Still clearly a Guitar Hero game, and it’s a little frustrating to see the second full-priced game in the series on store shelves within two months.

Need for Speed: Nitro does a good job of washing the taste of the last few entries of the franchise out of your mouth, but it doesn’t really do anything to establish a new status quo. The racing is fun, and the customization is cool, but outside of that, there’s not a whole lot going on here.

For the first time since the original, Ubisoft has been able to recapture what made this new, strange series so popular: inanity, and boatloads of it. The newest title is undoubtedly the best, and despite some faults, Rabbids Go Home is a success, and easily one of the best 3D platformer to hit the Wii since de Blob.

While not the best of the chapters, The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood's story progression and cliffhanger ending have me more excited for the next episode than I have been for any of the previous ones.

It’s a glamorous, larger-than life finale to a wonderful trilogy, taking the lessons Rockstar learned with the previous two games and expanding upon them to create something fabulous.

Tekken 6 doesn’t try to reinvent the fighting game, or even change the Tekken formula too much. It does, however, deliver a gorgeous, extremely solid 3D fighting experience with plenty of customization options.

One of the more exciting things to happen to the genre. DJ Hero explores the one avenue left vacant since Beatmania, and not only provides a game that breathes a bit of life into a genre that had started growing stale, but one that’s also a hell of a lot of fun to play, in spite of the steep price tag.

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.

Forza 3 may split its focus between simulation, accessibility, customization, visual splendor, and commercialism, but none of those aspects suffers or feels underserved. It’s an incredibly realistic racer with options that make the game fun for just about anyone, sublime pacing, a massively deep customization suite, spectacular visual presentation, and a groundbreaking online storefront that makes the game almost infinitely replayable.

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.

When it comes to actually playing the game, something that's obviously very important, LoL provides an addictive experience that should feel reminiscent of any other game in the genre.

This decent idea got buried under glitches, a bad camera, and frustrating gameplay, and there seems to be no reason for that to have happened.

No matter what people call it, the game is a simple, masterfully crafted title that shouldn’t be ignored, and with the incredibly well optimized system specifications, a $20 price tag, and an imminent OSX port, it’s a game that should be purchased by anyone with a working mouse. God knows you’ll need it.

While it lacks certain elements that would have made it more memorable, the sleek gameplay and beautiful graphics represent a stellar example of genres melting together, something which too often fails in execution. After completing the game, a second play though is opened, turning up the difficulty and starting the story anew, something that many gamers will likely end up taking advantage of.

There is enough content in Nostalgia to keep you occupied for a long time; the question is simply whether or not you will remain interested long enough to get there.

Borderlands is a fantastic beginning to what will hopefully become a great franchise. While it lacks certain elements that would have made it more memorable, the sleek gameplay and beautiful graphics represent a stellar example of genres melting together, something which too often fails in execution.

Borderlands is a fantastic beginning to what will hopefully become a great franchise. While it lacks certain elements that would have made it more memorable, the sleek gameplay and beautiful graphics represent a stellar example of genres melting together, something which too often fails in execution.

Marvel Super Hero Squad’s popular source material, cute story, charming cut scenes, and fun personality will likely put the game into the hands of many young gamers and super hero fans. Most of those kids, however, will quickly tire of the game’s dreary gameplay, shoddy camera, unreliable controls and overall lack of depth and polish.

Wrestling games haven’t changed much since the Smackdown series started, but this year’s offering is easily the most robust and well-produced.

It’s easily the best game in the series, and well worth playing, but one has to wonder how many more times THQ can get away with ever-so-slightly improving what is, essentially, the same game.

As long as EA Canada remains in charge of this title, I don’t think there’s a chance any other game can knock FIFA from the top spot.

FIFA 10 also comes complete with an overhauled AI for the rest of the computer players, making them more reflexive and aggressive.

Once again, EA finds some solid footing to build another strong sports franchise on, and even though FIFA Soccer 10 is geared towards a more casual audience, more serious fans looking for a change of pace will have just as much fun. Though there’s a lack of depth in the game’s modes, FIFA 10 does just enough right to keep you coming back for more.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is essentially an improved version of the DS release with a few new side missions, a couple of new characters, and a completely overhauled graphics engine. Despite the fact that the game was built specifically for the DS, porting it to Sony’s less popular, but more powerful handheld has actually improved its playability.

The Recording Studio is a terrific time waster, but doesn’t offer anything remarkably different from the first that would warrant an upgrade. Songbook is an aggravating mess that would have been made more tolerable if there were actual recordings instead of covers, but I’m not sure even that would have made that mode worth completing.

The allure of the online experience over Xbox Live should be tempting to fans of the game, especially with hopes that some of the issues might be fixed with future downloadable content to add further customization.

The few complaints I had were pretty nitpicky, and the issues are outweighed by the number of good qualities. Obviously, fans of point-and-click games check this out, but even if you weren't a fan of the genre in the past, this might help to change your mind. Machinarium may not have gotten the attention it deserved earlier in the year, but it's never too late to play a fantastic game.

Despite having one less episode than the previous season, Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space seemed to improve upon Save the World in almost every aspect. The storytelling in the game is top notch, and Telltale has really delivered a unique gaming experience with their episodic model.