I called Skill Stick one of the greatest innovations in sports videogames last year and now that EA has had another year to fine-tune the system, and add a new skating engine, NHL 08 is the best game on ice.

The many improvements made by Yuke’s make this the smoothest-playing MMA game yet, and its robust amount of features and modes will keep players entertained for months.

About as good as we could’ve wished for. It maintains the Prince of Persia feel of daring-do, while improving or adding variety in some areas, and discarding mistakes like excessive combat and marketing-spun attitude.

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

The plane physics and world realism are incredible.

This game is definitely one of the best to come out in the past while, and given the utter lack of innovation in this particular area of gaming, any new blood is appreciated.

I think for the story lore alone, I’d play Wasteland 3. Add into it some mid-level tactical combat, a wide-open character progression tree, and a pretty sick sense of humor, and I think I’ve found a winner.

Neversoft played it pretty safe with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It doesn’t break new ground and it didn’t need to. The existing formula has made the franchise a huge success. They did add a local co-op Career Mode, boss battles to the solo Career Mode, and a multiplayer Battle Mode. They also focused on improving the look and feel of the game with tremendous results.

Inquisition is a good game that suffers from a lack of editorial judgment and polish.

Combining the proven play of the Unreal franchise with the mechanics of a fighting game, Unreal Championship 2 elevates the first person shooter genre to a completely new level.

As it stands, Fight Night Champion is the best in the series to date for me, making the sweet science all the sweeter.

Overall, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is a must-buy for any huge fans of the series craving the latest incarnation on the go. More casual players might be better off either renting it or sticking with any other portable SF game they have because they might not get $40 worth of value out of it, but anyone who plans on playing it with any regularity will have no trouble doing that. This is probably the best overall game on the 3DS right now, and easily its best-looking.

Even though it doesn't support co-op over Xbox Live (for now) and the plot and characters are a little weak, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is absolutely worth its $15 price tag.

Everquest has an extremely long replay value simply because there is so much to explore and so many classes to play. So what the hell are you waiting for?

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.

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.

The only real disappointing aspect of the game is multiplayer. The exclusion of a cooperative campaign is a step backwards in my opinion. Still, Splinter Cell fans are sure to enjoy one of Sam Fisher’s best assignments yet.

The campaign is surprisingly lengthy, and the unit balance is quite well-tuned. Since most of the changes are beneficial, in my view, I can adamantly recommend Dawn of War 2 to fans of RTS games or Warhammer 40K.

The appeal of Battlefield 3 ultimately lies where it has for the entire series, which is some of the best multiplayer in existence. EA will probably be disappointed by poor reception to the single-player campaign, but the game as a whole is guaranteed to be popular so long as enough people can sink their teeth into Conquest or Rush.

The introduction of a secondary hero, as well as a number of side characters that aid and even have their own role to play in the defeat of Nobunaga’s forces are handled very nicely, and the plot of the game is well constructed.

If you’re looking for a Bioshock type of storyline with endless plot points to discuss and debate with others, this is not your game. If you’re looking for a solid reason to blow up some buildings and stand there wide-eyed at your explosive accomplishments then by all means pick yourself up a copy and get your ass to… ahhh dammit.

A strategy guide is a sheer necessity (not even close to being optional).

From a gameplay standpoint I would have been happier had they gone with a more open mission structure and something that feels a little less crushed by the weight of all the filmmaking going on. Still and all it’s well-polished, and undeniably continues the C&C legacy.

If you are a fan of the series, this is a no-brainer to pick up, but even if you are even a mild sports fan, you cannot go wrong with Madden NFL 10.

Batman: Arkham Knight closes out Rocksteady’s trilogy in a big way. It’s the most epic entry in the series to date in terms of sheer scope for the world and the story it’s telling.

The hardware, while noticeably more realistic than comparable sets, has been affected by technical problems in its initial run, and the software, while solid in its way, could benefit from some of the ambition seen in the hardware, particularly with respect to the Career Mode.

