Twilight Princess definitely was not a disappointment, though I really wish there had been a traditional control scheme offered.

The AI is better than ever and the action is the perfect mix of tactics and full-on gunfights - and the regenerating health system means I have to worry less about how much health I have left and more about how to take out the overwhelming numbers of Germans.

So, the big question will be, then – is it worth picking up this year's version if you already have 2006? The answer is a definite yes – the new lead blocking controls and the refined superstar mode add a lot to the Madden experience and, as a minor plus, the game seems to run more smoothly.

Criterion has done it again with Burnout 3, as this is about the best you can get when it comes to arcade racing.

Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots blends so perfectly with the original game that it's hard to tell that you're even playing it.

Whether you've already played the originals, or are yet to discover one of gaming's best action franchises, this one's not to be missed. May the gods have mercy on your soul if you pass it up.

World of Warcraft may not be the great savior of MMORPGs, but it's certainly the most solid one to come out in a long time.

I find that Aggressive Inline is definitely one of the greats, and that it raises the bar for the genre. It's not revolutionary like the first THPS was, but it certainly offers higher replay value and more crazy places to trick from than any other game of its kind.

It's hugely accessible but includes the depth that serious gamers are searching for, and all of it is viable to bring online for some great action.

Whether you just play the missions to get through them for the story or want to beat them all with an S-ranking, there is tons of fun to be had in this game.

It's hard to find any real fault in Unreal Tournament 2004.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a true classic in the realm of fighting games, and Capcom has put together a faithful, fun port at a reasonable $15 price point, and has included just enough modern features to make you feel satisfied - even if you already own an older copy.

But that's alright - for a $20 add-on, you get a lot for your money with The Lost and Damned. The quality of the acting, cutscenes, story, and missions is just as good as in GTAIV, and the convenience of not having to switch discs is handy.

I think you'll agree that when you've got guns blazing from four players at once and loot is flying everywhere, Borderlands easily makes up for any perceived shortcomings.

Max Payne 2 retains or expands on almost everything great from MP1 while adding new features, an intense story, an insane amount of detail, and even more wonderful gameplay.

In essence, what the game may lack in exposition or narrative complexity it makes up for in nostalgic capital, a refined weapons system and a classic Resident Evil feel

Between the new tracks, hugely satisfying new features, challenging re-worked Crash mode, and hot new advancement system, Revenge manages to take out just about all the bad and add plenty of good to this popular franchise.

Gearbox has put an enormous amount of effort into making Brothers in Arms authentic and realistic, but still fun at the same time. Their brand of tactical action meshes perfectly with the first person viewpoint, and the story and characters are some of the best you'll see in a game like this.

This would have been a ho-hum port of a game that's already been ported to at least a dozen platforms over the years, but it's DOOM's online action which really makes it soar.

Aside from these small issues, though, Tatsunoko’s one of the best you’re going to find as far as current fighting games go, and is without question the best available for the Wii.

The game is simple, addictive, and fun, and the way the track moves and shakes to the beat of the music will keep your attention much better than most casual games.

In all, World in Conflict is one of the more enjoyable strategy games in recent memory.

Starcraft II is far from being the most ambitious or original RTS game this decade (or even of the last five years), but it's tough to deny that it's probably the most accessible and polished - and the online community and mod-making features will help it to be the most long-lasting.

If you’ve played those other titles, you’ll feel right at home in the Dark Knight’s plastic paved Gotham. And, if you’ve enjoyed those titles, and are looking for more of the same but with a Batman facelift, you may find this the best Lego entry yet.

It won't put WoW out of business, but then again, nothing will for a long time, and that doesn't mean this isn't a great game with tons of appeal and a hopefully more mature audience

The new gameplay modes, massive new levels, customizability, and online play all work together to really make this year's game something special on the PC.

On its own, Episode Two might not seem like much for its price tag, but as part of the Orange Box package, it becomes an excellent value that's packaged alongside two very different first-person games.

Not many gamers will actually get the advertised 400+ hours of life out of it, but the solo, co-op, and competitive multiplayer options should keep R2 spinning in your PS3 well past the holiday season, and probably until Killzone 2 arrives.

This game can definitely hang with the best of them, though, which may come as a big surprise to those who thought that Mortal Kombat was dead. MK:DA has enough for both old MK fans and more "modern" fighting game players to keep most everyone entertained for quite a while.

Despite some minor problems, The Movies breaks new ground in the sim genre by putting business elements together with people-sim elements to create a wholly unique experience.

People who were expecting a revolution in strategy games should realize that Blizzard wasn't aiming at this. They simply made another solid game with their tried and true style of gameplay and some great visuals at the same time. They've delivered on that.

While it doesn’t innovate that much, it adds just enough and gives you a more than satisfactory amount of new areas to explore to make it a worthy sequel.

Even though it's not a one-on-one fighting game, I still think that Shaolin Monks is by far the best Mortal Kombat game to come out in many years.

With sharp new visuals and great sounds, it winds up being the best-looking game of its kind on your 360, and will offer many hours of great action if you get into it.

