It's a $10 download with a decent amount of content so that's hardly a liability, but it's impossible to shake the feeling that it's a very minor title with a short shelf life. It's perfect for a rainy day but most players will likely warp out shortly after the credits roll.

The game is set up almost on a freemium monetization model, but it's a $15 download. And at that price, it does feel a little thin on content- particularly when you're practically asked for your credit card if you want to put a cape on your guy or to buy one of those notorious XP-doubling pills. Granted, most of what you can buy with real money is nothing that any sane adult would care anything about- video game clothes, in-game "mascots", and so forth- but the concept points the way to a future where we'll be paying for FPS games by the bullet.

Just because Shank 2 isn't terribly innovative doesn't mean it's a bad game. In fact, it's a total blast. It's ridiculous and goofy and completely over-the-top. If you want something that delivers a totally original gameplay experience, don't bother. But, if you want something that's just a lot of fun, look no further: This little gem will keep you grinning like a maniac. Just like Shank does when he revs up his chainsaw.

Had Amalur been stripped down to its bare essentials it would be a much easier game to recommend. This would make for an excellent 12-15 hour action game with its cool combat and fun player progression and a main story that's certainly no worse than most other videogame fare. However, as an especially long RPG masquerading as an open world design it simply overstays its welcome, it feels soulless, and tries to juggle too many balls at once.

All I wanted from King Arthur II was more of the great lore mixed with a degree of difficulty that was challenging but not sadistic and better tactical battles. I got the great lore.

However, Mr. White's wild ride isn't the only thing included in this package – there are also a few new schematics for making new weapons. These can be accessed in the regular game as well as the DLC. This is a cool feature if you're new to Dead Island or are on a new playthrough, but there's not really enough there to warrant paying for the DLC. Dead Island is still a game that deserves to be played if you missed it last year – but Ryder White can be safely skipped.

It's also an important game for the 3DS in particular because it demonstrates the viability of a hardcore-oriented franchise as well as how powerful the 3D effect can be in creating a game environment.

From the opening attack on the restaurant that evokes the car chase that opened the original, to the game's focus on storytelling as much as killing, it's clear that the developers knew not to mess with a working formula. Even if some of the narrative moments fall short of the original, the new content and new powers more than make up for it. The Darkness II didn't knock its predecessor from the top of my list of favorite narrative shooters, but it comes in as a very close second.

This game is definitely a case of one step forward, two steps back. It's a modern, fresh SoulCalibur but it doesn't offer anything that you can't get from previous incarnations other than the more robust online offering.

The game is cute, well designed, well implemented and just the thing to show off your big brain to all of your friends.

Nano Assault is shallow, pretty, kind of fun but repetitive. It's the kind of game that I tend to play intensely for a couple of days and then put away, never to touch it again.

TNT Racers is a great little racing title that feels like it's something out a Saturday Morning Cartoon thanks to its goofy tone, lush visuals, and over-the-top action. It's not perfect, but it'll provide you with an incredible amount of bang for your buck.

I'm all for developers extending the life of their games by offering post-release content, however in this case, the Genkibowl had the exact opposite effect. Once I finished it, I didn't want to play more Saints Row 3, much less buy more content for it.

This is precisely the sort of game I'll bust out every time I find myself on a long flight: it's addictive, challenging without even a whiff of frustration, and packed to the brim with content. I honestly have no complaints about Pushmo, and fully believe that unless you are deeply offended by baby-rescuing sumo wrestlers or block puzzles somehow killed your firstborn, you should download it immediately.

It is a fun game, and by jingo when it's at its best it's totally the updated Choplifter that I wanted to play.

Because of the technical ineptitude and the lousy level design, I can't recommend the game for those looking to have a good time with its mechanics. I suppose someone less desensitized could still find Postal III offensive in an enjoyable way, but the odds are if you've been through the previous games this will disappoint on that front as well.

In creating such an enormous experience you'll need to devote a huge swath of your life to it, and yet it does remarkably little to make that moment to moment grind even moderately fresh. This is a must play for fans of Star Wars who want a traditional MMO experience with high production values and a lot of spoken dialogue. If you're looking for an innovative MMO set in the Star Wars universe, you will likely be disappointed.

Just a couple of button presses away from Amy on both the Xbox and PlayStation marketplaces is a little game called Resident Evil 4 that does this idea brilliantly with a girl named Ashley instead of Amy. Sure, it costs twice as much but you'll be buying and playing one of the best games ever made-not one of the worst.

Even with a budget price, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is tough to recommend. The mediocre graphics and monotonous gameplay bring down an otherwise solid premise. This is only worth playing if you have friends to play with, solo players should take a can of Raid to this repetitive mess.

I honestly don't know why anyone would buy Tekken Hybrid. If you love Tekken Tag Tournament, there's no reason to drop $40 on this head scratcher when there's a likely superior, current sequel in the cards that will offer the online play and other mod cons that this remaster doesn't. The "prologue" should have been a free download.

It does a fabulous job of translating the Harry Potter universe into the LEGO vernacular, with all the frolicsome fun that implies; however, by implementing too many kinds of interactive prompt and by failing to provide enough player feedback, it sets the stage for an interactive experience that's equal parts fun and befuddlement.

For kids with a serious dinosaur affectation, playing Fossil Fighters: Champions will feel like discovering a buried treasure, and there's something to be said for a monster fighting RPG that doesn't require the same time commitment as the Pokemon games. For everyone else though, there are better monster battling RPGs out there, published by the same company, and once you've played them it's hard to see imitators, even ones with dinosaurs, in the same light.

All things considered, there is a place for Greed: fans of the point-and-click "Diablo" style of gameplay will find quite a lot to enjoy here, and for all of its quirks, it still does offer a pretty immersive universe to delve into and all for 20 bucks.

Once beaten, there is little cause for repeat playthroughs, but the initial experience is so captivating that this hardly matters. Too many people missed out on the first game, and I hope that they don't make the same mistake twice. Trine 2 is easily one of the year's most enchanting puzzle-platformers.

All things considered, WWE '12 is a step backwards for Yuke's. Luckily they can return to the RAW vs. SmackDown brand next year and pretend like this game never existed. I encourage them to do just that. More importantly, I encourage you to avoid WWE '12 because games are supposed to relieve stress-not cause it.

It's excruciating, mostly because Skyward Sword is such a rare, utterly wonderful game. It fully deserves to be thought of as a modern classic and a masterpiece, and it's so good that even controller frustrations couldn't keep me from sinking a completely crazy amount of time into it.

There's no question – if you own a 3DS, this is the best game on the platform, and instantly worthy of a purchase. It's one of the best portable platformers I've ever played (and I've had my fair share), and an almost shockingly good Mario title on any platform.

In spite of its slow pace, Fishing Resort has an awful lot going for it. It's beautiful, it's charming, and it's got a ton of content to explore. Most importantly though is that the game is simply a relaxing a good time.