Modern Combat doesn't really look, sound, or play like any of the PC Battlefield games, which might be a little disappointing for those looking for more than just another arcade-style shooter.

Double Fine Happy Action Theater's imaginative scenarios make for unstructured, lighthearted fun.

Tooth and Tail is a bizarre cocktail of a dozen great ideas. It's a minimalist RTS that tosses out complex tech trees in favor of action-packed but accessible play. It's set vaguely in Eastern Europe in the 1910s, with both the Russian Revolution and World War I in full swing. Playing up the grim tumult of the era, Tooth and Tail also casts itself with all manner of cute--though ragged and crestfallen--critters. With so many disparate items, it's a wonder that Tooth and Tail manages to work at all, but it excels with but a few minor blemishes.

FIFA 06 is particularly unusual in that it ditches some of the series' recent innovations in favor of tried-and-tested gameplay mechanics. However, it also adds plenty of new features that help make it the most realistic and accessible (and best) FIFA game to date.

This demanding World War II real-time strategy game delivers an epic campaign and a new take on tactical combat.

This is an incredibly slick package, and not just on the surface, either. On Tour tightens up a lot of the underlying course designs and gameplay mechanics, and it quickens the pace without betraying the fundamentals of SSX.

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes hits the sweet spot for this continually improving strategy franchise.

The Finals stands out amongst its contemporaries thanks to its thrilling destruction, fast-paced gunplay, and anomalous approach to familiar objectives. There are some balancing issues to iron out, its progression system needs expediting, and there are too few maps, but these flaws are ultimately minor when you're in the thick of the action with explosions and gunfire echoing all around you. The Finals is an absurdly fun shooter with the potential to grow, so here's hoping it's one of the success stories.

The game's level and mission design are extremely well done and provide an ample amount of different activities, keeping the gameplay fresh from start to finish.

A great game with thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer, quality presentation, and some mildly-interesting tilt-control support. It is missing a couple of features that its Xbox 360 counterpart contains, and the frame rate is far less reliable in this version, but the overall intensity and playability of Call of Duty 3 remains intact, despite these few issues.

The world courses are absolutely packed with detail, and they feature some really spectacular special effects.

War of the Monsters will appeal to anyone with an appreciation for the source material, but aside from its graphics, the game doesn't quite live up to its potential.

Racing fans looking for a new and unique challenge that can be as rewarding as it is deep should give MotoGP3 a try, and players looking for the definitive motorcycling experience for the PlayStation 2 shouldn't bother looking any further.

Combining a great premise with an excellent physics engine, this may be the most realistically exciting vehicular violence since Steve McQueen blazed through the streets of San Francisco as Frank Bullitt.

What sets this game apart from the pack is its depth: the number and variety of its enemies, weapons, and levels are unmatched.

Penny Arcade Episode 2 has the same humor and frantic combat of the previous game, but its devotion to the absurd will alienate some people.

The length keeps the game from achieving greatness, but with its great cast of characters, fun story, and toe-tapping soundtrack, Incredible Crisis still provides an incredibly satisfying, albeit incredibly short, video game experience.

With solid gameplay feel, exceptional customizability, and a deep legacy mode, ESPN College Hoops is easily recommendable to any college basketball fan.

The sheer number of available teams, modes, and bonuses is simply staggering.

Much of this episode feels forced, with characters being maneuvered into position to wrap everything up in the finale.

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.

Despite the abrupt ending, I had a great time with Jetpack Joyride 2 up to that point. I am eagerly anticipating what gets added to the game next and fully plan to play it. The addition of gunplay and the new campaign-focused design makes the sequel feel fresh while bringing forward what was so fun about the original all without making any gameplay sacrifices. I just wish it was a complete package.

Thanks to a crash bug and features that don't work well or don't work at all, Tiger Woods 08 on the Xbox 360 is a big disappointment.

Developer Wishfully clearly has an eye for the cinematic, charting a planetary voyage that's both suspenseful and heartfelt. Planet of Lana is about the bond between a young girl and her loyal companion, and also our own relationship with nature and our planet. It falters at times, miring through occasional tedium, but the strong connection it cultivates between its characters carries it forward as you delve into a variety of engaging puzzles and a gorgeous art style that breathes its strange but familiar world to life. Planet of Lana might not be the very best game released this year, but it will persevere as one of the most memorable.

