A snazzy tactical RTS that breathes some life into the genre without necessarily redefining it.

What 3DS features are present in Black and White Version 2 are negligible and feel tacked on. It's instead best to consider Version 2 as the Fire Red and Leaf Green of the original Black and White pair. In the end, it's possible to skip these two, but the hardcore won't let it go. After all, you can't be the very best if you're not also exacting your commanding power over the latest installment in the series. Still, lapsed trainers would do well with Version 2, despite feeling like a stepping stone to the next generation of Pokemon games on the 3DS.

If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Its mix of brains and brawn come together for some truly fun gameplay. But for a game that's a year old, it would have been nice to see a little something extra.

With Skate 2 released just a little over a year ago, it's clear that Skate 3 was pumped out too quickly. The ideas are great, but the lack of polish is evident with every flip, flop, and flub.

Where Puppeteer stumbles, the player's hands can catch its fall. As a child, you might find puppet shows at least mildly entertaining and at the very least something to zone out on before naptime. To me, the prospect of playing the puppet yourself was always more enticing. Even in Kutaro's world that rings true.

Feel free to take Lara out for the weekend, but don’t go looking for a long-term relationship.

A riveting if flawed run through Skull Island, one that immerses you smack in the middle of a horrific world teeming with life and, of course, love.

Getting Doom on a new platform is inherent to the series’ DNA as people find more oddball hardware to run the classic game on. Playing Doom on a pregnancy test is not the most optimal way to play it, but it is possible. And Doom Eternal on the Switch is similarly possible but not optimal. The Switch port is still thrilling and has an addictive combat loop with incredible pacing yet it’s inherently held back enough by the platform’s weaknesses to make it the least appealing version. It’s a novelty to rip and tear on the go, but it’s questionable how, well, novel that novelty really is. It runs Doom… sorta.

Despite several setbacks with authenticity and character depth, Sleeping Dogs delivers an entertaining and realistic enough interpretation of Hong Kong to warrant a sequel.

The Adventure mode, while not what it is billed to be, does give a good challenge to both beginners and skilled players alike. If you're a fan of chess and need a new game or have a child you wish to teach, Majestic Chess may just fit the bill.

A solid all-around improvement over last year's game. Still, EA should focus on really nailing the online play missing in "Winning Eleven" and stop embarrassing the franchise with petty control tweaks.

As much as I enjoy Ace Combat 7, though, you can see where Team Aces played it safe. There’s very little in the way of new features, and some of the cool options from past games have been removed in favor of a more streamlined experience. Multiplayer makes up for this a bit, but it too has design problems that put its future in doubt in my eyes. That being said, this is an excellent game and a fantastic Ace Combat game, and I’m glad to see the main series making a return after so many years.

But despite some minor misfires, the core gameplay is stronger than ever, and while it may not break the kind of new ground the original did, Company of Heroes 2 is still a terrific RTS with a ton of content that no fan of the genre should miss.

Its visuals are dynamite, the rebuilt cutscenes stoke excitement in any Crash fan, the music is higher-quality than ever, and the little alterations Vicarious Visions made make a huge difference.

Then again, weak audio is a small price to pay for some high-quality motorcycle racing goodness, and if that were the only price you had to pay, this game would be a must-have for the 360. It’s not, though; MotoGP 06 costs $60 but suffers from some hitches that weren’t present in MotoGP 3, a mostly identical but far less expensive game. Still, MotoGP 06 is a cool new bike for your Xbox 360, and an even better used one.

Wii Fit Plus is everything Wii Fit should have been and more. It's a solid entry in the fitness genre.

But frankly, this type of fun we've all seen for the PSX twice already, and there's not really enough here to warrant dropping the dough and adding it to the collection - so rent before you buy.

Electronic Arts and Maxis could have phoned in this last expansion pack for The Sims 3, but Into The Future is as complete and finished off as the equally strong Supernatural expansion. The wealth of new items, the introduction of Plumbots, and how well it integrates the influence of time make this downloadable content worth the price of admission.

If you’re new to the game, you might check it out and keep an eye out for patches and updates that improve stability. If you’ve played the original I’d say skip this one and wait for Project CARS 2.

It exudes elitism, class, and affluence at every turn. It’s a game every bit as precise and refined as the cars it replicates. But it also doesn’t forget that it’s still a game made for the grease monkey in all of us.

The fact of the matter is Fable III feels like Fable 2.5 rather than a full-on sequel.

Paying upwards of $200 for the full Skylanders Giants experience is a hard sell, but the $75 starter pack which include the game and three figurines (one giant, two regular) is a good jumping point for both kids and parents. I don't particularly care whether Skylanders Giants is age-appropriate for me or not; it's fun for everyone and that's what the best family games should be about. Just don't feel pressured to catch them all, if you know what I mean.

Regardless, if you’re a fan of the blue Astro Boy-like bot, or would simply love to check out great old-school 8-bit era games that weren’t made by Nintendo, look no further.

Gravity Rush 2 is a marked improvement on the original in terms of story, graphics, gameplay and characters. It's not without its plot stumbles and boring ancillary missions, that hardly detracts from everything Gravity Rush 2 does well. Whether its flying through the sky, walking up walls or exposing a corrupt system driven by the wealthy and powerful, Gravity Rush 2 is a delight.

If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

While Battlefield 2142 could stand to remind us a little less of Battlefield 2, its awesome technology has shown us a future worth paying for and dying in.

For those who haven’t played the PlayStation version, this is worth a pick-up for the novelty of it all and worth the time for playing with friends.