If you're into the idea of experimental "games" pushing the boundaries of the medium, you might like Dear Esther, but if you're looking for a detailed story of Event A causing Event B which then naturally led to Event C, then this is not for you.

Sure, Shank 2 falls apart here and there, but it's minor compared to the excitement that this game brings, and the reasonable $10 price tag (on all platforms) makes this a good value, too.

UFC Undisputed 3 is an all-around major improvement over previous games in the series.

Kingdoms of Amalur is good, but it offers an uneven experience. There's a wealth of exciting combat and unique RPG options, but it takes place with characters that are largely forgettable in a world that just isn't terribly interesting.

Complementing the dynamic gameplay is a twisty story that will test your psyche as much as your trigger finger, terrific voice work-including another wicked good performance from Mike Patton as the Darkness-and a stunning graphic novel-inspired art style brimming with rich detail and expert use of light and shadows.

While I'm mildly disappointed in the linear and rather limited single player mode here in Soul Calibur V, the simple fact that Namco caught up to Capcom's feature sets in the online department is a pretty big deal. I'm far from a pro player, but I do think that SCV offers fast, offense-oriented action without the ridiculously frenetic pace and utter chaos of the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

If you're sick of WoW but don't mind a game that doesn't fully reinvent the grinding wheel, this is most definitely worth a shot. If you're a KOTOR fan who doesn't care for MMOs but wants to see a continuation of the story, you'll find quite a bit of it here with plenty of references to the original game's plot and characters - but be aware that it's not nearly as easy to play this game solo-only as you might like.

Flatout 3 does wind up having one mildly redeeming feature: it won't screw up your computer when you inevitably delete it in disgust.

Despite a few small issues and the disappointment at the lack of multiplayer of any kind, I still found Waves to be a highly entertaining twin-stick shooter with some really interesting rules to keep the formula fresh.

You get quite a bit for the money, too, as the campaign is quite long, and the wealth of features, gameplay modes (including deathmatch-type play for those who desperately need it for some reason) and configuration options make this one of the most raw, brutal, and unapologetically fun PC FPS experiences you'll have had in quite a while.

WWE '12 is the best fan-service game in the business right now, and I think the rest of the game development world could learn something from such a pure, wholesome dedication to giving fans what they want.

The Run's attempt to use a cross-country road race to break free of conventions comes packaged with a few crippling flaws, the biggest of which is simply that even with its tense moments and high-powered supercars, it's just not as exciting as it should be.

It's tough because Ultimate MvC3 is a great game and a solid improvement on the fundamentals in the original.

There were some issues to be found here and there, but most of these unscripted bits of broken action make the game better and funnier - even if they are bugs - and make the whole thing an intensely amusing, high-octane action game that makes it seem like the whole engine's barely holding up, but it's generally doing just fine.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may not deliver on every hope, wish or fervent demand you've been formulating ever since you realized how many flaws Oblivion was carefully hiding with its immense charm, but it most certainly lives up to the name Elder Scrolls and will easily qualify for millions of gamers' best-of-the-year lists.

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.

Despite some problems, Battlefield 3 delivers right where it counts: online play. The single player mode looks great but is rather limited, and the competitive multiplayer might be a bit buggy and doesn't pull in all of the best features of every past Battlefield game, but it still lives up to the hype - and for those that were disappointed in the beta, it might even exceed the hype - and gives us a wonderful online experience that is unlike any other in the FPS world.

While Orcs Must Die! doesn't really bring forth any entirely new ideas - Sanctum on PC does the FPS-meets-tower-defense thing, too - it does give us a really fresh combination of them, and along with the fantasy setting and legitimately funny jokes and fun ways to kill orcs, this is definitely one of the better XBLA/downloadable games you can buy this year.

I can recommend that you pick up The Missing Link if you really, really want to spend more time with Adam Jensen, but know that it's not a particularly good DLC add-on - especially for fifteen bucks.

I can recommend that you pick up The Missing Link if you really, really want to spend more time with Adam Jensen, but know that it's not a particularly good DLC add-on - especially for fifteen bucks.

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.

These relatively minor issues make Forza Motorsport 4 narrowly miss the bullseye, but this is still the best racing game released this year.

While Spider-Man: Edge of Time delivers a slightly better experience than Activision's other similar licensed games this year, it still falls a bit short of the expectations set by last year's Shattered Dimensions.

While Spider-Man: Edge of Time delivers a slightly better experience than Activision's other similar licensed games this year, it still falls a bit short of the expectations set by last year's Shattered Dimensions.

