Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is loaded with streamlined action and a full bevy of features that would make Baskin-Robbins jealous.

It’s probably the funniest game on the market right now and I only want to play more. I can’t wait for Episode 4 to come out where, if my inclinations are correct, the adventure will continue into space.

However, Polyphony Digital has not only delivered on their promise to make a great portable Gran Turismo, they have created the best portable racer this generation.

This program offers unlimited replay value for musicians and non-musicians alike.

All of the game's elements mesh, from the music to the storyline, from the puzzles to the control system. I can't find anything nasty to say about this game. Ubisoft have certainly done their homework.

A wonderful and nearly magical game. It's not very long but it's long enough, as it will entail around 10-14 hours of continuous platforming and fighting, even if you don't try to pick up the 1001 Seeds of Light. The flow and excitement of the gameplay as well as the dramatic visual style will get you hooked for hours to come. I doubt there will be many people who don't like it, as it's equally engaging for players and viewers sitting next to you.

Plain and simple, Black Ops III’s Awakening delivers and is worth your 15 bucks if you’re looking for some fresh maps with solid architecture and an additional Zombies offering for you twisted freaks that love the heart-pounding scary stuff.

This lengthy, challenge, and utterly adorable title has great potential to bridge the gap between different audiences on the Wii. It's easily one of the best games on the system so far this year and one you absolutely won't want to miss.

Treyarch came back this year with an excellent addition to the franchise. Many gamers may look at this game with an "I've been there, done that" attitude. I am here to tell you that this is the best WWII effort so far, as well as the best game in the franchise.

From the groundbreaking graphics to the adrenaline pumping campaign and the online component, this game is a must-own for any shooter fan that is looking to see what the ‘true’ next-gen gaming experience should be like. If you have an Xbox One (with Xbox Live) and love competitive shooters, Halo 5: Guardians is a must-own.

Far Cry 5 suffers from quest overload, but will give players plenty to do even after story completion.

Some of Bioshock's storytelling techniques are unprecedented and will perhaps set a new standard for storytelling excellence in gaming. It doesn't hurt that Bioshock's great story is framed by incredible visuals and solid controls as well.

It could easily be my pick for the best DS game this year because it seems to have all the right ingredients: A great story, unique gameplay, killer visuals, and a fantastic score. All of these elements combine to create the best gaming experience on the DS this year, and it's no wonder that this precious gem came from the folks at Square-Enix. It's an absolute joy to play, and I can't overstate my satisfaction with this game.

It will take weeks, maybe months, for you to earn every sticker and find all the collectibles.

Size Matters equals, if not surpasses, the graphic experience of its PS2 big brothers. The environments and characters are slick, clean, and very pleasing as the camera whips around the action. The camera system itself is refreshing.

Kirby: Star Allies is an all-together pleasant game. Which is especially needed, both in the Nintendo Switch library and in the current climate of 2018. We need something simple and enjoyable that brings a smile to our faces. We need a game we can play with anyone we know, without worrying about possible barriers. It is a delight, and Switch owners will definitely appreciate adventuring with their buddy again.

A great entry into to Black Ops storyline. It gives an interesting view of the time, has a compelling storyline, and leaves you wanting more.

Yes, the title still contains all the favorites fans love from the franchise. However, this year is all about so much more - Alex Hunter and his promising career. EA could have stripped the title dry and only provided The Journey and I’d still give it a positive score. The game mode is simply that good. Throw in a few gameplay improvements and you have yourself one heck of a new installment in the FIFA family.

To say that the Lead Blocking Control completely revolutionizes Madden is the understatement of the year.

All of the game's elements mesh, from the music to the storyline, from the puzzles to the control system. I can't find anything nasty to say about this game. Ubisoft have certainly done their homework.

Replay value is off the map. It's like two games in one with plenty to go back for.

If you are willing to be patient and put the time in, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offers a huge world with lots of blades, places to explore, and people to help.

The graphics, the level design, the boss battles, the controls, and the fun are the stuff of legends. Retro Studios has helped validate Nintendo's console by creating a masterpiece so early in its lifecycle.

Act of War beautfiully bridges the gap between action and strategy and provides an all out assault of the senses thanks to the incredble level of visual detail, intuitive control and an aural symphony comprised of the sounds of destruction.

Virtually guaranteed to become an instant classic. It's fast, furious, fun and fantastically florid and flagitious.

A darn good adventure and one that should be taken by every serious gamer. It may not take the place of any "Grand Theft Auto" game but it could certainly hold its own against "Max Payne."

