Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a game with more ambition than its platform of choice can handle. Extremely long loading times hamper its portability, and instead of bustling LEGO metropolis, you’ll spend 8 hours or more in a LEGO ghost town. If you’re looking for a game with 70s cop movie sensibilities, you’re better served by picking up the Wii U version.

To date, there aren’t a whole lot of games like Monaco. There’s action oriented isometrics like Trap Gunner and strategy heavy games like Frozen Synapse, but Monaco succeeds in blending the two playstyles together effortlessly. Even if you aren’t the type who plays nice with others, Monaco offers more than enough content to help you channel your inner thief.

It’s a shame that Riptide couldn’t have been a bit more given how much opportunity there was here for improvement, but as it stands, it’s basically the same flawed game we got nearly two years ago — for better or for worse.

Pandora’s Tower may not be remembered as fondly as other games in the Wii’s lineup, and it feels a bit dated right out of the gate, but I couldn’t think of a better third party sendoff for the Wii.

Despite the two-part approach, Knife of Dunwall is DLC done right. It takes the core fundamentals from the original game without sacrificing the integrity of it and provides its own spin on the formula. Honestly, at this point I wish Daud was the main character of Dishonored to begin with. If you even slightly enjoyed Dishonored, this is a no-brainer.

The entire experience of Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams doesn’t come together in a cohesive whole often enough for it to be considered one of the great platformers, or even a really good one. Its frustrating lows, compounded by brutal difficulty spikes, don’t completely outweigh the occasional highs.

As a solid mix of combat, exploration, and heart, it’s a shining example for Metroidvanias everywhere.

Tomb Raider is the second best Uncharted game behind Uncharted 2. While it gives up a lot of its adventure identity fans have come to know and love, the end result is still a fantastic game that shouldn’t be missed by any action fan. If Crystal Dynamics can inject more adventure elements into a potential sequel, it would be a pretty interesting proposition indeed.

Because of poor design choices, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is tedious to play, and it ultimately wastes the player’s time.

Elizabeth is easily one of the best characters to come out of gaming this generation, and Irrational Games, and her actress(es) did an excellent job bringing her to the small screen.

Ultimately, Undercover is basically another LEGO game. Although it could have done a lot to sway non-fans like LEGO Batman 2 did, it sticks to preset conventions far too often, and doesn’t take nearly enough risks.

Without multiplayer, Ascension would be a weaker package. It’s only slightly above average on the grand stage of action, and is marred with technical problems, a lack of polish, and a lack of a poignant narrative. But overall, the experience is still a positive one, and Sony Santa Monica did a great job bringing competitive play to the franchise.

Mirror of Fate is basically a 2D God of War, so if you dig platformers with decent combat mechanics, you’ll most likely enjoy it.

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

Revengeance can now be considered part of the pantheon of action games, right alongside of Devil May Cry 3, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and other classics. Platinum created a deep and rewarding combat system, layered it on top of an action packed story that captures the most outrageous moments of the Metal Gear Solid series, and added their own signature mark.

Ni No Kuni knows what it is and it never betrays that fact. It’s a JRPG, and in my book, it’s an instant classic.

It’s not a bad action game by any standards, but without the Dead Space name, I doubt this iteration could have even made a splash in the genre. Wait for a price drop unless you’re the hardiest of Dead Space fans.

Still, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a very serviceable platformer that I really enjoyed my time with when it hit all of the right notes. Although it may not be the be all end all of mascot games in the HD-era, and the shining savior of the Sly Cooper franchise, platforming fans (and Cooper fans) should find plenty to enjoy in Sly and the gang’s latest adventure.

Intelligent Systems did a great job adding accessibility to the Fire Emblem series without sacrificing its core philosophy. Whether you're a series newcomer or an old Fire Emblem veteran, Fire Emblem: Awakening has something for you.

While Sir Hammerlock may simply be "more Borderlands 2," it could have been a whole lot more, and feels a tad unfinished.

To be clear, this is not a classic Devil May Cry game. Combat is not nuanced down to exact tenths of a second, you aren't going to ponder over which ability based unlockables to buy, and there isn't a whole lot of thinking going on in general.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is clever and fully committed to its paperized setting. That's not enough to excuse its biggest flaws. You'll spend time backtracking and getting stuck on puzzles that require too much guesswork.

While the journey may be fraught with peril, one cannot help but marvel at how solid the Black Knight Sword feels overall. The gameplay and the dark fantasy themes complement each other very well. The black knight will travel through burning villages to a desert mutated by missile testing, to a monstrous carnival, to a deprived wonderland and will never miss a beat.

All in all, Street Fighter X Mega Man is a noble effort. Although a number of levels could use a lot of tweaks, and it feels unpolished at times, you really can't go wrong with playing it, as it has a ton of heart. I wouldn't put it above the contemporary classic Mega Man 9, but it's a much more solid effort than the soulless Mega Man 10.

Although hardcore professional players may scoff at the general lack of skill in public games, most of you will enjoy the experience, and the fact that the developers were able to actually create a solid MOBA experience on a console should be commended.

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.

If you're worried about getting your $10 worth of gameplay out of Hotline, don't be. I would have paid at least twice the price for the game as is. With the promise of more levels, I can't see anyone being upset about the value of the game.

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.