If you love a good strategy game or have the slightest interest in authentic military tactics then Full Spectrum Warrior is not only fun, it’s even a bit educational, and a must-own game.

Once again this year is far better than last year with better online play, your Madden IQ, and if you want to practice before you play the big boys online; you can play a game and use the rewind to help develop your gamer eye.

Ridge Racer Unbounded might not be the Ridge Racer game your dad played back in his day, but don't let the name fool you. It's dark and dirty visual style is second only to the dirty and explosive racing action that awaits when you strap in behind the wheel of this addictive arcade racer where the only limit to your fun is your imagination.

This has to be one of the most original games I’ve played in a long time, both because of the visionary graphics and the clever intertwining of FPS action and RPG elements.

The 3D real-time combat sets this game apart from anything else in the genre and takes the edge off what is typically a grueling leveling-up grind of endless encounters and combat.

Everything from the violent visuals, great sound, classic narration, graphics novel presentation, and intense gameplay is back and condensed into one of the best GBA action titles of 2003.

This is the type of connectivity and online-multiplayer attention the system should have been delivering two years ago when the PS3 launched, and hopefully this is a gateway moment that will usher in a new generation of PSP titles. If you own a PSP you must own this game.

Daxter continues to prove that the PSP is the best handheld system out there and the closest thing you can get to a home console experience. I’d certainly stack this game up against anything in the genre on the PS2.

When it comes to racing games I generally prefer fantasy and fun, especially when the NFS brand is being used, but Shift 2 Unleashed successfully blurs those lines of fun versus realistic sim creating a unique and highly competitive, flexible, and totally addicting experience that rewards your mastery of skillful driving techniques and track memorization, making this the most enjoyable racing "sim" I've played on my Xbox 360 to date.

With its highly varied gameplay, mesmerizing atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack and overall polish, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a hypnotizing game so absorbing that it made the world around me dissolve away.

More than just a novelty, it’s outrageously entertaining.

I whole heartedly urge you to pick up this title if you have even the smallest interest in RPG’s, or strategy gaming or are just a LucasArts fan.

With a comprehensive RPG structure, exciting action elements, and an engrossing story rich with gothic flavor, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is one of the best PC games of 2004. You're going to love the original characters and the quality dialogue and how it all comes together in one of the best narratives of our time.

One of the most delightful and exciting action titles you can play on the Xbox or any console for that matter.

Metro 2033 has a good deal to offer the player. It has a great story and atmosphere and a reason to play it multiple times.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters is definitely taking the focus from the man and placing it on the event. While Tiger does still enjoy more than his fair share of attention, Augusta is the true star of this year's installment. Every hole is legendary, rich in tradition and history. There is a sense of awe as you make your way around the Amen Corner holes – almost like walking on sacred ground. Gameplay is refined, the career mode is polished, the caddie assist is seamless and cool, and the multiplayer modes and DLC will keep you playing until next year's inevitable sequel.

It is pretty rare that I recommend an upgrade for owners of the previous season's game. But NCAA Football 11 warrants an upgrade.

Gamers wanting to experience some of the bloodiest combat you're likely to see in any FPS this year, or those wanting to revel in perhaps the most visionary graphic novel-style presentation of the decade need only look as far as The Darkness II. It's a wild and non-stop ride of gore and carnage with gameplay that uniquely adapts to each person who plays it. It has surprising moments of heart and storytelling, but most of all; it's a bloody good time from start to finish, and a game you'll play at least twice just so you can experience it all.

Angry Birds is a delight to play, watch, and listen to, and the endless replay potential for mastering the 60+ levels makes the introductory $1 selling price seem way too low when compared to similar titles, so act now and get this game while it's still half-price.

Limbo is by far the best Xbox Live Arcade title since last year's highly-lauded Braid, and one of the best Xbox 360 titles ever released, period.

Obsidian hasn’t strayed from a proven formula but they have added a few interesting and subtle touches that will delight RPG fans and Star Wars fan alike.

Casual racers need not apply. Even when you try to dumb down the game with options and settings F1 2011 will prove too taxing for all but the most serious F1 racing fans. Bring a good sound system, a comfortable chair, and a reliable racing wheel to the table and prepare for the ultimate F1 racing experience you can have without leaving the house…or the country.

