Angry Birds is a perfect mobile diversion game. It's quick and addictive, and before you realize how its fickle physics can be incredibly unfair, your game is interrupted by a phone call. It's not the sort of game that works well when you want to cozy up on the couch for a few hours.

It's not the sort of game that works well when you want to cozy up on the couch for a few hours. It becomes repetitive, and you will come up with all sorts of new profanities when doing the same thing over and over on the same level miraculously works because that one brick fell slightly to the left. Angry Birds is a fun game, but the console is not where it belongs.

In the great football war, Pro Evo may come up short to rival FIFA when it comes to an across-the-board feature set, but I think the gameplay is better in Konami's title. With this iteration Konami is inching the franchise forward by both refining its product while not being afraid to try new things.

In the great football war, Pro Evo may come up short to rival FIFA when it comes to an across-the-board feature set, but I think the gameplay is better in Konami's title. With this iteration Konami is inching the franchise forward by both refining its product while not being afraid to try new things.

Unlocking the rest of the ship roster should be easier, since trying different ships is a core pillar of FTL's replayability. The ill-conceived boss fight breaks the established rules to deliver a frustratingly unfair challenge, but the meat of the gameplay itself is an excellent take on one of sci-fi fandom's oldest and most beloved themes. You have to respect that accomplishment when it comes from anyone, much less a two-man studio Kickstarted into a $10 indie game.

Hell Yeah is an enjoyable 2D sidescroller that waxes nostalgic about classic games just as much as it establishes its own identity as a "how-to" guide to murdering monsters in ridiculous ways.

Dead or Alive 5 can be a decent fighter when you're settling into a good match, but the overall package just doesn't deliver what a sequel should. New characters Mila and Rig are fun to control, and some cameos from Virtua Fighter are a nice bonus, but this series simply hasn't progressed in the same way that its peers in the genre have. This may have sufficed as a sequel in 2007, but Dead or Alive is getting lapped by its competitors in 2012.

Dead or Alive 5 can be a decent fighter when you're settling into a good match, but the overall package just doesn't deliver what a sequel should. New characters Mila and Rig are fun to control, and some cameos from Virtua Fighter are a nice bonus, but this series simply hasn't progressed in the same way that its peers in the genre have. This may have sufficed as a sequel in 2007, but Dead or Alive is getting lapped by its competitors in 2012.

FIFA 13 captures a lot of the passion and pageantry of world football, but beneath the surface its gameplay flaws can hinder the beautiful movements that truly make the sport great.

FIFA 13 captures a lot of the passion and pageantry of world football, but beneath the surface its gameplay flaws can hinder the beautiful movements that truly make the sport great.

Racing cars of this magnitude is not like hitting the streets with some jacked-up sports car. F1 cars are a special breed, and Codemasters has done a great job conveying that. Some of the racing moments are challenging and exciting the likes of which you won't find in other titles. A little more depth in the series' career mode could go a long way into making that portion of the game just as special.

Racing cars of this magnitude is not like hitting the streets with some jacked-up sports car. F1 cars are a special breed, and Codemasters has done a great job conveying that. Some of the racing moments are challenging and exciting the likes of which you won't find in other titles. A little more depth in the series' career mode could go a long way into making that portion of the game just as special.

Hello Games has crafted another riotous game that fits comfortably between the racing and platforming genres, but this second installment leans closer towards the former. This might scare away some more casual players. If you love the quest for that perfect course run, and you don't mind working for it, Joe Danger's movie adventures won't disappoint.

I sank plenty of hours into Tokyo Jungle, and still want to play more. I'm just not sure why, as the repetitious gameplay limits the amount of fun I've had with it. Still, if you're looking for something off the beaten path – or just want to see a bunch of animals doing it – Tokyo Jungle provides a modest amount of entertainment.

From major bullet points like the story to smaller details like the UI and inventory system, Borderlands 2 surpassed my expectations and stands as a prime example of how to knock a sequel out of the park. [Oct 2012, p.90]

With its unmatched co-op gameplay, intense shootouts, addictive loot collecting, expansive skill customization, hilarious dialogue, and insane level of difficulty, Borderlands 2 is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences of this console generation. [Oct 2012, p.90]

While LittleBigPlanet has clearly settled into a comfortable groove, it's still one of the best pure platformers on the market. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is another stellar entry on Sackboy's impressive resume.

The appeal of Double Dragon Neon lies in its cartoony homage to the brawler genre and the time period in which the original game released. Some of that appeal may be lost if you're not familiar with the references, but the solid production and mechanics have a universal appeal.

I've never had more fun competing between whistles, but once you skate off the ice and take a seat as the general manager, the poor AI driving the other teams breaks the fantasy.

Like its namesake league, NHL 13's stellar on-ice product is compromised by the questionable decisions of the men at the top. I've never had more fun competing between whistles, but once you skate off the ice and take a seat as the general manager, the poor AI driving the other teams breaks the fantasy.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 doesn't overhaul the franchise's format, instead opting to retain the series' already-solid gameplay and avoid extraneous modes that detract from the core fighting focus.

Even with a somewhat bare-bones online offering, it's still one of the most refined fighters on the market.

While Sega clearly put some effort into this reissue, an HD coat of paint can't correct the Jet Set Radio's fundamental control flaws and repetitious design. I'm sure this sounds like heresy to Dreamcast faithful, but it's the truth: This game wasn't that good in the first place.

While Sega clearly put some effort into this reissue, an HD coat of paint can't correct the Jet Set Radio's fundamental control flaws and repetitious design. I'm sure this sounds like heresy to Dreamcast faithful, but it's the truth: This game wasn't that good in the first place.

Tense, strategic, and hard to put down, Mark of the Ninja is one of the welcome surprises of the year. If you miss the heyday of pure stealth-focused games, or you never played a great stealth game and wonder what all the fuss is about, Klei Entertainment just snuck out of nowhere to offer you a weekend's worth of fun.

I went into The Trouble With Robots expecting nothing and discovered a well-executed little strategy game that rewarded my investment of a few afternoons most satisfactorily.

The gameplay has some rough edges, but as an interactive story, this is an experience that shouldn't be missed.

The gameplay has some rough edges, but as an interactive story, this is an experience that shouldn't be missed.