There's plenty to do in Port Royale 3, but little of it is fun.

Despite the nice multiplayer options, the improved accessibility, and the refined crafting system, the missing elements are a sizable backslide from the PC version. But is the core foundation still a lot of fun? Absolutely--if you temper your expectations.

Fun and frantic, and a great introduction to a typically unfriendly genre.

A short, confusing, and unfulfilling adventure.

Fun for a wide range of players while still offering the complexity serious fighting fans have come to expect.

Figuring out these tactics and tricks makes Starhawk a lot of fun to play, but it's a shame that the transitions between modes are so rocky. Learning harsh lessons and recalibrating your approach isn't a pleasant process, but it's well worth pushing through. These online battlefields are unlike any others.

Revelations 2012 is garbage, and you shouldn't play it.

Lots of content with little depth saps much of the enjoyment out of A Valley Without Wind.

A sleek-looking game of racing and vehicular combat with an intriguing boost mechanic, but there's not much happening under the hood.

Risen 2's slow-paced progression and clumsy combat require and reward patience, something Risen and Gothic veterans have in spades. If you are such a player, you might be surprised by how focused this sequel is when compared with its sprawling, unforgiving predecessors.

A gripping narrative and an irresistible atmosphere of spine-tingling dread make Lone Survivor a compelling horror experience.

Despite a few control issues, Mortal Kombat on the Vita is every bit the great and gruesome fighter as its console counterparts, but with even more bloody content to explore.

Lining up good shots and laying low dozens of foes is a lot of fun, though it can get tiresome to fight your way through yet another area newly populated with thick-headed rifle fodder. Your tolerance for transparently game-y elements will go a long way toward determining how much you enjoy this glorified shooting gallery, but if you relish a good headshot, Sniper Elite V2 has got you covered.

Sniper Elite V2 is a satisfying shooting gallery, though it often does a lackluster job maintaining the illusion.

Fable Heroes is a mediocre four-player brawler that's only partly redeemed by its fabled license.

This is more story than game, so there's little challenge in the hours you spend fleeing and fighting and talking about the zombie hordes. But that approach works here, allowing the game to build upon the cruel, character-driven comic series and stand apart from more mayhem-oriented zombie games like Left 4 Dead and Dead Island.

Bloodforge's striking brutality doesn't stand a chance of overcoming its crushingly dull gameplay.

Bloody, brutal, and hard to put down.

Bloody, brutal, and hard to put down.

Unbalanced difficulty and other issues cast a shadow on Tales of Graces f, but deep combat and endearing characters still shine through.

It's a lightweight package, but UEFA Euro 2012's great presentation captures the grand atmosphere of the tournament.

Prototype 2 isn't the slightest bit novel, but it's so utterly ridiculous that it's hard to wipe that mischievous smile from your face.

A safe sequel. It doesn't add anything particularly new or inventive to the genre, but small tweaks make it more accessible than the original game. Most importantly, it's an unabashedly fun adventure that doesn't have any doubt about what it wants to be.

Phantom Breaker fights a losing battle to provide you with a reason to play it instead of one of its many qualified peers.

The thrilling rides and engrossing competitions return along with robust improvements in Trials Evolution.

It's a lightweight package, but UEFA Euro 2012's great presentation captures the grand atmosphere of the tournament.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is a beautiful and enthralling adventure that feels both archetypal and unique.

Condemned Heroes isn't a bad addition to the series, but it is limited and predictable, which might be a tough sell to those who have seen all of this before. Additionally, the intensely frustrating difficulty makes the game an even dicier proposition for casual gamers or series newbies looking to get into some WWII squad combat. So venture into this one only if you're looking for a lot of repetitive reasons to pull out your hair.

Even though there are some sore points at the moment, the game presents an in-depth tactical challenge for weekend warriors. Just know before pulling the trigger on a purchase that you're dealing with more of an ongoing project than a fully realized game.

Invigorating movement mechanics and solid fundamentals make Tribes: Ascend a lot of free-wheeling fun.

Pandora's Tower is an exciting, chain-swinging race against time to save your beloved from a beastly fate.

If you're into the classic RPG motif, or if you just like a challenge that goes beyond crafting armor and performing endless fetch quests, Grimrock is worth your dime.

To play Botanicula is to peer through a microscope at hidden world and feel like you've made the greatest of discoveries: one of a place that's so overflowing with imagination and so full of wonder that only a person with a heart of stone would fail to be taken in by its charms.

Confrontation's tactical combat occasionally thrills, but it's pitted against a host of issues too powerful for it to overcome.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is fun and varied, but suffers from some minor setbacks on the Vita.

It's the way it handles player choice in particular that makes it most notable. There are no contrived right-versus-wrong decisions to exploit. The results of your decision don't just influence minor details: they lead you down wildly disparate paths, each as entertaining as the others.

Control issues taint the overall experience of the otherwise enjoyable World Gone Sour.

Control issues taint the overall experience of the otherwise enjoyable World Gone Sour.

The unique tower defense hybrid Anomaly: Warzone Earth makes a smooth transition to the Xbox 360.

Small problems occasionally get in the way, but Fez has such intricate puzzles and enticing aesthetics that it's still an engaging journey.

Skullgirls is a risque fighter that wraps sex appeal and smooth jazz skintight around a smartly crafted fighting system.

Gettysburg: Armored Warfare is a busted online real-time strategy/third-person shooter hybrid that falters despite its cool premise.

Skullgirls is a risque fighter that wraps sex appeal and smooth jazz skintight around a smartly crafted fighting system.

Tropico 4: Modern Times takes the series into the contemporary world, but not without a number of problems.

