At the end of the day, I think Halo: Anniversary is primarily designed for hardcore Halo fans. If you don't already own Halo: Combat Evolved or are still addicted to Halo: Reach, then I highly recommend getting Anniversary.

Nitronic Rush is free. If you like a unique, challenging racing game, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't download it. In due time, development studios, publishers, and gamers alike will be keeping an eye on these young gun developers.

A decent little distraction, but it's out during a period when "decent" distractions should be low on a gamer's list of priorities.

FIFA 12 proves that human beings -- not Autobots -- make videogames, and these particular people are sharp observers of the beautiful game. I think it shows, and I think FIFA 12 is a better game for it.

I adored my experience playing Rayman Origins and I'm certain that anybody with a love for 2D platform games will feel the same. It stands tall in the field as being one of the best of its kind in this console generation and supplies ample hope that there's not only plenty of life still in that genre, but in Rayman as a franchise.

A game that aimed to be the most outrageous chapter of the series has ended up, if anything, as the least remarkable.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is every single reason to love a Western role-playing game, condensed into a single comprehensive experience with nothing lost in the conversion process.

3D Land is a game in which Nintendo shows other developers how they've been doing it wrong since the 3DS launched, and provides a template from which future games ought to be built.

It's one of the best games ever made, in 3D or otherwise.

Modern Warfare 3 treads familiar ground and focuses on tweaking rather than reinventing, and that's just fine. While there are no major revelations or surprises, this is still a gorgeously produced package that gives military shooter fans exactly what they want. There's a reason why Call of Duty is the most powerful videogame franchise of the modern era, and Modern Warfare 3 serves as a reminder -- it's just that damn good at what it does.

It's as simple as this: if you want to have fun with friends in a rhythm game, buy Rock Band 3, but if you want to learn guitar, buy Rocksmith. It works, it's fun, and no strange man with a handlebar mustache will force you to play Soul Asylum here.

For a game made by one guy in his bedroom over the summer, Beat Hazard Ultra is an interesting treat. The controls are tight, the weapons are unique and varied, and the novelty of using your own songs gives you an endless library of levels and enemy variety.

Treasures of the Sun is definitely one for the fans and it offers plenty of new content with its new locale, while simultaneously giving you a new reason to play through the full game again.

This is the kind of game you can easily give to an elder family member if they are a fan of the show, without ever having to explain how it works. It offers a couple of casual evenings worth of extra NCIS entertainment with your favorite characters, and for some fans that might be just what they want.

Whilst there are undoubtedly flaws, sometimes in the game's mechanics or structure, the strong writing, elegant design, quality voice acting and beautiful visuals should keep you compelled to carry on.

The War of the Worlds winds up being a competent action/platform game in the end, and a fun one for fans of the genre. The debatably antiquated gameplay style and mechanics might be a turn-off for some, but those who enjoy those trappings should be satisfied.

The tragedy of PowerUp Heroes is that it's actually a rather good game, but one that lacks any memorable characters. Ubisoft does toss in some references to their other properties, with suits based on the Rabbids and Assassin's Creed unlocked by defeating Malignance, but not being a publisher known for producing fighting games makes this a title likely to be overlooked.

It Comes From Outer Space is not going to blow your mind with Kefling innovation. It's simply more Keflings action and as such gives you what you expect; although it's more enjoyable than the simple and lazy type of DLC NinjaBee could have given us.

Rounds out the collection found in the original Kinect Sports with a competent batch of games without a really bad one in the bunch. It can be a good time for families and folks who like to party and ideal in small doses. At the same time, it struggles to be compelling for more than the most casual of encounters and the limitations of the simple games don't really hold up for repeated playing.

Along with Deathsmiles and Gradius V, SideScroller is one of the few side-scrolling gems of the past decade.

Buried beneath bugs, control issues, harsh mission design and even harsher economic balancing, there seems to be a shadow of the old Stronghold as we remember it; sometimes you'll even have a minute of fun here and there.

If you are seeking a new, unique team-based game to play with some friends on Halloween, The Haunted is a worthy choice. Just know that you may not want to play it in November, when you are still facing the same server, waiting, and technical issues that plagued its release.

While it's not quite the stunning triumph that many had hoped for, Sonic Generations is a truly great game that provides some of the best Sonic action ever seen and pays fitting tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog -- highlighting both his successes and his failures.

The Adventures of Tintin may not be a fantastic game, but as licensed games go it's far more than decent. The different modes and variety in gameplay do not always reach the same level of quality, but the majority of it is a lot of fun to play for kids and adults alike.

The PC is the obvious choice for Battlefield 3 -- if you can run it -- but there's a catch. A very large, significant, infuriating catch that may prove a deal breaker for some people. The name of this catch is Battlelog, and it's by far one of the worst ideas in videogame history.

Pain junkies can get a quick fix of MotoHeroz methadone, but it will only tide them over until the next hit of Trials heroin shows up.

For those fresh to Overkill's saucy blend of violence and crude humor, The House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut is a fun little game that will soak up a few hours and provide some laughs along the way. Those who have been to the rodeo before, however, don't need to get on the horse again.

A lethargic combat experience marred further by grotesque bugs, The Cursed Crusade is a game that truly does feel cursed, like no amount of hard work would put it right.