Anyone who played Bethesda's Oblivion, 2006's 'Game of the year,' will find the mission structure familiar, save for the game's auto-targeting system, called V.A.T.S., which is sometimes more of a hindrance than help. Even so, gamers with a taste for detailed storylines and Mad Max style visuals, will find that Fallout 3 delivers a solid, entertaining role-playing experience that will keep you glued to the couch for hours.

The result is so good that we're declaring it an easy 'Best of' contender for 2009.

Occasionally sloppy visuals and dialogue can't derail a fantastic, involving role-playing experience. Baldur's Gate veterans should definitely apply.

Bayonetta sort of resembles Devil May Cry, and the PlayStation 3 version isn't up to par with the superior Xbox 360 edition. Nevertheless, Platinum Games and Hideki Kamiya built an inventive, stylish and wild action game that gets 2010 off on the right foot. Sequel, please.

Whoever made this game, did so with tremendous amounts of love. That's what ultimately makes Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story so incredible. It's one of those rare games that received enough time and attention to make it sensational, a real treat for DS/DSi owners.

We're pleased that this new add-on experience doesn't stray far from the source material. At the same time, there is a certain been-there, done-that feeling, and Johnny's ongoing clashes with biker gang boss Billy are so telegraphed that they fall flat compared to the (by comparison) subtle nuances of Niko's story.

Anyone who played Bethesda's Oblivion, 2006's 'Game of the year,' will find the mission structure familiar, save for the game's auto-targeting system, called V.A.T.S., which is sometimes more of a hindrance than help. Even so, gamers with a taste for detailed storylines and Mad Max style visuals, will find that Fallout 3 delivers a solid, entertaining role-playing experience that will keep you glued to the couch for hours.

Sure, it's a rehash of every Zelda game, but similar to all those cookie-cutter James Bond films, we quickly devoured it.

Skilled players will portal their way through the nineteen levels in just a few hours, but this little puzzle game / tech demo provides plenty of entertainment and makes a great addition to The Orange Box.

The graphics look terrific, and the GLaDOS computer system has plenty of insane banter. You owe it to yourself to check this out, even if you beat the original.

We dare you to find a better baseball video game than Sony's MLB 09: The Show. Instead of resting on its laurels, the company took an already excellent sports game and make it sweeter than the New York Yankees' starting lineup.

Some attack controls aren't smoothly read, but otherwise, this is a masterpiece you'll want to add to your personal collection.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has problems, but we're still giving it a hefty thumbs up. The brutal nature of the series remains intact, the new top-down perspective rocks on PSP and there's plenty to do, both on your own and with a friend. Unless the violence offends you, it's a must have game.

Gorgeous, irresistible and a must buy, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 epitomizes fun.

Instead of blazing through the galaxy using a more traditional game controller, tackle enormous bosses and solve head-scratching puzzles using the Wii's remote and nunchuk. The experience is nothing short of extraordinary.

Developer Turn 10 focused on making the cars handling as realistic as possible, an admirable effort, but the result makes the game a little boring.

Its length is shorter than we prefer (there are only five stages), but the unlockable bonuses, including the Boss Rush mode, Score Attack stages and additional scenarios justify the meager 800-point price tag. This could very well be 2008's downloadable game to beat.

The inability to die and the glowing trail that points us to the next objective makes the game easier than we'd like, but Fable II is one of the best adventure games you'll play this year.

The Beatles are worth every penny, especially for fans of the Fab Four. This game delivers one of the most phenomenal music experiences, outside of hopping into a time machine and watching them perform live, we're likely to see during this phase of our digital age.

Although the game's a brain splattering good time, we still don't understand why Valve refuses to allow users to aim down the sights of a weapon, instead of always shooting from the hip. It gets the job done most of the time, but we feel everyone's accuracy would improve if they could line up their shots.

Although we zipped through the four "movies" in less than five hours, we can't stop playing co-operatively with friends via online play and competing against others in the thrilling Survivors vs. Infected, a four-on-four multiplayer mode where monsters attempt to slaughter their gun-wielding adversaries.

Although we zipped through the four "movies" in less than five hours, we can't stop playing co-operatively with friends via online play and competing against others in the thrilling Survivors vs. Infected, a four-on-four multiplayer mode where monsters attempt to slaughter their gun-wielding adversaries.

Although the game's a brain splattering good time, we still don't understand why Valve refuses to allow users to aim down the sights of a weapon, instead of always shooting from the hip. It gets the job done most of the time, but we feel everyone's accuracy would improve if they could line up their shots.

The game that was already exceptional on the Xbox 360 is even better on the PC, so it's really a no brainer.

The voice acting continues the Grand Theft Auto trend of excellence, even with weirder characters like Yusuf. ("I seem to have forgotten my pants.") The dialogue is excellent, even if it is laced with enough slurs and profanity to make a senator cringe.

The presentation hasn't changed much and the gameplay still revolves around the same note hitting formula, but if you love music (and who doesn't), you can't afford to miss this latest jam.

The game's intensity grows overwhelming sometimes, especially when timed secondary objectives get piled on top of trying to hold ground against unending waves of Soviet armor. But the amazing graphics and engaging single-player campaign, which deals with the brutality of war, will keep players coming back to keep up the fight.

Gorgeous and horrifying visuals, combined with spine-tingling audio, immerse you in an interstellar nightmare of blood and bone. While it leaves a lot of unanswered questions, an obvious ploy to get you to read the enjoyable comics and watch the animated film, Dead Space is still a terrifying game, whether you're bathed in darkness or playing in sunlight.