With a decent, if predictable, story, and an incredible amount of online customization, Black Ops is a can't miss shooter that fires on almost all cylinders.

Another great entry in one of gaming’s most prolific series. It’s not without flaws, but it also offers some of the most fun handheld gameplay this year.

Despite a few frustrations, this is easily one of the most addictive role-playing games on the DS, and catching, battling, raising, and breeding Pokémon could keep you occupied for months. There has never been a better time to catch them all.

Challenging, intelligent, whimsical - Little King's Story is a wonderful game, and one that should be mentioned in the same breath as nearly any other game of quality on the Wii.

For those willing to give it a chance, it will take no time at all to realize that there's a remarkable gem of a game inside the box, and one that should be experienced by every Wii owner. For fans of the series, it's a brilliant sequel, more fantastic than they likely ever expected to see.

The graphics are solid, the game plays incredibly well, and the story is reminiscent of the best summer action flicks. Add in robust online options and you have a title that belongs in anyone’s library.

LittleBigPlanet PSP may have taken the ambitious title and scaled it down, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have just as much fun playing it. It may not look as gorgeous as the PS3 version, and you might miss playing with your friends, but before long you will find yourself replaying level after level, trying to collect every last item.

When it comes down to it, there's no denying that Shooter is over too soon. Far too soon. Even for completionists, there's likely less than five hours' worth of play in the singleplayer, with the only real replayability in the local co-op. If there was online multiplayer this wouldn't be an issue, but it is. Not a huge issue, not a deal breaking issue, not something worth complaining about too much, but an issue.

An immensely satisfying and infinitely fun racing title.

Even though there’s not much different or new about this sequel when compared to the last game, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time manages to be one of the most enjoyable titles released this year.

It’s faster, more dynamic, and more fun than the previous offering, and it does a better job of emulating its sport than just about any other game out there.

Valkyria Chronicles is an absolute gem that owners of the system are lucky to have. Even in this crowded holiday season of triple-A titles, this one somehow snuck in and stole my heart, and I found myself putting other games on the back burner to spend more time with Valkyria Chronicles.

With 400 original levels, new game modes and tools, and a robust level creator, Boom Blox Bash Party is in no way a cheap cash-in. It packs more content than most releases, and is a shining example of what developers should strive for in terms of multiplayer on the Wii.

It's a great game, toppling Puzzle Quest and Gyromancer for king of the genre.

The cheery music and shiny graphics may be enough to hypnotize you into having a good time and that isn’t really a bad thing.

While not for everyone, Dragon Age: Origins is absolute bliss for fans of the genre.

Additions fix some of the notorious flaws of the game, while others solved problems that most likely didn't even know it had. It's charming, simple, deep, and addictive, just like all of the games in the series before.

Trials HD manages to seamlessly combine elements from racing, puzzle, and platform games to make one of the most surprising gaming experiences of the summer. It’s everything you would want in a downloadable title: fun, challenge, replayability, and though it’s at the high end of the XBLA pricing spectrum at $15, it still feels like a great deal.

Nintendo played it safe this time, and it’s hard to blame them, but it still is somewhat disappointing that they didn’t go the extra mile and expand the game’s content. Nevertheless, Nintendo seems to have given fans exactly what they wanted, no more, no less.

Infinity Ward has managed to outdo themselves with this sequel, a tremendous feat in its own right. If the games of 2009 were stacked up against each other, there’s no question that Modern Warfare 2 would be incredibly close to the apex, fighting viciously for the top spot and, for many people, getting there and continuing upward. This is what gaming is supposed to feel like.

Probably the best entry in the series in the last five years. All the changes made to the way the game is played are big improvements, and even though it can be a bit too easy at times, NCAA Football 11 is still incredibly fun.

Joe Danger is everything I hoped it was. The game's incredibly fun, highly addictive, and offers a decent amount of replay value to those who wish to complete every last challenge, and stay number one amongst their friends on the leaderboards.

Warhammer Online is the first MMORPG since World of Warcraft was released that actually holds a candle to it in terms of content.

If you’re a fan of turn-based strategy, don’t let my little multiplayer rant deter you from picking up this game; it’s definitely a fun and interesting title, especially if you’re actually going to utilize the multiplayer modes.

While I won’t go so far as to call DJ Hero the greatest thing to happen to music games since the first Guitar Hero, it certainly is one of the more exciting things to happen to the genre.

Not only is DJ Hero 2 a better game, but it also has better music, better graphics, and is somehow even more addictive than the first.

A significant improvement and Neversoft’s best full band game yet.

It just misses being the football messiah many Maddenites are claiming it to be, but Tiburon has found a way to take their successful formula to the next level, creating a football experience that’s not only incredibly satisfying now, but has me looking forward to where they go from here.