Overall, wish they'd focused more on world design (making it larger) than the jokes.

A fun game, but it’s just a little bit too difficult for the mainstream audience.

The gameplay differences between each species make this one of the most innovative games to come out in awhile.

Instead of being funny, Tropico stops somewhere around being congenial, and instead of offering complexity, it offers meaningless options. The result isn't a bad game, but it is disappointing.

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.

OOTP 13 is easily the most realistic baseball simulation that I've ever played, and it's a game that I expect all baseball fans will enjoy.

With a tighter emphasis on control, the racing experience and addressing the timeless online issue of newcomers versus veteran players, MotoGP 3 is the best racer of the series.

Unlockable costumes, characters, and achievements only serve to keep you going. It may not be as technical as a Virtua Fighter, or as tournament-friendly as a Street Fighter, but it is a ton of fun.

Crysis 2 is more than just a pretty face. The single player campaign is well paced and at a running time of 9-10 hours is nearly twice as long as your typical shooter. Multiplayer draws heavy inspiration from the likes of Call of Duty and Halo (mostly the former) but still manages to hold its own thanks in large part to the Nanosuit.

Soulcalibur IV is exactly what the fans expected it to be, and a bit more.

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.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an all-killer, no-filler follow-up to the 2018 classic – and has managed to unseat it as the best Spider-Man game ever made. It takes all of the same core gameplay and fine-tunes it while cutting out a lot of the bloat and telling a better story to boot. It looks gorgeous on any console you play it on, but PS5 users do get a boost in graphics and the added tension on the trigger when you’re swinging helps a bit with immersion when compared to the normal DualShock 4 controller. Anyone who loved the original game will enjoy this, and you may very well come away from it digging it more than that.

Soulcalibur IV is exactly what the fans expected it to be, and a bit more.

Fable's a lot of fun, but at times, you can see the beginnings of something much cooler that was sadly abandoned.

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.

The complicated control scheme will undoubtedly be a sore spot for some gamers and to compensate, the enemy AI is dumbed down a little. Still, as far as stealth action games on the PSP go, it doesn't get any better than this.

Outside of the problematic issues that hinder the Slam Dunk contest, dynasty mode and hiccups with gameplay, NBA Live 2005 still manages to deliver a decent basketball experience for fans of all kinds.

FPS fans will be delighted, as will adventure game fans, horror genre fans and the generally quest-obsessed. On that note, if you decide to get this game, load it up, turn off the lights, crank the speakers and enjoy ... BOO!

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

This review is getting long-winded so let's wrap it up. Assassin's Creed III is the biggest and most ambitious Assassin's Creed title yet, but a few missteps leaves it short of being the series' best. In spite of my excessive nitpicking, Assassin's Creed III is great game and a must-have for any Assassin's fan.

This Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is not only the worst console port I've ever played (and I play most of them), it's also one of the worst designed. I mean literally, this game is one step above my character having "lives" and when I run out of those, I'm told to jam quarters into my PC to continue playing. If this is what constitutes a "good console RPG", then I'll sleep soundly at night with the knowledge that I'm not missing a damn thing by not owning a PlayStation 3. I guess I'm alone in understanding this, but supposed difficulty is not a substitute for intelligent design. Dark Souls proves that.

While not on par with Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, World at War is better than Treyarch’s last entry, Call of Duty 3.

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.

I sincerely hope that another PoP game is in development, because it would be a shame to lose everything a sequel could offer.

MvC 3 delivers pretty much exactly what I would've expected a modern-day MvC to be - crazy gameplay, fantastic controls, a lot of roster variety and depth, and jaw-dropping graphics. The only area it underperforms in is the online play, which is still a little too laggy even with the patch and its barren online mode selection doesn't do the game justice. Everything else is pretty much fantastic though, and that sole black mark isn't big enough to dissuade me from giving this a high recommendation.

A very solid title with a ton of fighting, a complex yet satisfying plotline and plenty of replay value. Even more, the deep weapon creation system and multiplayer play (flawed, yet hosting nice features) provides a worthwhile adventure for any action or role-playing game fan.

