A decent core game despite its stripped down status.

Sideway comes across feeling more like one of the me-too Mario clones of the NES era despite its unique, singular look and perspective-shifting style. The platforming is nowhere near as tight or as taxing as in Super Meat Boy and it lacks the dynamism and genre synthesis of Outland. It's not even as compelling or innovative as IOS examples such as Mos Speedrun or League of Evil

Once you get past the inevitable Pokémon comparisons and let Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 serve up its own brand of monster hunting mayhem, there's an enjoyable combat model and monster synthesis system to be had here.

Forza Motorsport 4 may not be perfect and there are still some things that last year's Gran Turismo 5 either does better or that Forza doesn't do at all. But for the core driving experience, technical achievement, and level of accessibility, Turn 10's effort is nothing short of superb.

I don't know who decided to come up with another Spider-Man game so soon after Shattered Dimensions but that person should get a tongue lashing because the year it took to make this game resulted in nothing but a waste of time and money for all involved.

Rotastic is a good game that through a couple of poor choices limited its own potential. Its premise is simple but engaging and developer Dancing Dots builds effectively upon that premise throughout the first half of the game. Unfortunately, past that point, unforgiving level design combined with unwieldy controls make for a gaming experience that's ultimately So-So-tastic.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is in the weird limbo land between update and full release. There's plenty of content here, but most of it isn't new.

Treasure hasn't tampered with the overall mechanics of Radiant Silvergun, and doing so would have been a mistake.

This is a charming, incredibly well designed title with a truckload of replayability (still a rarity for smaller downloadable games). Don't miss out on this in the glut of "holiday" releases.

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition's online, downloadable release and lessened price point will make it an easier pill to swallow for budget gamers and make it a no-brainer for fans of the series. It's the defininitive version of NBA Jam.

Between the medals, the tasks, the mini-games and the levels themselves, there's more than ten Kirby's worth of content here, all wrapped up in the charming and creative wrapper that the Kirby franchise become known for. Kirby may never reach the same level of gaming fame as some of Nintendo's other properties, but if the pink puffball's status as a second tier character allows him to show up in such innovative, out there titles, I'm all for him staying out of the spotlight.

In Orcs Must Die! a split-second of inattention can mean the difference between victory and defeat-but that's part of why it's such an exciting game.

For any oomph it delivers, Rage relies on the same familiar gunshot sound effects and the same ridiculous ragdoll fatalities and the same silly enemies rolling left and right. Rage is a reminder how thin the line is between old school and old hat.

That's Dark Souls in a nutshell. The stakes being as high as they are adds a level of excitement all too rare in the hold your hand games of this generation. Without the punishment, there's no real fear, and without the fear there's no thrill. And in Dark Souls, much like Demon's Souls before it, you will most definitely fear.

Hector: Badge of Carnage is without question, one of the best new adventures-in fact, one of the best game properties-to come out in recent memory. With its likeably slobbish anti-hero and the possibility for endless story setups, we adventure fans would do well to cross our fingers that the collaboration between Telltale and Straandlooper continues well beyond the current trilogy.

X-Men: Destiny fails as a game and as an X-Men property and there isn't an X-Gene in the world that can fix it.

FIFA 12 isn't perfect; the franchise still has some work to do in the AI department and the new physics model, which is a significant leap forward, needs its kinks worked out. However, this is the future of the series and you can see how it's taking shape. Despite its shortcomings it's absolutely worth the upgrade if you are coming in from FIFA 11.

The handheld format suits the Bit.Trip beats well, and although these games are available elsewhere the 3DS package is definitely one of the better and most concise ways to experience them regardless of a couple of omissions.

Hard Reset clearly shows that the team knows what makes a good shooter tick.

There's a ton of content here, and the various challenges are a blast to figure out. If you are the type of gamer who enjoys going through a game of this type puzzle by puzzle, Elements will engross you from start to finish. If you're not patient enough to deal with a few clunkers (or solve at least 50 stages before getting to the real meat of the game), you're better off elsewhere.

It's a mediocre survival horror game that demonstrates a lot of ambition on the part of Sega, but it clearly needed some more time in development.

Monotony complaints aside, Serious Sam Double D's wacky world, crazy weapons, oddball humor and entertaining environments will keep you chuckin' and duckin' through time with Sam. Well, at least until the shine wears off.

