The single-player game has a few rough spots, but multiplayer is flat-out fantastic. And let’s face it; the incredible graphics don’t hurt either.

This is as light and unpretentious as RPGs get. If the typical melodramatic RPGs make you laugh more than cry and you've grown tired of casting dragon destroyer +7, Mario & Luigi is just what the plumber ordered.

The new single-player mode may alter the experience for some, but the core gameplay still offers endless replay value if you just want to skate around while listening to an eclectic mix of punk, rock, and hip-hop.

Trials Evolution remains the best Trials experience available today and one of the best values on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The social competition between friends will continue to rage on long after you've made your way through all the tracks and keep you coming back to reclaim the top spot.

The 8-10 hour story mode alone would be worth a crisp Jackson, but the fact that it comes packaged with new rides, new music, new forms of entertainment, new side missions and a handful of new multiplayer modes is simply outrageous for that price. L&D is easily the most well conceived and well-executed piece of downloadable content ever, and it sets a new bar for interactive storytelling that won’t soon be matched.

The game is pick-up-and-play, it's beautiful to look at, and it raises the cultural precedent bar to backboard level. Even if you don't like sports games, you'll love this one.

There's not a single thing wrong with this game. The diligence and creativity that have gone into it should be carefully scrutinized by anyone thinking of working on a similar project. Do yourself a favor and play it.

The ironically devastated world of Fallout has never been better realized than in Fallout 3, offering a vast landscape that is almost relentlessly bleak in its hopelessness. It's absorbing, immersive, paradoxically beautiful, and kind of depressing to play over long periods of time.

NFL 2K5 has leveled the field of play significantly with its wallet-friendly price and killer presentation.

What makes a Zelda game Zelda? Whatever that might be, this game’s got it. Chalk up another success for a classic franchise, and another must-have for just about anyone that owns a Nintendo DS.

Those who became addicted to either of the first two Advance Wars titles will surely be hooked by this one, too.

The camera is sometimes unwieldy, and for some bizarre reason can only be rotated around Jak, not moved vertically, though there is a first-person view that lets you look around. Beyond that, however, Jak and Daxter is an excellent example of a 3D platformer.

In one stage, Imperial walkers are deployed into shallow water. You see the walkers' reflections in the water, and the sand beneath the water can be seen as well, with the walkers' feet crushing it as it lumbers up to the shore.

It's one of the best sports games on the PS2, and it's definitely the best college game around.

We're peeved at the ability to flick aside 18-wheelers like they're raisins on a table, but overall, you're going to have problems finding a more visceral, violent driving game.

With an excellent story, complex yet intuitive gameplay, and a dragon-size helping of extra features, the game is a joy to play. The only downside is that it eventually ends.

Aside from some minor quibbles, it’s beautifully made – an addictive game, an involving story, and a gorgeous piece of artwork all at once. While not perfect, Persona 4 is one of this year’s best RPG and another example of how even old hardware can still run some of the best games.

The entrancing music and compellingly complex but accessible gameplay are still unparalleled, making minutes transform into hours as your nights are dominated by the story of your civilization.

The new career mode adds a considerable amount of depth to the overall game, while a quick session has more twitch factor than ever before.

Strikes a careful balance between accessibility and the hideous complexity. And it looks good doing it.

As close to perfect as a game can be... In an age where the lines between non-action genres increasingly blur to support a more fast-paced direction, this is stealth gaming done right. An achievement made even more remarkable for pulling it off using a 2D presentation. If you play only one Xbox Live Arcade game in 2012, there is no better option out there than Mark of the Ninja.

Unique and captivating characters await you at every flower laden step. From combat to exploration, every action rewards the player with items, experience, or another breathtaking look at this gorgeous world.

We love all the changes to the gameplay in Pikmin 2. It's deeper, less frustrating, and ultimately, more fun. We dig the cave-like dungeons that require intense strategy and we're ecstatic over the new Pikmin types. It's a solid, charming game from beginning to end.

Where "FIFA" feels like hockey with soccer players, Winning Eleven 8 feels like the year's first entrant for best sports game of 2005.

What it lacks in compelling story, it more than makes up for in gameplay and character, and that's really where it counts.

More than anything, however, I have to say that Guild Wars 2 is just fresh. It's new, it's innovative and more than anything, it's a welcome change for fans that may want something different.

In addition to the amazingly detailed level of car customization you can do under the hood to affect car performance, Forza’s popular painting tools are back, with even more stencils and paint layers from which to craft amazing looking graphics.

Throughout the entire campaign, you can't help but feel that this is a comic book come to life.