Portal 2 may be the best game of 2011. It may be the best game of all-time. It is certainly the best game you can play right now. I loved every moment I spent with Portal 2. I'm even enjoying looking at the game sitting on my shelf knowing how much fun I will have again someday when I revisit Aperture Science, alone or hopefully with a friend who may not have played the game. Portal 2 proves that you don't have to kill things to make a great game and more importantly…science is fun!

Portal 2 may be the best game of 2011. It may be the best game of all-time. It is certainly the best game you can play right now. I loved every moment I spent with Portal 2. I'm even enjoying looking at the game sitting on my shelf knowing how much fun I will have again someday when I revisit Aperture Science, alone or hopefully with a friend who may not have played the game. Portal 2 proves that you don't have to kill things to make a great game and more importantly…science is fun!

Crysis 2 meets and exceeds all my expectations as a sequel and a next-gen shooter.

Crysis 2 meets and exceeds all my expectations as a sequel and a next-gen shooter.

Really there's not much to say about MLB11: The Show for the PS2, other than it's a serviceable MLB title with up-to-date rosters that has been released for an antiquated gaming system that a very small population of gamers is sure to appreciate, but ultimately will go unnoticed.

If you are a hardcore baseball fan, MLB 2K11 is your only option on the Xbox 360 – so I would suggest checking out a demo or renting the game before signing up for the awkward controls. PS3 owners have the option of Sony's MLB11: The Show, which seems to be receiving a lot of attention across the Internet – I would suggest checking that out first.

All in all, Capsized is a solid game. If you're nostalgic for the era of DOS-based 2D shooters like Duke Nukem or Commander Keen, there's a good chance you'll enjoy Capsized. With its classic gameplay and a wide variety of ways to get around, Capsized is a good first effort from Alientrap and a good sign of things to come.

For fans of the films, you can hardly go wrong with the Back to the Future adventure games. If you've already bought the first, then you know the kind of quality you're in for. If you're hesitant and looking to see if it's maintained throughout the series, then you're in luck, because the Back to the Future games are still right up there with the gold standard that Telltale's set for licensed adventure games.

It's a lot of fun and a must by for any Square or SRPG fans.

It's a great game to share with friends.

If you are a hardcore boxing fan and love grinding for stats and money and slowly rising up huge leaderboards then Fight Night Champion is probably the game for you, although from what I can tell, it doesn't really add anything to what you already had in Fight Night 4 other than the whole money thing. Sure, you can square off against 50+ licensed boxers, but for me, the big attraction was the cool story mode with enough blood and F-bombs to force a Mature rating. But even this gritty and realistic boxing story is only good for a few hours of violent fun, making Fight Night Champion a rental for casual boxers and a wait-for-budget-price upgrade for everyone else.

If you love tennis then Top Spin 4 is a must-own game. It rises above all of its predecessors and even surpasses its competition – what little it has - with brilliant presentation values and intuitive, deep, and challenge controls and gameplay. The lines of arcade tennis and professional simulation are nearly transparent, making this a game enjoyable by anyone with a deep or even a passing interest in the sport.

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.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters is really not that much different from years past but the additions this year really have you thinking, "What else can they really do to make this game any better?" I love the new caddie system and how he has your name on his back. The Move is a great switch up and will really test how good you are at swinging a virtual club rather than flicking a stick. The fact that everything leads up to the most revered tournament in golf history definitely brings you back to finish round after round with anticipation.

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.

At the end of the day MLB 11 The Show lets you play your favorite teams and players with decent visuals and stunning music and effects but ultimately strikes out due to the fact its last year's game with new models.

In summary, The Sims Medieval provides an unexpected jumpstart to a series that, while still well loved, was probably due for a refresher. The condensed, more directed gameplay might be hit or miss with Sims veterans and might be different enough from previous Sims games to attract a different demographic. While it's not perfect, however, The Sims Medieval plays well and introduces many new features and exploration options alongside the familiar, all delivered in an attractive package.

I had no real knowledge or expectations going into this review, yet de Blob 2 proved to be one of the more unsuspecting success stories to jumpstart 2011. Kids of all ages will adore the characters and the colorful and moderately challenging gameplay, while parents can rest assured in a family-friendly experience that they won't mind participating in with the fun and non-intrusive co-op mode or even playing themselves once the kids are in bed.

Rango is one of those rare movie games that is actually good. Actually it's fantastic! It also doesn't require you to have seen the film or know anything about these characters. Rango is just as charming as Gex or Abe (from Oddworld) and he stars in one of the best action-platformers of this generation. If you have kids or just want to feel like one for a couple days, Rango is a must-own title.

Above all, it seems like Dragon Age II is an experiment. If you're a fan of the first game and expect a direct continuation, either in story or mechanics, you'll be disappointed. If you're not willing to put up with some rough edges and some mechanics that don't quite work as intended, you'll end up having a hard time. But if you're going for a game that has some of the best storytelling in RPGs in a while, or you're looking for a BioWare RPG to tide yourself over until Mass Effect 3, you won't do much better right now than Dragon Age II.

There might not quite be enough to warrant picking up the game if you're not going to be playing with friends, though if you were, it'd probably be a blast. For the solo player interested in the past of the WWE, it's still worth a look, even if it's not quite worth dropping $60 on at the moment.

Shadow Wars is hands-down the best game available for the Nintendo 3DS among the launch titles. The plot is nothing to write about, but the turn-based tactical gameplay is engaging, and a full run of the game will last about 40 hours.

The worst part is that Asphalt 6 on the iPhone costs $5 and looks and probably plays better than this $40 installment of the series. If you want a racing experience on the 3DS, I hear Ridge Racer is a lot better. Don't waste your time or money with Asphalt 3D.

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.

There is good bit of game to get through here for $10. It has a great style, good music and fun combat. It's violent, it's dark and it gives you quite a few reasons to keep returning. There aren't any reasons not to recommend it -- unless of course you're squeamish.

Aside from the mediocre voice acting and shortness of the game I highly recommend Anomaly: Warzone Earth to everyone with a couple of hours to burn. You won't play through this game just once. You'll keep coming back just to make that one change to your route or upgrade to achieve that perfect score. The mayhem mode is a nice way to let us continue to get our fix after completing Tokyo's city story.

When all is said and done, Ridge Racer 3D is a good game to pick up with your launch system. It's fun to play, surprisingly enduring, and it shows off the system well.

For fans of the films, you can hardly go wrong with the Back to the Future adventure games. If you've already bought the first, then you know the kind of quality you're in for. If you're hesitant and looking to see if it's maintained throughout the series, then you're in luck, because the Back to the Future games are still right up there with the gold standard that Telltale's set for licensed adventure games.