The controls work – and with my experience on the PSP that’s saying a lot! The UI is simple and clean. And it’s fun. What more can you ask for?

Overall, Factions is an excellent package. While players of Prophecies may look at it and see a $50 price tag and complain, the game is truly complete - it isn't just a straight up expansion pack.

It still doesn't quite live up to the masterful story and whizzing lightsabers of Knights of the Old Republic, but for the first game in a new series, Mass Effect is an excellent start.

It's still a fantastic game, though, and Bioware is to be commended for taking what could have been a tired fantasy setting and injecting just enough newness into it to addict us all over again.

Even with its problems, Bad Company 2 on the PC is the real deal, and it's definitely worth the money for anyone that has been a fan of Battlefield games in the past.

Is this Bioware's best game? No. But Mass Effect is still a damn fine game with a huge scope, dozens of hours of play from beginning to end, and it's got just about everything that makes sci-fi so compelling in the first place.

Obsidian has done an incredible job with Knights of the Old Republic 2. Even though the introduction and ending are a bit iffy, the game's more than worth the effort of going through.

Despite some complaints with the multiplayer mode and Windows Live quibbles, Gears of War is still a damn fine PC port of an excellent action game.

Yes, Troika has delivered an action-RPG that's on par with the System Shock or Deus Ex while delving into a unique and compelling setting.

Rarely does a game boast this sort of cinematic appeal while actually being fun to play, but Return of the King delivers.

Soul Calibur 2 is an evolution of the original on all levels - it might take you weeks of play to figure out all the changes made from the first game.

The only thing that really irritated me while I played were the swimming controls – they just don’t feel right. Otherwise, this is an excellent game that you should, at the very least, rent and play through once.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is the game that the PSP has been waiting for - one actually made for a portable that is also fun in long stretches. This game will definitely help to sell systems.

The huge variety of missions, solid story, and great visuals and details make up what I think is the best portable Grand Theft Auto yet.

Overall, MLB 07 is one of, if not the best, baseball games ever made.

Otherwise, get updated drivers, play the demo to make sure your system definitely meets the minimum requirements and hold on for the ride - BioShock is definitely worth your gaming dollar if your machine can power it.

This is probably the deepest baseball game I have ever played - the depth of the stats and things to manage are mind-boggling.

I had a ton of fun playing Quake 4, and while the game started off kind of slow, it picked up quickly and wound up being a solid, action-packed experience without the dreaded "realistic" limitations on combat that so many recent games put on the player.

Overall, Power Pros is one of the most complete baseball games out there and, provided the super-deformed character looks don't bug you, there's a lot of fun to be had here.

Gears of War 3 takes us to new places and tells us some great stories, and while the shooting action might feel just a little tired for veterans of both previous games, it's still very much worth the price of admission - especially once you start digging into the online modes.

While the torch has been passed to fledgling studio 343 Productions for future Halo content and games, Bungie's final effort in this universe still stands as a fantastic final chapter to a gaming dynasty that's lasted most of a decade.

For fans of the hit movie trilogy, Back to the Future: It's About Time is exactly what we were hoping for.

I'm not going to even attempt to suggest that Saints Row IV is some kind of video-game-defining-moment or whatever, but at least for this generation, we might have found the best example yet of a big-budget developer doing whatever the hell they want and rather than being generally criticized for what doesn't work, being celebrated by newcomers and fans alike for what does.

This game has little to do with Everquest, but it has everything to do with simple hack and slash action and plenty of features to keep you coming back.

Alexander Bruce's biggest achievement with Antichamber is that he created a game that's brilliant and inviting, something that can rarely be said for a game made entirely of difficult puzzles where what you see isn't always what you get and where the room you're standing in can change at any moment.

However, if you are a fan—and spent as many hours as I did in Wii Sports' virtual bowling lanes—then visiting this Resort is a no-brainer.

Riddick does lack in replay value, but the gameplay we do get is worth checking out.

In the end, Madden 08 is probably the most realistic feeling football experience ever, for better or for worse.

It's hard to completely fault the developers for their flaws because they've clearly made some admirably bold decisions to evolve a franchise that's near and dear to so many. And while it falls a bit short, Other M works as both a Metroid game and Wii title that should please old school fans, while attracting newcomers to a series that deserves a mainstream audience.

Orcs Must Die! 2 is a wonderful combination of action and strategy, all wrapped up nicely with a whimsical art style and slightly silly attitude.

Rise of Nations is a great fusion of several recent and classic strategy titles. It combines Empire Earth with Age of Empires, puts in a dash of Civilization and Risk, and then mixes it all together with a ton of options for you to play around with.

Its elegant simplicity will keep you engaged for hours without shooting, powerups, upgrading, leveling, dialog trees or versus play. The game's artwork delights and its music transports, making for three to four hours of pure gaming bliss.

The game's simple control scheme fix eliminates the frustration, fulfilling the promise of the first title and makingSuper Scribblenauts one of the most fun, addictive DS games available for both the 10+ crowd and beyond.

If you're new to Ubisoft's stealthy series, I recommend starting with AC2; however, if you've already bloodied Ezio's blades, you'll want to begin building your army of assassins in Brotherhood.