If you love hidden object games or are just the kind of person who hits up garage sales every weekend looking for lost treasures then Pickers HD was made for you.

Hardcore racing fans would be remiss to not pick up Forza Motorsport 2 immediately. While it could use a few more tracks and possibly a few less jaggies around the edges, it is definitely the most in-depth racing simulation found on any of the current-gen consoles.

The Suffering obliterates the rules of terror and even common decency to deliver a delightfully twisted horror game that will scare the fearless and chill the spine of the bravest soul. Play it…I dare you.

This is a title Wii owners deserve and every other game studio should aspire to match.

Project 8 is going to thrash the Xbox 360 competition this holiday season and will easily be on track for sports game of the year. With a completely new physics and game engine, and totally remastered tricks and environments to meet the demands of this engine, a new era in skateboarding is born, and Tony Hawk's Project 8 is "next-gen gaming" in its truest definition to date.

The gameplay remains fun and humorous yet it features all the modes and licensing you would expect from the more serious games including a new serious mode of play.

Even though we can't score this game as high as the GameCube's "F-Zero GX" everyone here at GCM who has played XGRA unanimously agrees this is the better racing game, both in gameplay and track design.

The massive scope of the content, both cars and tracks, makes this an awesome opportunity for racers to sample a bit of all racing genres.

An exciting and challenging game that will bring a whole new generation of gamers out into something they might not have seen in a long time, the sunlight.

With a solid single-player experience and a multiplayer game that is as much fun locally as it is online, Godzilla is just a fantastic game. I've played this longer than any other fighting game in my collection and I still enjoy going back for the occasional monster mash, even after I have long since unlocked everything.

A must-have expansion for those who enjoyed Morrowind with or without Tribunal. In some ways, it is a continuation of a well-loved favorite, in others; it’s like a whole new game.

Proving that style and substance is always better than flashy graphics, then going ahead and adding the flashy graphics just to add insult to injury, Arc System Works has created one of the best fighting game you can get on your Xbox to date.

Saints Row: The Third is the ultimate sandbox, and Volition has given gamers a massive playground and the biggest and best set of toys possible to carve their own unique destiny in Steelport, both in the engaging single player story and the limitless fun waiting to be shared in the co-op game.

It’s a game of strategy and decision-making and, probably more than anything else, teamwork. EA Sports has pulled it off nicely and made a great game that that is both serious and fun at the same time. Very highly recommended.

Once your thumb learns the locations of those four weapon-select spots, you’ll be able to tear through wave after wave of enemy ships in what is easily the best looking and intensely challenging game on the DS to date.

The God of War: Origins Collection has recaptured that magic that I fell in love with nearly six years ago. This is an addition to your PS3 collection that any God of War fan can't be without.

The sheer scope of this game is staggering, which only makes the level of challenge and perfectly balanced combat that much more impressive. If you are a fan of either franchise or just want to play an awesome fighting game then don't even think about skipping Street Fighter X Tekken.

Remains a solid, hard-hitting fighting game that requires skillful mastery of it characters and their unique fighting abilities all wrapped up nicely in a next-gen package that no fighting fan will want to miss.

For gamers like me – who simply like to have a deep, challenging and fun romp through a mystical and medieval world – Fable fits the bill perfectly.

The music selection is great and the four person multiplayer is the real highlight.

There’s still room for improvement – THAW isn’t quite as wide open as we’d hoped – and it will be interesting to see where Neversoft takes the series on the next-generation consoles. For now, though, THAW is plenty hot.

It offers things that both Underground and Hot Pursuit lack. Nice visuals and an amazing array of tuners and exotics to choose from could possibly make this the “most wanted” racing game for the Playstation 2 this season.

A game for gamers and not just RPG gamers. With a carefully blended mix of strategy, intense real-time combat, customizable characters and weapons, and a rich sci-fi universe to explore, there is literally something here for everyone.

Thankfully, the new weapons and vehicles really mask most of the sameness, and the massively complex levels are easily the best of any in the genre. Even after hours and hours of gameplay I can still get lost in them.

