While the multi never panned out for me and the campaign missions can sometimes be more frustrating than fun, there's something undeniably juicy about Frozen Synapse Prime.

Side-scrolling combat games aren't new, and plenty of them are heftier, more substantial and cheaper than this one. Steam users can do better.

I don't want that to deter anyone from playing Isolation—truth be told, I think it's one of the year's must-play releases for those with as much adoration for the original Alien film as I have.

XBlaze - Code: Embryo isn't the most offensive visual novel I've ever played, but it's ultimately dragged down by a lackluster story, dull characters, and the infuriating TOi system.

By focusing on Sherlock's palette of intellectual powers and limiting the amount of typical adventure game tedium, the game captures the essence of Holmes's process better than ever, and the result is the most satisfying entry to date.

With gameplay limited to simple taps and swipes, I realize that only a niche group of people would enjoy the time spent here, and honestly, I don't feel as though Curtain Call is a complete game—I prefer to think of it as an interactive music player.

Once I recovered from the shock and awe of the T&A, the thoughtful design and satisfying mechanics of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus had no problem keeping my attention. I'd recommend it to any Vita owner looking for fast action in short bursts, but I'd never let anyone watch over my shoulder, though...

Huge fans of Japan or Japanese games might find more to appreciate in this Akihabara-centered experience than I did, but as someone who looking for a quirky story or interesting combat, I came away feeling quite unsatisfied.

Mind: Path to Thalamus is beautiful and has several elegant puzzles, but it doesn't tell any story with those attributes, nor does it tell a good story with anything else.

It's one of the most thrilling titles I've played this year, at once an adoring shout-out to the games that dominated my childhood and an introduction to a series that—surprise!—I actually resonate with. It's not a game for everyone, but it was most certainly the game for me.

A solid story and engaging characters go a long way towards justifying a JRPG's existence, and the world of FFF is quite charming.

If Monolith's ducks had all been in a row, Mordor could have been a top contender for the year, but even so, it's still worth getting into for no other reason than it delivers what I've wanted from Assassin's Creed since the start.

For players who love killing things, building godly characters, and grabbing loads of awesome loot in the process, Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition is the biggest no-brainer purchase of this year.

A lack of ambition isn't necessarily a problem here—for players looking for solid Tower Defense, DG2 has a decent story, plenty of well-built levels, and truly impressive number of gameplay modifiers and modes, and it has handily replaced DG1 as the most technically adept game of its type.

Those interested in Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax for the fighting will be satisfied with what's on offer, but narrative fans curious about what happens to the gang before the next official Persona RPG debuts will likely feel burned. The story side is a tedious, thudding disappointment compared to the stellar stuff the series usually delivers.

Wayward Manor may be the worst game I've played this year.

Shadowgate doesn't religiously preserve the architecture or the puzzles of the original game, and is better for it. What it does retain is the castle's sense of threat and atmosphere of danger—rare things to find in an adventure game.

There are moments of brilliance, but it's tough to enjoy them while being kicked in the face at every turn. It's a genuine shame, but I can't recommend Natural Doctrine when so much of it is so terribly wrong.

In a game that encourages perfection to the nanosecond, having to occasionally stop to think about which button does what can occasionally cost time. It's a small issue and one that won't affect players unconcerned with high scores.

Blood Knights is representative of the terrible trend in game design where its devs have taken what might have been a mediocre-but-serviceable brawler and packed it full of systems that do nothing for the player but push them further away from the action.

For all its quaint charms, Tesla Effect is held back by all of the flaws that killed its genre in the first place.

It may seem crazy to ask players to pay a subscription fee in the growing field of free-to-play MMOs, but if you ask me, WildStar is worth the price of entry.

To be clear, I wasn't expecting a complete game from D4—the episodic model guarantees a certain amount of waiting around on the part of the consumer—but this doesn't even feel like a complete episode.

I may not be ready to write an in-depth technical analysis on every inch of the Walking Dead board, but it strikes me as a well-designed table that knows its subject inside and out, and it gives fans of Lee, Clementine, and the rest a whole new context within which to play.

In its current state, Destiny feels unfinished and unfocused, but I imagine that things will be looking quite different in a year's time.

However, in the end, I felt that much of what made Risen 2 such a charming adventure was missing from Risen 3—it has fewer flaws overall, but the ambition has diminished as well. As a result, it's simply less interesting, and the return trip isn't as enjoyable as the previous journey.

Mario Kart 8 is pretty great in many ways, but undoubtedly moreso with a collection of friends to play with, or when facing off against other players online.

As much as I loved the bulk of the game, by the end I was burning out, and burning out fast. Despite that, I'm glad that some studios are still willing to show an almost insane level of ambition in realizing the games they want to make without compromise, even if it does lead to a few dire moments here and there.