It's a brilliant game, but I also found it maddening to sit down with, and despite the many hardcore players that are very satisfied with the game and insist that it's worth it, Dark Souls is simply not for me

All that said, RAGE still offers a ridiculously fun FPS adventure that is exhilarating, satisfying, and capable of living up to the id Software name in nearly everything that it does.

All that said, RAGE still offers a ridiculously fun FPS adventure that is exhilarating, satisfying, and capable of living up to the id Software name in nearly everything that it does.

While F1 2010 was a breakthrough game, it was almost by accident, and 2011 goes a long way towards fixing the faults of last year's edition.

This game should not have made it past the concept stages, not for a property so well-loved like Marvel, since there's no execution that could have fixed this, either.

This game should not have made it past the concept stages, not for a property so well-loved like Marvel, since there's no execution that could have fixed this, either.

Street Fighter IV was a slower, more deliberate project with a silly streak in its art and design, and I wonder whether we will ever see something closer to SFIII's style come in a future game - but this time rendered in 3D, of course. I hope so, because while I wasn't really looking forwards to a new port of a decade-plus-old game, even just a couple of hours with Online Edition has reminded me just how polished and brilliant Capcom's final 2D opus really was.

This is a mostly-linear romp that's shorter than Old World Blues, less interesting, and feels more, well, lonely than any Fallout game ever made.

This is a mostly-linear romp that's shorter than Old World Blues, less interesting, and feels more, well, lonely than any Fallout game ever made.

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.

I think the only unfortunate thing here is that many of the gamers that would enjoy Hard Reset - old Quake veterans setting up impromptu LAN parties in their college dorms in the late '90s - have since "grown up", gotten married, and are funneling all of their money towards their kids rather than their gaming PCs.

So let's just end by saying that for what it is and what it costs, Crimson Alliance offers some good-looking, undemanding fun and with its class-specific gameplay and multiplayer modes, a respectable amount of replayability.

Space Marine gets off to a sluggish start and it never really reaches the lofty heights that long-time fans of the tabletop games probably hoped for, but Relic has still done an admirable job in making their first AAA-level action game - and the online play is a definite fun distraction if not entirely unique or long-lasting.

Space Marine gets off to a sluggish start and it never really reaches the lofty heights that long-time fans of the tabletop games probably hoped for, but Relic has still done an admirable job in making their first AAA-level action game - and the online play is a definite fun distraction if not entirely unique or long-lasting.

When Dead Island is firing on all cylinders, it's an absolute blast to play, but sadly, this game will have people running into quite a few technical and gameplay-based frustrations before they get even a couple of hours in.

The bright, crisp graphics of the Caribbean and the goofy, but lovable sense of humor exhibited throughout Tropico 4 make it instantly appealing, and the impressive depth of a people and city management sim layered on top of tried and true RTS style of play will keep you coming back.

Despite a few issues, this one's easily a must-have for PC gamers and DX fans, so get over to Steam and put your money down.

I'm sure those who still bow at the Deus Ex altar will find faults, but based on my experience with all three entries in the series, Human Revolution is its best, striking the sweet spot between retaining the franchise's spirit and evolving its gameplay to contemporary standards.

I'm sure those who still bow at the Deus Ex altar will find faults, but based on my experience with all three entries in the series, Human Revolution is its best, striking the sweet spot between retaining the franchise's spirit and evolving its gameplay to contemporary standards.

I'll probably be able to get to the end-game a little quicker this time now that I know how to play, but suffice it to say that if you can get into its brand of action and strategy, SPAZ is easily worth the $15 that MinMax Games are charging.

For anyone who isn't immediately enchanted by its look and style, even ten bucks might be a bit of a stretch, but I still find it exceedingly difficult not to wholeheartedly recommend LIMBO to fans of indie games.

Despite the limitations, this is probably the best DLC addon for Fallout period.

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.

Be warned: anyone not a hardcore Gundam fan should leave this one on the shelf.

Shadows is certainly not for everyone. Still, it's far more accessible and appealing to the mainstream than Grasshopper's last few games, while remaining super-satisfying for their faithful following.

Shadows is certainly not for everyone. Still, it's far more accessible and appealing to the mainstream than Grasshopper's last few games, while remaining super-satisfying for their faithful following.

Puzzle Agent 2 is by no means perfect but it does improve on the first Puzzle Agent and demonstrates the potential of the series.

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.

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

If you want to play a Transformers game with your friends, then you need to play War for Cybertron instead. But if you're excited for the upcoming movie and want to get a head start on hyping yourself up, well, maybe you want to rent Dark of the Moon, since it's going to feel like a pretty empty purchase after you've finished it in a single sitting.

Ultimately, your level of enjoyment depends on whether you define an expansion by its item catalog or by its gameplay mechanics.

