Need for Speed: The Run feels more like a tightly scripted action game than an adaptive racer. If you stop to look around you'll discover a game in service of building toward an experience rather than challenging the player beyond a few trial and error style obstacles.

Skyward Sword is a masterpiece. It raises the bar for the legendary series and is memorable from start to finish. It's challenging, unpredictable, diverse, thrilling, and endearing. It is the Zelda game you've been waiting for.

Super Mario 3D Land proves that there is still an innovative direction that platforming can take even after the constant innovation seen throughout the history of Mario. This game may not be as creative as Galaxy (really what is?) but the different camera perspectives and depth based gameplay, along with all sorts of platforming styles meshed into one game make for a worthy Mario title for the 3DS.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is breathtaking, engrossing and deep. With gameplay and visual improvements, Bethesda set a new standard in The Elder Scrolls series with Skyrim, and with the action/RPG genre. This most certainly should be the game of the year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 brings more intensity and more of everything than the previous installment.

A solid adventure despite some significant issues, The Cursed Crusade is well worth a look this holiday.

Fans might have preferred compilation of Sonic's 16-bit greatest hits, but a career-spanning retrospective is what ended up on the track list. And you know what? Against all odds, Sonic Generations feels adequate.

This is exactly the type of game that makes me lose confidence in motion gaming's future. There is nothing of substantial value here and I recommend leaving this one on the shelf.

Skylanders is a good game made wholly better by a great gaming experience that is provided by the Portal of Power and the figures. Enjoyable for all ages, you would be hard pressed to find a more engaging, better-produced family friendly game this holiday.

The fun of co-oping through Middle Earth with three unique characters overshadows some of the game's shortcomings, making for a very enjoyable game that I'm happy to recommend.

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded has taken a risky jump from the relatively starved Wii FPS climate to the well-established PS3/360 market in exchange for a better online experience and some shiny HD visuals. Fortunately, thanks to some clever additions to the package and some much-needed refinements elsewhere, it stands with the big boys-just with a different overall attitude.

Cave Story shouldn't be missed no matter what platform you play it on, but Cave Story 3D offers the most unique perspective on this independent gem.

The good news is Daytona USA's port is actually better than you remember. The bad is, despite some inspired extras, it doesn't last that long.

A great title for the weak Move library and a solid rail shooter.

Shoot 'em ups are burdened with the weight of the hardcore and while PixelJunk SideScroller obeys that command, its art, music, and basic gameplay are attractive enough to lure in anyone who might remember walking into an arcade. Simply put, SideScroller carries the sentiment of its genre predecessors without the standard prescription for rose tinted glasses.

While Disney Universe can't really come close to LittleBigPlanet in terms of scope or gameplay options, there's enough fun here to keep any Disney fanatic entertained. Simple controls, plenty of levels and challenges will make this fun for younger gamers in any household.

InFamous: Festival of Blood succeeds as a ghoulish costume for InFamous 2.

R&C: A4O almost delivers a great single player and multiplayer experience, but falls a little short. Neither mode is outstanding, but the multiplayer mode is a lot of fun (especially with local friends) and the single player mode is pretty cool on its own.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland is the game die-hard fans have been waiting for for years. Though recent bouts have found the series moving in more of an experimental direction, the traditional Kirby game is what gamers will always want the series to revert back to.

There's a lot to love about this game, and not a lot to criticize. It's a wonderful experience that brings online and offline intensity to an entirely new level. DICE and EA did a great job with Battlefield 3 and I hope they continue this trend for the next game.

Pokémon Rumble Blast is like buying a five-pound multicolored package of Runts only to find all bananas inside: there's a heck of a lot to digest, but ultimately, it's just one shockingly mediocre bite after another.

For the mahjong player on the go, Mahjong Cub3d may be an enticing pickup, but if you've already decided you aren't a fan of mahjong, Cub3d won't change your state of mind.

Batman: Arkham City is The Empire Strikes of the Batman gaming series. It's darker, grittier and adds so much to the original universe that Rocksteady created. If you liked Arkham Asylum then you will love Arkham City.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter continues to push the high production values of the cartoon mystery series while still providing a slew of enjoyable puzzles along the way.

Charles Schulz probably never illustrated any happy Cloud Whales, but if he did they would probably look like Okabu's chief protagonists. With bright colors and a merry atmosphere flooding positivity and joy through every channel, it's hard to look away. This wouldn't matter much if Okabu's gameplay wasn't up to spec, but the subtle complexity behind the puzzles and variety of objectives serves the theme well - and makes Okabu's handful of technical gaffs all the more disappointing.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a textbook definition of a director's cut. Those enjoying it for the first time won't know the difference, those who disliked it won't care, and those who loved the original will be split down the middle in their appreciation of a reworked interpretation.

Beenox did a good job with Edge of Time, but they left a lot of room for improvement for their next endeavor.

While certainly still needing some improvement, Project Aces is drawing closer and closer to a perfect Ace Combat game. With improved visuals, a fun dogfight mode and strong online play, there is a lot to be happy with when it comes to Ace Combat Assault Horizon.