Freelancer’s approach and style is one of the best examples, par excellence, of the formula Chris Roberts left behind: flashy visuals, first-rate Hollywood talent fleshing out the story, and a compelling world seemingly created from scratch.

But right now the Guitar Hero franchise is doing real damage to the genre by diluting the quality of its games in the attempt to cash in quickly on a formula that sells. It’s sad, and moreover it’s incredibly shortsighted.

So for The Wolf Among Us, my evaluation is this: so far so good. The writing is solid, the characters and universe are intriguing, and the murder mystery looks like it can hold up for a 10-hour game (or however long the entire season lasts).

Some games grow on you the more you play them, as you get used to the little idiosyncrasies and learn to appreciate the finer points. Far Cry 2 is at the opposite end of the spectrum, a game that makes it harder and harder for you to like it by placing more and more junk between you and its best features.

Yakuza 0 is everything fans of the series want it to be. It contains its trademark style, enhanced graphics, smooth framerate and an excellent story. By design, it is also a throwback to older gameplay styles and tropes and is not only proud of the fact, it’s downright smug about it. It is a game to be enjoyed, savored and explored, warts and all, for as many hours as possible. While not perfect, it is definitely an instant classic and worthy of your time and money (which you can always earn back by stomping on street toughs in Kamurocho).

The first absolute must-have exclusive for the 360...Dead Rising revolves around beating zombies to death with unconventional weaponry, and I submit to you that this is something that everyone can enjoy. Everyone.

Some of the magic wasn’t there this time, whether because KOTOR II is a sequel using a similar engine, thus removing the novelty of the game, or perhaps because Obsidian tried to do too much in the game, and the things that don’t quite work or that were cut out due to time constraints have a negative influence.

Destiny 2 is a near-perfect sequel and fixes the few things that were problematic with the original. It is one of Bungie’s finest games yet and a fantastic FPS that offers a nice learning curve that makes it more accessible than most shooters on the market. The story has a surprisingly high amount of depth to it and adds life to the in-game world in a way that the original simply couldn’t. Anyone who enjoyed the first game should pick this up, and those who missed out can safely jump in thanks to the story structure recapping the broad strokes of what happened before and letting you know things fairly quickly. It’s a gorgeous game that sounds epic and controls like a dream too.

About as good as we could've wished for. It maintains the Prince of Persia feel of daring-do, while improving or adding variety in some areas, and discarding mistakes like excessive combat and marketing-spun attitude.

While not everything about the Anniversary versions is better, the overall look of Halo 1 and 2 has never been more impressive. It feels like you can finally see the worlds you were meant to see then, but that technology couldn’t properly display.

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.

Even with some missed opportunities for growth, particularly in the Road to Glory mode, NCAA Football 11 is still easy to recommend to college football fans, and sports fans in general.

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.

Square managed to capture most, if not all of the addictive, endearing qualities of the genre while retaining a decent amount of good ol’ fashion Fantasy elements.

Considering the sheer number of songs presented, the game more than makes up for itself value wise, but if you then throw in all the specific choices you can add to a round of dancing, you’ll find yourself in DDR Nirvana.

Bethesda's latest expansion pack carries the spirit of the first title and in its open-endedness is night and day different from the more scripted, rigid, and story-driven Tribunal expansion.

Some games grow on you the more you play them, as you get used to the little idiosyncrasies and learn to appreciate the finer points. Far Cry 2 is at the opposite end of the spectrum, a game that makes it harder and harder for you to like it by placing more and more junk between you and its best features.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadows is a fantastically-crafted game. In some ways, it seems like Castlevania in name only because it is stitched together with many existing gameplay mechanics, but it sticks close enough to the action-packed cloth the series is woven from to seem worthy of the name.

