The core gameplay mechanics remain in tact and the presentation is as solid as ever. Combine that with the addition of several new and improved game modes, such as Career Mode, Multi-Season Mode and King of the Diamond Mode, and you’ve got a baseball simulation that is sure to entertain baseball fans throughout the entire season.

That’s what makes Pac-Man Championship Edition such a fun, challenging and ultimately addictive game. It compels you to keep coming back to best your previous high score and perhaps make an appearance on the Xbox Live leaderboards. That’s the sign of a great arcade experience and if you’re a fan of Pac-Man, you won’t want to miss it.

The fast paced action is still the centerpiece of the game, and the action is engaging enough to capture even the most jaded first person shooter vet who’s probably tired of the numerous WWII titles that’ve been released.

This may not be game of the year, but it doesn't try to be. What it does try to be is an ode to Nintendo's rich history and an introduction to the Wii U's capabilities and control potential. In those efforts, it succeeds greatly.

Scribblenauts Unlimited is the best looking and playing entry in the series to date. It's also the easiest, so if you didn't like the first two due to their difficulty, at least give this a rental.

With all of the ways to play, vehicles, environments, and all-around fun, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is a top-notch arcade racer for any fan of the genre.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is just the kind of well-crafted 2D fighter that the PS4 needs more of.

The multiplayer is easily the best facet of the game, and is much better than it ever was. However, some of the problems with the still-weak single player missions limit this game from truly being great.

At its root, The Saboteur is a classic revenge tale with some tasks to perform to distract you from the main story. The fact that the side tasks have little to no effect on that main story is a bit of a shame, as these open-style games tend to really shine when some act you committed causes unforeseen consequences. All in all, it can be said that Pandemic’s last offering is a worthwhile one, especially for the gorgeous visuals and nail-biting gameplay that comes from trying to undermine a Nazi occupation one building at a time. Do yourself a favor and find yourself a copy… perhaps the one Ugarte gave to Rick to hide under the lid of the piano.

The singleplayer campaign lacks polish and as a result, some of the objectives are confusing and ultimately meaningless, and the levels feel disjointed. Where Perfect Dark Zero excels is multiplayer, co-operatively and competitively, with a vast selection of cool weapons, a number of clever game types and a seemlingly endless number of options.

It's been missing for a while, but the simple inclusion of the police catapults Most Wanted into one of the best racers in recent history.

The first time a player receives an achievement for bashing a person's face in a certain way they will be hooked.

More options would have been huge in adding a bit of spice to the repetition that sets in after a few games, but what comes in the box is good enough to recommend to anyone with a taste for a little strategy and a penchant for world domination.

Never has pillaging and murdering countless citizens been so fun, and so funny. I love games that let me be the bad guy, and Overlord lets you do all that and more.

Day of Reckoning's focus upon the dreamers and wannabes that are fighting day in and out at house shows is a creative spin for a wrestling game, one that will appeal to a number of wrestling fans whose ultimate dream is to be on that stage themselves.

When Rahil and his army have been thwarted and the campaign comes to a close, one thing is for certain, Summit Strike is good value for your money.

With zany characters, extreme action, and a solid baseball background, this is the definite break that casual fans of the sport can totally root for.

With sharp, bright visuals, a ton of multiplayer features and a large number of skills that you can acquire, this could be the next big Pokemon – a grown up, apocalyptic Pokemon, but one that teens will probably gravitate towards as they get too old for Pikachu and his brethren.

Easily the best WWE game made for the Gamecube and arguably for any system, Day of Reckoning 2 addresses a number of bugs from the previous title and adds a larger sense of strategy and timing to the game itself.

Brotherhood is truly "same as it ever was", but none the worse for it.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane destroys its predecessor by providing more of what made it such a classic to begin with, and improving upon it.

If you’re on the fence about it, try the free trial – you’ll get to play through the first stage, including a boss battle, and get a perfect idea for how the game feels.

Aside from some lingering issues with the gameplay and horrendous online issues, it’s a well-crafted game that should satisfy fans of the series, and bring back those who have lost faith in it in the past.

Overall, I was a little disappointed that Telltale Games couldn’t come up with more puzzles for The Wolf Among Us, but otherwise everything about the game is first-rate.

The combination of decent plot, reality-defying powers and Havok-governed physics make one incredibly compelling experience.

The game is not without faults – it’s very linear, leans a little too much on quick-time events, and gameplay is merely average – but the experience is elevated by excellent storytelling, compelling characters, stunning graphics and art design, and sublime sound design.

