A remarkably satisfying conclusion to a beloved trilogy, and a poignant and memorable role-playing action game in its own right.

A remarkably satisfying conclusion to a beloved trilogy, and a poignant and memorable role-playing action game in its own right.

A new and effective pitching system makes MLB 12: The Show a solid baseball experience.

The intriguing world of Binary Domain rises above its conventional appearance, thanks to the satisfaction of shooting robots to pieces.

The intriguing world of Binary Domain rises above its conventional appearance, thanks to the satisfaction of shooting robots to pieces.

The spooky sights of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 look better than ever in Silent Hill HD Collection.

Street Fighter X Tekken is fun for a wide range of players while still offering the complexity serious fighting fans have come to expect.

Street Fighter X Tekken is fun for a wide range of players while still offering the complexity serious fighting fans have come to expect.

By the alchemy of developer thatgamecompany's skill and vision, it is also unique, exciting, mysterious, and utterly lovely, with mesmerising landscapes and stirring music. It deploys more 'gamey' elements than any of the developer's works before it, and does so successfully, while maintaining the feel of an evocative, interactive art piece.

Escape Plan brings action and puzzles to the Vita with style, but awkward controls crash the party.

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

Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass carries many of the same high and lows as its retro adventure game forebears.

Army Corps of Hell captures the devilish combat of its setting but is too repetitive to sustain that appeal.

Enthralling combat and a potent story make Devil Survivor 2 a great strategy role-playing game.

Asura's Wrath isn't much of a game, but its over-the-top, anime-style story makes it easier to overlook its shortcomings.

Asura's Wrath isn't much of a game, but its over-the-top, anime-style story makes it easier to overlook its shortcomings.

Killer storytelling and creative demon slaying make the haunting Alan Wake one for the books.

SSX is a terrific evolution of the series that delivers extreme snowboarding thrills like no game before it.

SSX is a terrific evolution of the series that delivers extreme snowboarding thrills like no game before it.

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

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack mixes puzzles, platforming, and charm to provide a slimy good time.

Strange in that it straddles the line between traditional DLC and a stand-alone game. While it's not a direct continuation of the original's story, fans of the first game may find some value in reading through as many manuscript pages as possible, though the lack of any real answers may also be frustrating. On the flip side, those new to the franchise might feel lost, thanks to the surprising absence of any backstory or exposition.

Rayman Origins on the Vita remains every bit as silly and charming as its console counterparts.

Dynasty Warriors Plus comes with new touch-based diversions, but they don't prevent this entry from being the same old button masher.

Ridge Racer offers incredibly poor value, with a lack of compelling content to back up its competent arcade racing credentials.

Snake Eater 3D faithfully recreates the original and introduces many exclusive improvements, making this the best version of the game available.

A game of thrills and missed opportunities. And so it's important to know what you want from this shooter before you commit. Come to it for the thrills of joining a team and mowing down gunners like so many weeds in a Colorado research facility. Come to it for a chilly vision of the future, where the minds of meddlers can be altered with a simple computer program. There are numerous games better at providing single-player satisfaction, however, and this is where Syndicate falters.

Syndicate's cooperative play is undeniably thrilling. Too bad the single-player campaign doesn't reach the same heights.

Syndicate's cooperative play is undeniably thrilling. Too bad the single-player campaign doesn't reach the same heights.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus stumbles with its incorporation of the Vita's features, but harnessing the skills of Ryu Hayabusa is as electrifying as ever.

Warp is an entertaining top-down puzzler that's weighed down by sticky controls and a fleeting sense of identity.

Superb presentation and smart improvements to the Lumines formula make Electronic Symphony a great portable puzzle game.

Touch My Katamari is a fun return to form that ends long before it has a chance to wear out its welcome.

Super Stardust Delta is a solid dual-stick shooter with vibrant visuals that make it a great showcase for the PlayStation Vita's display.

Through a complex system of diplomacy and backstabbing, Crusader Kings II makes every power struggle an engrossing one.

King Arthur II captures the spirit of the legend, but it's weighed down by an inferior wargame.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational proves that more of the same can still be really fun.

