Castle Crashers Remastered is a real hoot speaking as someone who missed out seven years ago. It's bright, funny button-masher that’s deep enough if you want more, and it has an Arena Mode, the Back Off Barbarian minigame, and an "Insane Mode" for good measure.

A downgrade in the look and sound combined with increasingly annoying platforming and camera issues get in the way of this warrior's ultimate victory.

So, the plot is a little dry and chewy, but the surrounding game is juicy and sweet. With a fairly lengthy, if substandard, main storyline crammed with lots of action and neat extra tidbits, Rogue Galaxy is a taste of the holidays, with none of the hassle.

inFAMOUS 2 is focused without being linear and wild without ever coming completely unhinged. It has all the exhilarating derring-do of Saturday morning do-gooders but with the wickedly wry smile of those who stay home on Sunday to watch Saturday's fare all over again.

Nintendogs captures the essence of puppydom in its adorable stars and genuine charm, but focuses so much on being a cutie that it forgets to be a game. DS owners thirsting for companionship will certainly find some here, although it’s really just a virtual pet without enough interesting gameplay enhancements.

It’s incredibly easy to plug multiple hours at a time into Yakuza 5, partly because it’s very easy-to-follow mission structure, and partly because the cut-scenes can take so long telling the story.

It’s got some fresh, entertaining details, and though the game experience is shallow and a little frustrating, you can hop into a mortar cannon and knock down an enemy entrenchment to make you feel better.

Zero Time Dilemma is an amazing game of equivalent overall caliber to its predecessors, and its ridiculous, complicated take on scientific theories and horror thrillers is a must-witness.

After expanding the stable of available figures with two-piece toys, it's clear that Swap Force's best asset is its versatile delivery of fun. It's not limited by the M-rated audience gaming typically caters to. Kids, male and female gamers of all ages, and even my SO can find something to like in Skylanders and everything to hate in the virtual killing fields of Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto.

The game is undeniably interesting and pretty fun for a while. More importantly, it's innovative, which earns it a spot in this exciting summer of indie games.

This year they tried to futz with the gameplay, but the changes are so minute that most veterans will seamlessly transition from last year’s game to this one. Whether or not it’s worth the green fees depends a great deal on your love of the game, but chances are you’ve already aced this course.

It's just too damn much content for such a low amount of money and it's sure to satisfy that crawly itch for loot-hunting and hoarding, even up 'til Diablo III.

The highs and lows of football are all here, and EA has pulled out (most of) the stops to provide a unique, utterly gleeful soccer game that leaves room for improvement but also serves as a new career best for the FIFA series.

Both the integrated gameplay and the polished presentation set a high standard for the fighting genre, and the replayability of the towers system along with the dangling carrots in the revamped Krypt will ensure that Mortal Kombat fans have plenty to sink their teeth into. In fact, it's roasty-toasty.

Take a combination of realism and arcade action, add a large helping of 1930's romantic attitude and a healthy dose of humor, and you've got all the pirate treasure you'll ever need.

Extreme G3 excels in its delivery, but the lack of excitement and any sort of replay system dampen the fun.

The Last Spectre doesn't mess with what has made the series popular. The charm, colorful art, orchestral soundtrack, and of course the puzzles remain intact.

NBA 2K15 retains the title of best basketball video game, but it's a far less impressive title this year.

Nintendogs captures the essence of puppydom in its adorable stars and genuine charm, but focuses so much on being a cutie that it forgets to be a game. DS owners thirsting for companionship will certainly find some here, although it’s really just a virtual pet without enough interesting gameplay enhancements.

It would take thousands of words to touch on how special this game is really.

The world design is second to none, and the game’s intertwining stories come together in a way that From Software—and its imitators—have failed to match. I continue to experience and find new things hidden away in Lordran’s darkest corners, and the Switch version lets me do that on the bus.

This is by far the most appealing football game this generation, as EA finally hit the nail on the head. Attack minded, dramatic, and a hell of a lot of fun, this title is the perfect warm-up for the summer's festival.

Gravity Rush features gorgeous comic book cutscenes with panels that pop thanks to added depth that comes courtesy the Vita's accelerometer. As you tilt the Vita, the comic moves to create a sort of augmented 3D that breathes life into the characters on screen.

Hopefully, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will give fans that opportunity, either in retreading steps worn throughout Hoenn or acting as if it were a brand new universe on 3DS.

If you only have a Wii and have been dying for some new content on the console, this is definitely something worth looking into to tide you over for a bit. If you enjoyed the DS title, for only $30 you can get its worthy sequel (with even better audio/visual presentation). If you're simply craving something crazy, weird, and refreshing to the rhythm genre, the discounted asking price could be worth it. In either case, this franchise's downright loopy beat will keep going on, and its creativity earns the cult following it has garnered.

Not only is the gameplay starting to feel dated—especially in the wake of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s brilliant combo system—but the few small additions simply aren’t enough to offset the handful of surprising oversights and omissions.

It’s a refreshing, original take on a series that values its source material but never takes itself too seriously.

Base runs and bosses aside, Contra 4 is the most punishing game on the DS, but also one of the most satisfying. There is no room for error, nor are there any cheap shots. If you die, you screwed up. If you survive, you are officially hard to the titanium core.