Ok, so the Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller isn’t wireless, there’s currently no online play, and the downloadable Track Packs are a little pricey. Big deal. Xbox 360 gamers are still in for a real treat.

L4D2 may be more of the same, but in a thoroughly pleasing sense.

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

Fight Night Round 3 is a fantastic boxing title that really delivers the action in a realistic way for fight fans, and those discovering the sweet science for the first time on their home console.

As a fan of Bizarre’s racing exploits since MSR, I’d say that this this their finest effort since "PGR 2."

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

Nearly every facet of the spy game is more mature and polished. Pandora Tomorrow shouldn't disappoint and had such a great effect on me, I found myself trawling the NSA website for jobs the next day. Like fine wine, this franchise has definitely become better with age.

If you've ever been on the fence about these games, this collection is a must because it is the best version of them there will likely ever be. Even if you've got either of them, or both, this is still a must-buy because playing them in the remastered format is almost like playing them again for the first time.

All in all, Splosion Man is a definite must-buy. Its combination of challenging, but addictive gameplay, impressive graphics, and humor combine to form a memorable experience that stands out and sticks in your head long after you’ve shut the system off.

Anyone who loved the original should pick this up as soon as possible, and if you’re new to the genre, at least download the demo and give it a shot. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it once you’ve gotten used to the controls, and find that the game’s wide variety of well-done events result in an incredibly fun experience that should please nearly anyone.

Deep, customizable gameplay along with a number of innovative features go a long way to giving "Madden" a run for its money.

There has been only a handful of times when I’ve been absolutely spellbound by a game. Be it for graphics or gameplay or a straight up solid game. In this category of acclaim, I would have to list "Mario 64," "Soul Calibur" (DC), and now Resident Evil: Zero.

An intriguing juxtaposition of pieces of incredibly intense FPS action that had me on the edge of my seat combined with puzzle-like sections of such opacity that they made me want to kill myself.

Excellent visuals, innovative racing features and accessibility to drivers of all skill levels make this title stand out from its competition, including games with more tracks and vehicles.

If you've loved the Forza series before, you'll enjoy this, and if you thought it was a bit too stuffy but wanted to get into it, this is the perfect starting point for you. There's a ton of content here, and thanks to its lack of an online pass, it actually makes for a great rental as well.

Capcom's reinvented the wheel in high style, and while they've traded in their usual attempts at horror in favor of intensely creepy action, the game's better for it.

DmC was one of the best action games of the last generation, and it’s remained fantastic two years later. It’s a better overall value now than it was then thanks to the addition of the DLC campaign and is still a must-play game.

With an enormous amount of customizable options, absorbing story mode and large mod community, T.H.U.G. provides just about anything a gamer could want in a skateboarding title without grabbing a board and hitting the streets. Combine that with the ability to "place" yourself into the game with the face mapping feature, and you have a product that could easily be considered one of the best games of the year.

Lost Sphear is an outstanding game, taking most of what made I Am Setsuna memorable and topping it. Lost Sphear doesn’t fare quite as well when it comes to the soundtrack, but its battle system is vastly superior and one of the most enjoyable battle systems I’ve played in a JRPG in years. It keeps the turn-based system that many have used before and puts new twists on it to keep it fresh – so while the plot itself goes with a lot of tried and true turns, the battles feel much newer. It isn’t a perfect game, but does a better job of merging the genre’s past tropes with modern-day gaming conventions than Tokyo RPG Factory’s debut effort and is a must for any fan of JRPGs.

The folks at Bethesda have built themselves quite a world, and while not perfect it is a joy to inhabit for a couple of hundred hours.

Rainbow Six Vegas represents a return to glory for the franchise, with a renewed emphasis on tactics, a brilliant cover system, new high-tech gadgets, challenging missions and a multiplayer component that’ll keep you coming back for more.

The folks at Bethesda have built themselves quite a world, and while not perfect it is a joy to inhabit for a couple of hundred hours.

NHL 12 is, in my opinion, the best hockey game to date. It looks vivid and sharp, but the true-to-form NHL gameplay is what pushes it over the top. With a fast-paced game like hockey, it's not easy to recreate the experience in a video game, but with this title, EA has managed to do so quite successfully, making this one easy to recommend without thinking twice.

NHL 12 is, in my opinion, the best hockey game to date. It looks vivid and sharp, but the true-to-form NHL gameplay is what pushes it over the top. With a fast-paced game like hockey, it's not easy to recreate the experience in a video game, but with this title, EA has managed to do so quite successfully, making this one easy to recommend without thinking twice.