Avalanche knocked this out of the park. Renegade Ops is a brilliant game and easily one of the best of 2011, downloadable or otherwise, and it's not to be missed.

Give this throwaway a miss and pick up a five dollar copy of 2006's Burnout: Revenge instead.

Fact is, I haven't had as much fun with a racing game in a long time, and this is one even non-racing fans can look to for a good time. With any luck this won't be the end of the renovated Driver and we get to see the mechanic return in a sequel.

There's no shortage of puzzle games on XBLA, and structurally, Leedmees is competent and fun, but not revolutionary. However, given the art style and excellent use of Kinect controls – let alone the riotous multiplayer, Konami's awesome little experiment deserves a look.

So many months, so many thousands of man hours of work, so many millions of dollars, such an extravagant marketing campaign, and this is what Epic has produced? The shooter equivalent of a roster update in a sports game?

By the time it's all over, just after you've finished the dopey out-of-place boss fight, you're left with Generic Shooter Videogame Number Umpteen, drawn out with a few levels stuffed with filler instead of gameplay.

Again, I realize that some people will absolutely love the challenge that BloodRayne: Betrayal brings. It has an old school Castelvania flavor to it and the ability to search for powerups as well as the exhilaration one feels when making it out of a massive battle alive will no doubt thrill some of the hardcore among us.

If you're a fan of mindless violence and are willing to be satisfied just pulling a trigger on some very neat technology, Resistance 3 could tickle your fancy. With stunning visuals that once again push the Playstation 3 to its edge, there's plenty to be satisfied if you're looking for a Bruckheimer-esque production. Walk in looking for anything else though and you'll find a six to seven hour campaign that fails to spark anything more than basal satisfaction throughout.

Like Trenched before it, Rock of Ages offers a fresh, action-oriented twist on the tower defense genre, along with a welcome, zany aesthetic. It's a curiosity, for sure, but if you enjoy the offbeat, you cannot go wrong here. Hats off to Atlus yet again for bringing something new and interesting to the table.

There's a great game under all the rubbish, but you have to be willing to shrug off a bunch of annoyances to get there.

Regardless of these nitpicks, ClaDun X2 delivers on NIS's promise of providing twice as much stuff as in the original.

Overall the game is polished, the map is gorgeous, and the emphasis on goals other than war is a refreshing change from the vast majority of strategy titles out there.

To be fair there are a lot of changes and tweaks made to the NHL 11 design, but many of them are so small to be nearly unnoticeable. As great as NHL 12 is, and it is a great game, it's not a giant leap from NHL 11. Is that enough to warrant another $60? Only you can answer that one.

This is an exciting, adrenaline-pumping game that I think fans of everything from Hydro Thunder to Star Fox 64 could get into and enjoy, if only they knew it existed. Definitely a sleeper, and definitely worth your time.

It's certainly a game worth playing, but if you come into it without a love for the license, you are left with a competent, gory, exciting, but ultimately repetitive action game.

In the end, as previously mentioned, Bleach: Soul Resurrecion is a lot like the actual show -- it's got some great fights and awesome moments, but it also has its share of filler. In this case, the filler is the mind-numbingly simple act of running in a straight line to the map in the top right corner of the screen, killing everything in sight, and then doing it again.

The game is by no means worthy of the legacy its series has created, but it's not entirely horrible either.

With deep, involving ethical questions, and systems that test players beyond their ability to pick the right gun, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is – in many, many ways – a game for thoughtful players.

It is fun and the combat system is smart, simple, and effective.

Disgaea 4 is a noteworthy edition to the popular strategy RPG series because it adds so much new content without destroying the familiar gameplay that fans have grown to love.

But suffice to say Space Pirates and Zombies isn't just a grand open-world space action RPG in the tradition of Star Control. It's also a rare expression of zombies that belongs alongside Dead Rising and Atom Zombie Smasher.

Madden 12 has an awful lot going for it and in many ways it's the best the series has ever been, but in others you can see it still trying to break the shackles of the past. In the end, you get a mix of the two: a lot of great new ideas combined with issues that should have been dealt with a long time ago.

Realistically, mistakes will be made, some boss battles will be more challenging than others, and a secret treasure or two will be missed that will add more time to your adventure. But whether you play for 10 or 40 hours, Chantelise is a delightful, whimsical action role-playing game.

