With more time and attention given to the writing, characters, and quests, it could have been a very special experience. As it stands, it's a forgettable detour through Averagetown that strays from the exceptional content I've come to expect from New Vegas.

The original Trine was an excellent title, but Trine 2 has re-established Frozenbyte's well-earned reputation for quality. A steal at $15, Trine 2 is worthwhile investment for any puzzle-oriented players looking for something to sink their teeth into.

The adventure is of a satisfying size, the writing and characterizations are strong, and it offers an experience that is uniquely different from the main campaign. As a matter of fact, it even includes some surprising revelations that will entice players to play through the other three DLC episodes that follow. From every angle, Dead Money is a winning hand.

Assassin's Creed Revelations is not an outright bad game, but neither is it a good one. In a series that has seen this many interesting ideas, such mediocrity amounts to a disaster. Thanks to slipshod implementation, none of the new features in Revelations improve the Assassin's Creed experience, and some make it noticeably worse. As such, the only thing that Revelations really adds to the series is the feeling of being cheated.

Resistance 3 does plenty. It's beautiful, thrilling, and-quite unexpectedly-contains one of the most memorable campaigns this side of Halo and Half-Life. In a year full of Sony-branded disappointments, Insomniac has produced an absolute gem.

By keeping everything good about the game locked away until players cough up the dough, Real Steel can be dismissed as terrible.

When taken in total, it must be admitted that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not deviate much from the established Elder Scrolls formula. However, the painstakingly-designed world in combination with the retooled leveling system represents the most polished version of that formula to date. There's something to be said for sticking with what one knows and refining it, and in Skyrim's case, there's a lot to be said for it.

Sonic Generations is five hours of fun. The gameplay has more excitement than most other games I've played this year, and it sets a template that future Sonic games will hopefully pay attention to-it's just a shame that Sonic Generations, like Sonic himself, goes by very, very fast.

If viewed as an RPG with a tiny world and far too much text, I would imagine players walking away from Fate/Extra feeling unsatisfied or bored. However, when taken as what it really is-a visual novel with a superb level of gameplay-then it can only be appreciated as the fine effort that it is.

From its simple premise Crash! delivers plenty of fun to reproduce a simple childhood joy.

Those two minor criticisms aside, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is a brilliant game made all the more notable as many of today's games shift towards Hollywood-like narratives.

Despite these minor flaws, Voodoo Chronicles: The First Sign fulfilled my criteria for a quality HOG handily.

It's not a great game by any means, but there are much worse ways to spend an afternoon than making jets explode.

I enjoyed my time with Battlefield 3's multiplayer, and I wish my thoughts about the game could end there. Unfortunately it also tried to force a totally unnecessary single-player game on me, and the browser interface looks like it came straight out of the 90s.

While it may not be the deepest entry out there-its mid-range budget and development schedule means that it lacks the branching plot and multiple endings that encourage replayability-it is unmatched in its ability to draw players into the story, and carry them along right through to the thrilling end.

For players new to Saints Row, I would imagine the experience to be more positive than mine if for no reason other than sheer novelty. However, as someone who's now been through all three games, the formula and content in The Third is dreadfully stale, and well past its expiration date.

I would imagine that anyone who enjoyed the core adventure of Two Worlds II will find much to like in Flying Fortress, and although I wish that the level of polish was higher, I was able to get back into the zone even after all this time had passed.

Bodycount is a bad game. A very bad game. It's overly simple, the setting is dry, and the controls don't even work all that well. There is quite literally nothing good about it.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter is easily the weakest entry in the Professor Layton canon to date. While the gameplay remains as robust as ever, the surrounding elements don't complement or support it quite as well as they have in the past.

While I would not recommend the title to older gamers (unless they were fanatical Disney fans) I strongly suspect that playing as a parent/child team would be of value, and having multiple children playing together would certainly be the optimal situation.

Following the hyper-approachable formula used by Apple in the electronics industry, Naughty Dog has crafted another Uncharted game that a majority of players will feel is a welcoming and praiseworthy achievement. However, in comparison to many of its contemporaries, the gameplay ultimately feels stale and doesn't emphasize the more unique and rewarding qualities that separate video games from other media.

Games have the ability to give players the experience of being a superhero in a very special way that is unique to the medium, and in Batman: Arkham City that experience has been crafted to a near perfection. It's a downright shame that the game has the aforementioned issues, because everything else is absolutely masterful.

Even with all these problems, however, I found the plot interesting enough that I'm definitely hooked. If by some miracle there is a The Cursed Crusade 2, I'd be interested in seeing the story wrapped up as long as this title's wealth of problems are fixed.

I'm always on the lookout for family-oriented games I can recommend to my sister and her husband and son, and I would recommend Go Vacation in a heartbeat-it's a title that utilizes every first-party peripheral a family might have gathered, the games are easy enough for younger children (with assistance) while still being entertaining for adults, and each Resort is vibrant and colorful, with lots of nooks, crannies and genuinely beautiful spots that made me wish I had a "take a screenshot option" for anywhere in the game.

It Came from Outer Space was a good idea that just comes off poorly. The twisting, obstructed area design makes playing more difficult than it should be, the small number of buildings feels even more limited due to the palette-swapping, and the humor falls flat. Players who feel a desperate need for new Kefling action may enjoy this DLC, but nobody else should apply.

Those who missed it the first time around or those who're looking for a strange, beautiful, and challenging throwback should certainly take a look at Guardian Heroes. It's prettier, smoother, and just as satisfying as ever

There's always more to learn of the characters in all sorts of ways, and underneath the goofiness, there was still a thick layer of strong narrative and character development that kept me invested through sixty hours. I don't know if JRPGs will ever return to their previous prominence, but if Ar Tonelico Qoga is any indication, they still have a lot to offer.

In other words, Disgaea 4 continues the tradition of letting us play our own ways while rewarding us for doing the same thing over and over again. As "hardcore" as these games are, developer Nippon Ichi makes them playable in lots of different ways. Perseverance, ingenuity and even failure are all rewarded.