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.