The final word on Black Ops: Declassified is somewhat paradoxical. It's not quite the trainwreck that many have made it out to be. In fact, if this were an iOS game available for $1.99, there's every chance that it would garner much more praise. But the Vita isn't an iPhone, or a tablet. It's capable of so much more, and for that reason, Declassifed is incapable of defending itself as anything other than execrable. It's a black mark on the franchise and yet another massive missed-opportunity for the Vita.

This game not only challenges you to think outside the box but to have the endurance to continue thinking that way until the level is over and the boss is beaten.

For representing an untested genre on consoles, Guardians of Middle Earth acquits itself pretty well. If only the online functionality was as airtight as its core strategy, we'd have a truly great mashup on our hands.

On top of the great strategy gameplay, Kings Bounty: Warriors of the North offers a great value with its $30 price tag. The worst thing that you can say about it is that it doesn't deviate much from King's Bounty: Armored Princess, besides a few details and a few conveniences – or is that the best thing that you can say about it? After all, Armored Princess was an excellent game.

As a "dangerous tropical island simulator", Far Cry 3 is one of the most satisfying and inventive shooters released this year. Gamers eager to explore the wild jungle should pick this up without second thought, and try not to let the infuriating campaign rain on their parade.

I came into this review with a lot of harsh thoughts based on what amounts to "You took my single player away from me." But after examining what was accomplished, and what was released at a decent price range ($19.99) for the package, I am kinda seeing the value in Insomniac's latest R&C experiment. I really hope we see a true single player sequel in the future, especially on next-gen equipment, but if this is what we have to deal with in the mean time, waiting might not be so bad.

ZombiU is definitely not a game for everyone, mostly due to its unforgiving design and flat fiction. But few horror games really make you feel like you're in a desperate struggle for survival, and few action games command all of your attention and precision to play. ZombiU manages both those things simultaneously, and the result feels fresh and interesting in all the right ways.

While it may embrace some of the stealth genre's conventions that it seems directly antithetical to, Stealth Bastard's fantastic level design, wit, and devious death traps result in a thoroughly unique and enjoyable take on the stealth genre.

Far Cry 3 was a really late game for this year but maybe it's better that way as it has nothing to compete against and gives everyone the chance to see this great game for themselves. This is a nice way to wrap up a questionable year in gaming and Far Cry 3 actually stands out as one of the best games of this year.

Despite the fact that it came out last year, Pushmo was going to be on my Game of the Year list for this year. After all, I barely played it last year, and that's all the matters. Now that Crashmo is out, though, which features not only better gameplay and production values, but also a better NAME, I'm happy to place it in the position that Pushmo had been occupying in my list before-and probably in an even higher position.

On the execution side, Pool Nation is all hit. I absolutely feel that there is no more accurate representation of the game of pool, and was really impressed with all the extra features Cherry Pop Games added to the overall product.

PlanetSide 2 is a hard game to sum up. It's a beautiful, solidly built shooter that presents large-scale conflict like nobody else in the business. The rest of the game's enjoyment, however, is entirely up to you. If you can dedicate the time to learning the systems, decoding the cumbersome UI, and finding a group of people that you like playing with, PlanetSide 2 will be a blast.

Sine Mora is one of the most beautiful shmups I've ever had the chance to play. It's also a solid action title with a surprisingly deep story about the lengths someone will go for revenge. Purists will find it a fresh addition to their collection while casual observers may be turned off by the short length and the game's masochistic delight in punishing players with nearly impossible odds.

It would be really hard for me to recommend Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!! for anyone who wasn't a fan of the show, even at its discounted price of $30. As a game it's solid, neither particularly good or bad. Still, if you like Adventure Time and want to experience more of it, this is a pretty good way to do that.

Civil War is a very serious table set against the back drop of a very serious story. While not as fun, per say, as the rest of the offerings Zen Studios has made in their Marvel line, those looking for a challenge will no doubt find it and more among it's bumpers, ramps, and paddles. While not the best Zen has put out, it's still worth the $2.99 asking price for a chance to explore this comic story line.

I enjoyed my time with Ragnarok Odyssey and thought it to be a great fit for the Vita. The "pick up and play" nature of the contract system makes it the perfect game to play while sitting on a train, plane or bus. Those who have already tackled Monster Hunter for the PSP and are looking for more would do well to give this one a gander.

It's really a shame that such obvious and ostensibly easy-to-fix bugs are out there right now, because without them, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is an excellent entry into a monopolized subgenre that does things differently enough to be well worth a look. I feel pretty confident that a true fix will be realized eventually. As of a week a half after launch, though, this is a slightly busted version of a great game.

Take those Legends of Wrestlemania or other attempts at wrestling nostalgia and throw them away because WWE 13 is all you need "and that's the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so."

Book of Spells' biggest draw is the new Harry Potter content written by Rowling herself. Other than that, it is nothing more than a mini-game collection that benefits from being based on one of the world's most popular and beloved literary works.

Succeeding in everything it sets out to do, and coming in at a very respectable $9.99 price point, Drip Drip is an excellent diversion, especially if you need a break from the heavy video game drops this holiday season has given us. With room for some updates in the future, there is much to enjoy in this slightly damp package.

New Super Mario Bros. U definitely plays things safe and mostly sticks to the framework established by the "New" offshoot series established back on the DS, but the tougher design and beautiful look make it a great Mario game no matter how you look at it.

Parkouring dinosaurs, sub-horror moments of Velociraptor terror, and picking up a human as a Pteranodon and dropping them to their death are just a few reasons I love the concept and execution of Primal Carnage. It's just too bad that there's not more here to flesh out the more positive qualities and suppress the negative ones from seeping through.

Black Ops 2, in thematic solidarity with the sacrifices of its protagonists, will likely not be remembered among the best of its brethren. And yet, the best Call of Duty installments yet to come will succeed because of the work that Treyarch has done here.

I'm not going to mince words anymore: The Walking Dead is the best game of 2012. If you care about video games as an expressive medium, you need to play this game. It's too important to avoid. If you are sick of zombie stories, you need to play this game. If you hate video games and despise the thought of playing one, you need to play this game.

Painkiller Hell and Damnation is just as fun as the original game if not a bit quaint.

Despite being somewhat charming and well made, Johnny Hotshot is just too repetitive and asks you to go through each level way too many times for you to really wind up enjoying it fully. Had it eased down on the time demands, you'd have a little more fun, but in the end, it just feels pointlessly challenging in way that confuses itself for depth.

While I always swore by Worms Armageddon, Worms Revolution, while it may be an iteration, feels like a whole new game and the best game in the franchise.

Episode 3 of The Walking Dead finally put interesting characters into a plot that I was actually interested in.. After that, Episode 4 started creating a series of gameplay moments that not only influence the game, but are set up in such a way and smartly enough to influence how the player feels at that moment. While it would have been a better series if they'd had this in place from the beginning, the way that the series has picked up as it nears its conclusion is great, and has me waiting for the end excitedly.