Fractal: Make Blooms Not War is sharper and more mature than its predecessor because of it. And, in my opinion, its more enjoyable.

When a game has such vicious combat, an intriguing skill system, and full co-op capability, a mediocre story can be overlooked. Borderlands is a necessity for any fan of the FPS and RPG genres, or just down-right looting fun.

A charming, self-deprecating, retro-steeped homage to classic gameplay conventions set to a rockin' speed metal soundtrack. At only ten hours, the ride is short, but each second of gameplay is packed with an immediacy unmatched in current games on any console.

The additions of Game Planning and GameFlow provide a simple solution to a problem that no one realized was actually there. Madden NFL 11 is inventive, intuitive, competitive, collaborative, and, most importantly, a whole lot of fun.

While Deluxe could have brought more new content to the table, it preserves the core Mutant Mudds experience to perfection, and then some. If you haven’t played Mutant Mudds to death already, the new ghost levels offer up enough of a challenge to make it worthwhile, and newcomers should not miss this chance to introduce themselves to a modern classic.

As long as you're not expecting anything completely revolutionary, you should get your money's worth with Where's My Perry? If history repeats itself, you're going to get a ton of extra free levels via content updates, and optional $0.99 IAP storylines. Even if none of that was coming, it would still be worth the meager price of entry.

If you enjoyed the original, give Runner 2 a try — if you didn’t, and you’re a rhythm fan — try it anyways.

UFC 2009 Undisputed doesn't revolutionize the sports fighting genre, but the solid gameplay and complex fighting system are hard to beat.

Rift provides a unique, rewarding experience and proves to be a worthy alternative to some of the best MMOs available. However, there is plenty of more work to be done in the areas of end-game, PvP, and professions.

While Child of Eden's appeal may not be universal, those with an open mind will have a blast.

Although a number of things could have been done to increase the fun factor of Torgue, if you're looking for more Borderlands 2, this is it, and this is what Mad Moxxi should have been.

This is the best thing EA has done since they acquired Bioware. Instead of pumping out games that bring everything to the table, and only really offer a few things, they put out a title that offers one thing, and plenty of it.

Thankfully, Death himself is an infinitely more interesting protagonist than War, which makes the story a bit more tolerable. Death is a bit of a wise ass, yet he will stop at nothing to protect those that he cares about. He isn't going to be winning any depth awards anytime soon, but for an action game, he's easily one of the more interesting, and cooler heroes to hit the action scene in the last ten years.

Even with its blemishes though, I really enjoyed my time with Shin Megami Tensei IV, and the demon collection and fusion system remains just as addicting as ever — just don’t expect it to top some of the other entries in the series, including Nocturne.

ODST is an excellent in everything that it does; it just doesn't do enough. It feels more like an expansion than a full title.

All in all, Orcs Must Die is a fantastic budget title with more than $15 worth of entertainment.

The additions of Game Planning and GameFlow provide a simple solution to a problem that no one realized was actually there. Madden NFL 11 is inventive, intuitive, competitive, collaborative, and, most importantly, a whole lot of fun.

All in all, Black Ops II is a solid game, but it feels kind of tired at this point in many respects. The new additions to the single player, zombie, and multiplayer components are a good effort, but they're not enough to transcend the series to a new level (like Halo 4 did for the Halo series). But if you enjoyed Black Ops, odds are you'll also enjoy Black Ops II - albeit a little less so.

Sine Mora is one of the best shoot 'em ups I've played in a long time. It not only sets the bar for XBLA shooters in general, but visually, it sets the bar for the whole marketplace.

Final Fantasy is back, and it's not afraid to take a few risks along the way. Square Enix have taken a giant leap towards genre reform and should be congratulated for it. This is the best JRPG of this console generation by far.

Just Cause 2 succeeds in its primary aim of dropping you into a ludicrously over the top action movie. The missions may not be very involving, but there's no denying that with the right tools there is a lot of destructive, albeit mindless, fun to be had in this picturesque playground.

Old World Blues is one of the best Fallout DLCs yet. It's funny, it's packed with content, and it offers solid rewards for players who are looking to add to their Courier's arsenal. If you skipped on the previous two content packs, make sure to pick this one up.

NHL 13 certainly has its issues – which may very well be fixed in upcoming patches and tuner updates – but overall it is a very solid experience.

This is not only a must for Resistance fans, but any PS3 owner looking for a solid first-person shooter.

Powerful execution on all fronts along with an extremely reasonable price combine to make this game a must get for all fans of puzzlers, indie games, or excellent downloadable titles.

Castlevania Lords of Shadow doesn't do too much out of the ordinary, but it's a solid action game nonetheless.

Trine is a brilliant single player title that really rewards those that like to think outside the box, and a unique gem of a game that is definitely worthy of your time.

Despite the same-day release as Sega’s pivotal action adventure title, Vigil Games’ debut is a fine introduction to their future repertoire. The bar for 2010 has been raised a little early, but hey, so did the Apocalypse - and look what that got us.