The Vita version of Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a fine Diablo clone, but a lack of ambition and a high price hold it back on the platform.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip gets off to an exciting start but sputters and lurches across the finish line.

Technical achievements set Tekken 3D Prime apart from other 3DS games in the genre. Visuals aside, it fails to meet expectations.

Twisted Metal's lightning-fast vehicular combat and large-scale destruction are gleeful, pulse-pounding fun.

Gory combat comes at a high cost in the uneven Shank 2.

Gory combat comes at a high cost in the uneven Shank 2.

Defend your Grannie from mutant hordes in the tough but satisfying Mutant Mudds.

Like the best MMA fighters, UFC Undisputed 3 is well-rounded and impresses in a lot of different areas. It improves upon its predecessors at practically every opportunity and, for the moment, is the undisputed champion of MMA video games.

UFC Undisputed 3 raises the bar for MMA games and is harder to put down than a heavyweight champ.

Gotham City Impostors is frantic fun for shooter fans who want something a little different.

Gotham City Impostors is frantic fun for shooter fans who want something a little different.

Technical issues aside, Gotham City Impostors is a consistently thrilling experience that's easy to recommend.

The novelty of using the various Vita control schemes is a fun reason to play Little Deviants, but score chasing generates most of the game's lasting appeal. The Deviants themselves add little to the package; their generic brand of wackiness and the insipid looping soundtrack are easy to ignore and mute, respectively.

Rhythm Heaven leaves a lasting impression with simple-but-challenging rhythmic tapping and quirky tunes.

Dear Esther spins an intriguing narrative, leaving you to decipher not only the outcome, but if this is even a game.

It's a tracklist that gels brilliantly with the stark visuals of the game, creating an air of cool and a sense of style that few games can match. Sure, it's a style you've seen in countless iterations of Wipeout, but it still works brilliantly. Coupled with the exciting racing, lengthy campaign, and multiplayer modes, Wipeout 2048 is fantastic fun and a great addition to the series.

Golden Abyss is full of disappointments. The action set pieces are great, but there's too few of them; the voice acting is exemplary, but the narrative doesn't do it justice; the touch and motion controls work well for some actions, but they ruin others. For every moment of enjoyment you have, something comes along to spoil it. Despite its problems, though, Golden Abyss still succeeds in delivering some intense, entertaining action and combat.

Despite some omissions in FIFA Football, it's as close to the full-blown console versions as a portable FIFA game has ever got, playing a precise, challenging, and--most importantly--exciting game of football. The great gameplay is backed up by a slick presentation with easy-to-navigate menus, well-delivered commentary, and crisp, detailed visuals. Deep single-player modes and smooth online play ensure you have plenty to keep you occupied as well.

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

Good visuals and accessible controls can't mask Grand Slam Tennis 2's weak career mode.

Good visuals and accessible controls can't mask Grand Slam Tennis 2's weak career mode.

Law & Order: Legacies is not about making you the detective or the prosecutor. It's about making you the most basic trainee; the one who sits in a small room watching recordings of professionals at work and answering rudimentary viewing comprehension questions. There is some vicarious pleasure in being carried along on a wave of correct answers, but seeing that wave continue undeterred despite your missteps is a disheartening reminder that you are an insignificant part of the proceedings.

One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP is a dull, time-consuming collect-a-thon that fails to do the license justice.

Levels are linear and predictable, focused on ushering you from one straightforward encounter to another so that you can go crazy with those deranged arms of yours. If you are a fan of the original game, bear this in mind: The Darkness II is a fun, very short FPS without the authentic atmosphere and subtle touches that made its predecessor so intriguing. Still, if you've got a lust for virtual blood, The Darkness II leaks enough of it to satiate you.

Levels are linear and predictable, focused on ushering you from one straightforward encounter to another so that you can go crazy with those deranged arms of yours. If you are a fan of the original game, bear this in mind: The Darkness II is a fun, very short FPS without the authentic atmosphere and subtle touches that made its predecessor so intriguing. Still, if you've got a lust for virtual blood, The Darkness II leaks enough of it to satiate you.