While the original F.E.A.R. mostly set its gunfights amidst boring office buildings and warehouses, this third game has done a much better job of giving us a wider range of environments to fight in, with at least less of a jarring difference in tone whenever it becomes obvious a horror bit is about to start.

Solo fighters can also duke it out with the CPU, but the real draw here is CNPTE's surprisingly fleshed-out story mode. Lightning-quick combat, loads of unlockable characters, fun stages that effectively capture the flavor of the source material, and varied challenges should keep fans absorbed throughout. It's not about to rob Smash Bros. of its championship belt, but it's still a thumb-blistering good time for anyone who can claim to have spent a few couch-bound afternoons soaking in Cartoon Network's unique brand of boob-tube fare.

If you're looking for an exciting romp through impressive-looking dungeons where you smash monsters, get loot, use tactics to win, and level up a lot of fun abilities, then this game delivers that in a way that's more true to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance than it is to either the past Dungeon Siege games or the Diablo series. And if you want something with the kind of wide-open online play that lasts for years, well, you're better off saving your money and waiting for Diablo III.

If you're looking for an exciting romp through impressive-looking dungeons where you smash monsters, get loot, use tactics to win, and level up a lot of fun abilities, then this game delivers that in a way that's more true to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance than it is to either the past Dungeon Siege games or the Diablo series. And if you want something with the kind of wide-open online play that lasts for years, well, you're better off saving your money and waiting for Diablo III.

American McGee, I really wanted to love Alice: Madness Returns, truly I did. And while I can say that in it there were instances of fun and moments of wonder, these were eclipsed by an excess of repetition, a surfeit of crummy-looking textures and a general lack of polish. And so I admit to you with a heart full of regret, that Madness Returns has failed to live up to either my dreams or its own potential.

American McGee, I really wanted to love Alice: Madness Returns, truly I did. And while I can say that in it there were instances of fun and moments of wonder, these were eclipsed by an excess of repetition, a surfeit of crummy-looking textures and a general lack of polish. And so I admit to you with a heart full of regret, that Madness Returns has failed to live up to either my dreams or its own potential.

I've heard rumors that 2K only allowed Duke Nukem Forever to be resurrected in an attempt to recoup a fraction of the money they spent on the game through 3D Realms, but I don't think it was a good idea to bother. I've also heard that Gearbox knew that they couldn't possibly deliver an actual good game in a reasonable amount of time, so they worked on it for about a year and just tossed out what they had so that they could make their own real sequel from the ground up. If that's true, then I can see a glimmer of good coming out of all of this, but Duke needs to be redesigned and reworked with very little of the old games behind.

The open-world gameplay of Guerrilla is gone, and what's been put in its place is decidedly more of what you'd see in a more generic action game.

DiRT 3 is not a perfect game and a couple of patches will likely fix my biggest issues with the PC port, but none of the problems will really matter too much for rally fans that have been disappointed in the last few years' worth of rally game releases.

DiRT 3 is not a perfect game and a couple of patches will likely fix my biggest issues with the PC port, but none of the problems will really matter too much for rally fans that have been disappointed in the last few years' worth of rally game releases.

Honest Hearts is one of the better DLC packs Bethesda has released yet, and it comes down to the combination of an interesting landscape and original story along with unique RPG choices, then layering the signature Fallout brand (at least, since Bethesda took over) of slightly off-kilter, but still intensely entertaining FPS combat on top.

With LEGO Pirates, Traveler's Tales didn't really intend to create a pitch-perfect reproduction of the tone and feel of the movies, but even in their crazy cartoon style, you might be surprised at just how much they got right. Adventure gaming fans now have plenty of stuff to choose from, especially with TellTale and Double Fine making pure gold on a regular basis, but I think that the LEGO games are a great choice too, and Pirates might possibly be their best one yet.

With LEGO Pirates, Traveler's Tales didn't really intend to create a pitch-perfect reproduction of the tone and feel of the movies, but even in their crazy cartoon style, you might be surprised at just how much they got right. Adventure gaming fans now have plenty of stuff to choose from, especially with TellTale and Double Fine making pure gold on a regular basis, but I think that the LEGO games are a great choice too, and Pirates might possibly be their best one yet.

There are few games that I would attribute the word "important" to, but L.A. Noire is one of them. As long as you're not married to the idea of a balls-out action game coming from Rockstar, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

There are few games that I would attribute the word "important" to, but L.A. Noire is one of them. As long as you're not married to the idea of a balls-out action game coming from Rockstar, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

As mutliplayer shooters go, it's hard to go wrong with Section 8: Prejudice, and while this game still won't live up to the Tribes name - turns out that there's nothing out there that can do that just yet - you'll still find a damn fine online shooter with plenty of depth, all in a low-cost package.

