Sound Shapes boasts an effortless dedication to intoxicating the player's senses through its sights and sounds. Call it distilled bliss or displaced affection, but there's an explicit sense of euphoria acquired by absorbing Sound Shapes' rich presentation. It's great at being a game, but it's better understood as a favorite song or album. It's something to be played and enjoyed if for no other reason than the sheer pleasure of repeating the process.

Despite its flaws, you still get some solid gameplay from Funcom's The Secret World. The story keeps you hooked and the simplified leveling system keeps you constantly improving. Those two things will keep The Secret World strong in the minds of MMO fans, as well as the hope for improvement and expansion.

Dyad calls to mind the pure sense of wonder that would take over when I was six years old and playing Nintendo games in front of a little television. I was completely absorbed and simultaneously amazed that I was affecting the outcome of what was transpiring on screen. Dyad has this effect on me as an adult. Constantly. I almost can't believe the speed at which it seems to be moving, and I'm equally astounded that I'm any damn good at it. In both instances Dyad is a fantastic example of its medium and deserves to be enjoyed by anyone with an active interest in it.

Call it a movie-game if you must, but The Amazing Spider-Man is a standout superhero game that is accessible, fun, and pretty addictive.

NCAA Football 13 doesn't bring anything groundbreaking to the franchise, but it does make some much needed improvements. Better AI, more QB animation, sharper receiver reaction and the addition of the Reaction Time mechanic make this a fun and interesting NCAA Football release. It definitely isn't a leap from last year's game, but it's a step up.

While Dawnguard probably could have contained a bit more for its $20 price tag, most gamers who have dedicated months of their lives to playing this game will not be disappointed with their purchase. For the time being, I'm hooked again, and that means I'm probably going to have to go pay off my ridiculously high bounty in Whiterun.

Starved for Help continues to explore the moral ambiguity of a post-society world, albeit focusing more on the human threat this time around. There is a narrow margin between right and wrong, and forcing the player to genuinely question what to do or how to act in virtual environment is a remarkable accomplishment.

A New Day embraces this concept and allows the player to revel in its characters and their conversations, and in doing so even manages to grant the player legitimate agency over the suspected protagonist. And, yeah, it's a hell of a good ride.

If From would have nailed the motion controls down, this would have been one of my favorite games of the year because it's so engaging and fresh. Unfortunately, dealing with the sketchy controls can be wildly frustrating.

The hype machine put a lot on the shoulders of Resistance: Burning Skies and the initial multiplayer snags didn't help matters. Still, I have enjoyed it and I think anyone who likes the series will too.

DiRT shifts into a different gear with Showdown, moving away from its rally sim roots to a more arcade and destruction-friendly forum.

I commend Disney Interactive Studios for not treating this game like it was some cross-promotional item related to the film. You can see that the development team at Disney Interactive Studios really wanted this game to work and break out of the stereotypical movie-to-game mold that has been well established over the years. It has some really fantastic positives with weapon and ability upgrades (and easter eggs), but it still failed in some areas. If you have younger gamers in the household then you may want to consider this title for purchase.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes raises the bar with gameplay, presentation and fun. You will be playing this for hours after you complete the main mission. That's something you couldn't say with complete joy in your voice with previous LEGO titles. This certainly will be tough to top when the next LEGO game is released.

It's everything Diablo II was except better.

Pokémon Conquest is a solid addition to any Nintendo DS library. Fans of the RPG series should enjoy this twist of tactics battling and will appreciate the level of complexity available with castle management, team building, and Pokémon training. It's nice to see a spin-off mash-up turn out to be a quality game.

Close Quarter is a wonderful addition to the BF3 DLC family. It brings a new aspect to the BF3 model and it provides a more fast-paced, high-sensation experience. Like I said at the beginning, snipers need not apply.

Amidst an important layer of absurdity brought to you by the likes of Suda51, James Gunn, and Jimmy Urine, Lollipop Chainsaw has a lot in common with the delightful 8-bit games of my youth.

Inversion had a neat idea, but the execution is lackluster at best. For genre connoisseurs, it's worth a look, but most can safely pass this one up.

This is a polished and proven fighter that still has a lot left in the tank.

I like Supermassive Games' idea they had for Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, but I think the execution fell far short of what they planned. Had they given the game a bit more time to cook, then it would have turned out far better. The 2D platformer genre worked well for this title, but it couldn't overcome the shoddiness of the finished piece and the frustration it creates.

Capcom enters the open world fantasy RPG genre with a compelling release whose strengths outweigh its flaws.

This game is very good. A 10-12 hour campaign, that can all be played cooperatively, is supported by a good handful of multiplayer offerings. The "story" seems relative and sets the stage for a great experience, even with it being a bit repetitive.

It's a shame that Sonic can't run fast enough to escape his past. Amidst segments that range from profoundly irritating to cautiously routine, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II features a handful of sequences that show a glimmer of hope, suggesting that if Sonic Team and Dimps were allowed to make a new 2D Sonic game without having to obey the demons of his past, we might have received a more clever and inventive episode. Instead, Episode II defaults to another run through familiar symbols and places, few of which seem to be as exhilarating as they were nearly twenty years ago.

The best Move game available, and one of the best motion game experiences on any platform I've experienced.

A quasi-interesting experiment that Move owners with an interest in electronic music might want to invest in.

Max is back and in top form. Rockstar takes the helm resulting in one of the best action games I've played in a long time, and easily one of the best this year.

Mario Tennis Open is, by definition, a regression of the series' splendid portable campaign. Lacking any sort of highly-acclaimed Career mode and bathed in an eventual sea of homogeny, it stales far too quickly for the good of its platform and price tag. This is Mario Tennis only in its most primitive and basic form.

Accessible, addictive, and loads of fun, Starhawk gives you plenty of reason to jump in and stay hooked.