Some reviews are superfluous and this is one of them. If have played the first one, you'll play the sequel because you know it's going to be a quality product. Who cares what other people think anyway?

It captures the animated series to a tee and sports the love and care that all of us hope to see heaped on a port that originally appeared on another system (in this case, the PS2).

The functionality of Halo 2 online is unequaled and there is something here for everyone. Before you even step into a Live arena, the amount of configuration options, both cosmetic and mechanic are almost overwhelming.

If you're looking for a solid football game that pulls you right in the action, ESPN Football will do exactly that. If you're looking for a football game that offers plenty of options and online features, you will find that as well. ESPN Football is one of the best sports games to come around in a long time!

Nothing short of awe-inspiring. It's filled with an incredible 52 missions, and dozens of side missions which culminate in 40+ hours or more of game time, which is almost unheard of in this genre.

That isn't to say SCII isn't a fine upstanding product; it is in spades. It just happens to be more than a little predictable and without sounding unappreciative, it's more or less like the excellent Dreamcast verison released back in 1999.

With some of the best graphics and artwork in the field, Blood of the Sacred is a visual feast. With memorable characters and an addicting storyline, it's a world that you won't want to leave and one that you will return and visit for many of your days.

The best Hockey game I have played so far. I love hockey and ESPN gave me the feel of what has been missing in past hockey games. The feeling of total control and not having the computer interfere with the game.

Splinter Cell is as close to gaming perfection as you are going to get, you just have to be prepared for what's coming next.

Treyarch has managed to pull off the best movie to game adaptation yet as I've now played the game and seen the movie...If you've ever dreamed about fighting crime as the webhead, this game is your own personal genetically enhanced spider bite.

The new added tag line of Playground of Destruction fits perfectly. It's just a huge area to destroy; yet it offers the gamer so much more. With a great story, decent characters and several mini-missions this one has it all.

By adopting a laissez faire attitude to player discretion, Ubisoft has crafted a brilliant follow-up.

If you like survival games, if you enjoy Tim Burton-esque artwork, or if you’re just looking for an unforgiving challenge of a game, pick up Don’t Starve immediately. Pretty much everything about this game is fantastic, and you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with it.

By adopting a laissez faire attitude to player discretion, Ubisoft has crafted a brilliant follow-up.

The fighting system in BlazBlue is the deepest I have seen this generation, and the level of exploration that is possible within the combat is something that is rare indeed.

Definitely the apex of the Assassin's Creed series thus far. The story does a great job of furthering both the historical plot as well as the overarching sci-fi elements of the story (Desmond has a much larger role here), and the game's new structure is refreshing for those who may have found the back-and-forth structure of last year's title to be a bit tedious.

The amazing amount of features and characters included in the game plus the online gameplay make Brawl one of Nintendo's best titles to date. Even those Nintendo fans who are not interested in fighting titles will find this one appealing.

I am truly blown away by how gorgeous this game looks. From every angle and every vantage point, the sprawling, desolate city has been created in vivid detail and the lighting effects help to create a sense of realism to your plight that can even make you feel a little like this event could actually happen.

Replay value is off the map. Steep learning curve, though.

Civilization V keeps everything that makes the series great, makes the game more accessible to non-fans, and overhauls many of the finer gameplay details. Every PC gamer owes it to himself to give this game a shot.

The handheld FPS formula has finally been cracked, and not a moment too soon.

It doesn't push boundaries, but it reminds us all that Mario will always be the king of the 2D platformer genre, even long after that genre has been buried beneath decades of gaming history.

Even though DiRT has a few faults, there is no denying that the game is the most fun you will have with a racer because, despite those faults, DiRT delivers on a level that is something to marvel from rally racers.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue certainly proved to be worth the hype. I was excited for this game, and when I finally started playing the full version, I was in awe of how amazing this game really felt.

The sheer amount of content in The Lost and Damned is truly impressive considering its modest twenty dollar asking price. With its lengthy single-player experience that provides a good amount of new content, while also shedding light on some of the events of GTA IV, as well as its enjoyable new multiplayer options, it would be impossible to not recommend this title to fans of the series. Hell, the inclusion of checkpoints in every mission throughout the expansion, avoiding the frustration experienced in GTA IV from having to drive back to every mission after failing, is worth it alone.

inFAMOUS: Second Son is a title you need to own. It exemplifies what is to come from next-gen while keeping the game rooted in pure simple fun. I have played several games throughout my career, some have been glorious train wrecks, and then there are a few which scratch the surface of extraordinary. Second Son doesn’t scratch the surface, it blows a damn hole through it, and you will enjoy every time a new hole is made.