Levels are linear and predictable, focused on ushering you from one straightforward encounter to another so that you can go crazy with those deranged arms of yours. If you are a fan of the original game, bear this in mind: The Darkness II is a fun, very short FPS without the authentic atmosphere and subtle touches that made its predecessor so intriguing. Still, if you've got a lust for virtual blood, The Darkness II leaks enough of it to satiate you.

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

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

If you have cherished memories of playing The Simpsons Arcade Game, keep holding on to them and ignore this port.

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

The novel charm of Oil Rush is often marred by its strategic limitations.

Great swordplay carries the weight in Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword.

There's a lot to love about Puddle, but its better qualities are often drowned in a sea of frustrations.

By sticking to the series' strengths, Modern Warfare 3 delivers some of the best competitive, cooperate, and single-player shooting in the business.

Flush the Goldfish's fun premise is washed away by its fishy execution.

Enjoyable highs interspersed with crushing lows make NeverDead as inventive as it is frustrating.

Enjoyable highs interspersed with crushing lows make NeverDead as inventive as it is frustrating.

The frequent frustrations of Puddle mean that only the most patient of players will have what it takes to reach the end. That's a shame, because it presents a fascinating journey through forests and foundries, into outer space and inner space.

Fans looking to relive the experience of SoulCalibur's early entries may be irked by this game's new additions. But once the steep learning curve is surmounted, you will find a fresh-yet-familiar fighting system that's fun to explore.

Fans looking to relive the experience of SoulCalibur's early entries may be irked by this game's new additions. But once the steep learning curve is surmounted, you will find a fresh-yet-familiar fighting system that's fun to explore.

Just remember to keep your expectations in check: Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't a timeless adventure in the grand tradition of the beloved series. But if you're curious to see the next stage in this ongoing tale, there's no reason you shouldn't chase after Lightning. After all, she can't defeat Caius without you.

Just remember to keep your expectations in check: Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't a timeless adventure in the grand tradition of the beloved series. But if you're curious to see the next stage in this ongoing tale, there's no reason you shouldn't chase after Lightning. After all, she can't defeat Caius without you.

Genki Bowl VII's four quick activities lack the excitement and humor of your earlier adventures in Steelport.

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

Problematic platforming and awkward action add up to crummy adventures for Zack Zero.

A lighthearted story and smart Kinect integration make Haunt a captivating all-ages adventure.

Quarrel is an unconventional game of conflict and domination that will delight puzzle enthusiasts.

Genki Bowl VII's four quick activities lack the excitement and humor of your earlier adventures in Steelport.

Genki Bowl VII's four quick activities lack the excitement and humor of your earlier adventures in Steelport.

Scarygirl has style to spare, but vexing combat and loose controls get in the way of a great time.

You get a reasonable amount of game for your $9.99. This endearing tribute to the future of the past is a rewarding game that challenges your wits and your reflexes. Despite the game's title, you can stop the Gorg; and although it isn't easy, it's certainly worth doing.

NFL Blitz contains the same shallow fun and aggravating flaws that have existed in the franchise for more than 14 years.

Decent ideas can't rescue this shoddy survival horror game.

A tricky and technical 2D platformer, Dustforce delights the senses with its harmonious score and sweeping sense of momentum.

Fresh puzzle platforming mechanics and great visuals make Mighty Switch Force a fun, though short, crime-fighting adventure.

Decent ideas can't rescue this shoddy survival horror game from its dismal fate.

Choplifter HD retains the core elements of its forebears, but the experience is dampened by some missteps in tone and difficulty.

Crazy power-ups, and a variety of exciting tracks make TNT Racers a shallow good time.

I Heart Geeks lets you make some incredible machines, but a lack of creativity dampens the satisfaction.

Bad gameplay, bad jokes, and bad technical execution make Postal III one bad game.

The surprises are few, but The Old Republic is nonetheless an online RPG of uncommon quality. And with a broad, overarching story to guide you through, you might even reach maximum level with a smile on your face, even if you are one to abandon an MMOG before that point. Such is the power of a beloved universe with so many tales still left to tell.