NBA 2K12 retains its crown as the best basketball franchise by offering a number of worthwhile improvements across the board.

This fast-paced boxing game improves upon its predecessor in just about every way, and adds an entertaining story mode to boot.

Punch-Out for the Wii isn't much different from the NES version, but it hardly matters when it's this much fun.

Fantastic missions, outrageous weapons, and awesome vehicles make the open-world mayhem of Saints Row: The Third an absolute blast.

This fast-paced boxing game improves upon its predecessor in just about every way, and adds an entertaining story mode to boot.

Looks good, moves fast, and is a blast to play, either by yourself or with a friend.

There's no trouble in this paradise: The second Viva Pinata is just as captivating as the first, with enough tweaks and new additions to make this great for everyone.

Nothing really adds to the game's realism like the enemy AI, which is more advanced than any we've seen in console first-person shooters before.

Spelunky doesn't extend a helping hand when you're down. It doesn't have mercy. And that stubbornness is one of the main reasons it's so hard to pull away from the game. When you finally conquer something that has been hounding you for hours, you feel like the best darn explorer on the planet, and that feeling overshadows all the hardships you overcame down the troubled path you traveled.

Moral dilemmas hit close to home in Long Road Ahead, the latest and grimmest episode in the Walking Dead adventure series.

GRAW2 offers up a solid, though short, single-player campaign. But the bulk of its gameplay can be found in its impressive multiplayer offering.

Professor Layton's second adventure offers more clever puzzles to solve, more varied and interesting areas to explore, and another thrilling mystery to unravel.

This is some of the best online shooter action around, and with the daunting challenges of Spec Ops and the exciting, globe-trotting campaign, Modern Warfare 3 stands tall as another great descendant of the game that changed a generation.

The bottom line with NHL 10 is that if you have NHL 09, you don't absolutely, positively need it. But there are enough new features and little adjustments and fixes both online and off that any self-respecting hockey fan should probably still go for it. EA Sports has once again done an absolutely tremendous job of simulating shinny.

Antichamber bends the rules of space and time with challenging puzzles and a fantastic sense of atmosphere.

Carbon on the GBA is a decent racer in its own right, but it doesn't provide the amount of excitement or attitude that the other versions of the game do.

This handheld offshoot of the revered action series provides plenty of fun and satisfying stylus slashing.

Soul Calibur II won't impress you as much as its predecessor, since you've seen most of these characters, their weapons, and their moves before, and the available gameplay modes are nothing out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, on its own terms, Soul Calibur II is by all means a great fighting game.

Castle Crashers is a classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up infused with cartoon visuals and absurd humor, and the result is a highly amusing romp.

You don't have to love the decade of Rubik's Cubes and Pac-Man Fever to get a kick out of Blood Dragon. But if you do, then all the better: this action-packed shooter will strike all the right synth-pop power chords.

Dead Space 2 doesn't bring with it the same sense of experiencing something utterly new and innovative that its predecessor did. But it's nonetheless a terrific game, with a campaign that simultaneously leaves you satisfied and eager for more, and intense multiplayer that gives you a great reason to keep coming back to this terrifying universe.

This stand-alone expansion is the best iteration of Dawn of War II yet.

Although fans of Robert Kirkman's comics might recognize plot points lifted directly from the black-and-white series, this is still a gut shot of an adventure sure to keep you creeped out for the three or four hours that it lasts.

While some fighting games have simplified their mechanics to be easier for genre newcomers, the Tekken series remains unapologetically brutal.

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is a memorable and enthralling sci-fi/horror adventure that will have you glued to the small screen.

Tales of Vesperia is the best game yet in the series, and a beautiful and entertaining RPG in its own right.

Dragon Quest V’s compelling North American debut offers a gripping story and enthralling gameplay.

Packed with entertaining action and hysterical writing, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is an '80s-inspired blast.

Starved for Help is a disgusting and disturbing look at the realities of life after the zombie apocalypse in the world of The Walking Dead.

What's impressive is the amount of stuff that developer Gas Powered Games has managed to squeeze into the standalone expansion in relatively little time.

The Dead Rising formula proves to be as addictive as ever, and a new cooperative mode and weapon crafting system are great additions to the franchise.

Ecclesia steps outside the castle walls and summons one of the greatest Castlevania titles in years.

This may not be Assassin's Creed III, but like Ezio's smirk, Brotherhood is too irresistible to ignore.

