Frame rate issues, targeting hiccups and other minor quibbles aside, this is a portable 3D version of the Grand Theft Auto series, which is phenomenal to behold and even better to play on the go.

The depth of the diplomacy, the many well-balanced factions, the intelligent layout of the interface, that all indicates to me a game design crew that really had its stuff together. While I don’t think as a game reviewer it would be appropriate for me to penalize a game for being too involved, I do think the pace of this game, the amount of plotting and planning versus the amount of payoff, is a little out of whack.

Takes the solid premise of the first title, captures the good elements and radically expands upon them to create one of the best platformers ever seen on the PS2, and indeed all of platforming history.

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."

Was the return to Rapture worth it? Absolutely. Although the odds seemed stacked against the developers, having to do without both Ryan and Levine, they have delivered a rich, awesome trip through one the most fantastic video game environments ever built.

More of an evolutionary product than a revolutionary one in the series.

Was the return to Rapture worth it? Absolutely. Although the odds seemed stacked against the developers, having to do without both Ryan and Levine, they have delivered a rich, awesome trip through one the most fantastic video game environments ever built.

There is so much new and complicated stuff going on in this iteration of the series. To be blunt, I’m not sure how I feel about Civilization VI which, and I’m sure some will disagree with this assessment, is less approachable than others in the past.

BF1 isn’t exactly forgettable, but it adds little that’s new to the genre. I could probably, literally dig up my review of the very first Call of Duty, and 90% of it would apply to this game as well.

So, that mini-rant aside, Blizzard continues, as they did with Heart of the Swarm, to mix in little elements, throw a few curveballs into the old mission structures, add some new units, and the result, I’ll admit, almost against my better nature, I enjoyed playing it.

So, Diablo III, a very good game. It doesn't break new ground, but covers old, action-y, RPG-ish, addictive clickfest ground very nicely.

An incredible title. Humorous play, engaging action and an interesting plotline coupled with creative game mechanics combine to make a title that worthily upholds the Oddworld franchise.

A solid foundation of accessible gameplay with a number of new features that helps to invigorate the entire gaming experience.

A game where analytically I keep thinking I shouldn’t like it all that much, but then I play it and get absorbed, and I look up and see it’s 4am already. So Pirates! is a fun game to play, but it’s a little bit shallow and repetitive.

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.

FIFA Soccer 11 doesn't have any groundbreaking new additions, but is without a doubt the most accurate and realistic soccer game on the market. For the hardcore soccer fan, or even the average interested gamer, this is a must pick-up.

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.

If you're a fan of the beautiful game then FIFA 13 is a must buy, once again!

The game as a whole has a curve like an electrocardiogram: when it's good, it's really good, and when it’s bad, it’s awful.

With an extremely realistic presentation, augmented control system, and additional attention paid to the overall gameplay, MVP 2005 could be one of those games baseball fans keep returning to in the upcoming years of exclusive sports games.

Joe Danger SE has some minor flaws, but the vast majority of the experience is both fun and very well-crafted. It's a must-buy for 360-only owners who love the Trials and/or Excitebike series and missed out before due to its PS3 exclusivity. Even for PS3 owners, the lab stages and greatly improved controls due to the 360's controller are worth rebuying it for.

I strongly recommend this game. It is the best, most enjoyable and most addictive game I have seen in 19 years.

Aside from the well-crafted plot, the intense action and the awesome atmospheric graphics and sound, Crimson Skies also features an incredible multiplayer experience.

A phenomenal title that you will want. With an improved story mode, loads of additional features and easy to learn controls, TimeSplitters 2 moves you past the trouble of having to learn complex rules and gets you right to the heart of the matter: fragging your enemies.

It’s one of the more surprising, thoughtful games to come out this year, and while there are several half-baked puzzles, it’s still a clever and memorable experience.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of the generation's best racing games.

The inclusion of the cutman mini-game between rounds is a great addition, and the Haymaker provides a phenomenal sense of drama with punches that can knock boxers out at any time. I personally can’t wait to see next year’s version.

