What Reverge Labs has done with Skullgirls is prove that even an independent developer can make a slick, fun, and unique fighting game amongst the eight-figure budgets seen in the rest of the genre.

Moon is a well-made 3D action/adventure game which is something the DS could definitely use more of.

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.

Skate 2 does a good job of adding new features and moves while trying to innovate the style and keep everything fun, but there's still a few things missing that could have made it a classic.

Hotline Miami is difficult and violent, but it's not aggravating when you lose, and it's very rewarding when you win.

Virtua Fighter 5's greatest strength is the depth of its incredible fighting. Unfortunately, the lack of online features and not-that-impressive graphics make this one only really worth it if you've already got a PS3 and love fighting games.

The lively graphics, the varied feel for each level, and the gameplay was enough to hold my interest levels and I would imagine keep other people, particular the younger generation interested in continuing as well.

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.

For every great idea, like low-penalty deaths that don’t force you to replay sections, there’s equally flawed ones, like the lush, alternate-reality cyberspace you occasionally visit for light puzzling, that would’ve best been left on the cutting room floor.

For those who love Halo and mostly play online, all I can say is that you should pick up Halo 4 as soon as possible, because it's got everything that makes this series' online play so entertaining. For the rest, I wouldn't worry about rushing out to pick it up on release day, but do check it out when it's convenient.

Skyrim was such a wonderful game, and it was disappointing to see something as half-baked as Dawnguard serve as the only example of what Bethesda could offer for post-release support for this game. Dragonborn, however, is truly worthy of the Elder Scrolls name - even if it doesn't have characters casually pulling actual Elder Scrolls out of their back pockets and buying or selling them for a few thousand gold - as it adds the kind of large, epic feel you should be experiencing when playing an open-world RPG.

With a much improved frame rate and new gameplay modes, the racing and action are more interesting and fun.

Anyway, even with its flaws, The Wise Monkey offers some good old-fashioned adventure game entertainment and promises more to come. Fortunately for us, the Cognition series' compelling heroine and an even more compelling story arc do two important things: make it possible to overlook the game's graphics, dialog and puzzle design hiccups and ensures that I for one, will see it through to the end.

There are a ton of new features as well as dozens of little changes that tweak the formula further and get that much closer to perfecting everything the SvR series has tried to do over the years.

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.

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

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.

Tabula Rasa does a lot of things right and only a few things really wrong, but I still find it tough to recommend this one except to those anti-fantasy RPG fans who feel they must be holding a gun rather than a sword in their games.

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.

If you get some good players together in a house to just play, that's where Cross Tekken (as I've heard it called more than a few times) does its best. If you're an online warrior, stick with what you've got and wait to see what Capcom does with its online issues.

It's certainly the best Lumines since the first, but I can't help but be disappointed that one of the PSP's most iconic games is merely good, but not great, on Sony's newest portable.

All in all, pinball is a pastime that probably doesn't make a lot of sense to gamers who never got their hands on a real pinball table - and playing a video game based on it will definitely seem pointless for gamers who never stepped into an arcade at all.

It's still a fantastic game that follows in the footsteps of great Russian-style FPS games before it, and the added polish, fantastic visuals, and supernatural story elements help keep things fresh.

Either way, Defiance gives off a bad first impression, but it still holds up well on its own with continued play.

Even though there's almost a complete lack of strategy required to race, some wonky visuals on the console editions, and a conspicuous lack of split-screen play, I can still offer a pretty hearty recommendation for nail'd.

If you’re the patient type, MotoGP has a lot to offer, especially if you like the idea of hurtling down a straightaway at insane speeds in a two-wheeled deathmobile from the comfort of your couch. Just be prepared to grind to see your work bear fruit and get used to the idea of a pretty straightforward approach.

The combat system, while seemingly simple on the outside, is actually pretty deep.

All in all, Project 8 looks good but lacks any real innovations in the controls, progression through the story or overall style of gameplay.