Brink has quite a few flaws, but the most frustrating one is the spawn-die-spawn-kill-die repetition in single player mode. At best it's a little banal and tedious, and at worst, it's downright rage-inducing. Your AI teammates and enemies often act strangely, exhibiting poor awareness of their surroundings, but they will unleash laser-accurate gunfire once they notice an enemy. This makes playing the game, especially at the start of the Security campaign, a real chore.

Brink has quite a few flaws, but the most frustrating one is the spawn-die-spawn-kill-die repetition in single player mode. At best it's a little banal and tedious, and at worst, it's downright rage-inducing. Your AI teammates and enemies often act strangely, exhibiting poor awareness of their surroundings, but they will unleash laser-accurate gunfire once they notice an enemy. This makes playing the game, especially at the start of the Security campaign, a real chore.

While I'm still not sold on the idea of yet another Wii peripheral making it into millions of homes, I don't think that's through any fault of the UDraw tablet, which works flawlessly and winds up being a lot of fun to use. Spongebob Squigglepants is a great game to showcase this device, especially with the huge number of ways it uses the tablet and even pokes fun at other, more "mature" video games now and then.

With Fire and Sword adds difficulty without an equal level of satisfaction for winning, and the inclusion of firearms makes the results on the battlefield feel much more random than we've gotten in the past games in the series. If you're looking for a new multiplayer experience unlike any you've played, this is a good place to start, but if you want a complete, exciting, and altogether more "winnable" campaign, you might be better off sticking with Warband.

Sanctum isn't for everyone, but for a dedicated pair of FPS/strategy-loving people in the same room, it's a damn fine choice for for a fun weekend of innovative tower defense.

Hector Badge of Carnage: We Negotiate With Terrorists is a great little adventure that's often shocking, frequently offensive and always hilarious. Despite (or perhaps because of) its gross out moments and unabashedly low-brow humor, it's one of the most entertaining, unique adventure games most of us have seen in longer than we'd like to remember.

The Next Big Thing is a prime example of what a graphic adventure should be. It's got it all: an entertaining story, great writing, creative but logical puzzles, good voice acting and music, beautiful artwork and a killer sense of humor.

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.

With this sequel, Valve has ramped up the brain-cramping puzzle elements and expanded the cast with immensely lovable characters, and they did it just enough to make sure the whole thing feels fresh and interesting for the longer campaign.

SHIFT 2 isn't quite to the level of the big boys yet, but it's still very much worth your time.

It's hard to believe, but by doing something as simple as giving players something specific to work toward, Maxis has taken gameplay that had become as stale as three day old pumpernickel and made it surprisingly fresh.

It essentially puts a PS3/360 game in the palm of our hands.

I don't think that this DLC's partial failure is necessarily a bad sign for the third game, but it seems clear that all the new ideas and original content are going into ME3 rather than something like "Arrival".

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.

These are very difficult games to make, almost to the point that calling any freshly-launched MMO "not an instant failure" has become high praise. So, on that note, I can confidently say that RIFT is not an instant failure, and that's already a huge head start over many of the MMOs that came before it.

It doesn't give hardcore PC gamers every little feature they want, and that might be enough to sink the game entirely in many people's eyes, but Crysis 2 is still one of the biggest and most ambitious PC shooter releases in quite a while and it should prove to be well worth the purchase for most.

I'll say it right now: if you're considering buying Homefront today, it needs to be for the multiplayer. The campaign should only serve as a small distraction that you might want to goof around in if you're bored and have already gotten your money's worth out of the multiplayer.

I'll say it right now: if you're considering buying Homefront today, it needs to be for the multiplayer. The campaign should only serve as a small distraction that you might want to goof around in if you're bored and have already gotten your money's worth out of the multiplayer.

I'll say it right now: if you're considering buying Homefront today, it needs to be for the multiplayer. The campaign should only serve as a small distraction that you might want to goof around in if you're bored and have already gotten your money's worth out of the multiplayer.

Dragon Age II is a fine RPG, but it lacks the kind of lofty ambition that has made BioWare famous. All I can hope for is that a good two or three years is spent on the next game, and that it comes out swinging with a much more hard-hitting story.

Fight Night Champion may be the best boxing game I've played, but with competition from all sides in this rekindled fighting genre, this franchise is starting to look and feel a little like the sport it represents: increasingly outdated and out of style.

More than any previous Double Fine title, Stacking, with its flawless art direction, unusual gameplay and affecting soundtrack is a one-of-a-kind adventure that story lovers and creative thinkers won't want to miss.

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.