Varied missions, hard-hitting melee combat, and a captivating setting make Sleeping Dogs an enjoyable escapade.

Goofing around and pursuing high marks on these leaderboards is fun, but it's the atmospheric city and the varied story missions that make Sleeping Dogs an alluring adventure. It may have more violence than you'd want in a typical vacation, but this is still a fun-filled Hong Kong getaway that will leave you with many happy memories.

Deftly blending tried-and-true mechanics with a brand-new way to move, Hybrid is a fresh, exciting shooter.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a fun, overly familiar adventure that lacks imagination in its level design.

Artistic pleasures combine with death-defying platforming in the excellent Sound Shapes.

Persona 4 Arena is a fast-paced fighter that can be easily enjoyed even if you're not a Persona fan. With the auto-combo system, combat is initially accessible, but it quickly reveals its complexity as you explore the intricacies of each character's persona and individual traits.

Persona 4 Arena is the latest fighter from developer Arc System Works and matches their high standard of quality while also being accessible for newcomers.

Awesomenauts is a deep multiplayer battler with the approachability of a Saturday-morning cartoon.

7554 is a modern curiosity that plays like a shabby relic.

The Expendables 2 feels like a natural extension of its source material, but it's likely to please only a certain breed of old-school game fan.

The Political Machine 2012 updates the Beltway players and the hot-button issues, but keeps the same gameplay as its 2008 predecessor.

Multiplayer co-op and a number of other great additions make diving into Orcs Must Die! 2 a delight.

Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time weaves a complex and captivating tale, but the combat doesn't pull its weight.

The pieces are in place for a fine adventure, but Rainbow Moon's shallow mechanics have limited appeal.

Deadlight draws you in with its rich, pervasive atmosphere, but doesn't give you much to do once you're there.

Orc: Vengeance is an engrossing dungeon-crawler wrapped up in some beautifully detailed visuals.

No, Disney isn't for everyone, but unless you're laden with a heart of stone, it's hard not to be taken in by Kingdom Hearts 3D's many charms.

Prototype 2 on the PC is almost identical to its console counterparts, which makes for a brutal and exciting adventure.

SpellForce 2's unique mix of role-playing and real-time strategizing makes a return in Faith in Destiny, but it only brings a few new tricks.

Wreckateer's merry destruction is backed up by enjoyable score-chasing and good Kinect controls.

Meager difficulty diminishes much of Heroes of Ruin's adventurous charm.

An emphasis on its dull single-player campaign, rather than the more entertaining party play mode, fails to make the most of the competitive spirit of the Olympics. There's some fun to be had with friends, but even then the uneven quality of its minigames means that as soon as the Olympics are over, London 2012 will lose its allure.

While it captures the grand feel of the Games, London 2012's dull campaign stops it from taking home the gold.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD just about nails the feel of vintage Tony Hawk, but it's a lean package that fails to capitalize on that foundation.

Dyad is an entertaining collection of clever gameplay mechanics made more exciting by a trippy presentation.

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.

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.

Hoodwink may look pretty, but beneath its lustrous sheen is a short, frustrating, illogical mess that ends before it has a chance to get going.

The rewarding sense of experimentation and problem-solving that dominates this quest makes putting up with its foibles worthwhile, and the twisting, puzzling halls of Quadwrangle Manor are substantial enough to justify the 1200-point ($15) price of admission.

Quantum Conundrum's nutty interdimensional experiments don't go off without a hitch, but this inventive first-person puzzler still produces some enjoyable results.

A limited online community and a myriad of bugs hurts Fray, a turn-based strategy game.

Inconsistent writing and shallow characterizations keep this adventure game from fully resonating.

The most fundamental aspects of moment-to-moment interaction fail to engage, and this is the unfortunate first impression that could push players to a more immediately fun game. Sadly, the wonderful flexibility and challenge of the Secret World is lost on anyone that quits early on.

A terrible campaign structure and other problems make Ferrari Racing Legends an exercise in frustration.

Endless Space is a relentlessly difficult sci-fi strategy game, challenging your intelligence at every turn.

Dungeon Twister has depth to spare, but that doesn't entirely work in its favor.