The Kiwami reissues of the older titles are exactly what fans have wanted all of these years. The fact that we’re getting them on a fast and furious basis is testament to the fact that there was a considerable market just waiting for this to happen. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the best entries yet, and let us all hope that the trend of releasing these quality remasters continues on through the ones that remain. Despite Kiryu’s swan song having been sung with Yakuza 6, I would personally look forward to a few more outings through Japan in his white Travolta-esque disco suit.

Problems aside, Thief 3 is overwhelming salvaged by three of the cornerstones of the franchise, an engaging, well crafted plotline, solid premise and impressive sound values.

Despite its flaws, I'd say that the game as a whole is a must-buy for fans of the series.

This is most definitely a must-buy if you’re a fan of the brand, but even if you aren’t, The Stick of Truth is an incredibly well-made game with a fantastic sense of humor, a unique art style — at least in relation to other games — and deep character customization.

It’s an incredible game well-worth its $15 asking price on any platform you desire – although the symmetrical sticks of the PS3 may be a bit easier to get used to than the 360′s design.

Fantastic visuals and solid gameplay, and the addition of multiplayer increases the replay value considerably.

Caters mainly to the higher level players. For those players, I would say that GoD is the most extreme add-on for EverQuest to date, in terms of being challenging, and it’s a must have.

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.

The Wipeout Omega Collection is a must for anyone who has either loved the Wipeout franchise or heard about it, but never had a chance to see what the fuss was about. With three games included, there’s a lot of content here and all of it is fantastic. It’s a bit of a shame there isn’t content here beyond the games – like a museum or jukebox area, but it’s no big deal. Everything that needed to be put in here was, and small improvements in theory – like the driving assist – really do make it a more fun experience. It plays wonderfully, looks gorgeous, and sounds incredible. Anyone hoping for a return for the franchise should pick it up.

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.

A mediocre game with an excellent story and audio design, based on a classic suspense film of the late seventies.

If you’re looking for a Bioshock type of storyline with endless plot points to discuss and debate with others, this is not your game. If you’re looking for a solid reason to blow up some buildings and stand there wide-eyed at your explosive accomplishments then by all means pick yourself up a copy and get your ass to… ahhh dammit.

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.

Outside of the graphical issues, this is a well-made port overall.

By any means necessary, experience the fps thrill that is Far Cry 4.

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.

Though the achievement is not entirely revolutionary, it continues to be an impressive title in its own right like the symbiotic relationship between The Godfather and its second part.

The sound is probably some of the best I've heard in a game. The music, for starters, is almost perfect.

For hardcore Castlevania fans, though, this is the title that you've been looking for. It's long, it's challenging, and it doesn't fall over and die once you find the right weapon/subweapon combination.

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.

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.

If you still play Dawn of War, you need this. It’s a fresh shot of energy into the play experience. What I really wonder is whether people will take to the Imperial Guard in such a way that, three to six months from now, you’ll continue to find people using them online. I think so.

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

Trials Rising is a mixed bag of an experience that still manages to deliver a ton of thrills in spite of some flaws. The F2P mobile elements feel completely out of place, as does the awful attempt at world-building. The series CAN do plot right, as Blood Dragon showed, with over the top goofiness. This is a series of racing-related events alongside some tricks at times and the game as a whole is a physics showcase. It’s the best-playing entry in the series so far, with a lot of robust tracks, but the experience is marred. It’s a recommended purchase for veterans, but newcomers are better-served by getting one of the older and far less expensive entries to see if you like what the series has to offer.

Potential players on the fence should give the demo a shot – it lets you enjoy a good mix of action and platforming, as well as displaying some dazzling graphics too. $60 may seem like a high price to pay for an action-platformer, but you've got a variety of difficulties to play through it with as well as numerous remixed versions that change things up fairly radically.

The lack of attention to the pure mechanics that attracted so many players to the series is a significant detraction to the game, as are the limitations placed on some of the game modes and the overemphasis on acting crazy.

It's got far more good points than bad, and is one of the reasons to own a PlayStation 3.

It's essentially the same game that's been around for over a decade, with slightly prettier window-dressing.