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

The bottom line here is that this is still The freakin’ Beatles in a triumphant rhythm game début. The music is fantastic, the presentation is out of this world (sometimes literally), and all done with the utmost respect and care.

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

For a fifteen dollar indie game, Orcs Must Die! has given me more enjoyment than most AAA, sixty dollar titles. I wholeheartedly recommend people buy this game, hardcore and casual crowd alike.

Though it degenerates into a lot of fighting at the end, and makes a fair number of mistakes in its execution along the way, there’s something entrancing about this game and each of the amazing things you can do.

Graphically, Warcraft III is breathtaking.

For a fifteen dollar indie game, Orcs Must Die! has given me more enjoyment than most AAA, sixty dollar titles. I wholeheartedly recommend people buy this game, hardcore and casual crowd alike.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers delivers a lot of fun, even if the overall package could stand to have some room for improvement. The Way of the Hado mode is mere filler, but the core game is an absolute blast. Using either the original or revamped art works well, and you can alternate between each style along with changing the music from the original to remixes before a full gameplay session. Controlling it with the regular JoyCon setup on either the tablet or the grip works shockingly well – even though the split d-pad is far from ideal. Using the left stick feels natural, and you don’t need to rush out and buy a Pro controller to enjoy the full experience.

The bottom line here is that Point Lookout is probably the best model for Fallout 3 DLC yet.

Overall, Need For Speed: Shift is a welcome change of pace in the long-running series, and a welcome addition to the sim racing genre as well.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is an outstanding shooter well worth the time of anyone who enjoyed the first game. Newcomers to this sub-series can start off with this game without losing anything, and will be rewarded with a finely-tuned and highly-polished effort.

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.

The stages are huge, well-detailed, and genuinely fun to poke around in. As far as side-scrollers go, it's high quality.

While MediEvil has a couple of rough edges, the core game is more fun than ever before thanks to an extensive reworking of the original mechanics.

The crazy thing is you’ll undoubtedly spend more time playing Puzzle Quest than most of the $60-70 games in your collection. It’s fun, addictive and easily ranks among the very best offerings on Xbox Live Arcade.

Even without competition to drive them forward, EA has created an immersive and enjoyable hockey experience that any fan of the game will appreciate.

Under Night may have a weird title and an even odder series of subtitles, but it’s a damn fine fighting game that seems destined to be hailed as a sleeper hit in a few years. If you want to beat that trend, buy it now either physically or digitally and experience one of the finest 2D fighters on a system chock-full of them.

It may not reinvent the wheel, but Project X Zone 2 keeps things rolling along for the series.

Even without competition to drive them forward, EA has created an immersive and enjoyable hockey experience that any fan of the game will appreciate.

When the game is actually Max Payne, when you've set up the perfect shoot-dodge and you're sailing through the air putting holes through people, everything lines up and it's the greatest game in the world: amazing graphics, great voice acting, a funny and deftly written script, a memorable soundtrack, the whole nine yards. It's just a shame about all of this other extraneous modern crap that Rockstar's bolted onto it.

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.

If you’re a fan of science fiction or horror, you owe it to yourself to have Dead Space in your collection.

If you love Civ (and if you are reading this, the assumption is that you do), buying this expansion is simply a must. The people that are waiting for a sale before buying, I pity, because they don't know it yet, but they are playing half a game.

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.

Consequently Fable 2 is a game that should be played accordingly to be enjoyed to the maximum, which is to say everything should be sampled and nothing overdone.

The combat mechanics – weapon feel, body point damage system, enemy AI, running and sneaking, encumbrance and fatigue – have all been simulated excellently and with real care paid to balance and playability. The end-of-civilization free for all environment is a very exciting and engrossing setting for an FPS.

The bottom line here is that Point Lookout is probably the best model for Fallout 3 DLC yet.

$20 is about the perfect price point for something like this. Don’t read spoilers, don’t use strategy guides, turn out the lights, and let yourself focus on the game for a while. Put away the cynicism. Yeah, in the cold light of day, Resident Evil is pretty silly, but if you let yourself react to it on its level, it’s frightening in all the right ways.