It likely won’t unseat Symphony of the Night as fans’ all-time fave, but its inventive gameplay, outstanding visual presentation, and haunting music—always a high point in the franchise—easily make Ecclesia as good as the series’ DS debut Dawn of Sorrow.

While Mortal Kombat may not completely overwhelm you with features, it does offer more replayability than recent offerings from other fighting game developers - Capcom included. This game may not quite have tournament-level gameplay depth and that's mostly due to some minor issues with hit detection and the combo system, but this is still the most polished and pro-gamer-worthy MK we've seen in the last decade.

While Mortal Kombat may not completely overwhelm you with features, it does offer more replayability than recent offerings from other fighting game developers - Capcom included. This game may not quite have tournament-level gameplay depth and that's mostly due to some minor issues with hit detection and the combo system, but this is still the most polished and pro-gamer-worthy MK we've seen in the last decade.

But despite these major differences, On Tour stands tall on its own as a fantastic portable music game.

Bastion's a great little RPG but above and beyond genre, it's one of the best-looking, best-sounding (despite the pointless narrator), best-playing games you'll download this year and a total bargain at 1200 Microsoft Points.

The important part here is that Sins of a Solar Empire still delivers a very unique kind of strategy game, and Rebellion doesn't screw with that; instead, it makes that base game substantially smoother and more interesting.

NSMBW gets a lot right, nailing the classic vibe while also evolving the series in some interesting ways, but a few flaws keep it from achieving the the sort of classic status enjoyed by Super Mario World and Super Mario Galaxy.

Nostalgia aside, Sonic Transformed as a kart racing game is a blast to play and it comes highly recommended, especially at the reasonable Steam price of $30 (or $80 for a four-pack).

While Need for Speed: Most Wanted lacks a few key features that take it over the top, it's still a solid game and winds up being the best installment in the NFS series in years.

In a game like this, all of the authentic looks and sounds will do you no good if there's no fun to be had in the actual fighting, and luckily UFC 2009 has done a great job.

Outlast offers a lot for the $20 that the developers are asking: great visuals, a decent story, some solid scares, plenty of checkpoints, and a little bit of openness in both exploration and in dealing with the enemies that can't be fought back against.

Despite feeling some fatigue with the reuse of this same formula repeatedly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 still winds up being everything I expected, and it even includes a few extra additions and improvements I didn't expect.

Castle Crashers is a seemingly steep 1200 points ($15) on Xbox Live Arcade and it's one of those games that's a chore to get working with online play, but overall the game's still well worth your cash.

Its brutal, in-your-face action will make you cringe, while the creepy atmosphere will have your heart fluttering as you wonder what's around that next corner. Even the hardened veterans of the world's best horror games will find this to be a fine addition to their collection.

No other fitness game goes this far to motivate you to continue after the first week.

If you had nearly any kind of fun with Rocksteady's previous effort or you're just looking to jump into a good comic book game, then Arkham City should be at or near the top of your list.

If this is your first time considering a shot at Street Fighter, grab this as a $40 retail package, and if you have SSFIV lying around, I think the fifteen bucks to get online and get competitive again is a great idea too.

If this is your first time considering a shot at Street Fighter, grab this as a $40 retail package, and if you have SSFIV lying around, I think the fifteen bucks to get online and get competitive again is a great idea too.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a well-made revival of the classic action/adventure series with awesome graphics and jumping puzzles that are far less frustrating than you might expect.

While this one doesn't quite reach some of the stylistic and gameplay-oriented heights of Sands of Time a few years back, this re-imagined Prince of Persia delivers great thrills and plenty of accessibility inside a very pretty package.

PunchOut!! is great fun for fans of the NES classic as well as for fresh contenders.

WWE All Stars may not be the modern-day hardcore fan's dream game, but it comes pretty close to accomplishing that for casual and ex-fans, especially those who watched the Hulk and The Ultimate Warrior take each other on two decades ago.

WWE All Stars may not be the modern-day hardcore fan's dream game, but it comes pretty close to accomplishing that for casual and ex-fans, especially those who watched the Hulk and The Ultimate Warrior take each other on two decades ago.

While the career mode's lack of difficulty is disappointing, those looking for a challenge will still have plenty of that from the well-made online modes. Fight Night Round 3 is most definitely a winner.

Even if there aren't any kids in your household, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up if you've got a Wii.

It's still a wonderful, hugely fun game, because the fan service and foundation of its 3-on-3 fighting action is very sound.

It's still a wonderful, hugely fun game, because the fan service and foundation of its 3-on-3 fighting action is very sound.

The 150-player battles mostly live up to the hype, and the atmosphere and visuals rival the best stuff seen in first person shooters this year.

The ten bucks it costs to get into Faster Than Light won't be money well spent for every gamer out there, but if you are looking for a challenging roguelike strategy game with some intriguing ship management and light RPG systems built into it, then you owe it to yourself to check out this game.

Despite a couple of minor complaints, Capcom has done a fine job porting SFIV to the PC, and its integration with Games for Windows Live is about as good as I think we can expect at this point.