Pikmin is a creative, original take on console strategy gaming. Not everyone may take to the strategic undercurrent, but as it stands, this Pikmin has already fixed its roots deep in my jaded gamer's heart.

'Always run' option is a great friend to have.

Still, Soul Sacrifice has me itching to buy a Vita (I borrowed the one I played the review code on), which is an accomplishment since my 3DS has been more than adequate for my handheld needs. Having completed the main story at 40 hours, there are still a ton of optional missions and upcoming DLC with new stories and new monsters to play.

In the end, this race is barely a race at all. The 360 is the winner by a mile, and for the price of those wheels, no doubt it should be. The Xbox comes in a distant second with fewer cars and none of the cool online modes. And trailing way behind that is the PS2, a run-down jalopy that probably shouldn’t even be on the road.

New spells and powers don’t mean much once you hop into the game’s single-player campaign, as the action is still mash, mash, mash, mash. The level design is just as it has always been, meaning twisting labyrinth after twisting labyrinth filled with hordes of mindless enemies.

I could honestly write a thousand words more on what makes Endless Space so much more addicting and absorbing than the bulk of its contemporaries. Visually, it's detailed and opulent where it needs to be, yet simple and clean everywhere else. It makes its voluminous level of complexity accessible with a terrific interface which affords a pace and ease of management that few other games in the genre can match. But I'm not going to write those thousand more words, folks. I've got a galaxy that's waiting to be conquered, one more time.

However, as with the single-player game, there’s little personal investment in the persistent world.

Vita owners and old-school fans of beat'-em-up classics owe it to themselves to top their collection off with Dragon's Crown.

Similarly, PES 2009 is a drunken misstep for the series, but because I’m a sucker for the underdog, I’m hopeful that Konami will get it right the next time around. In the meantime, we’re left with a game that looks, smells, and feels a lot like regret and a hangover.

Suffice it to say that if you are a first-person shooter fan who is not sold that multiplayer is the best part of the genre, Metro 2033 was designed for you.

The game is worth the attention of Trekkies, due in part to the fact that the multiplayer action quite simply kicks alien ass. When two players of relatively equal skill go at each other, each carefully bringing their ship's unique abilities to bear, each misering the last nanojoule of energy for best effect, the experience is unparalleled...and oddly, very faithful to the tense, armrest-gripping feel of a Star Trek duel.

It serves up some decent arcade fun, but we've already been here before in the other Slugfest games, and the notable AI and control issues still need to be addressed.

If you like sheer pointless destruction and your dad won't give you his car keys, then DR: NE is the next best thing.

There's just not enough innovation to bring this stale serving of grey matter to the table for a second helping.

Sniper Elite 4 is finally in a place where people can unabashedly call it "good." Despite its lack of impactful side quests, its morally ambiguous indiscriminate murder and hilarious artificial intelligence flaws that plague any stealth game, Sniper Elite 4 is good. Its sniping sequences are visceral and never get old (I never once turned off the slow-mo feature), and the depth in side missions alone give you more than your money's worth in terms of dollars per hour.

On a year-to-year basis, 14 grows more than it maintains, even if it stands in shadow of the looming EA Sports Ignite engine.

There's no denying that some players will find the formula repetitive after a short while, and the lack of other great game modes contributes to that repetition. But the complexity and depth of each class coupled with an entirely different experience as the monster allows Evolve to create its own niche within the larger multiplayer genre.

Yes, fanboys, it's okay to pick this one up. Transformers, Roll Out!

NHL 20 is an enjoyable hockey game with great core fundamentals and new player movement to fall back on, but it’s definitely not a must-buy entry if you are currently happy with the version you own.

But with winners like "Saint’s Row" out there, The Godfather is one big bully stuck in the past.

If you've got a lot of house work to do, Grandia III might be for you. Do the dishes or clean up the dog's mess while the dire plot unwinds, then plop back onto the couch in time to crack skulls.

Exploring the galaxy in Star Wars: Outlaws is a blast, and the open-world gameplay perfectly fits the franchise. Kay might not be the most exciting protagonist ever, and the main story suffers as a result. However, the environments are well-crafted, and the gameplay is entertaining enough to compensate for it. Massive managed to avoid many issues that Ubisoft titles are often criticized for, and Outlaws is a must-play for any Star Wars fan.

Just like they did with "Def Jam: Fight for NY," EA Big ignored NFL Street’s fundamental issues and instead added more flash and one or two new moves. While undeniably fun, EA Big has no right to call NFL Street 2 a sequel.

The first episode of Hitman is a solid starting point for the full game content, which is Contract-driven, with each environment focusing on a single mission with multiple objectives. This is a solid structure for the franchise, even if it's a little jarring to finish the first mission and realize you have to wait for the rest of what would have been released as a complete title. I find myself more excited for what the game will be, when there's more content, than what it currently is.

Compared to the other recent volleyball games, Outlaw Volleyball focuses more on traditional gameplay, leading to probably the best of the bunch.

Aviary Attorney may not make any new fans in the legal investigation genre, but those who already like that sort of game should be well pleased with Sketchy Logic's debut.

Frankly, the Gamecube version of Gun holds up just fine, although it's arguably the most strained in terms of control scheme.

Hitting the right balance of puzzle and action with a proper dose of true `80s nostalgia, the majority of Headlander is a treat to play and to watch. That being said, its ending segment has a few head-scratching moments, including an uninspired “Simon says” memory game, and a final boss fight that is as frustrating as it is formulaic; the boss has three main segments of health and changes style after each segment is depleted, followed by a surprise re-birth into yet another form.