All in all, Kiwami is an easy game to recommend to fans of the series and those who have already played Yakuza 0 and loved it. The remakes of the older titles are Sega’s way of ushering in a new generation of fans and, now that the series has proven to do well in the west, bring all of the series’ experiences to a wider audience. Yakuza Kiwami is just as fun, weird, disturbing, hilarious and provocative as the rest of the series’ titles, and is well worth the twenty-five hours of gameplay and thirty dollar price of admission.

The beautiful graphics, relative ease of control and immersive gameplay round out the “expectedly cheesy” storyline to provide an intense gameplay experience that no fan of the genre should miss.

It would appear the true fans, a small niche of the general gaming population, will truly appreciate it. But when it comes to sheer variety, an easier learning curve and exotic game modes, I’d pop in something else other than Rally 3.

As far as mature-rated games are concerned, Dead Space: Extraction is one of the best you’ll play on the Wii this year.

The graphics are smooth and exciting, the action is hectic and well-balanced, and the gameplay is truly like nothing else I've ever seen before. And, as I started out saying, this is a budget title. How much gameplay do you need for $10? I think for the money Anomaly: Warzone Earth is a fine bargain.

Even with the plethora of weapons, zombie types, game modes, and levels to choose from, the game can get stale after awhile.

If you’ve enjoyed past Thief games, you’ll enjoy the reboot as well. Those new to the franchise, or iffy about stealth, would be better-served renting it to give it a shot.

Personally, I found myself enthralled with the video game, so much so that I pulled a couple of all-nighters going through the game over and over again and noticing new details each and every time.

A solid, entertaining game that delivers a high sense of speed and adrenaline.

NBA 2K is still the standard for basketball gameplay, and if you're wondering which title to go with this year, NBA 2K9 is your choice.

Controls aside, however, Outlaw Volleyball is a worthy improvement to the Outlaw series, and does an admirable job of presenting the sport of Volleyball in a light, adult-focused way.

Modern Warfare 3, while still an excellent thrill ride in its own right, feels far too similar to MW2 or even Black Ops for my taste.

Modern Warfare 3, while still an excellent thrill ride in its own right, feels far too similar to MW2 or even Black Ops for my taste.

The inclusion of Home Field Advantage is a great feature, and really strengthens the strategy of the game when coupled with the Match-Up Stick. Unfortunately, these two things aside, too much of the game plays, looks and sounds like "NCAA Football 2004."

Difficulties on defense and an overpowering “icing” technique aside, NCAA Football 09 has put itself in contention for a championship season. With the addition of the online dynasty and the always-outstanding college football atmosphere, all the talent is here to make this a memorable year.

One of the more organic MMORPG experience I've had in a long while, eschewing the sterility I usually get when I enter an online world. This game is changing and growing, even ex post facto of its release.

Overall, I found Goodbye Deponia to be a lot of fun. It’s tough and it’s funny, it looks good, and the voice actors (who are all back from the previous games) do a fine job with their lines.

The near limitless play potential makes this game a godsend for obsessive, compulsive fans of this style of play, and the ocean deep gameplay ensures that there is always something new to do.

The Total Punch Control system is the most intuitive and natural boxing scheme ever invented, and will be the standard that other boxing (perhaps even other fighting) games will be judged by.

Not quite Tony Hawk and not quite completely innovative, Wakeboarding Unleashed is an original take on the extreme sports genre that, despite breaking new ground in the field of wakeboarding, manages to get it right the first time.

The action is more intense in this game.

Overall, NCAA Football 12 is largely unchanged from last year's product – and this is not a bad thing. However, there are enough new features in the package to make it worth the money. The deeper Dynasty mode, including expanded coaching options and careers and online leagues, and always-addicting Road to Glory mode will keep you coming back for more. This is an easy recommend for fans of the series.

Overall, NCAA Football 12 is largely unchanged from last year's product – and this is not a bad thing. However, there are enough new features in the package to make it worth the money. The deeper Dynasty mode, including expanded coaching options and careers and online leagues, and always-addicting Road to Glory mode will keep you coming back for more. This is an easy recommend for fans of the series.

The shining star in multiplayer continues to be co-operative play. Raven Shield is able to convey sheer bouts of terror as naturally and easily as before.

It looks great, it’s reasonably well acted, and while its puzzles are hit and miss, its story is enveloping enough to draw you in and keep you playing.

The game is excellent, merely sabotaged by lack of polish and in some circumstances, by human behaviour. I wouldn’t punish Dice for being adventurous.