It makes an already great game even better, not only by piling on new features, but also by adding enough significant enhancements that the result stands out as being not just broader than its predecessor, but legitimately different.

The Dead Rising formula proves to be as addictive as ever, and a new cooperative mode and weapon crafting system are great additions to the franchise.

A disappointingly short-lived experience. That's partly because the game is so captivating for as long as it lasts that you may be compelled to blast your way through in just one or two sittings.

Crysis 2 doesn't make as strong of a mark, but in a sea of me-too shooters, it feels unique and offers an exciting journey that's as much your own making as that of the developer. The wow factor is undercut by a few issues--the bargain-bin AI and some unfortunate bugs among them.

Creepy atmosphere, fantastic combat, and clever storytelling make Alan Wake's quest thrilling from beginning to end.

Many English-speaking Final Fantasy fans may now experience what they've missed out on for years in this relatively obscure but thoroughly excellent installment of the classic role-playing series.

While it's still extremely complicated, Shadowlands adds a tremendous amount of intriguing new content that helps make Anarchy Online much more worthwhile.

Revelations is a successful blend of old-school Resident Evil horror and new-school action.

Excellent maps, a focus on close-range combat, and great period atmosphere keep this downloadable add-on from feeling like more of the same.

It adds enough new weapons and enemies to make the expansion feel like a solid companion to the original. If Doom 3 left you wanting more, you'll find what you're looking for in Resurrection of Evil.

The most beautiful Final Fantasy game yet is an imperfect but still impressive saga that will touch your heart.

Don't let the scattered execution snafus be of great concern: Darksiders II is remarkably well put together, particularly in light of its impressive scope. Bigger doesn't mean better, of course, but this isn't a "more of the same, just bigger" kind of sequel.

This colourful adventure is more Lewis Carroll than Tim Burton and fuses puzzles with exploration to great effect.

One of those rare games that really draws you into the experience with fantastic gameplay and quality graphics and sound.

Darksiders II merges action, exploration, and loot-driven progression into an excellent and sizable adventure.

Offers just about everything a racer could want (with the exception of a comprehensive printed manual) and works hard to satiate the thirsts of both the action/arcade crowd and the generally more demanding devotees of realistic/simulation competition.

This franchise lives and dies by its gameplay, and on that front, it does not disappoint.

Frozen Synapse is a great turn-based game with stirring tactical multiplayer battles that reward clever thinking.

Other games stimulate emotion with manipulative music and teary monologues; Assassin's Creed III rouses your mind and your heart by giving you a glimpse into its characters' souls and letting you judge them on their own merits.

This third-person action game is a great open-world adventure for anyone with an appetite for destruction.

What's most impressive about Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is how few compromises have been made to the core gameplay in its transition to the 3DS. From the fantastic visuals to the speed of combat, it's as great a fighting game as you'll find on a handheld, encompassing most of the features of the console versions.

This horror-themed sequel's thrilling set pieces and bloody combat are remarkably satisfying but not for the faint of heart.

Madden NFL 08 is a significant step forward for the series, bringing to the table features that are legitimately game-changing.

NBA Live 2001 is beautiful, and it is still a lot of fun to play. By far, it's the best basketball game -- pros or otherwise -- on the PlayStation 2.

It's surprising that so many small annoyances and glitches made their way into a game of such general high quality. Still, most players will be able to look past them and enjoy Mass Effect for what it is: A terrific role-playing game with great production values and fun, exciting action.

Dead Rising's PC debut is an addictive open-world adventure that expertly balances its bloody combat with a goofy sense of humor.

The additions and alterations aren't game changing, and Diamond and Pearl do what the Pokémon franchise has always done best--deliver an accessible and highly addictive role-playing game experience.

Symphony of the Night was an amazing adventure back in 1997, and even after 10 years, it's still most definitely worth playing.

[It] has a steep learning curve and isn't terribly lengthy, but outside of these main gripes, it is also a solid platform for Marvel's Spider-Man character.

With its tense pacing, its shadowy ambiance, and the endlessly satisfying act of slipping past an entire squad of guards, Mark of the Ninja is an excellent adventure that will leave its mark on you for months to come.

Other M is a strong departure from previous Metroid games, with fantastic combat and exciting bosses that make this another great entry in the series.

An action-packed tower defense game that improves upon its predecessor at almost every opportunity.

Child of Eden may be over quickly, but it offers emotional highs you'll want to experience again and again.

