Because of the included Body Shop utility, the relative ease of creating your own custom content for your Sims makes this game all the more fun.

The gameplay here is spectacular, you will not find any better.

Blows past its predecessor and annihilates this year’s competition. This is a new standard for soccer and for sports games in general. The new graphics engine not only enhances the details in visuals but actually improves the gameplay mechanics.

One of the most original designs and interesting twists you can put on the FPS genre while maintaining an equal amount of classic platform and action gameplay.

Web of Shadows assembles a great cast of heroes and villains, combines them with a fantastic story, and integrates an intuitive and exciting control scheme and evolving combat system that easily makes this the best Spider-Man game ever made to date for any system.

With more campaigns and the larger and non-linear missions and objective structure, Call of Duty 2 is easily much more than the original. It is a finely tuned work of art with so much research and attention to detail incorporated into it that action gamers will become totally immersed in the unrelenting experience of brutal combat.

I love the maps; love the weapons, and especially the vehicles. We’re always looking for a few good men and this is some of the best team-based multiplayer available.

Whether you are playing alone or have a line of friends waiting to grab that second remote and share the ride, Dead Space Extraction is the definitive survival horror, FPS, light gun game of the year and the best Wii game I have ever played.

Bottom line; you won't find a better game on the Xbox Live Arcade this summer (perhaps ever) and you won't find a bigger bang for your $15.

With a killer track list, exciting new Quest mode, Roadie Battles, and more challenges and star rewards than most of us could ever earn in this lifetime, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is easily the biggest and the best installment of the franchise to date.

LittleBigPlanet is a fantastic platformer game that many people are sure to love with its wide variety of elements and content. Level design may not be for everyone but you are sure to have plenty of levels with the community as well as those in the game.

There is already a steady stream of additional first party content and costumes being released, and thousands of user-created levels ready for gamers' consumption. Add that to the 2.5 million levels from the original LittleBigPlanet, that import seamlessly into LittleBigPlanet 2, and it all adds up to an infinite amount of gameplay that further emphasizes Sony's plan to make LittleBigPlanet a sustainable franchise.

I could go on for another few thousand words about the immersive gameplay and just plain brilliant game design waiting for you in Beyond Good & Evil, but I would rather you go out and get your own copy and start enjoying it for yourself.

Nearly a flawless gameplay experience.

Annoying load times aside, I can't fault ModNation Racers for the nearly perfect package that it is, and for that reason I feel safe in proclaiming Sony's masterpiece the best kart-racing title in the history of gaming. Period.

MLB10 The Show is as close as anyone has come to baseball perfection.

Offers the best in arcade street racing with a large selection of cars, lively cast of characters, wonderful locations, challenging course designs, single, multiplayer, and online racing, and endless creative possibilities with the Race Editor.

The slick visuals and awesome sound and music rival anything you have ever played on a console.

Dead Space 2 is the first must-play game of the year for consoles, and Dead Space is the first must-play app for the iPad, paving the way for what is sure to be an exciting year for tablet gaming.

I walked into my experience of Mafia II with no real expectations other than hearing my colleague's praise. What I walked away with after playing through the story was a sense of awe and amazement that I haven't had since Alan Wake.

I can’t think of a more perfect product to celebrate 100 years of aviation or 20 years of simulating flight on the PC. There is so much to learn and so much to do, and you’ll have weeks, months, and even year’s worth of fun doing it.

With a killer track list, exciting new Quest mode, social networking, and more challenges and star rewards than most of us could ever earn in this lifetime, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is easily the biggest and the best installment of the franchise to date.

With a killer track list, exciting new Quest mode, social networking, and more challenges and star rewards than most of us could ever earn in this lifetime, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is easily the biggest and the best installment of the franchise to date.

Not only redefines our perception of multiplayer games, it raises the bar of the deathmatch genre to new heights and will become the benchmark by which all future online combat games are measured.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood isn't as much a sequel as a completion to the second game, and while this is certainly the best game of the three so far, you probably don't want to jump into the story without having played at least the second game first.