It's not just another frightening trek through the dark corridors of the metro, but a rhythmic symphony of surging dread and emerging hope.

The first portable SoulCalibur is very good, but it lacks both compelling single-player content and online play.

Seeing Reanimal through in one sitting made me feel like I'd accompanied the siblings on their journey, holding their tiny, innocent hands as they uncovered horrors beyond comprehension. The conclusion of Reanimal leaves the door open for further explanation, so the incoming DLC for the game has me genuinely excited. Unfortunately, I am still left with a bunch of questions, and with no release date for the DLC, I'm in a state of purgatory. The imagery and implications linger in my mind much like the siblings' nightmares. While Reanimal is certainly unsettling, it's also quite beautiful. It shines a light on the importance of companionship--while you may face moments of uncertainty, and unsafety, you're not alone. And that's invaluable.

Revisiting Octopath Traveler on PC has been a treat, not the least of all because of the available graphics settings that let you tweak the game's iconic hybrid visuals. This is an obvious feature in most PC games, but Octopath's mix of retro pixel art and modern post-processing effects are unlike most games. With one foot in the past and another in the present, adjusting resolution, textures, and lighting effects lets you dictate, to a point, which half of its aesthetic identity is most prominent. It's not a game changer, but it is an appreciated option that gives the PC version a slight edge over the Switch original.

Despite the game's uneven presentation, Links 2004 is still a good choice, especially for Xbox owners to whom online play is of paramount importance.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 makes a smooth transition to the PlayStation Vita, keeping its fast-paced combat intact and adding some new features.

New controls, improved online play, and eight-player support make FIFA 09 All-Play a fine upgrade to last year’s Wii debut.

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are delightful reimaginings of the series' origins and a deep RPG in their own right. It makes a lot of smart improvements on the original Red, Blue and Yellow while holding on to what made them so special in the first place. Fans of the series might be let down by the lack of features they've come to expect, but Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee take the Pokemon formula in some exciting new directions.

But the game design doesn't take full advantage of the huge city, so instead you'll usually end up repeating the same half-dozen or so tasks over and over again, with some unique challenges thankfully sprinkled in to keep things moving.

Lock's Quest's intuitive build mode and frantic, engaging battles are great for an action strategy game on the go.

The Last Story is a brilliant role-playing game that's as rich and emotionally affecting as the best in the genre.

There's no question this is the series' most realistic representation of the sport yet, one that will please fans and newcomers alike.

It's why, unlike Diablo III, I don't foresee myself spending a lot more time with Diablo II: Resurrected. That's not to say the adventure was without merit, and it's certainly great to have a way to play one of Blizzard's classics with a coat of paint that does its visual aesthetic justice so many years later. But outside of players already well-versed with the game's aged design choices and imbalance, there's not a lot here outside of a history lesson for new players to enjoy. A lot of the time spent playing Diablo II: Resurrected, I just longed to return to Diablo III.

Despite its problems, Nidhogg 2 is spectacular, engrossing, funny, tragic, and dramatic in equal measure, and it will no doubt become another party game staple. Nidhogg 2 sacrifices simplicity for more options, and it doesn't prove to be a good trade. But when the underlying action is this good, I'll put up with the odd unwelcome dagger.

What SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 improves isn't necessarily what the series actually needed to improve, but on its own merits, it's still a great wrestling game.

When I started BoxBoy!, I thought it would be a game for kids. In the end, it felt like a game especially made for me.

Tiger Woods 12 is another excellent golf sim, in large part thanks to the addition of the Masters at Augusta.

There are bigger, more complex, more beautiful open-world games on the market. But none of them are this good at making you feel so young at heart.

The act of flight feels natural, and the next high score is always so close that it's easy to spend hours saying, "Just one more try." It may be a simple package on the surface, but Luftrausers will have you taking to the skies again and again.

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene is a great evolution for the classic series and one of the best space shooters in recent years.

Kingdoms of Amalur's combat and character advancement are fantastic enough to overshadow how bland everything else is.

