Still, despite lacking depth, visual flair, or the characters of a Mario Party game, Wii Party U is a strong enough party game for Nintendo to offer families on the Wii U thanks to one thing: the mini-games provide hours of fun.

Designed specifically for the Wii U, this is the definitive version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and is worth picking up at full retail if you skipped the game the first time around.

But if you've played Just Dance before, you know you're playing for the music. And if you like the tracks here (I admit that Katy Perry's "Roar" is growing on me), then you'll be just fine wibbly-wobbling around with your friends. If you don't have any friends, then it's still a good exercise routine.

X & Y are two of the best 3DS games available and succeed in making Pokémon feel next-gen.

X & Y are two of the best 3DS games available and succeed in making Pokémon feel next-gen.

Sega obviously tried to emulate aspects of Super Mario Galaxy or other 3D Mario games to make this leap in the Sonic series, but Sonic: Lost World suffers with each “feature” they have added to the Sonic’s successful formula: running and jumping.

The Stanley Parable is a game which isn’t really applicable to the standard rating system. It’s a game that achieves what it has set out to achieve perfectly, and though it could be longer and have more endings, it doesn't need them. It’s a thought-provoking and intelligent game which should be experienced by everyone, and one which will be referenced for a long time to come.

If you love him as I once did, you’ll agree that it’s time to take Sonic out back and put him out of everyone’s misery.

To be honest, Valhalla Knights 3 is the perfect concept for a portable game. Since the game is so based around grinding and raising your character, it’s easy to pick up your Vita, do a quest or two, and put it down just as easily. You're always making progress no matter how short your spurts of play are. Unfortunately, this good idea is muddied by poor presentation and mediocre mechanics.

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.

If you're a fan of Telltale's prior work, or just enjoy a good story, you absolutely need to download and play Faith. It's a solid first episode that lays the groundwork for what will hopefully be the studio's finest series yet.

Beneath Bionic Dues’ bland appearance lies a thoroughly engrossing strategy game, one which deserves to be played by anyone with a keyboard, a mouse, and a hankering for blowing up evil mechs.

Still, fans of the series will buy it (as well they should, it's still pretty friggin' awesome), and it's worth the cash to plunk down… unless you're still playing an earlier version, then consider borrowing it from a friend. Or continue playing your current copies.

Jumping right back in the flow of NBA 2K shouldn’t be a problem for past fans of the series. There are plenty of new moves and plays to delve into, though new players may have some time getting used to controls, as the way the game moves can be somewhat of an acquired taste.

The franchise's matchmaking elements return and let players get down to business with all kinds of folk. Before anyone asks if the player can take someone to the barn house, Rune Factory 4 is rated E10+ which means players of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the game so long as they like animé-styled art and big talking dragons.

Beyond: Two Souls, despite its flaws with the mechanics and the story, is a special game that needs to be played, if just to behold the new level in video game presentation. Though it's not as well-crafted in design as Telltale's The Walking Dead, Beyond: Two Souls is not that far off, cementing Quantic Dream as a cutting-edge developer in the cinematic, story-driven genre.

So here we are then: yet another sequel with a case of the "could've beens." It's still amusing, but let's just be honest, the amount of interest in Scribblenauts is getting a bit smaller every time, no matter how much we might enjoy it.

It’s no system seller, but instead an excellent addition to the existing Wii U owner’s library—whether you’ve played it already or not.

If you are interested in trying Kingdom Hearts before the third game releases or want to revisit the first two games in the series, this is a fantastic buy. And hey, it's pretty much a certainty that if this game does any kind of numbers, we should expect a "Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix" before too long.

Real Boxing’s biggest sin is that it’s just too boring. In fact, it’s not even that real. The game isn’t actually simulationist at all. It’s far more arcade-y than anything else. It’s a lot like a fighting game, except each character has the exact same moveset with slight differences to their strength and HP. This combined with the lack of game modes and customization options, makes the game fall short of other Vita titles.

Urban Trial Freestyle steals the core gameplay of the Trials series but fails to do anything interesting with it. It’s a brief and utterly forgettable experience, one which only those who are willing to overlook its tedious gameplay in order to see their name in lights on its leaderboards will enjoy.

It’s not a phenomenal killer app that will keep you playing for hours, but it will certainly make a bus ride feel a little bit shorter as you kick people in the face to the dulcet tones of Papa Roach.

I think Rain, with its simple design and story, is best for families to play together or gamers looking for a relaxing weekend jaunt. It is for the most part quite lovely, but it lacks both the narrative and visual punches that could have ascended it to more worldly appeal and acclaim.

The progression over the years for Pro Evolution Soccer is evident. Just a few years ago this was an arcade game that only collected dust in the corner and watched as many a kid gingerly thumbed through selections around it. Not saying fútbol fans haven’t enjoyed it, as there’s surprisingly quite a following to the title, but it has just taken time for growth and solid improvement. ’14 seems to be the year we’ll look back and say, “Yup, that’s where it turned the corner. Man, I miss that DeLorean.”

I can’t say NHL ’14 is a perfect game, but its beauty is well-polished and fans of the sport can lean on EA’s version with a gleam of puppy love.

So I don’t know who Alien Rage is marketed towards. It’s a completely capable and attractive shooter that does almost nothing special. I had fun playing it, but at this point there are other older games on Steam you can play for the same amount of money that I’d recommend many heartbeats sooner.

Anyone who already owns either Dead or Alive 5 or Dead or Alive 5 Plus already knows a lot of this stuff, so why am I repeating it? Because it's probably only worth buying if you don't already own it in one form or another, unless you absolutely must have the few additional characters or environments. However, if you don't already own Dead or Alive 5, this is certainly the best version of the game.

All in all, Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures is a fun throwback to the NES days, but with more violence and toilet humor. Fans of the Nerd will lap it up, and its intense level of difficulty certainly provides a challenging distraction for a couple of hours, but at its current price point you may want to wait until it inevitably goes on sale.