It's fun, good-natured and interesting, but just below the surface, all it is really interested in is squeezing some begrudgingly offered dollars from your pocket.

Adventure game fans should take the time to do a little spelunking in The Cave.

DmC: Devil May Cry shows the story of Dante from an alternate perspective and it does so very stylishly.

The ZEN Classics pack gives you one great table, one throwaway, and a pair of enjoyable if average tables. While none of the tables is as feature rich as the latest offerings for Pinball FX 2, this pack does provide some additional variety for your pinball diversions.

Angry Birds has nothing to fear from these squirrels.

At its best when it's closest to recreating the feel of Dishonored, but it's not always at its best.

Match-three gameplay with bonus powers that add a fun twist to the game.

Spellwood is an interesting take on the Scrabble formula, but the core gameplay is not significantly different from that of its source of inspiration.

It's more of the same Skylanders gameplay, which is probably just fine with Skylanders obsessed pre-teens.

Sine Mora is an addicting shooter the first time through, but it's very short and only the most hardcore shooter fans will get the most out of it.

Far Cry 3 is a very impressive game, one of the best of 2012, and will certainly make the list of most memorable games that I've played on the Xbox 360.

Black Knight Sword is quite an enjoyable and unique platformer that is worth a try - it's short but memorable.

The only thing legendary about this game is the mess it makes of the Bond franchise.

The "epic" quest felt like it was cut for time and the dragon riding was nowhere near what I wanted it to be. The questing here will surely be enjoyed by tons of players, but the missed opportunities made this my least favorite Skyrim expansion yet.

The lack of emotional weight makes Omega just another pointless series of hallways chockful of mildly challenging cannon fodder.

Overall, Black Ops 2 on the Wii U is easily recommendable. It proves that the Wii U can handle a modern top-tier shooter with ease, and is easily one of the best titles in the launch lineup. Unless you're buying a Wii U for the kiddies this year, you'll want to add Black Ops 2 to your new console's bundle.

The Wii U version isn't that much different than it is on other consoles, which makes it one of the better games in the Wii U launch lineup.

Overall, LEGO The Lord of the Rings is easily recommendable to anyone who's enjoyed LEGO games in the past or who has a love of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It does such a good job of creating a LEGO version of The Lord of the Rings, that I can only hope that a LEGO The Hobbit is in the works to accompany the new film trilogy.

After spending time with Guardians of Middle-earth I can see why MOBAs on PC have a dedicated following, while at the same time I'm surprised that it took so long for a serious, full-fledged MOBA to appear on consoles. The game is a blast to play and it makes such great use of the The Lord of the Rings license that it's inspired me to want to watch the movies again for the nth time.

The game deserves a look if you can look past the framerate issues.

If you are a new Wii U owner, make sure you play New Super Mario Bros. U, Skylanders: Giants or any of the other big name games hitting this holiday season. But once those have come and gone, keep your eyes open and trained on the bargain bin. If you see Transformers Prime: The Video Game in there, it's one afternoon of fun might just be worth it as you wait for the next big release.

An average game that won't hold your attention for too long in a genre in which there are plenty of better options available.

Episode 5 isn't the strongest in the series, but taken together the five episodes make for a unique and engrossing game.

Still haven't played it? Well you should now! Okami has now arrived in HD on PS3!

Need for Speed: Most Wanted has every right to be on your most wanted wish list this Christmas.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the best shooter of 2012, and also one of the best games overall.

Zone of the Enders HD collection features high-speed robot action with a great overall story - oh, and it has another Metal Gear demo too!

A truly complete gaming package. The multiplayer game is excellent, the expanded Zombies mode is an enjoyable and very welcome addition, and the single player campaign is a fun ride that will have you yelling "Josephina!" at random times for weeks to come. About the only miss is the addition of the Strike Force missions, but they don't drag down the overall experience with them.