Young kids will enjoy the exaggerated looks of the characters, while older players will chuckle at some of the jokes the kids won’t get. There’s a wide variety of gameplay types to enjoy, so you’ll never get bored, and they’re executed very well – which is saying something since it goes from platforming, to shooting, to racing and they all feel natural. Whether you’re now to the franchise or an experienced veteran, Ratchet and Clank is a must-own.

Overall, I’d say that Virtua Fighter 5 Online is a remarkable game with a few missteps, but no fatal flaws. The intricate gameplay is better than ever, while the addition of online play adds an incredible amount of replay value to the game, even if it does need some improvement.

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

A fantastic boxing title that really delivers the action in a realistic way for fight fans, and those discovering the sweet science for the first time on their home console.

Easily the best game I’ve played so far this year. Its highly-stylish graphics, mostly-smooth gameplay, incredible music, and fantastic voice acting combined to create an experience that I won’t forget, and one that I hope is enjoyed by anyone with a love for RPGs.

It just shows a great deal of polish, few if any bugs, and a general level of completeness that it seems so few games present these days, exuding none of that get-it-out-the-door churning of so many game productions. I’m going to call it the best FPS I’ve played this year, though with "Half-Life 2" still on deck, that title might not stand for long.

For $15, there's a lot here, and if you're in the mood for stunt racing, this is the game for you.

With a larger career mode featuring more cities and greater tracks, additional gameplay modes and rock solid online play, this is the racer you want to cross the finish line with in your gaming console.

On the whole, the creators of Trine took the safe route in crafting Trine 2. They strayed little from their original concept, resulting in a game that is equally as enjoyable as the first.

The interaction of great FPS storytelling mixed with light RPG elements has become a very successful formula and created some of my favorite games: System Shock, BioShock, Mass Effect, Half-Life and now Dead Space. The plotline of DS2 is clearly setting up for another sequel, and though I just finished playing this one, I'm already looking forward to the next. Bring it on!

On the basis of single-player alone, Chaos Theory earns a high recommendation. If you can conquer Versus or find a buddy for co-op, it could be a Game of the Year contender.

Yuke’s hard work has paid off in spades with UFC 2009: Undisputed. While the game may have taken more time than some fans would have liked to hit shelves, the wait was worth it as they delivered a top-shelf game in every area that counts and provided an amazing base that they can build upon in the future.

Where "C&C2" failed, Homeworld stuns. Where other games relied on contrived formula, Homeworld manages to shine above the crowd. Elements of strategy, space combat, and economics are combined perfectly in a fully 3D environment. A careful balance of fleet tactics, specific ship abilities and resource gathering make every game challenging and unique.

On the basis of single-player alone, Chaos Theory earns a high recommendation. If you can conquer Versus or find a buddy for co-op, it could be a Game of the Year contender.

Perhaps the coolest gameplay addition to Aggressive Inline is the fact that you are no longer constricted by a 2-minute countdown clock in which to do objectives and rack up points. Rather, Inline relies on the ‘juice-meter” to determine how long you get to skate.

The best RPG I've played all summer. I love that I'm loving an RPG on the GameCube.

Overall, Riders Republic is a fantastic game and the most addictive extreme sports game on the market outside of maybe the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 remake. The variety of sports enables the experience to remain fresh, while those wanting a greater challenge can enjoy more events faster by stepping their game up and going for a more all-encompassing experience with more tricks and tougher difficulty. Cross-generation buyers will be in for a far better experience on the PS5 thanks to the SSD speeding things up and making for a much smoother experience, but the PS4 version is impressive given the tech. If it wasn’t for the SSD’s speed, the feeling of both versions’ races would be quite similar and you can’t go wrong with any version.

Simple, addictive, colorful, and cheap; twenty dollars gets you about ten hours of entertainment, and more if you're a completionist. It's also difficult to describe in any way that makes any sort of sense, since it's one of those uniquely Japanese games that seems to have been conceptualized in the depths of a fever dream.

Even with the pending release of Bioware titles on the Xbox, I see very few titles that are going to approach the scope, grandeur and majesty that this one is able to exude so naturally.

I'm sorry I didn't review Warlords Battlecry earlier because I think it would have found its way onto our Game of the Year ballot under one heading or another.

Citizens of Earth is a must-have for anyone who loved Earthbound either in its heyday or has had a chance to play it with the Wii U re-release.

Yuke’s hard work has paid off in spades with UFC 2009: Undisputed. While the game may have taken more time than some fans would have liked to hit shelves, the wait was worth it as they delivered a top-shelf game in every area that counts and provided an amazing base that they can build upon in the future.

