For lovers of the genre, it's tough to go wrong with Fallout 3. However, if you're strictly a shooter fan or enjoy free-flowing combat, the plodding pace, vast amount of content, and RPG hallmarks (such as heavy inventory management, non-essential quests, and character leveling) may bore you. It's a good game, but certainly not without its faults. A new game engine and better controls would have served this title well.

The combat is fun and accessible, the gore is over-the-top, and the story's spiked with humor (though not always intended) and provides for a non-stop, action-packed thrill ride. Still, whereas the original title was groundbreaking, GoW 2 is simply a honed, rehashed sequel.

This is one hot engine, baby. The graphics and the animation are about as smooth and realistic as it gets. The physics is precise and the controls are tight.

Unfortunately the GameCube is my least favorite in terms of control, with the PS2 being the most comfortable controller to use... The GC D-Pad is entirely to small and finicky, the Xbox D-Pad is too rounded and sloppy but the PS2 D-Pad....it's just right.

It’s a shame that this will be Kojima’s last MGS game, but for what it’s worth he set aside whatever ill feelings he might have against Konami to create one of his most ambitious games yet. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the best entry in the franchise.

Skyward Sword finally brings satisfying swordplay, delivering on a promise made five years ago.

Rock Band 3 is simply the best there is in the music genre.

Quite simply, VJ is a Tour de Force of style meets substance and succeeds on every level.

Don't even think of renting if for this price. With such a simple-to-use, yet complex control system, you can be fighting in no time and continue refining your skills for months to come.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is different from the others. It eschews the supernatural elements of the previous games in favor of a slower-paced, deeply personal story that’s marred by some pacing issues. However, as usual, this entry pushes Sony’s console to the max. Whether or not A Thief’s End usurps Among Thieves’ position as the best in the series is unclear; however, this is Drake’s best tale.

I’ve been playing for hours and still don’t have all the characters, and I still feel like there are menu options I haven’t even touched yet. But at the same time, I feel like I’m deeply satisfied, as what I have chosen to do has scratched gaming itches for me I didn’t even know a Super Smash Bros. game was capable of. This is a massive game in both scale and cultural weight, one that wears its far-reaching subtitles as badges of pride.

I was hooked from the beginning. The extras and refinement brought into this game have only made it better, and BioWare has made the latest installment in the Mass Effect series nearly perfect.

As you can see, the improvements are basically cosmetic and do not affect the gameplay other than to make it look and sound better. If there was ever a reason to replay the game one more time this is it.

By far this is the best version of the game available, simply because of the graphics and reduced load times. You will need a workhorse to have it run smoothly, but it's definitely worth it in the end, whether you've an old homie of CJ's or you've just been introduced.

This game is a step in the right direction and while I feel it's the best one in the Winning Eleven series, I'm not so sure that casual gamers will find the new developments worthy of the purchase price.

Like any social network activity, this is here to last. It's a new form of expression for creative people, and creating animations is so easy that soon there'll be millions of Flipnotes in Hatena's database. Fun stuff!

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.

In the end, Skyrim will be hailed as both the best and worst title of the year depending on whom you ask. RPG gamers who look for subtle storytelling and endless replay value are going to love every minute. But gamers that have even a slight problem with impatience will quickly become frustrated. However, even the most devoted naysayer has to admit that Skyrim is at the top of its genre, and that's no small feat.

No other game can come close to making you think you're back in the time period and are actually the young Prince on his adventure. The game is one that will have challenges even for the more advanced player and those watching will see things that will have them shaking their heads in amazement at the moves that can be pulled off in this game.

An intense gaming experience from start to finish. The story is conveyed much better than the average FPS, the gameplay is varied enough to stay fresh, the graphics and sound both deliver, and the multiplayer is addictive.

The Forza family of games continues to excel in technical quality and content quantity, raising the bar each year and giving the series a strong shot at being the best racing series ever. Forza Horizon 4 reinforces that statement with new ways to experience the joy of driving, whether alone, with friends, or fellow enthusiasts you happen to cross paths with in this gorgeous shared piece of Great Britain.

Everything you were expecting and more. It really delivers with extremely upgraded graphics, a quality soundtrack, easy-to-learn controls, varied weapons and powers, challenging battles, enemy diversity, plenty of boss battles, immersive puzzles, a story that ties up the loose ends, and much more. My only gripe is the lack of innovation.

This game is loaded plain and simple.

Don't be scared of the new Gibson X-Plorer controller because it plays just as well as the PS2 version. Too bad it looks a little too 80s hair band for my taste. No matter, the game still totally rocks.

It's simply so well executed that when you blow past some difficult parts simply because the game controls so well, you'll begin to think it's all you. That's the mark of a brilliantly designed game...I can't recommend this one highly enough.

The pacing, storytelling, drama, and comedy roll together to give one of the most remarkably cinematic experience in gaming today. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception simply raises a bar that didn't even need to be raised. But now that it has, we will never want to go back.

Rock Band has one thing going for it: the necessity to having friends to play and the willingness to work together. It may not be enough for everyone to drop 170 bucks on the game and equipment, but I can say if you even remotely have thought about this game, it is worth it.

This is probably my new favorite title of next-gen consoles, but then again I could have just become assimilated to enjoy the pain. Now I just have to figure out if I should say thank you or just sit quietly until my next punishment.