Despite all of its problems, Diablo 2 is as much fun as any action game I’ve ever played and twice as addictive.

While it doesn't break any seriously new ground, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 is still the best golf title around.

I come away from this game with nothing but mixed feelings. Pretty much every aspect starts by exciting you, giving you hope that an RPG is finally going to be all the things you want it to be. But at every turn, it mocks you with "Just kidding!", ripping the rug out from under your feet and making you taste cold reality again. This back and forth relationship makes playing The Witcher 2 tiring. Everything is a battle against good intentions turned sour by fatal design flaws. It's one of those games that I don't regret having played, but I also wouldn't recommend it to a friend, either. And since that's exactly where the first game left me, I have little hope that the Witcher universe will ever be a place I feel at home.

NBA 2K13 is a love letter to basketball fans everywhere. 2K Sports continues to impress, resist the urge to rest on its laurels, and produce a fantastic product that innovates in unforeseen ways.

Plants vs. Zombies is one of those addictive games where you always want to play just a little bit longer -- just to see what crazy thing might appear next, if for no other reason.

By doing what they do best Criterion has made Burnout Paradise one of the most accessible and wildly entertaining arcade racers ever created.

The weapons are pretty unimaginative (all the imagination was in "Doom 1" – this is just a continuation) and are often useless (ever try using a rocket launcher in a small room? Well, there are about a billion small rooms in Doom 3). The BFG is fun as always, of course.

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.

343 Industries had some very big Spartan boots to fill when took over the reigns of the Halo franchise from Bungie. All things considered they've done a tremendous job. Where they come up a little short is the campaign, which feels all too familiar gameplay wise to previous Halo installments. They played it safe and it shows.

If you spent any time at all on SF2 as a kid, on your SNES or Genesis or down at your arcade, this is a must-have nostalgia bomb.

Injustice 2 tells one of the best stories ever featured in a fighting game, and the folks at NetherRealm have once again shown that it’s something they truly excel at. As a core fighter, it’s really more of the same with the Injustice engine, and if you were to imagine that game rebuilt with much higher-quality character models, a new story, and an updated roster, you’d have this in a nutshell. That’s not really a bad thing; it’s just a sign that this is exactly what someone would imagine a sequel to that game being for better or worse. For anyone who loved that game, you should get this as soon as possible. If you didn’t play that one, then you’re better off starting there – if you dig it, then buy this too. The two games fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces, and are a lot of fun to play.

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.

Purists will chastise RalliSport Challenge 2 for being a little too liberal with the physics and having too little depth in terms of customizing vehicles. For ninety percent of the gaming population, however, RalliSport Challenge 2 is a fine racing game. It sounds amazing. It looks great. It plays well.

Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a must-buy for fans of the original – but with some caveats attached. Those going into it expecting the complete FF VII experience from start to finish with a new gameplay setup and graphics will be disappointed, while those going in knowing that it is part of the overall package, just with a poor name choice, will wind up quite happy with it. Being able to go between a more classic gameplay approach or a modernized one offers up a lot of freedom to players, while the story itself remains my favorite in franchise history – and it’s now told with more depth and detail than ever before. The revamped graphics aren’t perfect – but do a better job on the whole of conveying the story, while the voice work helps it gain a new level of gravitas that wasn’t there before.

The entire package does a fantastic job of delivering all the fun, brain-teasing puzzles and hilarity for which the series is known.

If you're able to put aside any possible reservations, you'll find that Dragon Quest IX is a great RPG to sink your teeth into this summer.

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.

FIFA Soccer 09 looks the best it ever has, the controls make it user friendly, and the improvements to player movement and animations make it the most realistic soccer game on the market.

If Jeanne d'Arc was a PS2 game, it'd be one of the last great games on the system. As a PSP game, it's definitely a reason to own the system, although it has a surprising difficulty curve that may frustrate some players.