A polished and entertaining ride, jam packed with people to see and things to do. The graphics are nice, the voice acting is superb, and the combat is a lot of fun.

While LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes suffers from a few questionable design decisions, none of the them ultimately detract from what is an excellent adventure.

While the graphics aren’t as smooth as they should be and some of the levels have been edited for content, Doom still shines when it comes to its frenetic and exciting gameplay.

While the length of the single player could’ve been extended, the addition of the titans as a "doomsday" weapon and the elder gods provides a creative extension to the original title.

No one has tackled this subject quite like Sierra has and Irrational has done a stellar job in preserving the look and feel of the predecessor while adding modern amenities.

I honestly would have thought that this game would have become boring long before now. I mean, I have a combat technique that I used on 99% of the monsters that I come across, and all I’m really doing is walking around left clicking on everything ad infinitum. And yet the monster variation, the pretty scenery, the plethora of items, the character skills, the hope of finding better loot are all keeping it going for me.

Origins is better than it has any right to be, considering the PSP's history, its troubled development, and its new team. It's not perfect, but it does make me want to see what Climax would do with another game in the series, which is far, far more than I ever expected.

It's no longer the de facto title out there. I still came away enjoying my time with Pacific Assault immensely.

Note: This review was written by a moron that was too cheap to go online (that and the fact all the &*%$#*@ adapters were sold out) and play it. So he had to opt out and go for the less-than-perfect split screen option with his smelly, fat, and hairy, best friend.

"X-Men Legends" on steroids. It's bigger and better.

A great horror game for PS2 owners and anyone who likes a good ghost story, but fans may find it to be a little too mired in its series's formula.

A game that can either be very good or suck abysmally, depending on how you chose to play it.

Smashing a street thug over the head with a crowbar and then snapping his neck with your bare hands has never felt this good. Condemned: Criminal Origins is all about delivering a disturbing atmosphere and brutal melee combat. In that regard, Monolith has hit the nail on the head.

Its biggest flaw is that the dogfights that are nominally its focus are satisfying and will keep you engaged, but escort, bombing, and recon missions are a lot more fun.

From Dust is a fantastic game and a great follow-up to the Summer of Arcade's first game, Bastion. It's not quite like anything you've ever seen before and there's plenty of content to warrant a purchase. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out but overall, this is a game that everyone should check out, just make sure you don't let your newfound godly prowess get to your head.

The injury system provides an added adrenaline kick to gameplay, and the campaign mode, while not fully as explored as it could be, is more than enjoyable for most players.

Though this game features cartoon-like violence with human creatures to kill, these shortcomings are all culturally based (who says cartoon violence isn't bloody or shocking? and who says we only have to kill humans?).

Overall, this game is your standard Madden, with a standard amount of improvements and beefed up graphics and animations. It looks great, and the new gameplay features make this title well worth the purchase for Madden fans.

Despite its shortcomings, Blur winds up being a fantastic racing game. Its kart racing innovations, razor-sharp controls, and incredibly fun multi-player modes ensure that it will be played for quite some time.

Not quite Tony Hawk and not quite completely innovative, Wakeboarding Unleashed is an original take on the extreme sports genre that, despite breaking new ground in the field of wakeboarding, manages to get it right the first time.

The inclusion of Home Field Advantage is a great feature, and really strengthens the strategy of the game when coupled with the Match-Up Stick. Unfortunately, these two things aside, too much of the game plays, looks and sounds like "NCAA Football 2004."

The injury system provides an added adrenaline kick to gameplay, and the campaign mode, while not fully as explored as it could be, is more than enjoyable for most players.

One of those games that will probably appeal to any RPG fan, simply by the sheer scope of Vana’Diel and its ever-changing world.

If you're looking for a genuinely unsettling and terrifying survival horror experience on your PS2, than look no further, this is it.

The only way you shouldn't get Twisted Metal: Head On is if you're deathly afraid of entertainment.

A hell of a game, although some of the missions, in addition to being hard, are frustrating due to various bugs that just end up infuriating the gamer.

Brilliantly constructed and a noble last effort from longtime Nintendo mainstay Rare.

A shooting game for absolute perfectionists. R-Type Final is all about getting things right the first time, because you probably won't get a second chance. I'm honestly surprised the game even offers extra lives.

The inclusion of Home Field Advantage is a great feature, and really strengthens the strategy of the game when coupled with the Match-Up Stick. Unfortunately, these two things aside, too much of the game plays, looks and sounds like "NCAA Football 2004."