While I still enjoy my PS3 trophies and 360 achievements and I’m still a slave to 720p or greater graphics, there is something to be said for totally entertainment and addictive gameplay and Guitar Hero 5 on the Wii obliterates the other formats on pure originality and game design.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning isn't the first action-RPG, but it is the first to put the focus on the action. This is easily the must-own, must-play RPG of 2012 so don't miss out.

Not only did it offer a refreshingly factual wartime story with real characters, real events, and real places, it put it all inside a highly polished game that blends action with squad-based tactics and strategy.

Hardcore action gamers can expect 12-15 hours of intense combat for the single-player campaign, but once you go online there is no limit to the fun you can have with this game. Much like the games before it, Tribes: Vengeance is a virtual sandbox just waiting for the mod community to get their talented hands on it.

Much like the real military, Battlefield 2 is not just a game, it’s a way of life.

If there was a way to make the Tekken series better I certainly don't know what it is. It’s like somebody took all the previous Tekken games and put them in a blender then filtered out the bad stuff and out pops Tekken: Dark Resurrection.

Rayman Origins is a rare breed indeed. In a culture obsessed with realism and violent action and FPS titles it's great to see a major studio take a risk and release an old-school platform game for a next-gen system.

This is <I>the</I> online game of 2003 with a single player experience that will be talked about and used to measure all future FPS military games for a long time to come.

A well rounded game. It had the “hot key” feature that I love for those of us who fail miserably at those button combos. Being able to play all the characters from the previous title plus several key characters from previous seasons of the show is definitely a big plus.

The bar has been set and this will be the new standard to beat for all future stealth combat games.

It’s not often that a console title can make the successful leap to a handheld, but when that handheld version actually surpasses the console in many key factors, you know you have something special.

This is the ultimate NASCAR simulation and with downloadable content it will be the last one you ever need unless they change the rules, add a track, or make some other significant change to the sport.

You don't play Doom 3; you experience Doom 3. I was reminded of those haunted mansions or "dark rides" they have at theme parks with all of the scripted scares.

This is easily the most fun I have had playing a video game in 2005 and I can't recommend it highly enough. With any luck this will spin-off into a TV series – it's just THAT GOOD!

NFL 2K5 not only has the best gameplay, both in accuracy and pure fun factor, but the entire game is wrapped up in an ESPN presentation that is worthy of being watched on Sunday with a group of friends.

With a brand new character, engaging story, enhanced powers, and integrated gameplay features like Hunting and Mutations, Prototype 2 is a visionary nightmare that's a dream to play.

Sim purists will still want to get their "Colin McRae" on, but those looking for a fun and challenging rally racer that bends the rules in favor of fun will want to make RSC 2 a permanent addition to their Xbox library.

Heavy on action and heavier on story, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is without a doubt the finest flight combat game on the PS2.

I ended last year's review by saying, "I don't know how this game can possibly get any better, but I look forward to seeing EA try to best this almost-flawless installment, and what is arguably the best version of PGA Tour in the history of the franchise.". Well, somehow they did manage to best their previous efforts, so I will let that statement and challenge conclude this year's review as I return to the links for another year of great virtual golf.

A highly polished game that covers so many genres and styles of gameplay that it can hardly be classified. In less than 15 hours Beyond Good & Evil has become my second favorite game of all time on the Cube and easily one of my top five games for 2003.

Overall, the amount of different play modes both online and offline are staggering. There is something for just about everyone and when you get tired of one mode there is something different to explore.

Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood has quickly become my favorite game of 2009, and with future DLC on its way, it’s not going back on the shelf anytime soon.

The addition of the creation center has put FIFA 11 Soccer in a class by itself, straddling the fine line between reality and gaming amazingly well.

An addiction, a perfect sequel, both in story and gameplay, and a game you will want to explore over and over.

If variety is the spice of life then Insomniac has created a next-gen spice rack and filled it perfect visuals, awesome sound and music, creative weapons and gadgets, great gameplay, and tied it all together with an amazing story that will leave you on the edge of your seat as the final credits start to roll.