From the new modes and vehicles to the expanded level of destruction and rewarding progression system, it all lends to an open warfare experience that will have you returning to the battlefield for months to come.

FIFA Soccer 09 looks the best it ever has, the controls make it user friendly, and the improvements to player movement and animations make it the most realistic soccer game on the market.

While the inclusion of the Race for the Heisman mode was an incredibly ambitious move, along with some of the other tweaks made to the game, NCAA Football 06 manages to carry them off rather well.

DiRT 3 has some rough edges but remains a worthwhile purchase for longtime fans who crave more of the racing action that has made the DiRT series the premiere rally series on the market, but newcomers should go with one of the prior games. Partly because rally racing isn't for everyone, so if you're new, go with a prior game, preferably DiRT 2 and see if the series is for you. Multi-platform owners should get the 360 version. Its controller feels better for racing games, and you can use your Avatar as a prop hanging off of your in-car mirror, which may not make for impressive ad copy, but sure is amusing to see and will get a few laughs out of you.

I recommend it to those who grew up in arcades, those who enjoy a challenge, and casual gamers looking for something they can pick up and play.

Despite some rough edges, Heavy Rain is an unforgettable experience.

The graphics have been prettied up, but the rest of the game has been completely moronized and user-friendlized to foot the bill of I-don't-know-who.

Sure, it's essentially an add-on for the original Thief plus a few engine enhancements, but the result still works.

The entire package does a fantastic job of delivering all the fun, brain-teasing puzzles and hilarity for which the series is known.

It’s an amazingly good, distressingly short game.

Overall, Gran Turismo 7 is the greatest entry in the series to date and the perfect gateway game for those who are lapsed fans of the series. It takes everything the series has done right while cutting back greatly on things that have bogged it down over the years and outside of the lootboxes, feels like about as perfect an entry in the series as one could imagine. The completely restructured career mode makes for a far more fun and engaging experience and the menu overhaul makes everything so much easier to do. It looks great, plays near-perfectly, and is the exact kind of game I always wanted from the series. Simply put, Gran Turismo 7 is a must-buy for racing fans.

DiRT 3 has some rough edges but remains a worthwhile purchase for longtime fans who crave more of the racing action that has made the DiRT series the premiere rally series on the market, but newcomers should go with one of the prior games. Partly because rally racing isn't for everyone, so if you're new, go with a prior game, preferably DiRT 2 and see if the series is for you. Multi-platform owners should get the 360 version. Its controller feels better for racing games, and you can use your Avatar as a prop hanging off of your in-car mirror, which may not make for impressive ad copy, but sure is amusing to see and will get a few laughs out of you.

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.

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.

Dissonance, in its detail, execution and style truly transcends its platform and for now, it's the best seat in the house for a trip to eerie Castlevania.

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

Its charms, however, such as they are, are mostly lost on me.

While the inclusion of the Race for the Heisman mode was an incredibly ambitious move, along with some of the other tweaks made to the game, NCAA Football 06 manages to carry them off rather well.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best gaming representation of the legendary comic book character to date. Insomniac nailed the smartass tone that has been his calling card better than anyone else and the core action is faster here, with a solid blend of combat and world exploration. It looks great and controls like a dream. Spider-Man has had his troubles in gaming, but Insomniac’s effort checks all the boxes for a top-shelf Spidey experience and delivers a solid storyline that brings its own unique universe to the mix to tell an all-new tale that keeps you engaged and adds some gravitas to everything you do.

Overall, Okami HD on modern hardware is the best way to play this classic title. The increase in resolution and graphical fidelity goes a long way towards ensuring that this is the definitive edition of the game for the foreseeable future. The core game is so good that even with over a decade passing since its original release, it’s still an excellent experience overall – despite a few rough edges with the presentation. Okami has never been a perfect game, and the flaws are part of its charm at times. Anyone who hasn’t had a chance to enjoy it should do so now, while veterans will definitely appreciate the visual boost here.