Despite its shortcomings, Blur winds up being a fantastic racing game. Its kart racing innovations, razor-sharp controls, and incredibly fun multi-player modes ensure that it will be played for quite some time.

NBA 2K is still the standard for basketball gameplay, and if you're wondering which title to go with this year, NBA 2K9 is your choice.

A lot of fun. Even with all the types of games it squeezes into one box, it's still relatively intuitive and simple to play...So if you’re looking for an entertaining management / combat game, Space Colony is hard to beat.

Despite its shortcomings, Blur winds up being a fantastic racing game. Its kart racing innovations, razor-sharp controls, and incredibly fun multi-player modes ensure that it will be played for quite some time.

The levels are fairly exquisitely designed. The textures on the buildings are quite nice, and there is a multitude of signs that call up a smile every once so often. The only problem is, in order to read them you'd have to be in the 'High' detail level - and for that you'd need a pretty nice machine.

A marked improvement over the original game in nearly every way. Except for the revamped trick system, which isn’t nearly as entertaining, deep, or satisfying as we had initially hoped it would be.

Telltale Games did a nice job in introducing the characters and the world, and in giving them depth, and while I found the gameplay elements to be a little bit easy, that might be because Episode 1 is an introduction, and the difficulty will ramp up as the season progresses -- or at least I hope so; otherwise The Walking Dead might end up being more an interactive movie than a real game. But regardless, I thought the story was strong enough to support even an easy game, and so I'm optimistic about the season as a whole will turn out. The game's $25 suggested retail price looks more than reasonable.

Overall, Ridge Racer Unbounded is a great game with some fairly annoying problems that drag it down. The good news is I think they're all issues that could be addressed with a patch - the bad news is I don't know of one coming out, which means that while this game is worth your time, I don't quite think it's worth full-price in its present state.

"X-Men Legends" on steroids. It’s bigger and better.

If you loved JA2 (like I did), then you owe it to yourself to play this. If you hated JA2, though, there is nothing in this that will make you change your mind: in fact, the higher linearity (compared to JA2) will likely turn you off even more, and you are probably better off waiting for JA3, whenever that will be.

Difficulties on defense and an overpowering “icing” technique aside, NCAA Football 09 has put itself in contention for a championship season. With the addition of the online dynasty and the always-outstanding college football atmosphere, all the talent is here to make this a memorable year.

Overall, Yesterday is a fine adventure with a unique look, competent puzzles, and a compelling story. The only downside is that it's relatively short. It only took me a little more than five hours to complete the game, and so Pendulo definitely had some room to add in an extra chapter or two. But otherwise, as long as you don't mind some disturbing content, Yesterday is well worth its $30 price tag.

AVP2 is still scintillatingly scary. All of the trappings of the film licenses, like the ominous beeping of the marine motion tracker are included and done well.

Like the original, Shift 2 is a flawed sim but still manages to become greater than the sum of its parts. The wonky handling and annoying load times haven't been completely eliminated, while the new reduced methods of earning XP make getting through career mode more time-consuming than it should be. However, despite its flaws, the overall game is definitely worth a purchase. Not at $60 though - given the flaws and its nickel and diming of players through DLC, I'd say that it's worth paying $40 for if you enjoyed the first. Since there's no demo available, if you didn't play that one, then either download Shift 1's demo or just go ahead and buy it for the $10 or so it goes for now. Then, you'll have an idea of what to expect from this game, and if its problems don't really bother you there, they won't bother you much here.

Like the original, Shift 2 is a flawed sim but still manages to become greater than the sum of its parts. The wonky handling and annoying load times haven't been completely eliminated, while the new reduced methods of earning XP make getting through career mode more time-consuming than it should be. However, despite its flaws, the overall game is definitely worth a purchase. Not at $60 though - given the flaws and its nickel and diming of players through DLC, I'd say that it's worth paying $40 for if you enjoyed the first. Since there's no demo available, if you didn't play that one, then either download Shift 1's demo or just go ahead and buy it for the $10 or so it goes for now. Then, you'll have an idea of what to expect from this game, and if its problems don't really bother you there, they won't bother you much here.

This game isn't about bumping balls, as the title suggests, but rather it's about kicking back and just having fun with little regard to competition or consequence. So from that perspective, DOAX is more like "Animal Crossing" than say Sega's "Beach Spikers."

Even with the technical snafus that sometimes plague Legends, this is still the best X-Men title ever produced. The Action/RPG elements are nicely integrated within an epic storyline with plenty of intrigue and a huge amount of gameplay that can take 20 hours or more to fully complete.