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.

I couldn't help but wish the game was organized into traditional levels with beginnings and ends. The arena combat lends nothing to the story when every level is just a fight to defeat a certain number of enemies, and without the need to move from area to area, there is no reward or even a feeling of progression. Fighting lots of dudes is well executed, but it's not exciting.

Idol Minds did a wonderful job sprucing up Insomniac's celebrated action-platforming series. It rarely occurred to me while playing that these are gussied-up versions of last-gen games. Few modern games boast such strong levels of writing, pacing, and gameplay. Whether you're a Ratchet enthusiast or a series newcomer, this collection is a ton of fun.

Retro/Grade is a weird but admirable attempt to rekindle the popularity of a genre that has fallen out of favor. Though its timing may be off, fans of games like Amplitude and Guitar shouldn't overlook this one.

Outside of a couple of glitched spawns that left me stuck in mid-air, I didn't run into many issues when it came to lag or connection errors. As a downloadable title, Global Offensive offers a tried-and-true experience at a reasonable price, even if its gameplay isn't for everyone. If you prefer working with others and attacking the opposing team with well thought-out tactics instead of brute force, you should find plenty to like in this updated release.

Outside of a couple of glitched spawns that left me stuck in mid-air, I didn't run into many issues when it came to lag or connection errors. As a downloadable title, Global Offensive offers a tried-and-true experience at a reasonable price, even if its gameplay isn't for everyone. If you prefer working with others and attacking the opposing team with well thought-out tactics instead of brute force, you should find plenty to like in this updated release.

Examined on its own merits, Rock Band Blitz offers highly tuned rhythm matching fun, and the new approach to multipliers makes score chasing a blast. Harmonix has leveraged its obscenely large music library to boost the appeal of Blitz, and the game's draw may be directly proportional to how much previous money you've already invested in the series.

Examined on its own merits, Rock Band Blitz offers highly tuned rhythm matching fun, and the new approach to multipliers makes score chasing a blast. Harmonix has leveraged its obscenely large music library to boost the appeal of Blitz, and the game's draw may be directly proportional to how much previous money you've already invested in the series.

If there's one glaring mistake that brings Madden 13 down, it's the new Infinity physics engine. It sometimes makes good on its intent to bring more realistic physics, varied hits, and multiple contact points on the body, but the effects of player collision are inconsistent.

This year's title attempts to cover a lot of ground for the franchise, and the outcome is akin to a QB throwing for 400 yards and still not winning the game. A lot went right even if it wasn't a resounding victory. In the case of Madden 13, there is such a thing as a moral victory.

Genuinely bizarre and often-comedic situations generated charm, but Way of the Samurai 4's dated visuals, control difficulties, and stiff combat makes it needlessly frustrating.

It's the most faithful treatment of the Transformers brand for fans across any medium in recent years, and it manages the feat while remaining welcoming to new potential players. It's also a clear message to the world that High Moon Studios has joined that most rarified breed of game developer that can create an honest-to-goodness great licensed game.

Even if it's not the deepest interactive experience, Fall of Cybertron is certainly one of the most enthusiastic and boisterous digital adventures you'll have this year.

Elements of the combat, progression, and art style may have roots in other games, but they weave together in thrilling and unfamiliar ways.

The addition of loot – a dizzying array of weapons and armor with different damage, arcane, elemental, and bonus attributes – adds even more variety to an already deep and satisfying combat system.

Those interested in games that stretch the boundaries of interactive narrative will appreciate this startling and emotionally nuanced examination of a complex topic.

One of the most polished aspects of the game is environment traversal. Death can run along walls and leap between pillars much like the Prince of Persia. These platforming-like sequences add an element of verticality to exploration, and are used extensively to unearth hidden areas.

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.

Hybrid proves that you can't depend on a few flashy additions to rev up the shooting genre; innovation needs to go into every area possible for a game to stand out. The jetpacks and cover system are twists on standard third-person firefights, but lose their allure quickly due to uninteresting maps and the reliance on modes from other popular games. That's not to say the game isn't entertaining, but it lacks the staying power to keep you hooked. The goal is noble, but Hybrid doesn't turn the third-person shooter on its head.

Sleeping Dogs has enough entertainment value to justify Square Enix's decision to save it from cancellation, but it also displays a lack of polish that makes its troubled development evident. [Sept 2012, p.90]