It's a shame there are so few noteworthy changes, because the core gameplay is still well done. But recycling the same content isn't enough to make this worth buying. NCAA Football 13 is another entry in a long-running franchise that desperately needs new ideas.

Project Zero 2: Wii Edition is a bleak, nasty horror game that scares every step of the way.

Krater makes a fresh first impression, but beneath the surface, you find generic combat and frustrating design elements.

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.

Dawnguard is an atmospheric and enjoyable return to the frigid lands of Skyrim. Just beware the bugs.

Lively multiplayer modes and a considerable campaign are hampered by bothersome network issues in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

Theatrhythm is not only an endearing nostalgia trip with a killer soundtrack, but a fine rhythm game to boot.

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.

Rebellion is the best way yet to experience the strategic joys of the Sins of a Solar Empire franchise.

This is one of the best traditional point-and-click games out there--it oozes charm, keeps the puzzles sensible, and boasts a story that makes you laugh and warms your heart.

Thomas Was Alone utilizes its diverse characters and varied obstacles to create an engaging platformer.

The disconnect between the gameplay and the narrative elements of Spec Ops: The Line is numbing, which makes it more difficult to contemplate the murky morality of war in the way the game wants you to.

The omission of Peace Walker is unfortunate, but the four games and their additional content easily warrant the $40 asking price. Among the current Vita lineup, this collection glimmers like a diamond in the rough.

What Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 lacks in variety, it makes up for in hilarity.

The disconnect between the gameplay and the narrative elements of Spec Ops: The Line is numbing, which makes it more difficult to contemplate the murky morality of war in the way the game wants you to.

When developer Beenox gives Spidey room to soar, you get caught up in the pure elation of swinging through a spirited city, where helicopters hover overhead and well-wishers call out to you in the streets. And that elation is the best reason to don the suit once more and remind yourself that with great power comes good fun.

The game spends too much time in drab drains and boring science facilities, where its best assets are sidelined in favor of easy combat scenarios. But when developer Beenox gives Spidey room to soar, you get caught up in the pure elation of swinging through a spirited city, where helicopters hover overhead and well-wishers call out to you in the streets.

Although it's still as fun as ever to collect Lego bricks and watch the cutscenes, the lack of real change leads to the feeling that you've seen all this before. Batman is a meticulous self-improver; it would be nice if his Lego games had the same mentality.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes transports the series' problems to an open world, but winning humor shines through the clouds.

Civilization V: Gods and Kings is an eminently worthwhile collection of big and small changes that enhance an already amazing game.

The rewarding sense of experimentation and problem-solving that dominates this quest makes putting up with its foibles worthwhile, and the twisting, puzzling halls of Quadwrangle Manor are substantial enough to justify the $14.99 price of admission.

Pokemon Conquest's fun setting and rewarding strategic elements are hampered by slow, overly simplistic combat.

Steel Battalion is riddled with erratic flaws of the most insidious kind, the kind that make you think you have a chance to master them. You don't. You can only endure them, and on a handful of levels, endure them with some friends in limp online co-op. But Steel Battalion is still miserable, even with company, so unless you're a glutton for punishment, it just isn't worth it.

Velocity is for the most part a fun and inventive little shooter that offers lots of content for very little outlay.

Actually, Lollipop Chainsaw is built for return visits: the game lasts for five hours or so, pushing you to chase high scores and buy enough combos to earn a fabulous end-level grade.

The game has lots of spunk, for sure, but it's ultimately no deeper than its vacuous star.

The PC version of Max Payne 3 is every bit as savage and satisfying as its console predecessors.

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown offers some of the best versus fighting on the market.

If what you want most from a fighting game is a deep, technical, and incredibly rewarding competitive experience, you can't go wrong with Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown.

Babel Rising doesn't rise to the level that you might hope for from a game with such a cool concept.

Harnessing the power of gravity is exhilarating, but dull combat keeps Gravity Rush from being the soaring success it could have been.

If you think all good mysteries should offer their own solutions, Home may feel like hollow entertainment. But by allowing you room to interpret, Home keeps you intellectually engaged even when you aren't playing it, and that's a triumph worth celebrating.

World of Battles: Morningstar offers rewarding real-time strategy depth and tactics at a good price, at least initially.

The Eternity Clock is a simple platformer rife with tacky bugs, abrasive puzzles, and timey-wimey guff.