The combat is fun, the characters are great, and there is a ton of gaming value shoehorned into this disk. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a worthy sequel to the original.

It’s a phenomenal entry in the BioShock saga.

Definitely the apex of the Assassin's Creed series thus far. The story does a great job of furthering both the historical plot as well as the overarching sci-fi elements of the story (Desmond has a much larger role here), and the game's new structure is refreshing for those who may have found the back-and-forth structure of last year's title to be a bit tedious.

Although it has been ported to the DS, Dragon Quest V is one of the biggest RPGs of all time, and it is certainly an adventure worth taking, even if it has taken more than a decade to be released!

Easy online access, fulfilling single-player experience. Fun action with RPG elements makes the hunt for gear in an interesting world a real treat. If you own a DS and you care about quality entertainment, then you need this game.

Competitive types will adore proving themselves superior to their friends while doing all of the above. I think it's safe to say that no matter which type of gamer you are, you'll find at least some aspect of Need for Speed Most Wanted to completely lose yourself in.

If you like South Park you will love The Stick of Truth, plain and simple. It feels like you are marathoning the show, and marathon you will. It’s so hard to put this game down. When I first picked it up, I found myself, literally, playing it for seven hours straight. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

I did have a working knowledge from having played the original, but I needed more than just a refresher. Fans of the series are definitely going to get more than they bargained for with this expansion pack.

With a play time between forty and fifty hours, different difficulty levels, and multiple endings, Persona 4 will keep you hanging on for quite some time.

The story is gritty, the world is engaging, and the sheer scope of choices at your disposal makes for incredible replay value. All those standards aside, the GamePad functionality is where the cool factor lies. There's so much to keep your fingers busy, and the visual design of the interface makes you feel like you're wielding a futuristic, high-tech tablet with apps meant for a covert agent.

These characters are voice-acted so annoyingly well that you almost wish the character would never speak again, just like some of the main characters. The music and talk shows are also great to listen to as you are traveling around. All in all, the sound department is not lacking in GTA V.

There are few racing games that can boast about the pains taken to authenticate the sounds of their vehicles. DiRT is one of those games.

Though The Guided Fate Paradox is a very difficult game, with the danger of being overwhelmed and losing everything you've worked for constantly looming overhead, I can’t get over how streamlined, easy to understand, and enjoyable this particular adventure is.

I loved The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4:. It wasn’t as active as other episodes, but I feel like I finally have a grasp on what is going on.

Death Stranding will not be for everybody. It seems meticulously engineered for a pretty specific kind of nerd. My wife, for example, loves this game, and when she loves a game, she dumps hundreds of hours into it. Me? I merely like this game, and probably wouldn’t invest a bunch of time into it were it not for work. Of course, there will be people who won’t like the game at all; it will feel like a chore to them. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to determine whether or not Death Stranding is a game for you. I recommend experiencing it in some way, though, be it through a stream or a borrowed copy, because I think it will be talked about for years to come.

The sheer amount of content in The Lost and Damned is truly impressive considering its modest twenty dollar asking price.

I could not be more pleased with this rerelease, and I certainly applaud Square Enix for rewarding their longtime fans with such a classic title on a current system. However, this game is not just for longtime fans, and if you have never been able to experience Chrono Trigger, the DS provides the perfect vehicle to do so.

For as much flack as the Call of Duty series has rightfully received over the recent years, Black Ops 3 completely destroys every preconceived notion - it’s far from a recycled version of the previous installments. From top to bottom the game is excellently crafted with a series of new features to complement a robust campaign plot with all types of crazy twists and turns.

There is so much depth to this game it's almost obscene! You'll likely be playing this title for years to come.

An absolutely incredible experience that simply shouldn't be missed.

Between its active battle system and its online functionality, there is a whole lot that separates Demon's Souls from other games in the dungeon-crawling genre, bringing it into the current generation.

Imperium Romanum offers tons of replay value, with different modes and virtually unlimited ways to play each scenario.

It is a great crossover title and has appeal both as an Ivalice adventure and as a full-throttle tactics title.

One of the best deals in gaming. All five games that are offered are a blast to play, and if Portal and Team Fortress 2 were fleshed out a little more, they could easily stand on their own. However, most gamers will not be angry at Valve for packaging all of the games together, giving a nearly complete Half Life 2 experience.

