If you’re the kind of person who does not tend to play online, I can’t in good faith recommend this game – there’s just not enough meat here. However, the online crowd is going to appreciate all the new stuff, and if that’s you, then go for it.

It looks good, plays great, has an above average story, but never manages to be better than the game(s) that inspired it.

One of the best and most complete action games on the PSP. The decision to emphasize tactics pays off in spades thanks to an intuitive interface for controlling Captain Templar and the Tactical Command System, where you’ll get to occasionally command an AI teammate.

Multiplayer has within it the seeds for fine gameplay, but with some iffy design decisions, lacking a serious tutorial, no AI to play with, and few other people to play against, it turns what should have been the game’s best piece into its greatest disappointment.

Double Impact is a good package, featuring two of the greatest co-op arcade games of all time. Final Fight is really showing its age now, but it's been twenty years, so that may have been inevitable. Magic Sword has aged a great deal more gracefully, and of the two, it's the one that I've been going back to.

Despite some frustrating gameplay quirks, Motorstorm Apocalypse is a must-buy for series fanatics, and a must-play for newcomers because of its fast action, sharp controls, and incredible sound design.

Valiant Hearts’s low barrier of entry difficulty-wise makes it a perfect gateway game for those who don’t usually enjoy the genre. While the puzzles are simplistic, they’re also fun to solve and never get in the way of the interesting storyline going on.

It is engaging at times but it is not always forgiving both in difficulty level and features to make it a truly well-rounded product.

The Karma system, the skill training mode and the branching storylines offered promise for what could’ve established the new standard for action titles. Unfortunately, graphical glitches, fighting issues and a breakdown with the plotline feature tarnish the game from truly being stellar.

Over the top gameplay coupled with nicely timed humor and the inclusion of online play makes this a great way to pass the time during the summer. Now if they can expand on the idea and drop some of the realism, Slugfest could become a true classic in the sports gaming pantheon.

Peripheral issues aside, Taiko Drum Master is probably one of the first rhythm games in a while to actually provide some amount of creativity to the genre.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game is a must-have for anyone who has ever loved beat 'em ups - especially River City Ransom.

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 revamped battle system is a lot of fun and strikes a balance that is good for fans seeking a return to turn-based combat while also finding a way to appease those seeking faster action.

If it had free no-holds-barred multiplayer, UaW would be a very good game.

I wound up loving the downloadable version of Daytona USA. If you grew up playing it in its heyday, or enjoyed it as Sega Racing Classic recently, definitely give it a shot. For $10 on XBLA or $7 on PSN for a limited time, you'll be able to play one of the finest arcade racers whenever you want against anyone in the world.

Gas Powered Games chose to play it safe with this release, simplifying the game from previous entries in the series and, perhaps in the process, robbing it of any personality that the series once had.

On the whole, I really like B4B. I’d like to see the difficulty spikes addressed and some expanded PvP choices, both of which I think can and will be pretty easily added and fixed. I’m also hoping that more people start playing it, as most of the runs I’ve joined have at least one BOT in it and is often nothing but BOTs (and when I’m playing with nothing but BOTs, why do I have to wait for online server space to play it?). The BOTs are competent shooters, and use their player advantages pretty well, but have zero ability with regards to the additional level objectives – they won’t plant explosives or carry supplies, and they tend to hang near you, which is good from a survival perspective, but doesn’t help in finding weapon and healing caches. But for a team that plays well together, and I’m hoping to get my crew to move over from L4D, it’s a fine zombie run and gun.

A surprising twist to the horror genre. With extremely creative monsters, an unique setting and quite a bit of replayability, The Suffering provides a sense of where the survival horror game could be going within future titles.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! isn’t a game I’d recommend for strategy fans. Most of the things that made the Railroad Tycoon franchise fun and challenging were either removed or dumbed down here, and the result is a game that might appeal to casual gamers who like trains... or it might not.

While the microtransaction and digital distribution models are in their infancy and still need some time for the market to straighten them out, the actions taken by the likes of EA (for charging money for uniforms, stadiums, and cheats in their sports games, all which are usually free) and now the makers of Lumines cannot be tolerated.

Just like the first one, but there's more of it...It isn't going to win any new fans over to the genre, but it is very good at what it does.

You’re buying the Chronicles pack for Shadows Over Mystara, with Tower of Doom as a sort of optional curiosity. It’s a fun way to pass a couple of hours and the online play is generally solid (at least, it is on XBLA; I’ve heard nothing but bad things about the Steam version), so this would be a great pick for those of you who’re looking for a four-player party game.

It boasts plenty of game-time, because even when you finish there are always more collectables to go find... in the middle of driving games and, of course, you can always go back and fight people for the heck of it.

Broadening the racing arenas to include a complete city, the number of race types and vehicles significantly increases the number of things to do in the game. However, the quirks of the world map, lack of visual speed and other gameplay issues keep it from surpassing the original title.

The career mode and the concepts behind the single player game are definitely innovative, and are a solid addition to the racing genre. However, a somewhat tenuous connection between modes, a lackluster inclusion of a trick system and a limited number of tracks keeps Mototrax stuck at the gate for all but the most enthusiastic Motocross fans.

There isn’t anything new here, but the format works as well as ever, and the 30 campaign missions are good for over 60 hours of playing time.

Despite the lack of online play and the humdrum combat system, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a lot fun to play.