I really enjoyed my time with OlliOlli World. It's a gorgeous and goofy game that onboards new players well while also giving veterans plenty of challenge. There's even a silly story tied in about searching for the mythical skate gods of "Gnarvana" in the world of "Radlandia." It's sufficiently dumb in an endearing way and entirely skippable if you're not interested – which I wasn't after an hour or so. Despite some headaches thrown in the mix, I welcomed all of OlliOlli World's challenges, even when they came at the detriment of my own hands.

GRAW games are all about multiplayer, and this version doesn’t disappoint. PS3 owners will receive 14 additional maps, most of which are just variations on the Xbox 360 maps and a few classic ones from Ghost Recon past, and two new co-op modes that task you with locating POWs and evading enemy forces.

Shadow of Mordor is an unabashedly challenging and complex experience, sometimes at the expense of accessibility.

A good primer for kids and adults alike who aspire to explore the greater world of god games. It moves at a nice pace, it is never confusing, and it does a great job of holding your hand and showing you what to do next.

As a revisiting of the excellent Sun and Moon, it feels like a good note to close the generation on, but if you had your fill with Sun and Moon, don’t worry – you aren’t missing anything important.

One of the best survival horror games to come out in ages. [Dec 2004, p.181]

Shin Megami Tensei V makes smart improvements to its already strong core, creating an entertaining and rewarding journey.

Every aspect is overloaded with both smart and immature jokes, the combat is an improvement, the game is bigger and longer, and the sneaky moments of sincerity make you recall the charm of childhood in surprising ways – just like the show.

If World Tour has a trump card, it’s the groundbreaking new GHMix studio mode. It’s basically a full-on set of music creation software, that allows you to write, arrange, and record your own songs, then upload them to be freely shared with fellow players. Even better, the game instantly translates them into fully playable jewels charts on the fly. As much fun as I had tackling “Hot For Teacher,” this mode feels like the future of the franchise.

Whether you are striving for higher ranks or want to dazzle people with a map that you created and uploaded, TimeSplitters' online presence is unprecedented and simply irresistible. [Apr 2005, p.114]

Planet Coaster offers few carrots to continue to expand your park outside of the sheer joy of creation. Thankfully, Planet Coaster has so many tools available that that creating your own worlds of fun is often its own reward.

If you're a casual player looking for some throwaway fighting fun, this isn't for you-especially if you like playing online against strangers. On the other hand, moderate to hardcore players are going to find a lot to absorb in Street Fighter X Tekken, and players with patience will be rewarded for it.

I love the rebalancing of specific abilities (in particular, the heroes' special spells are much more fair across the board now) and the multiplayer implementation, but I wish that some of my other problems with Clash of Heroes had been addressed in this port. Nonetheless, you can do much worse for your puzzle fix.

Even with only a handful of easily dispensable enemies moving toward you, an inescapable panic is generated from the light and sound show accompanying the spectacle. If you can find your groove, you won’t have a problem hitting start immediately after getting a game over.

If you're among the majority of gamers who didn't play Beyond Good & Evil when it originally came out for PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube, you have no excuse for passing up its new form.

There wasn't one moment during my time with this game that I wasn't engaged and having fun. Ultimately, that's the mark of a great title in any genre. [May 2005, p.106]

This is about as close as you're going to get to a purely arcade-style baseball title. The gameplay is lightning quick. [Apr 2002, p.76]

FIFA's gameplay is on the ascent, but still has some frustrating moments where outcomes are predetermined despite your inputs, as well as occasionally dodgy passes and overpowered keepers. However, the control of your first touch and the increased physical play are assets. The latter is useful whether shielding the ball from an opponent (or vice versa) or trying not to be bossed around on corners.

Combining ease of use both on and off the track is the key to why this game stands out. Couple that with accessible racing and an eye towards realism, and Codemasters finally delivers an F1 game everyone can enjoy.

The entire gameplay package evokes nostalgia, yet has enough advancements embedded in its coding to give it the high-end kick in the butt it needs to compete with today’s greatest releases. [Mar 2002, p.76]

Sounds Shapes is an excellent platformer, but the music that progressively fills each stage as you move forward is really what makes the game something special.

Gears 5 is exactly what it needs to be. This old war vet still packs a punch. The open-world exploration has issues, but that isn’t enough to steal away the thunder The Coalition expertly deploys on the battlefield. The campaign is a fun ride that concludes with a shocker moment and a hell of a setup for a sequel. I’m already looking forward to that follow-up.

The first expansion set for Hearthstone is a major step forward for the already accessible and fun game, and I hope to see even more variety as we move past Goblins vs Gnomes into the future of the digital card game.

Some areas shine brighter than others, but the developer's inspired Champion mode is the star feature that must be experienced.

Most maps are dazzling sandboxes just waiting to be leveled, firearms feel impactful with detectable recoil patterns, and a bevy of demanding progression challenges keep the grind loop fresh. But like in most hard-fought victories, not every wartime decision yields a winning result.

Co-op changes your approach to survival horror, and the masterful pacing ensures you never take your eye off the action. Like its predecessor, Resident Evil 5 is destined to be remembered as one of the best games of its time.

Independently, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta were standout efforts that helped make a name for Ready At Dawn. When you put them together in the Origins Collection, you get two amazing and upgraded adventures in one $40 package that no fan of action games should miss.

Ska Studios continually impresses with the ambition of its games, which are always defined by an impeccable attention to detail and tight moment-to-moment mechanics. That reputation for clean design continues unabated with Salt and Sanctuary. This nightmarish island is well worth a visit, even if you’ve never confronted the challenging games that engendered the adventure.