Bastion is one of the most original titles I've played in quite some time. From the charming graphics to the smooth vibes of the narrator perfectly blended with a magical soundtrack, and the 10-12 hours of action-packed exploration and combat, Bastion is like kicking back with your favorite interactive storybook.

Cut the Rope HD requires a bit of thought, planning, timing, and even some dexterity. It might even be original enough to give Angry Birds a run for its money.

The presentation for Heavy Rain is nearly flawless with some stunning mo-cap work, not only for overall character movement and subtle character traits and idle animations, but also in the detailed facial capture and lip-synch.

Everything you loved about MX 2002 is back and tweaked to perfection. The control and trick system is perfect, the rider AI is aggressive and more challenging than ever, and the economic system incorporated into the career mode offers some interesting gameplay.

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.

Warlords adds even more to a game that started out great and only continues to be an excellent turn based strategy game.

Reckless Racing brings classic arcade racing back to the mainstream with stunning visuals, quality sound, complete with hillbilly banjo soundtrack, and enough content to keep you racing for weeks to come. Hopefully there will be some new tracks available before you ever get tired of this excellent game.

The graphics, the sound, the music, and the effortless touch controls make this a highly addictive puzzle game that will appeal to just about anyone and the $5 price makes it one of the more reasonably priced launch titles.

It is, by a wide margin, the best put together Simpsons game that’s ever been released to the public. It fixes most of what many people found lacking with “Road Rage” and added new and better things to drawn in as wide a demographic as possible.

Best of all, there is a surprisingly large number of people playing this game online, especially compared to other racing games like "Midnight Club II."

It has a solid and compelling single-player mode that only gets better when you play it cooperatively, and with a huge fan base, numerous multiplayer maps and games modes, and perfectly balanced gameplay for teams and individuals, and even a Spectator mode, what happens in Vegas is now open for all the world to see.

Part game, part reality TV show, part summer blockbuster movie; I can't recommend Split/Second highly enough.

The control is excellent, the physics are perfect, there are loads of original tracks and landscapes, and the fun factor is off the charts. This is a must-own game for any MX fan who owns an Xbox.

Batman: Arkham City is easily the most immersive superhero game I've played since those open-world Spider-Man games, and quite possibly a contender for Game of the Year.

Competition has pushed EA this far and quite honestly they have just about buried 2K in the snow.

Rather than try to improve on the gameplay, the designers simply give us more of the same – a lot more – while adding in a few additional game modes and enhancing the original stuff.

Action, adventure, mystery, intrigue, romance, combat, exploration; this game has it all, and at times dangerously approaches becoming a simulation. That's just how immersed you will become.

Crazy Machines 2 is a great game and a fun way to spend some time relaxing and puzzling through a few obstacles on the wall. Crazy Machines 2 also has a great fan based puzzle download section so there is plenty to do after you complete the levels of the career mode in building your own or puzzling through other peoples crazy machines.

Assault Squadron easily stacks up with any space shooter I have played on the PS3 or 360 in the past few years, both in visuals and in gameplay.

It doesn’t get much better than this folks. Regardless of whether or not the online is just a rehash of the last, or that the levels aren’t quite as large as the Xbox’s title, and even if the co-op is only split-screen – Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best of the best on the PS2.

Regardless of which system or which game you play, you won't find a more comprehensive or fun dancing game out there.

It's challenging gameplay and charming characters are timeless and suitable for gamers of all ages. Don't miss this exception value.

No one should deny that San Andreas is a great storytelling game. It's just that, between gradually caring less and less about the main characters, and performing many game actions that are nearly identical to those of previous titles in the series, San Andreas could easily begin to wear a bit thin.

Everything you loved about "Band of Thieves" is back with more creative levels and certainly more creative playable characters, but more isn’t always better, and the convoluted cast might dilute the experience for those seeking a more focused story.

I can only imagine the sequel and hopefully the chance to play as one or more of the other Horsemen, but until that day arrives, Darksiders is the ultimate quest for vengeance and a heavenly way to dispatch the endless demon hordes, proving once and for all that it is better to serve in heaven than rule in hell.