If you enjoy Civ V and Gods and Kings, this latest expansion is a must-buy, no-brainer. And while heaping massive amounts of glowing praise on a game might make for an unexciting review, I can’t help but to keep heaping. After all, Civilization V is now the most consistently fun game, from start to finish, in the series’ history. Well done, Firaxis.

In Europe, Rayman can almost do no wrong. It is truly a European figurehead. Its style is a testament to that.

It's not without its flaws--I think multiplayer could do with one more person on each team, given the size of the levels, and singleplayer has that issue with superhuman guards I was talking about--but it's still a pretty good purchase for stealth action gamers.

Final Fantasy XIII is an epic game that plays to its strengths by taking risks.

Even with the limited franchise feature, 2K5 is still one of the better sports titles on the market today, and extremely affordable for any baseball fans.

Maybe I didn't toll hard enough so I'll toll again: the Xbox is a fine platform for the next Grand Theft Auto to show up on.

I would recommend this game to everyone, without any hesitation. What it does well, it does amazingly well and where it stumbles, it's only ever a minor hiccup.

While Media Molecule is no longer directly in charge, the trio of new developers took the LittleBigPlanet spirit and ran with it. You wouldn't even know it was made by a veritable conglomerate of companies. I'll be honest, they should all be commended for making what could be the best LBP yet.

Beyond Good & Evil's gameplay is part and parcel of an elegantly imagined gameworld. The animation is so smooth as to be almost flawless.

It’s fun, vibrant, challenging, charming and rewarding. And the best part, it only costs $20.

The standard that expansion packs for RTS titles will be judged by. Not only did it advance and improve the story of Warcraft, but it also introduced an innovative campaign for one of gaming’s most respected factions. What’s more, the sheer number of enhancements makes each mission enjoyable to play from the first building placed to the last enemy destroyed.

Even with the limited franchise feature, 2K5 is still one of the better sports titles on the market today, and extremely affordable for any baseball fans.

Anyone expecting a purely frenetic racing game should pass, but this should provide sim racing fans with a satisfying game. There’s a lot to tinker with here, and gaming gearheads will be in heaven.

Thus, while Templar's precursor may have been merely good when it was initially released, in the face of new competition from much shallower titles, it is even better, like Citizen Kane's positive reappraisal.

Final Fantasy XIII is an epic game that plays to its strengths by taking risks.

The same beautiful artwork is there, but now there are more puzzles, better, deeper characters, and, I’m not sure how to describe this, but a wonderful mood to the game. In short, Syberia is the best adventure to come out in the last two years.

Dead or Alive 5 Plus is an incredibly accurate recreation of a modern console fighter, and suffers very little in the transition from the big to little screen.

God of War II begins with a bang louder than a falling Kraken and does not let up for the next dozen or so hours you will spend engrossed in its mythos.

Series vets with fond memories of the Pro Race Driver/TOCA games on previous systems should pick this up immediately, and if you're unsure about it, there's a demo available for download that’ll give you a good idea as to how easily most of the cars can be controlled, but won't give you a very accurate view of just how many kinds of racing styles are represented in the full game.

EA Sports UFC 4 is EA’s strongest MMA game yet, even if it isn’t quite all it could be. The career mode is top-shelf, but it’s still a bit disappointing to not see PRIDE replicated in an EA UFC game when they had their own expy for its follow-up in DREAM in EA MMA. Still, EA Sports UFC 4 manages to deliver the best-playing MMA action in company history and maybe we’ll see some new content down the road to fill in some of the gaps in mode selection and the roster. As it stands, this is a must-play game for MMA fans and finally provides a satisfying, easy to learn submission system that makes the entirety of MMA action enjoyable for players of all skill levels.

All in all, Shadow Complex is a finely-crafted game that is sure to please anyone with a fondness for the older Metroids or the newer side-scrolling Castlevanias as this offers up a similar experience, with some of its own touches that help it stand out from the rest.

Despite the game’s short life span, it is still one of the most entertaining platform games for any system, past or present.

The largest change comes within the Draft section, which is much more defined and realistic for players wanting to track their prospects.

Involving, intriguing, solid, and just flat out fun. Who could ask for more?

#Reload, plain and simple, has it all. About the only thing I can say against it is that it's a bit laggy on Live.

It’s the little details in Rainbow Six 3 that really impress me.

All in all, this is another great RPG on the PlayStation 2. The only thing keeping me from giving Digital Devil Saga 2 an unqualified recommendation is how hard it is to find its predecessor.