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

In the meantime, if scratching vinyl appeals to you, or you enjoy this style of music, you should absolutely give DJ Hero a spin.

Forza Motorsport 6 rights a lot of Forza 5’s wrongs.

Donkey Kong Country Returns has a few flaws, but is still an incredibly fun plat former.

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

Definitely deserving of every accolade it gets, but many of the complaints against its content seem absurd after playing it. There’s no graphic violence, and much of the fighting is done out of either self defense or in defense of someone weaker than their attacker.

I applaud Arkane for switching up the Dishonored stealth/action formula here, and for addressing a few of the issues Dishonored had. Deathloop just feels too limited by comparison, though, and too repetitive by half besides. I know a lot of people who really like it, but it fell pretty flat for me.

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

Even though MLB 13: The Show may not boast any laudable improvements that will raise eyebrows, it is still, without a doubt, the best baseball game on the market.

TimeGate Studios have wrapped the entire title in a scintillating storyline.

In the end, crisp visuals, superb sound and an engrossing solo campaign all help Brothers in Arms stand out from an overcrowded crop of World War II shooters.

FIFA 14 doesn’t take any major leaps forward, instead focusing on fine-tuning the major innovations the series has taken in the last couple of years.

You see, like The Matrix, no one can be told what Animal Crossing is. But if you take the time to experience it for yourself, you'll undoubtedly understand why AC is a must-have game despite its technically limited presentation.

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!

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.

You have a choice of either settling for a less attractive game on an older system, or paying more for a title that's lacking in features, but has awesome graphics.

The bottom line is that for all its promise and potential, Dragon Age: Origins is a game that never comes together to be anything but a mediocre game with an interesting premise and a lot of issues.

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

One new character, one new act, and some engine tweaks – that’s what Reaper of Souls brings to the party.

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.

Titanfall 2 fixes the content-lean issues that plagued the original game while delivering an even more action-packed experience. The addition of a full campaign allows players to finally invest themselves in the Frontier vs. IMC war while new game modes make multiplayer more fun than before. It’s a tougher game with a bit more strategic thinking required than the first, but remains a top-shelf shooter that is a must buy for any fan of the genre.

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?).

There’s plenty to do in the career mode, and players will truly enjoy the ability to define their game based on their personal driving style.

So if you thought this title lacked gumption because it isn't multiplayer, there's a massive amount of gameplay you can go through. This offsets the linear main segment somewhat.

With an extremely realistic presentation, augmented control system, and additional attention paid to the overall gameplay, MVP 2005 could be one of those games baseball fans keep returning to in the upcoming years of exclusive sports games.

The game controls perfectly, delivers satisfying platforming and shooting experiences while also featuring underwater stages that are actually fun.

MLB 12: The Show is once again the king of the hill of baseball games, but I'm starting to wonder if the developers might be taking the series for granted slightly. They aren't taking risks or dramatically improving the mechanics to any significant degree. This is all well and good seeing as how they are miles ahead of the competition.

Sure, the game is still a little short and the AI could use work, but the relatively expanded scope of the battles (thanks to the often overwhelming odds you'll face) gives you a better sense of being a part of a greater event, and the continually swirling action around you makes you really feel like you're in danger for a majority of the time.

They created an amazing combat system, they designed a respectably interesting and diverse world to explore, they packed said world full of quests, they created a hierarchical spell and item system, and they wrote a ton of dialogue. But like a jigsaw puzzle that’s created one piece at a time, when all of the pieces are finished, not all of the edges line up correctly.

When I think of expansion packs (despite that fact that this one can be installed independently) this is more or less exactly what I envision. It adds a significant helping of additional single player action and new playable factions that are far more than just cosmetically different from existing factions already in the game.

I’d rather spend my nights playing Psychonauts than a "Myst" or "Resident Evil" title, barring perhaps "Resident Evil 4." It’s livelier, funnier, and more original, in an age when sequels are the only safe bets for publishers.

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.