This stand-alone expansion modernizes Total War while remaining true to tradition.

Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure is an enchanting rhythm adventure that really brings the funk.

Disgaea 3 does a lousy job of familiarizing you with its complex mechanics, but rewarding tactical depth and goofy humor make the learning curve worth climbing.

Blacklight: Retribution doesn't stand out from the crowd, but this free-to-play shooter offers a decent amount of bang for your non-buck.

Varied track design isn't enough to save Wheels of Destruction from a trip to the junkyard.

The enjoyable and derivative The Splatters proves that slime can get just as physical as any angry avians you might know.

Constant tension and difficult emotional decisions make I Am Alive a powerful adventure.

While light on extras, the Devil May Cry HD Collection shows that two-thirds of the original DMC trio are still fun today.

Inazuma Eleven 2 offers a new story and a couple of gameplay tweaks but is ultimately more of the same.

Inazuma Eleven 2 offers a new story and a couple of gameplay tweaks but is ultimately more of the same.

By creating intriguing rules and pushing its ideas to impossible places, Closure cements itself as a great puzzler.

Diabolical Pitch is ridiculous, but in all the wrong ways.

Silly dance sequences lighten the mood, but sluggish combat and a forgettable narrative make Kinect Star Wars a weak choice.

Tiger Woods 13 still presents a reasonably good golf game, but there isn't much new here save subtly improved PS Move and gamepad controls.

A bevy of problems ensures that South Park: Tenorman's Revenge is a tedious ordeal even for those who love the television show.

Tiger Woods 13 still presents a decent golf game, but there isn't much new here, and many added features like Kinect support come with problems.

Yesterday's unsteady narrative is disappointingly brief, though solid puzzles and nice visuals make it a pleasant diversion.

You'd be doing yourself a great disservice to dismiss Unbounded just because it doesn't handle like you're used to, or because Reiko isn't there to mentally undress during loading screens.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is a dramatic departure for the series, but one that's filled with some gloriously destructive, fast-paced racing.

Sine Mora infuses classic shoot 'em up gameplay with time manipulation and a grim narrative that sets it apart from its peers in all the right ways.

Painting destruction becomes tiresome in the repetitive Sumioni: Demon Arts.

All flash and no substance: Ninja Gaiden 3 is a shallow action game with little of the series' challenge and depth.

When it hits its stride, Uprising is a huge amount of fun. Once you get over the initial control discomfort, there's a deep and satisfying shooter to be found here.

Caught between being a space sim, a real-time strategy game, and a role-playing game, Starpoint Gemini tries to do a little bit of everything, and fails to do anything well.

With inventive gravity-based puzzles and new birds to fling, Angry Birds Space is a fresh take on a familiar formula.

Armored Core V can field some fierce firefights, but the combat is encumbered by repetitious missions, simplistic objectives, and dull visual design.

Armored Core V can field some fierce firefights, but the combat is encumbered by repetitious missions, simplistic objectives, and dull visual design.

Mundane combat and a lackluster use of its characters prevent Yakuza: Dead Souls from capturing the energy and fierceness of its predecessors.

Warp is an entertaining top-down puzzler that's hobbled by a bumpy transition from console to PC.

The title sums up Shoot Many Robots, a kill-crazed co-op shooting spree that offers a lot of action for just $10.

All flash and no substance: Ninja Gaiden 3 is a shallow action game with little of the series' challenge and depth.

A frighteningly flawed action-heavy spin-off that withers in the shadow of its superior alternatives.

A frighteningly flawed action-heavy spin-off that withers in the shadow of its superior alternatives.

This series has a beautiful visual style and an aggressive combat rhythm uniquely its own. But while the core mechanics remain intact, Generations drops some features found in its predecessors and offers shallow alternatives.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations improves on the series' fun and flashy fighting mechanics, but drops a few features along the way.

FIFA Street's unique brand of trick-fuelled football is heaps of fast-paced, stylish fun.

Blades of Time overcomes hurdles obstacles of its own creation with the strength of its novel time-twisting abilities.

Blades of Time overcomes hurdles obstacles of its own creation with the strength of its novel time-twisting abilities.

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

FIFA Street's unique brand of trick-fuelled football is heaps of fast-paced, stylish fun.

From side quests to sound design, Silent Hill: Downpour isn't afraid of change. The result is a captivating game more expansive than the series has ever seen.

Exploitable enemy AI and finicky physics spoil Shinobido 2's stealthy aspirations.

Deep Black: Reloaded squanders its potential on broken cover-based shooting sequences.

Fly the much friendlier skies with Microsoft Flight, which is more structured than its simulation-heavy predecessors.

Issues aside, MLB 12: The Show demonstrates a bright future for portable baseball games.

Though an enjoyable addition to the series, Mario Party 9 is much too familiar and predictable.

From side quests to sound design, Silent Hill: Downpour isn't afraid of change. The restult is a captivating game more expansive than the series has ever seen.

A good pitching mechanic can't mask the many faults of MLB 2K12.

A good pitching mechanic can't mask the many faults of MLB 2K12.

Incoboto's unique puzzles and charming visuals mesh beautifully with the lonely tale to ensure you fall hopelessly in love with a boy and his sun.

The series' transition to real-time strategy is a rough one in this flawed remake.

Infiltrating enemy territory and tactically eliminating evildoers is tense and enjoyable in Unit 13.

Nexuiz is a smart, speedy shooter for a great price.

This excellent wargame/real-time strategy hybrid embodies the best of both worlds while destroying ours in a hypothetical Cold War-goes-hot setting.