Complaints aside, Ninja Gaiden is a great taste of old school, hardcore gaming wrapped in a beautiful package with solid control and combat mechanics.

Offers amazing gameplay with no serious flaws and that makes it one of the best games of the year.

NBA 2K11 has managed to piece together the best parts of past basketball video games to create an experience that is immersive, rewarding, and novel. Though there are frustrations that mostly stem from the level of difficulty, these are changes for the better. Without the addition of Michael Jordan, this would have been a great basketball sim. Add MJ to the mix, and you've got a complete package that will satisfy any fan of the game.

Halo 5 is an outstanding game and one of the finest first-person shooters ever made. Its design is versatile, and it’s the best-playing entry in the series so far.

If the GTA style of sandbox gameplay set in the old west excites you at all, have no reservations about picking yourself up a copy.

As has already been pointed out in many other places by many other people, The Orange Box may be the single greatest value in gaming history.

Overall, DIRT 5 fixes everything that was iffy about the prior entry and does so in a way that breathes new life into the long-running series. DIRT 5 has smoother controls and more versatile framerate options than prior entries have had – at least on consoles – and the addition of non-position objectives helps makes races more replayable and a bit more fun since you may have to step outside of your comfort zone, or more accurately, increase your comfort zone over time, to fully embrace it. DIRT 5 clicks with the player faster than any prior entry and is an absolute must-play for anyone who has loved the series before, or who hasn’t and wants to start fresh. There’s no better rally racer on the market than DIRT 5.

Easily one of the best sports titles that have come along recently. The expansive and highly replayable Street Challenge mode can absorb gamers for months, and the level of customization is truly massive.

Excellently produced, with intuitive, responsive controls, a deep, engaging storyline and immersive sound.

There was a lot of hype leading up to the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and for the most part the sequel lives up to it’s billing.

NBA 2K11 has managed to piece together the best parts of past basketball video games to create an experience that is immersive, rewarding, and novel. Though there are frustrations that mostly stem from the level of difficulty, these are changes for the better. Without the addition of Michael Jordan, this would have been a great basketball sim. Add MJ to the mix, and you've got a complete package that will satisfy any fan of the game.

Rockstar has delivered everything they needed to here—bigger, better, and most importantly more, more, more GTA. Simply put, it rocks.

3D Land delivers an experience that will satisfy long-time fans of the franchise while also making it accessible enough for newcomers to enjoy.

Worth the hype it received? Well, it definitely is worth it for the multiplayer, for the augmented gameplay features and for the vocal delivery by the Hollywood talent in the title. It isn't, however, thanks to the weakly developed storyline, similarity to the original title and the long duration that we'll have to wait through for the continuation of the saga.

Quantum Break is Remedy’s best game to date. It is their most-polished game so far and accomplishes every goal it sets out to from a narrative perspective.

The bottom line here is that Assassin’s Creed 2 is one of the best games of this year or any other, period. The first game was great in its own right and this one is better in almost every way. Even the finale is brilliant in how it provides a satisfying conclusion to this chapter while dropping huge bombshells that demand the series continue. This is a gamer’s game from start to finish, and if you don’t like it you might need to consider a new hobby.

The newly added depth to not only your offensive attacks, but also your defensive options allows battles to feel fresh and rewarding.

Forza Horizon 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any way – but it does perfect it. Everything that worked about past games is better here. There’s more terrain to traverse, more variety, and the inclusion of off-road racing alone expands the game’s already-expansive replay value. If you have always wanted to enjoy a Forza game, but don’t like the idea of sim racers, the Horizon series makes for a great gateway.

Overall, Black Ops 3 is an outstanding entry in the franchise.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta takes the PSP's previous high-mark and raises it.

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.

Overall, while it isn’t perfect and doesn’t quite feature some of the more versatile quality of life features in the genre – Streets of Rage 4 still delivers an incredible experience. The increased focus on the narrative works surprisingly well despite the genre being known for having razor-thin plots. The combat flows smoothly. Long-time fans will love the latest entry in the series, while newcomers may want to start with an earlier entry as some of the humor and fun is tied a bit too deeply into callbacks to really work on a series newcomer. The game looks great, plays even better, and has one of the finest OSTs in the genre’s history. The 25-year wait for Streets of Rage 4 was worth it.

Rare Replay is one of the best compilations ever created even if it does have some less-than-stellar games in it.

Anyone who has loved prior entries will fall in love with this, and if you’re a lapsed fan, you’ll be reminded of why you loved the series.

The most interesting element of the Sims is the random, life-like quality of it all. Your Sims do things you never told them to do – never even thought of them doing.

Replay value is enormous with the in-game collections, trophy support, and online stat tracking.

The graphics are buoyed by the exceptional voice acting for the characters in the game.

The Mega Man Legacy Collection may seem lacking in core game content given how vast the Mega Man franchise is, but what it delivers is executed perfectly.