It is impossible to enjoy the game as a complete experience because you see everything through the eyes of one of the most vapid gaming protagonists ever created, and do all of your adventuring in a world so sickeningly sweet that you should get screened for adult-onset diabetes the moment you put down the gamepad.

Inversion isn't clever in the slightest. It's about as trite as a shooter can get, and its attempts to jazz things up with gravity-based antics come across as a jumbled mess, rather than as the clever invention it so badly wants them to be. Inversion is a third-rate knockoff full of cheap thrills, subpar acting, and a hefty dose of cheese--fun for a B-movie-style evening of masochistic punishment, but like most guilty pleasures, it's probably best to keep this one to yourself.

It has all the earmarks of a classic puzzler that keeps you coming back for more. That's what makes it so frustrating: it's clear there's a good game under the surface, but it's lying at the bottom of a deep pool of frustrating, ill-conceived design decisions.

This creaky relic of the past retails for full price in the present, making it one of the most shamelessly exploitative games in recent memory.

Ugly, boring, and brazenly priced, MIB: Alien Crisis is an absolute embarrassment.

Aggravating combat overwhelms the elements that could have made Sorcery enjoyable.

Dirt Showdown is a satisfying mix of driving tricks and destruction wrapped up in the slickest of presentations.

Gas Guzzlers does some things right, but the whole deal ends up feeling decidedly under par. Graphics are only fair, music is canned and looped, and the voice samples are poor. But beyond its mediocre production values is a wobbly foundation, and that's ultimately Gas Guzzlers' insurmountable flaw.

Wake's journey gets less creepy and more shooty in the fun but flawed American Nightmare.

It's just plain boring.

One thing it isn't is a generic rehash. Dragon's Dogma will remain with you, frustrations and victories alike, when your memories of other games have long since faded.

Dragon's Dogma takes chances, and it's that riskiness that makes this role-playing game so unique among its peers.

Burning Skies leaves little doubt that the Vita is a comfortable home for first-person shooters, but the platform's first FPS is disappointingly dated. Toothless enemies and simplistic level design make for tepid campaign action, and the solid multiplayer suite is too limited to be a big draw.

This new port of Dragon's Lair brings Kinect support and leaderboards to the classic game, but its gameplay is increasingly dated.

Bland presentation and sloppy mechanics sink Battleship more effectively than a torpedo ever could.

If you're looking for the next great rally simulator, you won't find it here. But to ignore Dirt Showdown because of its arcade styling would be to deny yourself one of the most satisfying of pleasures: that of mindless, over-the-top, and--above all--deliciously addictive destruction.

All these guns and abilities are wasted in a game that never makes good on its potential, and what potential you glimpse is overshadowed by a careless porting job that makes you wonder why the teams responsible even bothered in the first place.

There's a good chance you've played games a lot like Diablo III before, and at no point does it dare to surprise you by tinkering with its tried-and-true formula. But it creates such an enticing world and offers up such enjoyable abilities that it makes that formula feel fresh again.

While the addition of cooperative play is a big step in the right direction, the core elements that made Episode 1 a tepid experience persist here: mediocre level design, slow pacing, and erratic levels of fun.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a solid though unremarkable continuation of the long-running formula.

A solid though unremarkable continuation of the long-running formula.

Though the standard gunplay isn't very exciting, stealthly skill shots and diverse combat scenarios provide a lot of entertaining and satisfying moments.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane's emphasis on combat makes it feel fresh in the 4X strategy genre. It just needed some fine-tuning to be truly great.

Confined exploration and entertaining bouts of shallow combat are adequate enough, but are hardly a draw on their own. Thankfully, Game of Thrones pushes its story to the forefront, creating a flawed though memorable addition to the Song of Ice and Fire universe.

While it's competent, it's also mundane, with little incentive for you to stick at it beyond the occasional bout of multiplayer with friends.

The shooting is so tight and the stages so well designed that it reminds you that sometimes you don't need a revolution in game design to have a great time.

Game of Thrones pushes its story to the forefront, creating a flawed though memorable addition to the Song of Ice and Fire universe.

Generic questing aside, Tera is a well-executed game: it's easy on the eyes, smooth under the fingers, and remarkably stable.