Simply put, Syphon Filter is the best PSP game to date. The singleplayer campaign is diverse and compelling, and what it lacks in terms of length is more than made up for by the equally wonderful multiplayer component.

Persona 3 is, despite that complaint, one of the best RPGs on the PS2, and in fact, on any console. It has characters you'll care about, a combat system that's easy to get into but hard to master, enough of a difficulty curve that you'll feel like you're working for your victories, and a truly bizarre and memorable soundtrack.

The largest improvement in the game, the one that I’m sure without even checking that all the forums are buzzing about, is that halfway or so through the game you get to customize your light saber.

Series vets with fond memories of the Pro Race Driver/TOCA games on previous systems should pick this up immediately, and if you're unsure about it, there's a demo available for download that’ll give you a good idea as to how easily most of the cars can be controlled, but won't give you a very accurate view of just how many kinds of racing styles are represented in the full game.

The need to overhear one more conversation, hack into one more computer and pick one more lock is something that'll keep you going into the night, and quite possibly into the early hours of dawn.

Gameplay is part and parcel of an elegantly imagined gameworld. The animation is so smooth as to be almost flawless, with the same engine handling everything from simple dialogue to a headlong rooftop escape from enemy aircraft...I think you should all go play Beyond Good & Evil right damn now.

But simply put, the cinemas are so full of incredible edge-of-your-seat excitement and intrigue that it feels like watching a top-quality anime production. And lets be straight here, who doesn’t like cinemas?

Easily the most complete Xbox 360 title to date, offering an intense and challenging singleplayer campaign and a robust multiplayer component that is sure to keep soldiers on the virtual field of battle for months to come.

The ending is simply spectacular and is worth working hard to get to. When it comes to storylines, I have to take off my hat and congratulate Jane Jenson to be the Agatha Christy of Mystery Adventure games.

Overall, LittleBigPlanet 3 is more of the same, but it mixes things up more then LBP 2 did thanks to the additional characters.

Beyond Good & Evil's gameplay is part and parcel of an elegantly imagined gameworld. The animation is so smooth as to be almost flawless.

Set in a dripping New York backdrop that would make Hollywood cinematographers drool with envy, this is an enthralling sequel.

Easily the deepest version of the successful franchise yet. A radically expansive franchise mode and an incredibly reactive defensive control scheme combine to make one of the best updates to a football game to date.

The story doesn't quite live up to the prologue and multiplayer feels tacked on, but otherwise Far Cry 3 is a sensational sandbox shooter that's a far cry better than Far Cry 2 (cue slow clap).

All in all, I'd say that its combination of stellar, addictive gameplay and well-crafted graphical and audio work make this a must-have.

In short, Human Revolution is a very good game and I can recommend it without hesitation, but it's not very good at its primary point of design. There is an unequivocally optimum path through the game, and while you can't purchase every upgrade there is, you can pretty easily get every one that's worth having. In a game that's ostensibly about choices, much fewer of them matter than you might think, and that's a bit disappointing.

In short, Human Revolution is a very good game and I can recommend it without hesitation, but it's not very good at its primary point of design. There is an unequivocally optimum path through the game, and while you can't purchase every upgrade there is, you can pretty easily get every one that's worth having. In a game that's ostensibly about choices, much fewer of them matter than you might think, and that's a bit disappointing.

Media Molecule should once again be commended for thinking outside of the proverbial box and giving us something new and enjoyable to play.

The AI overall is vastly improved.

Although the game’s graphics and music were as incredible as you can expect from these two very professional companies, the actual gameplay does get a tiny bit repetitive at times. Overall, Kingdom Hearts manages to be an incredible game.

For every reason I play RPGs (big decisions, interesting characters, fun gameplay, immersive exploration), Risen 3 hits every sweet spot.

Insanely hard. Even with your tightest game face and greatest skills, you’ll still wind up replaying a mission at least three or four times before you get the hang of navigating through each level’s shadows, finding specific hints, clearing newly acquired objectives and discovering codes that you’ll need to progress through.

King of Fighters XIII is clearly SNK Playmore's attempt to make good on the disappointing KoF XII and succeeds wonderfully. The offline modes are plentiful and fun, while online is actually handled pretty well. It's lean on bells and whistles but delivers a pretty smooth experience.

The adventure is rich and detailed, the D&D freak can go positively orgasmic with statistics, and the user community is undoubtedly going to create nearly limitless modules for the less-initiated among us to explore and experience.

All in all, I'd say that its combination of stellar, addictive gameplay and well-crafted graphical and audio work make this a must-have.