But it all comes down to the gameplay and that is where GRAW really excels. Whether you are exploring the challenging single-player campaign or risking your job, family, and friends to play just one more game online, Ubisoft has created a whole new addiction that will be a tough habit to break. I’m not even going to try.

Guaranteed to satisfy the gamer that craves fast and furious combat, haunting music and stunning visuals. Put your brain on hold and prime those reflexes for one of the most intense action games to hit the Xbox this summer.

If Red Faction: Guerrilla was merely a war game, or if it was merely a demolition game, it probably wouldn’t be this great, but the seamless blending of both elements into the massive futuristic landscape of Mars with loads of vehicles and weapons, sinister enemy AI, territory acquisition, and morale balancing, makes this one of the most inventive, addictive, and guilt pleasures on my PlayStation 3 this year.

One of the most well crafted, and thoroughly developed game worlds made by Blizzard to date. It dazzles, it awes, and it entertains.

More exceptional and more stylish than any other game in the series, Deception will provide an endless amount of entertainment.

EA's NHL 11 Hockey celebrates it's 20th year as a franchise by giving us a near perfect sports game. Its only downsides are minor framerate issues and the lack of a "team builder" module.

EA's NHL 11 Hockey celebrates it's 20th year as a franchise by giving us a near perfect sports game. Its only downsides are minor framerate issues and the lack of a "team builder" module.

Downhill Jam might not make the most of the dual screens or the touch screen functionality, but I can’t imagine a better system to enjoy this type of game on. The sheer level of customization, stat tracking, and online potential will keep you skating throughout the holidays and well into next year.

If you are a fan of the Call of Duty zombie games then Black Ops Zombies is a must-own addition to your iPad library, if for no other reason than Dead-Ops Arcade. I've easily logged twice as many hours in that mode as the main FPS game, but that will likely change when new maps start to drop.

Not only does this Xbox-exclusive offer blazing action, mind-numbing visuals, and some of the most fluid combat you're likely to see this year, Team Ninja has buried the original three Ninja Gaiden NES games, taunting you to play and replay this game on increasingly difficult skills levels.

Journey transcends conventional gaming and becomes more of an interactive experience designed to evoke (not force) emotional responses through subtle imagery, sublime music, and the perfect balance of adventure and discovery. It is easily one of the best games I've played this year and one of the top 5 PSN titles of all time.

Expect 8-12 hours to unlock the content (on medium) and 8-12 months to master it. By then, it will be time for Guitar Hero III and the insanity can start anew.

A landmark achievement in game design starting with the addictively fun core gameplay, instinctive controls, then rounding out the package with gorgeous visuals, stunning special effects, and professional sound work.

This might not be the biggest Splinter Cell in the franchise but is by far the best and gets my vote for most innovative action game of the year.

The team really outdid themselves in differentiating the different societies. This was done while still keeping a delicate balance. No one "civ" has the advantage.

After a tour of duty in B-Company you might be ruined for all your previous war games, and if future games don’t allow you to blast apart the levels, brick by brick how can they hope to compare.

The best Dragon Ball Z game ever. It does almost everything right and is a nearly flawless culmination of everything that was great about every US Dragon Ball Z game since Final Bout, be it characters, gameplay or graphics.

It has tougher gameplay, a compelling story and the coolest boss concepts in the series' history. And hey, it has Space Pirates, too!

It is definitely a more personal experience than Killzone 3 or even past Resistance games, with a more focused story and linear mission path featuring higher stakes - fighting for family, friends, and the entire world.

A near-flawless gameplay experience that not only rivals "Madden" and "Fever" but storms past these two former contenders and into the end zone for a clear and decisive victory.

Modern Combat is just about as perfect a game as you can get. It falls short of total perfection only because it really doesn’t evolve the FPS genre in any significant way – not that I know what that might be, but I’d know it if I saw it.

I recommend Wild Arms XF to anyone that is looking for a new challenge or another reason to buy a PSP. Strategy RPGs just don't get any better than this.

One hell of a game.

Even if you have already played Instincts on the Xbox I can’t encourage you enough to check out the 360 version of Far Cry. The graphical improvements are simply outstanding, especially on an HDTV, and easily approach the quality of the original PC game.