BioShock for PS3 may not be as impressive as I thought it was going to be, but that’s not to say it isn’t the definitive version; it is. And the definitive version of one of the best console games ever made spells “must-buy” for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, the lack of Challenge Rooms was rather disappointing, but, thankfully, many of the glitches have been resolved.

Portal 2 includes groundbreaking gameplay, a collection of deep and nuanced characters, a completely insane story, and some incredible gaming moments you'll probably never forget.

Portal 2 includes groundbreaking gameplay, a collection of deep and nuanced characters, a completely insane story, and some incredible gaming moments you'll probably never forget.

Portal 2 includes groundbreaking gameplay, a collection of deep and nuanced characters, a completely insane story, and some incredible gaming moments you'll probably never forget.

The beautifully rendered graphics are amazing and keep you in awe. The voiceovers match their counterparts and make you feel like your watching the TV series. The controls are tight and responses, except for the occasional platforming sections where things can get unnecessarily difficult due to some jumping issues.

The effort put into the depth of control of this game is very apparent. Each of the four modes of racing controls in subtly different ways, and racing aficionados will definitely be able to tell the difference.

This is the first time I could make the following statement: This MMO, in its current state, poses a serious threat to World of Warcraft.

Overall the HD remasters of FFX and FFX2 are a home run. Square Enix managed to capture the initial feeling of playing these games for the first time as well as making them much more beautiful to look at.

You must own it, even if that means racing to the game store to find one of the reclusive Wiis. The president's daughter's been kidnapped - it's up to us.

FNR4 is the most realistic video game portrayal of the sweet science to date as well as being incredibly enjoyable to play. It has improved upon the previous Fight Nights in every way imaginable.

Los Angeles is the perfect playground for all the freaks, creeps, thugs, and murderers you could want to see in a morally ambiguous game, and Noire doesn't pull any punches with its blunt and often graphic depiction. L.A. Noire isn't a perfect game, but it does represent a new benchmark both for realism in the medium as well as for the adventure genre.

Los Angeles is the perfect playground for all the freaks, creeps, thugs, and murderers you could want to see in a morally ambiguous game, and Noire doesn't pull any punches with its blunt and often graphic depiction. L.A. Noire isn't a perfect game, but it does represent a new benchmark both for realism in the medium as well as for the adventure genre.

Even taking the grueling difficulty level into account, Infinite Space is a must-play for any fan of RPGs who has grown tired of overly-cute standard fare.

A beyond competent, gorgeous, and well-crafted World War II strategy game. It may very well be the best WWII strategy game ever produced. It is, however, a game for those who already enjoy the genre, and particularly for those entranced by Company of Heroes’ hallmark approach to combat.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings takes the charm of the LEGO games and mashes it up with the brilliance of Tolkien's beloved masterpiece in a way that does justice to both. This is a refreshing, from-the-ground-up rebuilding of the LEGO formula, making this perhaps the best LEGO game to date.

Action-RPG fans will certainly have fun with this release, although it's similar to the original, and if you're into thongs and "role-playing" then this game is a win-win.

Action-RPG fans will certainly have fun with this release, although it's similar to the original, and if you're into thongs and "role-playing" then this game is a win-win.

MLB the Show 19 has a lot to offer. If someone has a hankering for a new sports game, it is here with easy to understand controls and tips and enough modes to let you quickly get started. If you know what you're in for with the series, then the new March to October and Moments modes will give you chances to see what sports legends' lives were like or take a specific team to victory over the course of a season. If it is all new, you have plenty of quick play, simulation, and extended modes that will let you prove yourself, live the life of a player, manage a team, create a team, and generally succeed. It's a robust game that will keep people in the game throughout 2019 and beyond.

Even on current-generation consoles, this game looks great. The sheer amount of on-screen action is astounding for this aging hardware to be capable of producing. Character models are easily the sharpest that they have ever been; the weapons look accurate and clean, and character animations flow through the environment without looking stiff or forced.

This is exactly the kind of experience WiiWare seems designed for. 1500 Wii Points is really a small price to pay for excellence, especially when the sheer quality of World of Goo handily puts more than a few full-blown Wii releases to shame. It's a blast from start to finish. If there's one game you pick up on WiiWare this year, make it this one.

A fun, fast, frenetic game that is truly unique.

The effort put into the depth of control of this game is very apparent. Each of the four modes of racing controls in subtly different ways, and racing aficionados will definitely be able to tell the difference.