The biggest disappointment about ShootMania is how confused the game is, and the lack of direction will almost assuredly be the death of it.

Overall, Dungeon Hearts is an excellent addition to the genre. Its combo of rpg and match play is really quite fun, especially if you don’t mind spending some time with it. While not the best for a quick pick up and play, there’s enough depth to keep it installed on my machine for a long time.

Rarely do I laugh my way through an entire game but even in the intense action scenes Blood Dragon is still throwing humor out every which way.

It is a shame that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS is let down so badly by the lack of online capability. However, if you have friends with the title or have prior experience with the series and can deal with the challenge of fighting alone, then 3 Ultimate is worth picking up. Just make sure you play with the Circle Pad Pro.

The moment-to-moment navigation and ghost-busting is so innately enjoyable that it often negated my complaints, though. Mostly, Dark Moon is an excellent adventure game that smartly builds upon one of Nintendo’s most unique and underutilized properties. It could have used a little more balancing and little less padding, but otherwise, this is a grand start to the Year of Luigi.

The biggest issue with this game is how it is a user creation-centric experience, and nearly two weeks after release the online playerbase is almost entirely nonexistent.

Monaco is the first game I’ve played that truly nails feel of the heist, with enough traps, items, and different characters that co-op play with friends should be a staple of your online activity for the months to come.

Overall there is a lot of promise in this title, I just wish the mechanics could match up to the story itself.

Art and glitches aside, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a surprisingly enjoyable platformer, and the developers have done a lot to breathe life and personality into a series that was never really allowed to live in the first place.

For someone interested in the science behind things like perception and emotion, it could be a useful tool, if you are willing to dig into the provided library and spend time putting those words into action. For most though, it’s worth a look about as much as those huge birthday predictor omnibuses seen on the shelf of your local Barnes and Noble. It’s fun to flip through, but not nearly entertaining or worthwhile enough to buy.

RedLynx has crafted a devilishly addictive racing-platformer hybrid that pushes their game design know-how to new limits. If you don’t have an Xbox and have been waiting for the chance to play one of the toughest releases of last year, Trials Evolution Gold is a fine way to explore that content and then some.

While it is technically the best version of Crysis out there, it is really only a slightly better version of Crysis 2’s mechanics and graphics. Because of that, Crysis 3 feels more like an expansion pack to Crysis 2 than a true sequel and more than likely not worth your time.

Darkstalkers Resurrection is a great collection of some classic games. I really liked playing Darkstalkers 3, and the unusual round system and art style made the game seem like more than just another solid fighting game. Iron Galaxy did a great job updating the game in terms of visuals, tutorials, and online play. Night Warriors is by far the weaker of the two games, but Darkstalkers 3 is worth the price of admission. It’s not the best fighting game ever made, but it’s a lot of fun and the price point is right.

The game’s technical problems notwithstanding, I found LEGO City Undercover to be an immensely enjoyable adventure that really made me laugh. It certainly has a lot going for it with a great story, funny script, creative originality and a design that makes no attempt to dumb anything down making it easily accessible for gamers young and old alike. LEGO City Undercover is also a lovely looking game that continues the trend of blending real world objects and geography with colorful and whimsical LEGO objects. For those still upset about the delay over Rayman Legends, I’m pleased to say there’s finally a game that makes Wii U worth owning.

The controls are tight, the levels are fun to look at, and the music will have you sucked into the Runner world in no time.

The presentational pieces are there, and the controls tight, but when it comes to delivering a memorable set of tracks to underscore both the thematic and mechanical elements of the adventure, it doesn’t dig near deep enough. Without the joy of music to which the most successful games in the genre are conduits for, a lot of the effort and talent behind this charming game winds up feeling a little hollow.

Bioshock Infinite is the best shooter I have played in a long time. It is an incredible achievement artistically, narratively, and technically. I can’t think of a better game to close out and define this decade-long console generation.

And that sums it up. Fuel Overdose is a game full of wrong turns. From art direction to gameplay, lacking story to lacking track design, it’s a game that never really finds its way to anything that even resembles mediocrity.

Unless you’re a chronic stat-cruncher and menu enthusiast, though, I can’t imagine that this incremental and grind-heavy sequel will resonate with you.

Alien Breed is a decent package and great love letter to a classic arcade game but that’s all it manages to be. The inclusion of multiplayer goes a long way to make this package worth the price but if you are looking for something more in depth you may want to look elsewhere.

The creative slant makes for a far more interesting game than the original “crash into various structures” formula. With over 400 levels divided in three chapters, over 60 sandbox levels and rewards for collecting hidden skulls, Bad Piggies is packed with a serious amount of content making it the perfect game to spend as little as five minutes or upwards of two hours with.

The single player is solid but doesn’t try a ton of new things, and the multiplayer is brand new but has plenty of room to grow. God of War: Ascension is a very well put together game and one made for fans of the series who want to get their Kratos fix in while we wait for the next true successor in the franchise.

The difficulty of explaining Year Walk without giving its secrets away is self-evident at this point. Anyone reading this who has already played it knows what I mean. For the laymen though, and those who are merely curious, I’ll just say that it’s one of the best adventure games I’ve ever played, and also one of the most terrifying horror experiences in recent and bygone memory.

Unfortunately, the compromises necessary to make SimCity a multiplayer, always-online game detract from what’s most enjoyable about city-builders, resulting in a product that feels like it’s actively trying to keep the player from having a good time.

Still an excellent game of golf. I am a huge fan of the new Legends of the Majors modes. It has a ton of content and is one of the better pick up and play modes in a sports game. Although not a major update, if you’re in the mood for more golf or may have missed a couple of Tiger Woods outings, this is a great one to jump back into.

In the end, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds does not feature the seminal, tightly-crafted fighting mechanics of Street Fighter or the spectacular boss fights from Castle Crashers, but it does provide a handful of hours of side-scrolling, 2D-beat-em-up glee. In spite of a few crippling issues and ham-fisted mechanics, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds still outweighs its flaws with a competent throwback look and feel, gratifying gameplay flow and a strong selection of modes that, all things considered, justifies the asking price of merely $10.

There’s still some fun to be had in each game and the price is very low, but the ability to brute force you’re way through each one with unlimited continues means that only those who enjoy chasing their friends on leaderboards should purchase this first collection.

The controls feel good, it looks great, and core concept is both simple to understand and challenging enough to keep you trying again. It just needs some kind of competitive aspect to the high scores so you’re not just competing with yourself.