, the current netcode issues keeps gamers from discovering this for themselves, as if Alma's vengeful spirit lingers as a ghost in the machine.

Rango doesn't innovative in any particular way, but it proves to be a solid game all around.

Like its Wii counterpart, the game is adequate but not outstanding.

Yes, the actual game has never looked or played better and the game stands tall more than dozen years after its release.

It seems safe to say that Steel Diver will not reach the level of popularity among Nintendo's most beloved franchises, but Miyamoto and company still deserve kudos for inventing another unique gameplay experience that is seldom seen elsewhere. While the learning curve can be steep, enough patience will lead to a satisfying package that's two games in one and easily bears replaying.

In resurrecting Duke in this way, dropping him from 1996 into 2011, with uninteresting levels tethered together in a loose way, middling gunplay, and offensiveness trying to hide behind parody and satire, even the thickest rose-colored glasses of nostalgia won't hide the fact the game's not good or even fun to play.

A lack of true performance tweaking and additions makes this a rather hard sell on the 3DS, but it's certainly not the worst version of the game out there.

While it definitely has a "something borrowed" gameplay and visual style, and a instantly forgettable, brief single-player mode, its invigorating and intense Xbox Live multiplayer at such a well-worth-it bargain price provides gamers more than enough incentive to enlist into Section 8: Prejudice's call of duty.

While still a bit rough around the edges, MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a unique racing experience that's exciting to look at as well as play, even if that experience is partially neutered online.

Without the creative destruction elements that Volition's Geo Mod 2.5 engine allows, Red Faction: Armageddon would be an average shooter, but because it revels in twisting and snapping almost every object throughout and integrating it into the overall strategy of the game, Armageddon is not to be missed.

L.A. Noire is on my personal Game of the Year list. The game appeals to me on so many levels and delivers on the same that overlooking the occasional graphical glitch and annoyance with some of the chases is easy. I'm really looking forward to what Team Bondi comes up with next to fill-out this already fantastic world.

There's very little question that Brink is highly geared towards the multiplayer crowd. The SMART system and the well done visuals are very attractive, but the level design imbalances and small map variety don't offer much in the way of longevity. There's a lot of promise in the game but only the most patient of players might be willing to see that promise realized.

Hardcore Naruto fanatics will buy this, but I would advise casual fans to save their money for something else. Even with multiplayer, Kizuna Drive just didn't deliver.

Ultimately, Super Monkey Ball's 3D debut is an adequate distraction for younger 3DS owners, although the deceptive difficulty might prove frustrating for players both young and old.

Europa Universalis III represents an older and more thoughtful style of gaming. It's easy to pick up, and very easy to get your head handed to you. For those who persevere, you'll find a deep strategy game that will challenge your skill as a statesman and a general.

It took nearly a decade, as well as the death-knell of the company that spawned it, but at last Mortal Kombat can competently stand toe-to-toe with the other fighting greats due to its gameplay, rather than its gore.

Beautiful and bountifully bloody, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is thoroughly enjoyable hack & slash entertainment at its finest, with plenty of crimson-colored co-op craziness to extend the gameplay hours even more.

The great unknown with Brink is whether a strong online community will form and maintain itself. And that's the crux of the matter. Blazing through the Campaign takes little time and earns a good number of achievement points but the game is lumbered with awful AI. I had limited online play with real people and found Brink to run smoothly enough but this is before a thousands of people jump on to find a game.