PlanetSide 2's uneven execution makes it fall short of what it aspires to be: the well-rounded MMOFPS many have been craving. It's fun to squad up with friends and make an impact on the game world with class synergy and the potency of vehicles behind you. However, sequences of enthusiastic, large-scale combat are marred by lag and frustrating bugs. It gets the FPS part right, but misses the mark with its shallow MMO qualities. If nothing else, PlanetSide 2 is a free-to-play game that can spark moments of excitement, but just don't set your expectations too high.

The Wii U version of Assassin's Creed III doesn't endanger what has made the game a masterpiece, and adds a few neat tricks of its own. The GamePad's map and horse calling features are useful tools that you'll enjoy, and being able to play it away from the television can't be understated. If you're going to purchase Assassin's Creed III for a console, the Wii U version is the king of the hill.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a fun, albeit short, romp through the games of yesterday that can be rushed through in a few hours. But it ultimately stands as a game with tons of untapped potential. I could dream up what I would like to have seen with Oswald, with minor characters, the unlocking of other abilities, and different powers, from what's been done in Power of Illusion. Sadly, this is just going to be another slightly-above-average, retro-embracing title that blends into the pack.

As far as launch titles go, you can't beat a Mario game, and the same is true here.

Persona 4: Golden proves as endearing, powerful, and emotionally charged as it did in 2008, but with a host of new features and newcomer crutches, the experience can't be beat. Despite a few small hiccups, including the odd one-hit kill from an unassuming shadow, Golden manages to yank at your heart and delight in even servings. There's no better game for your Vita this holiday season.

A game that rewards the smart, patient survivalist who is able to overcome the many menacing challenges of a dark setting filled with treacherous zombies. Moments of adversity are frequent and the Wii U's GamePad is able to heighten the experience with interactions that leave you in distress.

If you're new to the series, there's plenty of warm water here to sink into, but franchise stalwarts need not worry. Agent 47 is as cunning, deadly, and silent as you want him to be; it just so happens that purist players will also be the most rewarded. Regardless your level of experience, Hitman: Absolution scratches a very specific itch, one that involves a butterfly knife or possibly an accidental electrocution.

Nintendo Land is available as a pack-in with the Wii U Deluxe Set, but it's a good enough game on its own to warrant a purchase for anyone buying the Wii U Basic Set. Plus, it's an effective tool for users as they learn the ins and outs of the Wii U GamePad. There's plenty of value in that alone and having an entire theme park of fun games based on Nintendo's best franchises makes the deal that much sweeter. Sweet enough to call Nintendo Land a must-own for new Wii U owners.

Where it may lack in depth, it more than makes up for it in charm, personality, and style-exactly the same qualities that made each of the characters on the rosters memorable PlayStation icons.

So if you're looking for an excuse to cave and buy yet another Call of Duty? Go ahead! There's enough new to explore and enjoy. But if you're tired of Call of Duty, that's what you're gonna get here, so don't bother feigning surprise when you're disappointed yet again.

Except for a still-finicky camera (and Oswald being an adorable pain in the ass), I really enjoyed Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. The Rainbow Caverns stage is one of the prettiest I've ever seen, the animation style for the cut-scenes is simply beautiful FMV, and the puzzles-while not terribly difficult-are fun to solve.

Still, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask doesn't pretend to be anything else. It's exactly what you expect it to be.

If you can get past the repetitive combat and possibly even enjoy the grind towards the final boss, there's a lot to love in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It doesn't hold up against the compelling experiences Fall 2012 is rife with, but it's another worthy entry to the ever-expanding 3DS software library.

Assassin's Creed fans will still enjoy the portable gameplay. Even Vita owners looking to justify the handheld through pure technical power can find a lot to love in Liberation. It's just not the experience you might expect from the franchise.

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.

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 a fan of wacky racers, LBPK will satisfy your itch on PlayStation 3, complete with Move support. Likewise, if you're a long-time LBP creator, I'm probably not capable of steering you away from Karting. Regardless, all gamers would do well to expect something less than LittleBigPlanet 2, but something more than they might expect from United Front and the ModNation series.

Unless Black Ops II or Far Cry 3 manage to revolutionize the genre in astronomical ways, Halo 4 is the clear frontrunner for best first-person shooter of 2012. Heck, it may very well be the best game you play all year.

If you've got a Vita, this is well worth a look, even if you're not compelled by the brand or even the gameplay.

The loading times are lightning fast compared to earlier installments and the extraordinary roster has more than one hundred wrestlers, in addition to a wealth of DLC characters.

At times Most Wanted elicits the hungriest of addictions, feeding on the player's desire to beat more and more friends. While a few gamers might find the ride too fast or too arcade-y, racing fans of all shapes and sizes will find hours and hours of fantastic rivalries.

With the game's mix of a hugely interactive open world, a compelling setting, and a finely tuned combat system, I'm eager to return to delve even further into the Animus.

Warfighter isn't a total failure, but it's certainly not up to the standards of the international Tier 1 Operators it clings to.

If you need a fix of some classic run-and-gun action, both of the original Dooms are available for pretty cheap, $15 together (a fiver for the original, tenner for the sequel). If you still want the third, this will do, but you'd be better off buying an original Xbox copy. These three games for forty bucks? No frills or "making of" videos, no concept art or anything behind the scenes? For a poop-ton of extras I could see a full release, but this simply reeks of the combination of "let's fix minor prior mistakes", like the flashlight with a weapon and some other lighting bits, and cashing in on a 20th anniversary, minus any… you know, history. Wait for the price for this to drop, or just save your cash.

At its finest, Ravaged is a competitive delight.

Rather than being all about sports, Sports Champions 2 takes the intense competition found in these six sports and turns them into a party game. Taking pointers from other party games, Sports Champions 2 puts you and up to three others (four total) against each other, tournament-style.

I assume that double-Os 1 through 6 died horribly painful deaths and that Eurocom is trying to give me some sense of that misery in 007 Legends. While a tie-in to this November's new Bond movie was too good to resist, I'm disappointed that the franchise has to follow up a moderately successful remake like Reloaded with a shoddy patchwork of first-person shooter set pieces and broken stealth gameplay.

Adventure game fans may be delighted by this return to the old-school style game from Frogwares. However, more casual fans of the genre may find Telltale's approach more accessible and graphically strong. Fans of the genre, or of prior entries in the series, will probably want to pick it up, for everyone else it may be an anachronistic curiosity.