Using a masterful combination of web shoot and D-pad combinations you can swing, or zip line vertically or horizontally across rooms. Everything feels so natural, just like a full-size console. Some of this can be attributed to the DS design but there is no denying that the design team put a lot of effort into the gameplay mechanics.

The innovative Total Punch Control is a milestone for the genre and while most likely serve as a template for future boxing games.

Admittedly, it’s not as huge a leap in technology or innovative gameplay over the original that I would have liked to seen, but then again, the original game was already quite close to perfection, even in 1999.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is not only the best Transformers game next-gen gamers can play, it is also one of the most fulfilling and challenging action-shooters I've played in years and a definite purchase, especially if you have any love of the Transformers franchise.

Chaos Theory has perhaps brought the series to its finest point, with improved graphics, A.I., more open-ended gameplay and a host of multiplayer additions.

GTR is perhaps the most realistic, true-to-life racing simulation that I have ever come across.

Without a doubt the finest handheld version of the franchise you can currently play. It might even be one of the top five DS games released to date.

Sony just made a baseball game that has something for everyone. It's fun, competitive, detailed and can even help you teach baseball to your kids.

An amazing ride, definitely more exciting than the original game, but probably not as unique since most of us already knew what to expect.

The best news is that Outlaw Tennis is, at its core, a fantastic tennis game, so when you eventually turn off all the "outlaw flavor" you still have a remarkably fun, challenging, and somewhat realistic tennis game to occupy countless gaming hours, both solo and online.

I was completely sucked in. I couldn’t stop playing. By the end I wanted more. I wanted to be Jackie Estacado. I wanted to find out what happens next.

And even if you already own this game on PC or Xbox 360, I daresay the touchscreen interface and just having this game available at any time is worth the double-dip. It's on special sale for $1.99 at the time I write this, so act now before it returns to its regular price of $3.99 (which is still a great price).

As a standalone game you will find at least 15-20 hours of quality gaming waiting for you between the missions and the challenges.

This game really packs in the action and does a great job of integrating the activities and respect system in order to unlock story missions. And the multiplayer for Saints Row 2 is far more engaging and addictive than Liberty City.

An amazing game, and if you love heavy metal, Jack Black, Tim Schafer or any combination of these elements then this is a must-own adventure game infused with a thoughtful balance of action, combat, and real-time strategy. The story is epic, the landscapes are magical, and the humor is consistently present throughout the entire game from start to finish. This is heavy metal heaven!

Heavenly Sword is just a fun and beautiful game, with great action and amazing cutscenes that shatter the current boundaries of motion-capture technology.

The production values are top notch in every department. If you're the kind of gamer who craves the weird and unusual, look no further; this is your game.

Need for Speed: Shift is named well, as it marks a monumental shift in game design for the franchise.

With its immense array of story, online, arcade, and mapmaking modes, few can compete. Still, if you are looking for a killer FPS for the PS2, look no further than Area 51. It’s a real treat.

Best of all, Second Sight tells an excellent story and does so with a presentation that borders on interactive cinema.

The gameplay is challenging and enjoyable and I would spend 1200 MS points in a heartbeat for Rocket Knight.

There is a ton of stuff to uncover in this latest game, and the only thing they didn't include was any type of bonus for linking to the GameCube version of Mortal Kombat.

I was late to hop on the 3DS bandwagon and I only have a handful of the top games for my 3DS so far, but Resident Evil: Revelations is by far one of the best if not "the best" game currently out for the system.

A must for any strategy gamer's collection. I'd also highly recommend it to sci fi fans looking for something a little different than the next futuristic shooter. Killing alien scum with a laser rifle is so passé when you can vaporize the alien mothership with your trusty ion cannon.

Race 07 is an amazing simulation that pushes the PC to the limits.

Aside from the over-abundance of movies and com-link chatter, there is a really great game hidden on this DVD. The freedom to explore and ultimately play this game as you see fit within the confines of the parameters of the script is a great feature that offers excellent replay potential.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is a great sequel that offers more of what we loved in the first game. You have more tracks and better designs and four unique environments, and with streamlined presentation and navigation, challenging AI, and awesome online play when the AI isn't enough, Pacific Rift is the arcade racer to beat.