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.

Bully's enhanced rerelease is raucously entertaining, but you may need to look past some frustrating glitches to get the most out of it.

Outstanding depth and tactical challenge have been preserved, although not at the expense of the strong storytelling needed to emphasize the sense of awe and wonder in galactic exploration that’s always been a huge part of the genre’s appeal. Amplitude has done a masterful job combining these two elements into a single game, where the quests and strategy and politics and economy are all tied into a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

Despite being plenty of fun and sporting a few new tweaks, Pokemon Black 2 fails to outshine its predecessors.

It's a good single-player shooter with a terrific multiplayer component.

Burns bright, but not as long as you'd like. It's an excellent sequel in that its puzzles and combat have evolved to the next level, and it provides a compelling, if not wholly satisfying, storyline.

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

This funny, fast-paced multiplayer shooter will have you repeatedly begging your friends for just one more rematch.

A remade classic and a passable sequel meet in this fun but inconsistent package.

The host of graphical and gameplay improvements featured in the 2002 edition make this year's Tiger Woods far superior to previous entries in the series...the best golf simulation currently on the console market.

Ghost Recon has some real strengths, but handholding micromanagement, an awkward interface, bugs, and other problems and weaknesses often sap the fun out of the game just when it starts to get entertaining.

A remarkably fresh look at traditional real-time strategy gaming.

While this sequel doesn't quite capture the ineffable magic of the original game, it's still a strong follow-up that easily surpasses many recent adventures.

It's a traditional adventure with some excellent plot elements, interesting challenges, poorly written dialogue, and below-average acting. The 3D engine is more of a gimmick than a true improvement.

With at least 50 hours of gaming in each character's scenario, Star Ocean might not be compelling enough to play through twice, but the first time is as engaging as any RPG you're likely to play. Highly recommended in any case.

With simple level design and enemy AI that is so dumbed down that it is virtually nonexistent, Ecks vs. Sever doesn't pose much of a threat in the difficulty department.

The end result doesn't quite live up to those expectations--for one thing, it's easy to tell that Shenmue II was originally a Dreamcast game, since its technical aspects aren't nearly as impressive now as Shenmue's were in 2000.

Nitpicky complaints do little to spoil Jet Force Gemini's bottom line: It's chock-full of gameplay variety. Nintendo 64 fans should pick up this title without delay and hope that Rareware's team of top-notch talent will continue to churn out even more games like this one for years to come.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a strong argument that it's high time to give the digital monsters their own space in the critter-catching genre. Strong voice acting and mature themes digivolve this time-traveling tale into an emotionally-rewarding journey of grief and self-acceptance, and a vast array of branching options keeps team-building and the turn-based combat exciting. If you're still ignoring Digimon for its more mainstream pocket monster cousin, you owe it to yourself to at least try Time Stranger. You won't regret it.

A wonderfully lighthearted game that boasts an intoxicating blend of strategy and action.

Evil may be banal, but Tyranny is not. While I have some personal misgivings over how much I enjoyed such a twisted, unscrupulous game, this is a unique experience that makes you think about human nature, morality, and what role mercy and compassion should (or even could) play in a centuries-old war. It reaches beyond the standard heroic fantasy RPG where you slay monsters and save the kingdom, inverting that familiar story and setting and creating something utterly different--and somewhat depressingly realistic.

It's a straightforward remake of Koei's cult-favorite rhythm game, but Gitaroo Man still knows how to rock.

Sure, I still have gripes with the tactical interface, and there isn’t anything new there worth writing about. But if your rear end has ever been entrenched in the virtual dugout or you're just a fresh-faced hopeful looking to begin your journey, Football Manager 2017 is easy to recommend to the budding manager.

SoulCalibur VI is a fighting game that's easy to recommend.

Going on the offensive for a change makes tower defense hybrid Anomaly: Warzone Earth a real blast.

On the bright side, the game usually sticks to what it does best. And what Revelations does best is to set you free in a magnificent city, where you skyrocket across the rooftops, letting the gorgeous sights and evocative music transport you to another life and another century.

If you've not yet picked up a PSP golf game yet, this is the one to get. Its value to someone who picked up EA's first PSP offering, however, isn't quite as clear-cut.

The hit PC real-time strategy series goes turn-based in this well-designed and addictive translation, which packs a surprising amount of historic battles into a small package.