That said, if you can ignore the multiplayer and prevent yourself from using gold unless it's absolutely necessary, Spartacus Legends is a satisfactory free-to-play fighter for what it is. Of course, that's a tall order when the game wants you to spend money on premium currency anywhere and everywhere.

For anyone looking to whittle away dozens of hours in a fully realized war between light and dark, good and evil, Shin Megami Tensei IV will provide in spades.

The only trouble with Brave New World is its opening price point of $29.99, which is on one hand worth the cost but on the other is a bit high considering that this expansion is more about refinement than anything else. Some of the AI behavior can still be strange as well. That said, those of you still loading up Civ IV because you find Civ V "broken" will find Brave New World to be the fix they've been waiting three years for. Time to advance to the next era!

This concept behind Storm does have potential, but until it feels more controlled and less like an irritating crapshoot, I'm going to have to pass. The presentation is all well and good, but only when there's a game that's wrapped in that little blanket am I interested. Storm looks like a comfy blanket… until them damn wildfires start up and slowly spread across my controller.

In essence, Capsized brings to the table a well-balanced run-and-shoot style game that can still be enjoyed even after being around for a couple of years. The arcade genre is constantly filled with class and yet are so cheap—this one definitely is no different. And for 10 bucks, what do you have to lose trying it out?

There was a time when just making a solid licensed title was a feat in and of itself, and by those standards, Deadpool would have been considered something of a success. But today, it's just an average action game that succumbs to the classless, risk-averse practices of mainstream game design just as often as it parodies them.

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.

While the total sum of the additions doesn't quite match the $39.99 asking price at the moment, Island Paradise comes with a gorgeous environment, plenty of areas to explore, and lucrative resort management. Wait for it to drop in price a bit, and it's an expansion worth getting your feet wet.

Despite the lack of depth and the repetition of combat, Project X Zone follows through as a tactical, humorous, preposterous romp through the best hits of video games. Even if you find the combat system strange, the streak of character cameos and the ridiculous number of hits that rack up with every battle will make any hardcore fan smile with appreciation. And if you're anything like me, that's hard to do.

Chronicles has loads of content, faithfully translates the arcade games to home console, and does it all with stylish, deep gameplay. I just wish those bosses didn't feel so soul-crushingly cheap today.

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.

What the Vita lacks in software, it makes up for in opportunity. UI tweaks, perfectly mapped controls, and a beautiful translation to the Vita's portable screen make it perfect for anyone traveling for the summer, sitting on the toilet in need of PS2 greatness, or even people like me who just missed Jak & Daxter's adventures the first time around.

For the price, and if you’re up to the challenge, you can’t go wrong with New Super Luigi U.

Unlike the story depicted in Game & Wario, Wario’s latest game isn’t going to move units. It’s lacking in depth, and while some of the mini-games are stellar, the majority of them are uninspired and dull.

In fact, Marvel Heroes throws open the Avengers Tower doors to an expansive amount of gameplay, whether you pay or not. I applaud the generosity, and fully admit that Gazillion scores a few bonus points for it. It's not the prettiest or deepest dungeon-crawler you'll ever play, but it's free and it'll run on nearly any system. For Marvel fans like me, it doesn't get much better than that.

If you’re a Dungeons & Dragons fan you may be willing to push aside the shortcomings. For everyone else it’s a great vacation spot but not the kind of place you’d want to live in.

Grid 2 is a fun racing game that has an unfortunately aggressive AI and begins to feel a little stale about halfway through. It's still a strong arcade racing game that's more often fun than frustrating—even if you find yourself spamming the flashback button when clubbed by aggressive drivers who blast you into a spin or are a little too late or early on setting up a drift. It's a fun experience with varied race types, even if it loses some of the exhilaration later on in the game.

If you enjoy exploring post-apocalyptic open worlds, I suggest you at the very least give the demo of State of Decay a shot. There's plenty of depth for those who appreciate the role-playing genre, and the constant threat of death and limited resources will have adrenaline junkies on the edge of their seats. It may not be my cup of tea, but I certainly can see why others would love to take the plunge into this zombie-infested wasteland.

In atmosphere and narrative, Naughty Dog knows few barriers, and turning their talent and craftsmanship to such haunting and profound subject matter will ensure that the developer is poised to continue its dominance as a premier auteur development studio well into the next generation of console hardware.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf finally evolves and revitalizes the formula, expands on the way you interact with your town in meaningful ways, and more importantly returns the series to portable hardware.

While I suspect many will either doggedly reprimand or passively tolerate Remember Me, at least it tries something new.

Hours in, I was a believer in StarDrive. I saw a hundreds of hours potentially flying by as I came up with genius new ship designs and fleet formations that would make the difference in sprawling, climactic battles. But none of that ever happened. I spent a lot of time getting attached to ships that would ultimately just be grains in a sandstorm. And once that disappointment had truly settled in, there was nothing left but a bunch of menus, and a cold, empty galaxy expanding endlessly around me.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger has some good ideas, especially the playful storytelling and how it directly affects the gameplay. And it's only $15 as a digital title. However, it gets bogged down with its on-rails confinement, its slow, overly precise aiming, and its tedious dueling system.

Some of its production values have become stale during its lengthy production cycle, particularly the tinny sound effects and mundane plot devices, but the swiftness of the action and its firmly embedded cooperative design rescue the title from further degradation.

If you're a fan of the series who missed the 3DS game, this is must-play as it captures a lot of what's made RE so beloved over the years. If you have a 3DS available to you (an XL would be ideal), try to play it, even without a second Circle Pad. Something about having to stand still while you shoot still scares the crap out of me, and at least on 3DS there was an excuse to maintain that legacy of "bad" controls.

Where Rare fell into obscurity, Retro and Monster Games seem to have picked up the pieces and evolved the platforming formula to a new level, streamlining certain features and giving the 3DS yet another must-play game.

Pandora's Tower is an enjoyable RPG, and if the Affinity thing wasn't involved, I'd easily put this up to the ranks of four stars and beyond. There's a lot of exploring to do, puzzles to solve, and great action that requires serious thinking. The gameplay as well as the presentation are top-shelf. If you can put up with Elena, in either form, you'll find this to be a great action adventure title.

Sanctum 2 is a unique game experience that is quite successful in bringing two of today's hottest genres together in an engaging way. Sure, there are plenty of tower defense games out there that do it better, and sure, the shooting mechanics aren't up to snuff with the best of the bunch, but Coffee Stain Studios' is more than the sum of its parts.