I'm all for experimentalism and maverick design, but there needs to be a game there and a sense of purpose to back it up. El Shaddai has neither.

I'm a history nerd splitting hairs about a game featuring toys blowing each other up at this point. Regardless, the two games together represent the best that the tower defense genre has to offer. I'm very interested to see where Signal takes this franchise next…as long as it's not World War II.

If you're looking for a fun, spaz-tastic diversion or ultra-simple party game, look no further.

You've seen these gimmicks in other games, so it's ultimately a familiar grammar involving water, gravity, light beams, and so forth. The charm comes from the execution and the funky artwork.

Runespell: Overture is good for an hour or two, the size of the demo conveniently enough, but beyond that, there's just not enough there to warrant spending the additional time playing it.

Those of us looking for a grind are better off with nearly any other grind game, and anyone who wants to make robots fight might as well stick with Activision's plasticky straight jacketed Transformers shooter. At least those games understand the concept of accessibility.

Panzer Corps has brought back a flood of wonderful memories for me and while I fully realize that I'm a certified Panzer General fan boy and that could possibly cloud my judgment of the merits of Panzer Corps, all I know is that my campaign ended in a German defeat.

Despite the game's shortcomings, it provides an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon and isn't a bad video game entry for a hero whose appearances have been limited to 2D fighters and isometric action-RPGs.

With a colorful graphic update, five game modes and 150 maps to choose from, it's a good entertainment value...that is, if you're patient enough to accept the old school standards of difficulty and level replay.

Regardless of its hang-ups, Catherine is unquestionably a recommended game, a completely unique experience that is destined to be a cult favorite.

It says a lot for a "little" XBLA RPG to be able to hold its own sitting next to Batman: Arkham City, as it did in the Warner Bros. Booth at E3 in June. Now we know why: Bastion is something special, clearly made with love and oodles of talent. Here's to one of the very best games of the summer – downloadable or otherwise.

Puzzle Dimension is one of those puzzle games that is perfect for fans of the genre. It's full of charm and challenge, and some levels are so difficult that it's an incredible rush when they're successfully solved. This is not a game for those looking for a casual mind teaser, but it's just about perfect for those who prefer the difficulty level turned all the way up to eleven.

On just about every level it could, Call of Juarez: The Cartel fails to be anything other than a frustrating experience you can't wait to end. Usually a game like this can be redeemed by providing a co-op experience that pulls players together, but the game intentionally tries to drive them apart and does so without making a point of it.

From Dust is the ideal Xbox Live Arcade game. It would be a tough sell as a retail product simply because it's so creatively constructed and hard to easily define, but as a 1200 MS Point download? It's not to be missed.

For what could have been just another jump in a sea of platformers, this game stands out because it has personality. Don't miss this one.

The old school platforming and sometimes punishing checkpoint system won't appeal to everyone, but those that grew up on the platformers of the 16-bit era will be right at home, as will anyone looking to spend a little money to see how downloadable games have matured over the years.

There is a truly massive amount of game here for the $5 asking price, and Gaslamp Games has clearly set Dredmor apart from the crowd. If you've ever felt the need to crawl a dungeon, this one is most definitely for you, as it serves as both an excellent "my first roguelike" and a challenging quest for the experienced spelunker.

Even though, at it's core, the game is just about killing bugs, saying so doesn't quite do it justice.

In the end NCAA 12 is a success on the field where it counts, and I strongly suggest playing in an online league with some friends as this is the best way to enjoy the game's dynasty mode. That said, we are at a point where NCAA has hit its ceiling. Yes, it's a good game and better than last year, and I suspect that most fans will have a grand old time with it, but hopefully NCAA 13 can finally be the complete and total package.

Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team is a fun, simple blast-a-thon that goes a little beyond typical twin-stick shooter mechanics with its classes and upgrade system and it takes place in one of the coolest settings in all of gaming.

On an exclusively conceptual level it is possible Dead Block could have worked. However a thorough misunderstanding of what makes the zombie genre enjoyable leaves this feeling far more like work than it should. Tower defense fans are better off sticking to their tower defense games, and zombie killing fans are better off sticking to games that emphasize killing zombies.

While significantly less gimmicky than Call of the Dead, Shangri-La offers a competent and interesting entry in the Zombies series. While not as mechanically solid as early entries like Ascension, this map offers the novelty most battle-weary Zombies veterans will need to keep them interested.

