So it's short; Steve Wonder could probably rock the combat engine like nobody's business. [Aug 2004, p.97]

The Last Story is the latest project from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and industry luminary Nobuo Uematsu composed the soundtrack. Previous collaborations involving these two legends have resulted in titles like Final Fantasy IV, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. I had high hopes for this Wii-exclusive RPG. Given its pedigree, I never imagined that it would fail to meet the low bar set by dozens of middling entries in the genre.

Diablo II: Resurrected shows why the original title remains the standard against which all other ARPGs are judged. While it doesn’t come with many hooks and ever-evolving content that has become a baseline for the genre as it transformed into a game-as-service model, not all games need to be played with forever in mind. Diablo II: Resurrected proves that Blizzard’s classic is still a blast, even today. Whether it’s your first foray into hell and beyond or your thousandth hour, Diablo II: Resurrected is worth the time.

If you’re an old-time lover of roguelikes that’s into things like Binding of Isaac or Dungeons of Dredmor, Dreamscaper is for you. If you’re a newer addition to the ranks of procedurally-generated dungeon crawls with the new era of roguelites like Rogue Legacy or Hades, Dreamscaper is for you. Either way, smart design decisions and surreal vibes surround the experience, making this an excellent summer surprise.

The Turing Test joins Portal as another great puzzle game featuring an ominous A.I. entity. The puzzles will make you think, but not as much as the story’s wonderful exploration of life.

Though it doesn’t add much for players looking to play around with its improvements solo, Nidhogg 2 adds layers of depth to a simple formula without breaking what made it so appealing in the first place. The new weapons and maneuvers blend seamlessly into fights, making them more dynamic and tense. Its single-player offerings may be paper-thin, but for anyone looking to test themselves against their friends, Nidhogg 2 is hard to beat.

Although the improvements made to this year’s entry will keep me hooked for months, I can’t quite call SDvsR 2007 the perfect wrestling experience. There are still flaws here and there that irk me, like Diva matches that feel far too automated and the difficulty balancing in some of the tougher game modes.

Boxboy is an easy-to-overlook entry in the 3DS digital library. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t have a particularly remarkable look about it, but its well-designed puzzles continue to surprise, making it absolutely worth playing.

Through the years the Tiger franchise has layered on more realistic tour touches like the FedEx championship, the Masters, or the U.S. Open. This year EA's lined things up and knocked the ball down the fairway straight and true.

It isn’t perfect, but I can’t think of another Wii U game that I’d recommend more than Lego City Undercover. It’s the most interesting and highly polished game in TT Games’ large repertoire, and it fills an important game gap. Now kids (and their parents) can tool around in a big town where people smile even as you almost run them over in an ice-cream truck.

One of the most satisfying, enthralling shooters to hit the market in recent memory.

Despite its problems, Reckoning is a good game with a lot of stuff worth checking out. But even with all of the talent backing it, it's just on the edge of being something much greater than it is. For a game that's all about breaking out of the confines of fate, it's a shame that so much of the content feels stuck within such narrow conventions. [Mar 2012, p.88]

I can’t stress just how smartly made Children of Morta is. The narrative flows smoothly in and out of dungeons, the characters have a real life to them, and the gameplay is enthralling and has those addictive qualities that make you just want to keep leveling everyone up. In the 15-plus hours I invested in this adventure, I was thoroughly captivated by everything Dead Mage set out to achieve. The way family comes together for the final conflict is truly impressive.

Exactly what most people who own a Wii are looking for. This is cooperative gaming at its best – the perfect party game for friends, family, and new gamers alike. Even with its regrettable omissions, Rock Band has a broad audience of Wii owners just waiting in the wings to get their chance on stage.

An adventure that feels thoughtfully conceived, humorous, and depressing all at once, as well as “off” in the right ways. Indika is one of the year’s most affecting and memorable adventures, and its themes will stick with me as I continue to ponder their meanings.

If you've been waiting for years to get your hands on this Tri-Ace classic, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth will not dissapoint. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Triple Deluxe does a better job than most Kirby games at retaining a consistent upward slope of challenge throughout.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a fun and accessible aerial arcade shooter with a whole lot of polish and personality. It may not offer a whole lot of depth, but for only 800 MS Points you still get quite a bit of game for your buck with more in the form of DLC on the way.

Interactive storytelling is rarely this good, and there are few game endings that make you sit back and think, “Man, what if I did this instead?” like this one does. For its amazing narrative and believability of characters, and the twisted joys that come from being a slave of a demon, The Darkness will keep you enthralled, even when the gameplay lags a little behind.

Age of Wonders III's wealth of unit types and leader abilities leads to some engaging battles. I just wish as much thought was required for its strategic empire-building sections. If you can put up with the toil of running an empire, you are treated to some compelling and rewarding combat. Unfortunately, you have to do both, because you can't play only half a game.

Mario Party Superstars is either a delightful stroll down memory lane or a great way to experience these games for the first time. No matter your history, it's a worthwhile celebration of the Mario Party franchise.

Despite all of these complaints, the core game is strong. Everything works as expected, the cards are translated perfectly, and the AI can play at the level of an average human. Beginners – who are the target audience here, to be fair – should have a fine time. I'd recommend playing either of the previous two games before this one, though.

Total Chaos is disgusting, bloody, and taxing, but it’s also sympathetic and cathartic. And despite its misgivings and missteps, it is fun, twisting together horrific perversions with tension-filled gameplay in the way every great survival horror game should. Poor voice acting and repetitive gameplay/monster design dampen what makes Total Chaos great. However, its inventive crafting-focused combat and stirring story cement Trigger Happy Interactive’s sophomore release as one that will surely haunt my thoughts long after this playthrough.

Is Rocksmith always a thrill a minute? No. However, few recent games offer so novel an experience as playing a guitar part, and hearing the notes you play flow out of your TV as part of a great rock song. It's the added incentive a lot of potential musicians might need to put in the time it takes to excel.

FIFA is still doomed to feel a little stiff due to its reliance on set animations to govern play, and there are plenty of frustrating AI mistakes that linger. [Oct 2005, p.128]

I like the way that Infamous Second Son splinters off from the first two entries in the series. Delsin’s conduit ability creates uncertainty in the gameplay mechanics, and the choices he makes apply similar levels of ambiguity to the narrative arc. I never really grasped what was coming next from this tale, outside of knowing that the open world activities and encounters would be repeated ad nauseam.

I like Guitar Hero Live; FreeStyle has crafted an innovative and intriguing variation on the standard music game formula. But as I played, I couldn’t help feeling like my enjoyment was on a slowly burning fuse, and the inability to play my favorite songs was waiting to blow up the fun.

If you can accept its myriad tonal inconsistencies and buy into the bullet-sponge combat, The Division is an intriguing social shooter that taps into the addictiveness of loot grinding in a novel setting.