Starhawk simply is a blast to play. The campaign is negligible, and serves as training for the multiplayer action, so it needs to be said that this is an experience you get for online play – period. The second disclaimer is that this is not a casual game. You will need to spend some time and commit to learning how to build and work within a team, as well as utilize the vehicles to your team's advantage. All that said, if you're all about a strategic yet fast-paced online shooter with innovative building mechanics, this game is a must-have.

Quantum Conundrum, thin plot and kind of bland atmosphere aside, has some great puzzle action to it. For the bargain price of $15, it is well worth the price of admission.

Even by Bethesda standards, Dawnguard is just riddled with bugs, many of them game-breaking. I came across audio issues, missing textures, missing NPCs, broken dungeons, and much more. This is a fun expansion, even if its content is a little disappointing, but I highly suggest waiting for a patch (or three) before you jump in.

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.

Gravity Rush has some rough edges in it, but the game as a whole is incredible. The storyline is intriguing with some interesting characters, and the scope of the world is pretty remarkable for a portable adventure. Sadly, some control hitches make me wish this was just on a console where they couldn't shoe-horn in some functionality that doesn't work well for the game. Thankfully, there aren't many problems, and they're largely negated by the amazing graphics and catchy soundtrack. Any Vita owners longing for a really exciting adventure-platformer should snatch it up as soon as possible.

Inversion is not a good game. It's an unpolished game with a single good idea, the Gravilink, and that's really not enough to carry the entire experience. The multiplayer alone makes Inversion worth a rental, but I suggest skipping the intensely boring campaign.

In the end, DiRT Showdown is an outstanding game and probably the most polished demolition-style racer out there. Online play is surprisingly smooth, and outside of relatively small issues like needing login data for Youtube and Codemasters' own Racenet service nearby, there isn't much I didn't enjoy about the experience as a whole. It's definitely a worthwhile purchase for either fans of the DiRT franchise or of demolition racers in general.

So if you like adventures and have $10 to spare, do yourself a favor and purchase Resonance -- and keep an eye on Wadjet Eye Games in the future, since their recent history makes them the best adventure game publisher around.

In the end, Dragon's Dogma is an average hack-n'-slash RPG with a great gimmick that falls short in execution.

Overall, though, the biggest problem with Lollipop Chainsaw is its length. There's no way to justify picking it up at a full sixty dollars unless you're going to get absolutely one hundred percent of everything in it, from achievements to high scores, and that might take you a week.

All in all, Disgaea 3: AOD is a wholehearted recommendation; a fun, challenging time that will last as long as a player wants it to.

But Warlock is colorful and entertaining, and it's budget-priced, so as long as you can stand some bugs and quirks, and as long as you don't mind that it doesn't break any new ground, then Warlock might be a game for you to consider, perhaps after waiting for a patch or two to come out first.

As a whole, VF 5: Final Showdown is one of those games that I think of as top-shelf, but all the secondary factors like DLC and available options for it put an asterisk next to that when it comes to recommending it to others. If you love the series, you'll get whatever amount of money you spend on it back in sheer enjoyment. If you don't, then at least try the free PSN version or XBLA demo and see if it changes your mind.

It really comes down to what the player expects or wants from the experience. If you are a fan of the show/books and you simply want to inhabit two random men as they make their way through the Game of Thrones universe, this fits the bill quite nicely.

Mad Riders has a few faults, but none of them are major. The core racing game is outstanding, and one of the best off-road racers on the market. It's worlds better than the MX vs. ATV games, and about as good as Pure. It's one of the few XBLA releases that is easily worth its full asking price, and is an easy recommendation as long as you liked Pure. If you did, then you'll adore this, if you didn't, then give the trial game a shot and see if it wins you over.

Joy Ride Turbo isn't perfect, but does wind up delivering a more satisfying racing experience than its predecessor. It controls far better with an actual controller than without it and is delivers a lot of fun. The only qualms I have with it are the sterile world, busy work caused by searching for car parts, and forgettable music.

Telltale Games did a nice job in introducing the characters and the world, and in giving them depth, and while I found the gameplay elements to be a little bit easy, that might be because Episode 1 is an introduction, and the difficulty will ramp up as the season progresses -- or at least I hope so; otherwise The Walking Dead might end up being more an interactive movie than a real game. But regardless, I thought the story was strong enough to support even an easy game, and so I'm optimistic about the season as a whole will turn out. The game's $25 suggested retail price looks more than reasonable.

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.

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.

Yakuza has always been known for its high-standards, weird humor and, most of all, insanely fun brawling. All of that is gone here. One could safely say that the zombie outbreak of Dead Souls has decimated Kamurocho of everything that would make anyone want to travel there, both literally and metaphorically. Spare yourself this dreadful misstep and play through Yakuza 4 a second time.

Overall, the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft is an excellent port. It lacks many of the features its PC sibling has, but those are expected to be implemented in the game's free updates. If you're looking for a fun, highly addictive way to relax and let your creativity run free, or if you want an entertaining game to play with some friends, this won't disappoint.

If you've never played these games before, having the first three titles all on one disk is very nice, especially considering the price point.

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.

Despite all the problems, I actually had a few genuine moments of utter nerd glee as I sliced my way through a group of enemies. When it worked as it should, Kinect Star Wars was tolerable. Don't get me wrong, it's still laughably bad... and some of content is borderline insulting to Star Wars purists (especially the new song lyrics), but the fact is that I never felt like a Jedi, which was, of course, the point.

Overall, I'd say Prototype 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original game. It improves on some key areas, has an intriguing plot, very good voice acting, and is a blast to play. However, its formula can get old after a while and there are some nagging control and camera issues as well. It's a bit lacking in replay value, but is a must-have for anyone who enjoyed the first game.

Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted is a rare example of a handheld release being given some pretty major improvements compared to the console version. The developers clearly took the criticism of the console versions to heart and made an honest effort to improve things. They didn't fix everything, but I do appreciate the improvements to submissions and cage movement. However, it's still a lackluster game overall, but does have some really good ground and pound animation, and some other redeeming features that make it at least worth renting. It's definitely not worth its $40 asking price though.

Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent with Tropico 4: Modern Times. The add-on is lighthearted and breezy, and with all of the new buildings and edicts, you now have even more ways to build and run your perfect Caribbean island. Plus, since the campaign takes about 35 hours to complete (with sandbox mode adding more time to this), and since the add-on only costs $20, Modern Times is even a good deal, and so it's an easy game for me to recommend.

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