There's nothing in here that transforms the LEGO experience for the better or worse, but it may be the best Pirates of the Caribbean game produced thus far.

Co-op issues aside, there's really nothing particularly wrong with Dungeon Siege III. It's an enjoyable, if un-ambitious game. I enjoyed it for what it was, but at the end of the day I left it having wanted it to be more.

Likewise, I wouldn't touch this game again over the higher quality Capcom and Tecmo offerings available on the same platform. I'd advise other push-button martial artists to do the same.

If you own a Kinect, want to work out, and are interested in combining those two pursuits, this is a solid bet. Mixing proven routines, tons of boxing/MMA moves, and a macho, no-nonsense look and feel, this has serious potential to upend EA Active for many. EA's game still has the edge in terms of trainer feedback and the sheer variety of activities, but the focus on kicking ass (or, at least training like a real ass-kicker) here is incredibly appealing. Just be sure not to over-extend or bang your joints!

What you need to know is that this is a blisteringly paced, funny, addictive game that never lets up.

If the thought of playing Ocarina of Time anywhere and anytime thrills you, or if you haven't experienced it before, this is the title that's worth buying a 3DS for. However, if you've bought it three times before, or you've had your fill of Ocarina, there's not enough new here to warrant a purchase. No matter what camp you fall into, this is the definitive version of a truly classic game, and a blast to play, 13 years on.

There is certainly a level of monotony here and the level design runs from clever to painfully linear and stale, but I got exactly what I wanted out of Hunted. I didn't expect a game of the year candidate but I desired, and received an old school hack and slash adventure where I could play with a friend and discuss the proper way to handle a battle situation. If you felt burned by the recent release of Daggerdale and want a better rpg combat alternative, you could do much worse then Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

I could go on at length about the bad level design, the repeated attempts at humor, the shockingly poor and limited multiplayer and more examples of the "nothing new here" gameplay but it is best just to forget about Duke Nukem Forever. Forget about it entirely, because you're missing nothing.

Rather than aping what's popular, it focuses on good gunplay and unique ways to make it interesting: the slow motion, the co-op, the scoring system, two distinct characters to emphasize replayability, and a story that knows its place and its limitations.

After War for Cybertron released there was a brief moment of hope that licensed games would no longer be sub-par experiences. High Moon has dashed those hopes against Transformers: Dark of the Moon and erased their earned good will in the process. If the promise of a quality movie tie-in still exists, it'll take a lot more than this incomplete, graceless game to keep that promise alive.

I'm hardly a hardcore strategy nerd, so maybe it's the accessibility and surface-level depth I can get down with. I can't wait to dig deeper to see what else I'll enjoy about this topnotch turn-based masterpiece.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D doesn't intend to be a full survival horror experience but it is well designed for short-burst gameplay and, despite the series' history of drawn-out immersion, it works. It's very likely that down the road when a more robust entry makes its way to the 3DS, we'll look back on The Mercenaries as a less-than-full experience but for now it's a fantastic distraction that delivers polished action.

Shadows of the Damned is one of the more compromised and conventional games on either Suda's or Mikami's resume despite the expected mild surrealism and occasional nods to old school video game grammar. And that makes it a resounding disappointment.

Dream Trigger 3D is off-putting and inaccessible at worst when coupled with the difficulty level and crude production values. If this game had a more casually approachable tone and a greater focus on one core mechanic (or two simple and complementary ones), then there might have been a great game here. As it stands, it's a muddled nightmare, in 3D.

Alice is a competent action-platformer with richly imaginative worlds steeped in allusive imagery. Half of the fun is seeing how American McGee has transformed the beloved stories into a wicked journey that nicely complements and embellishes its source material. Alice: Madness Returns can be darkly engrossing, but also, a devestating reminder that more is not always better.

MX vs ATV Alive has decent gameplay going for it, and though the controls and rider reflex mode can cause some head scratching moments, they rarely detract from a race's enjoyment. However, the big problem with the game is that there isn't much of it, and what little there is of it at the start must be completed over and over again far beyond the point of entertainment. Until you get those small nibbles of new content, MX vs ATV Alive is a grindfest.

As a campaign inFamous 2 is a sub-par experience, but it makes up for that disappointment plenty with a rich and enjoyable sandbox. It's still recommended that you play through the story for context, but this is a game enjoyed most when you color outside the lines. The flaws in this game would kill any other, but the sense of freedom and strength that come with playing Cole MacGrath outweigh any complaints making this a more than competent experience for anyone looking for a power trip.