While the first episode was too perfunctory in how it set the stage and got everything into motion, you can now see both the story and the characters taking shape and evolving. This slow-burn approach should continue to pay dividends as the saga matures in future episodes.

While the PC version of GRAW offers the most impressive and expansive campaign, the extreme system requirements and multiplayer headaches make this tactical shooter feel rougher around the edges than it should.

Rock Band for the Wii is still a great game, even if it's scaled back and late to the party.

This charming adventure has its pitfalls, but it's still a lot of fun.

A solid port of a one-of-a-kind role-playing game that is endlessly appealing to genre fans who are looking for something different, but it's a bit too dense for everyone else.

Konami has crafted a whimsical take on baseball that's as deep as you want it to be.

Triple Deluxe is an absolute diamond of a game, and cements Kirby's place as nothing less than a bone fide platforming superstar.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a great arcade flight sim that packs in a lot of action at a low price.

The Russian nesting dolls of Stacking are every bit as enchanting on the PC as they were on consoles.

A remarkable action game that tells a compelling story from start to finish.

Mario Party Superstars certainly provides the highs that the series is capable of, but unless you're restricted to playing on the Switch Lite or itching to play with a Pro Controller, there's a better version of this game available for you and your loved ones to play in Super Mario Party.

There's definitely room for improvement down the road, but Rocksmith's debut has one thing going for it above all else: it's the real deal. This ambitious guitar game delivers on its promise of intense rhythm gaming action tied to the act of actual guitar playing. It has something to offer players of all skill levels, whether you're picking up and learning the guitar for the first time or have been playing for ages.

The gorgeous city of Constantinople takes center stage in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, another great historical adventure.

For all of the elements in which Second Son excels, the narrative fails to carry its share of the weight. Still, don't become mired in the negativity as Delsin so often does. Instead, just laugh at the cheesy dialogue and chortle at how extreme the morality system is. Second Son is a great game that knows exactly what it is, and sucks you in with its unfiltered fun.

Guitar Hero Live's reinvented mechanics makes music-driven gameplay fresh and fun again, and while that's a truly massive and meaningful change for the genre as a whole, the campaign's off-putting presentation and GHTV's unpleasant microtransactions all sour the experience built up around that gameplay.

The Division's haunting recreation of midtown Manhattan might be the most impressive urban world outside of a Rockstar game.

The tennis action is fast and fun in Get a Grip, but a meandering story keeps you off the court for too long.

You might just find something you like, something completely different, or something that emotionally affects you in ways you never thought possible from a video game. And that alone makes Proteus a winner.

Armello picks and chooses a variety of elements from board, card, 4X, and role-playing games without demanding either a familiarity with or a fondness for any genre. It also leaves a lot of room to engage as deeply as you want with the game's guts without feeling like you're floundering if you don't. Whether you're bumbling your way to the top or playing all your cards right, Armello makes regicide ridiculously entertaining.

Robin Hood gets its subject matter right, and with plenty of playability, storytelling, and atmosphere.

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

The only real problem with Loopy Landscapes is that it doesn't add two much-needed elements to RollerCoaster Tycoon: a free-for-all mode in which you're not constrained by scenario objectives, and a means of controlling the game speed.

The game loses much of the original PC version's polish in translation to the PS2--loading times are bad, and the game's sluggish frame rate and blurry textures aren't flattering, especially if you've seen the far-superior-looking PC and Xbox versions...Otherwise outstanding.

Though it introduces a few new features that don't quite work, it retains and improves upon virtually every element of the original, both in its single-player campaign and in its multiplayer mode.

Given that "Hitman 2" was such a huge improvement on the original, it's inherently somewhat disappointing that the new Hitman: Contracts is really just a rehash. It's more of the same, replete with everything that was good and everything that wasn't so good about the 2002 game.

Although it has fewer features than other baseball video games, Baseball Advance is both fun and impressive.

Blizzard's fast-moving racing game is at its most fun when you're playing it with someone else.

A fun handheld game that should please anyone who's looking for an action game with teeth.

A very smart game with great puzzles, yet there's not enough variety in those puzzles to keep it completely entertaining throughout.

A racing game that puts drivers in the spotlight without sacrificing exciting on-track action.

A surfing game that exhibits a high level of quality in every facet of its execution.