Linger in Shadows comes with a handful of trophies; some are easy to acquire while others will require you to play the movie numerous times and dig very deep into the inner workings of this project.

EA has really outdone themselves. Konami's Pro Evo/Winning Eleven does provide some good competition, but only in the actual gameplay category.

There is enough original single-player content to keep you behind the wheel for over a month and the comprehensive Xbox Live support not only complements the solo gameplay but also adds immeasurable value to the multiplayer racing modes.

Infinity Ward delivers the "greatest hits" of action movies with references to Cliffhanger, Red Dawn, The Rock, and even Spies Like Us. You're fighting in the arctic one minute and crossing the desert the next, or you might be performing a rescue operation on a terrorist-controlled offshore oil platform or infiltrating a Russian submarine base.

If Red Faction: Guerrilla was merely a war game, or if it was merely a demolition game, it probably wouldn’t be this great, but the seamless blending of both elements into the massive futuristic landscape of Mars with loads of vehicles and weapons, sinister enemy AI, territory acquisition, and morale balancing, makes this one of the most inventive, addictive, and guilt pleasures on my Xbox 360 this year.

So easy to pick up and play that you are bound to have fun, even if you don't know what you are doing. You can stumble your way into some of the most excellent combos you can see without memorization or perfect timing.

Call of Duty World at War is an amazingly fun and addictive game all around. You couldn’t ask for a better FPS value.

Web of Shadows assembles a great cast of heroes and villains, combines them with a fantastic story, and integrates an intuitive and exciting control scheme and evolving combat system that easily makes this the best Spider-Man game ever made to date for any system.

If the gameplay isn’t enough to grab you then the audio and visual presentation will certainly make this a showcase title for your expensive new video card, one that will wow your friends. It’s a definite must-have.

Smashes all of its competitors in the soccer genre and sets a new standard for sports games in general.

The visuals are dazzling. Normally, you'd probably be frustrated after losing the 58,976 points you just racked up because you landed sideways. But in THPS3, you'll find yourself screaming, "Sweet!!" after marveling at how cool the pane of glass looked as you shattered it with your airborne body because you didn't land that kick flip.

You have a solid single-player game, two-player cooperative campaign, and some of the best online gaming with squads and multi-class characters currently available on console.

Offers the best in arcade street racing with a large selection of cars, lively cast of characters, wonderful locations, challenging course designs, single, multiplayer, and online racing, and endless creative possibilities with the Race Editor.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition is by far the best version of the Lost Planet.

The game isn’t a perfect 10 but its close. I definitely recommend that you pick up Bleach: The Blade of Fate as soon as you can. If you're a die-hard fan or you just want a good fighter, then look no further.

It's bigger, it's badder and there's a whole lot of cutting... and hey, that's a good thing, for once. MKD is a can't miss game.

Neversoft has done what I would have thought impossible a month ago. They actually created a game that sold me on the sport of skateboarding, at least in video game format.

What&#146;s not to like? A MMOG with fantastic production values, monthly episodic content, that&#146;s playable over a 56k connection, you bet people will like it!

When put against some of the other excellent Summer of Arcade games, From Dust isn't for everyone. It's a fully unique experience, with a pace and style that might turn some people off. But for people willing to play a more meditative game, a god game without much building or even very terrific amounts of power, and people who're interested in games as art, From Dust is a beautiful experience and one of the best ways to spend $15 in Microsoft Spacebucks.

After I finished Infection, I spent another two hours or so polishing my characters up, finding secret areas and items I read about on FAQ’s, and then just sort of let it rest.

It's like the developers read my review and fixed everything I complained about in the first game.

If there’s one racing game to buy on the PS2 this year, it is Burnout Revenge. The game really has the entire package sewn up.

At the end of the blood soaked night, I was very impressed with the Condemned 2. Monolith continues to be an unstoppable force in psychological terror.

A landmark achievement in game design starting with the addictively fun core gameplay, instinctive controls, then rounding out the package with gorgeous visuals, stunning special effects, and professional sound work.