If Child of Eden suffers from one significant drawback it's the length of its campaign. For serious players looking to rush through, it's possible to finish all of the stages within a few short hours. Finishing stages does unlock new visual filters and opportunities to mess with samples in-game, but if you're looking for 8+ hours of genuinely fresh content you will be disappointed.

Still, while it lasts, it's an enjoyable if derivative take on the action genre using a superhero that conjures up awesome weapons to great effect. The basic mechanics of the game are well built, with plenty of concessions to make things easier for younger players, the co-op is a great idea, and it's an easy full thousand points, but once the game is over, chances are the memory of it will be fleeting.

That being said, the game is well worth playing, for both kids and adults, as the nanogames are well done, Patchy the Pirate is hilarious and the art style is fantastic. If the game had more nanogames and a more compelling 3D implementation it'd be a different story, but as it is, it's tough to recommend for the price.

I am a huge fan of co-op games, and believe very strongly in the notion that a poor game can be made better by having someone else to play it with, but Daggerdale isn't just a poor game, it's a frustrating, shoddy, broken mess of a game that never should have been released in its current state, made even more upsetting by the fact that you have no recourse to get your money back. Do not buy this game.

Overall, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is a relatively by-the-numbers enhancement of the previous game. Normally these sorts of increments would be frustrating, but considering the tremendous value the game presents to causal Magic fans it's easy to overlook another purchase when compared to the alternative. For the cost of a few booster packs, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 provides a balanced, enjoyable experience that Magic fans of all levels can enjoy – at least until next year.

Dirt 3 is a fine game and worth playing. But if you take your sequels or your driving games seriously, you're going to be disappointed to discover that it's no Dirt 2.

This game is a good alternative fighter for the 3DS; it's definitely not as good as SSFIV3D, but most assuredly not an embarrassment with its own set of respectable values and a very different play style.

There are moments when it's quite good, but it's also a bit too derivative, the enemies are as dumb as a box of hair, and it relies too much on the coolness of the magnet gun and the ability to knock down a tower with a hammer.

But it's going to take a lot more than gimmicky motion controllers and Sega's negligence and to undermine the basic greatness of Virtua Tennis. And with the new adrenaline meter, new party games, and especially the new single-player tennis RPG, Virtua Tennis 4 is plenty new enough to obsolete the older Virtua Tennis titles.

Moon Diver simply can't compete with recent entries like Outland, Vampire Smile, or Hard Corps: Uprising. Although fundamentally similar, those games offer much more variety and dynamic gameplay that combine retro and modern sensibilities to far greater effect. I would have loved to have seen Mr. Yotsui come forward with a game at least as good as Strider, which was one of the best action games of the 16-bit era, but this title feels more like one of the also-rans from that period that no one remembers or plays any longer. I suspect that it won't be very long before those descriptors can be applied to this miserable game.

It's unclear whether there will be more to Lume later (as the closing credits hint at a continuation of the story and a possible "part two"), but I'll be first in line if there is. This is a very light, charming little game that deserves an hour or two of your time. Just be sure to have a walkthrough ready for when you get to the crazy combination lock puzzle.

Quibbles aside, The Witcher 2 is an incredible achievement in graphical fidelity, branching storytelling, and just flat out smart gameplay. It's not as long as the first game, and the final chapter's story arc does feel rushed, but any issues are massively outweighed by the brilliance of this design.

Overall, Rayman 3D is a competent platformer but it's sinfully old. Rather than sprucing it up and developing a truly great re-release, Ubisoft was happy to repackage ancient materials and ship them as new content. If you've played the game already there is very little reason to redo it on the Nintendo 3DS. If you haven't played the original, it's likely too old to be worth your time. However, if playing tragically outdated platformers with more back story than you'll know what to do with is what you're after, Rayman 3DS is your game.

Rather than a careful exposition of Persian themes and stories we get a shambling mess of a game that fails to deliver on any front. What's most disappointing is that rather than making the classic text accessible, Garshasp's narrative just mires too deep in forgotten lore to be interesting to anyone who doesn't already know what it's about. This is definitely a game about Persians and by Persians but it lacks the fundamentals to be enjoyed by anyone, including Persians.