Those purely looking for a first-person shooter won't find that NightFire is the best choice around, but as a Bond game, NightFire successfully re-creates the style, presentation, and action of its source material.

Adol the Red has some trouble finding his footing, but his sword remains true in this remake of an Ys classic.

Deficiencies in the passing game along with technical hiccups stemming from the game's often-comical physics still exist, but Madden 15's few missteps do little to detract from an otherwise strong outing.

Dicey Dungeons is a charming and often rewarding game, as long as you learn to accept that sometimes the dice won't roll your way.

UEFA Euro 2008 plays a better game of football than anything else on the market, but only just.

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene is a great evolution for the classic series and one of the best space shooters in recent years.

This great remake gives a timeless role-playing classic the luxury treatment.

RoboBlitz may be short, but it's also one great-looking, catchy grab bag of classic 3D platform challenges.

This entertaining puzzle game requires quick reflexes as well as quick thinking, but it's rarely as challenging as it looks.

The excitement of arcade-style supermoves, combined with the deep mechanics of the real sport, makes The Bigs 2 a thrilling baseball game.

Smart and rewarding, Wargame: ALB is one of those rare strategy games that give more back to you the more you put into playing them.

This addition to Cities: Skylines features all of the cinematic appeal of exposing your homemade municipalities to the wrath of God--along with a sober assessment of how such upheavals have to be planned for and managed in the real world. As a result, this is one of the best treatments of disasters in a city simulation, blending the actual demands of emergency planning measures with apocalyptic moments that ratchet up the tension in the virtual mayor’s office.

Superliminal is a great puzzle experience, full of smart ideas that are richly realized. The game's playful use of the first-person camera and clever perspective manipulation puzzles take video game tropes and mechanics most players will be familiar with and wring something truly fresh out of them. Superliminal achieves its clear central aim--it offers up some genuinely fresh perspectives on what first-person puzzle games can do.

Even though the plot devolves into a trope-filled sludge pool by the end, I don’t feel like Scarlet Nexus was a waste of time. Yes, the excitement of combat begins to taper off towards the end of Scarlet Nexus’s twenty-odd-hour runtime--and the areas in the final stretch of the game feel overly long--but I had a good deal of fun mixing up my SAS abilities, crushing enemies in my Brain Field, and watching my team have a video game tournament at our base to settle an argument over living space boundaries. It might not be a new pinnacle of action-game storytelling, but Scarlet Nexus is still plenty of fun in the right places.

Farewell North is a grounded, slice-of-life game given some fantastical elements through Ches' unique perspective. As it reaches its emotional climax, it becomes a stirring meditation on the role pets play in their humans' lives as comfort and support, and likewise, the role that humans play in the lives of their pets as providers and protectors. While its waypointing can be occasionally frustrating, it's a sweet, emotionally resonant experience that will stick with you, and maybe prompt a little extra cuddle time with your own pets.

Football Manager is about progress, not revolution, which is arguably what its audience wants, and exactly what this year's game provides.

Though The Suffering tends to rely more on startling you with visual effects and sudden attacks than on actually trying to scare you, it's still a pretty refreshing take on horror-themed games.

Dozens of insanely catchy tracks, fantastic online support, and a few new gameplay hooks will have you craving the next race the second you finish the last one.

The PSP game mostly has the same great gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and sublime commentary the PS2 iteration has.

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 feels perfectly at home on the portable system. It retains all the same game modes, features, and good looks of the previous console versions, but smartly adds a two-player mode, where the sense of teamwork is more palpable and there’s a distinct sense of accomplishment when two players work together to trap a whole string of delicious frightened ghosts for big points.

This is a game that tries to straddle the line between arcade action and sublime simulation and never succeeds at either. PES is at its best when it's selective with its realism: here's hoping next year it can go back to doing what it does best.

No matter how frustrated I grew with the game's semi-indestructible enemies or its repetitive leveling structure, I absolutely could not stop playing. The world was too engrossing, the loot was too enticing, and the campaign was too gripping for me to simply walk away. I stopped caring about the game's flaws after the first few hours and proceeded to lose myself in obsessive stat optimization and cooperative gun battles. The problems (and frustration) never disappeared, but I was more than happy to play through the pain.