Still hands-down the cutest franchise on the PSP, LocoRoco 2 adds enough new ideas to its already unique gameplay to make it a great improvement on the original game.

Blitz old-timers will balk at the game's completely different timing and needlessly expanded playbooks, but in the end, NFL Blitz 2002 is the best arcade-style football game on the home market.

This amazing tribute to metal delivers a hugely entertaining gaming experience despite missing a few chords.

This may not be Assassin's Creed III, but like Ezio's smirk, Brotherhood is too irresistible to ignore.

While the game surely has its share of problems, it must be said that the game presents itself extremely well and really is fun to play, even if it is almost completely devoid of challenge.

The fun and funny Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues gushes personality and is the game's best add-on yet.

A strong and innovative, and great-looking, real-time game of business management and city building.

Packs more dramatic moments in its gameplay than most any multiplayer-focused action game in the past few years.

Team Fortress 2 sets a brilliant stage for its signature brand of class-based multiplayer mayhem.

Limbo contains the wonderful aesthetics and crafty puzzles from the previous versions, but the atmosphere isn't quite as striking on a smaller screen.

It's a beautiful-looking, sprawling, and completely open-ended game that allows you to play pretty much however you like as long as you're willing to fill in a few blanks using your imagination.

Between its entertaining and engaging scenarios, the improvements and enhancements to the regular epic game, and the functional multiplayer, it's the expansion pack that Play the World should have been, and much, much more.

Dead Space 2's thrilling campaign and intense multiplayer make it an excellent game and a worthy follow-up to its superb predecessor.

It offers up lots of spectacularly visceral, bloody, in-your-face action through its numerous, action-packed single-player levels. And it looks beautiful, it sounds great, and it's got a pretty good old-school multiplayer deathmatch mode, for good measure.

Isn't terribly different from the original Burnout--it just makes significantly better use of all the elements that the game does well, from its blistering sense of speed to its hilariously destructive crashes.

As with Final Fantasy VII and VIII, the music arrangements are distinctly synthesized and sound 16-bit.

[An] exceptional rally game--one that has no equal on the PlayStation 2.

The gameplay holds up tremendously well on the PSP platform, as does the presentation. But the lack of compelling, differing content makes it a tough sell to those who previously invested $50 in this year's game.

With its beefy cast, impressive Scenario Campaign mode, and expansive customisation options, Tekken 6 is the new heavyweight in the fighting game arena.

The best part about State of Emergency is the way every facet of the game comes together to form a perfect feeling of panic.

The story may not wow you with its political trappings, but Raiden's transformation and the gameplay that springs from it are the most alluring reasons to give him another shot as the leading man. If you're even vaguely interested in the Metal Gear series or intelligent hack and slash games, do not pass up a chance to play this exciting and addicting hybrid.

Aside from a few minor issues, it's an extremely good port of one of SNK's last great NeoGeo games and is itself one of the last great games for the Dreamcast.

It retains enough simulation-style elements to appease those craving a realistic game, thus giving NBA Live 2003 a much broader appeal than its direct competitor, "NBA 2K3."

CS:GO adds plenty, tweaks a little, and keeps the best parts of the classic multiplayer FPS. If you're into shooters, team-based gameplay, or just classic games that are updated well, you won't do better at the moment than CS:GO.

On the PlayStation 3, playing with a controller is very difficult because CS:GO lacks the hand-holding auto-aim that console FPS players are generally used to.

This perennial time-travel adventure is worth falling in love with all over again.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a blast to play, despite losing some of the high-level intricacies found in its predecessor. It's an exceptional synthesis of cohesion and chaos, and shows real improvement over its predecessor.

The traditional CS modes are excellently balanced. Games are fast-paced without being unmanageable, skill is rewarded in both the planning and outfitting stages as well as in battle, and good teamwork typically beats individual skills.

A great second episode in Telltale's Walking Dead franchise. The story borrows much from the graphic novels and is predictable even if you haven't read them, and the performance issues cause some grief, but this is an excellent adventure that needs to be played by every horror fan.

This is the game that your Vita has been waiting for. For months, the shiny handheld has been aching to show you what it's really capable of, and with the arrival of Little Big Planet PS Vita, it finally has an opportunity to do so.

The question, then, isn't whether or not you should play Soulcalibur IV, it's which version you should play.

New aircraft, new missions, and new multiplayer racing modes make Acceleration a worthy addition for any Flight Simulation X fanatic.