If EA Tiburon's goal with Madden 17 was to build upon the solid foundation set by the last two iterations, the studio mostly succeeded by fine tuning its production values on and off the field while also focusing on its strengths in its Ultimate Team and Franchise.

Crazy stunts, a huge gameworld, and a playful attitude help Just Cause 2 overcome its annoyances.

Picross DS is a high-quality collection of logic puzzles at a terrific bargain price.

Admittedly, most of the improvements and updates found in Round 3 are merely incremental updates over Round 2, but they're still enough to warrant stepping into the ring for another bout, just as long as you haven't already played the game on the Xbox 360.

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.

Due to its attention to detail and wide range of features, Combat Flight Simulator 2 has something to offer almost every simulation enthusiast.

If you can work your way around these shortcomings, you'll find that Colin McRae Rally 2.0 is one of the most engrossing racing sims available.

The game suffers from a number of small flaws (and sometimes bigger ones, where the AI is concerned), yet it still does many things exceptionally well.

It may not be enough for veteran players looking for an entirely new experience, but World of Outlaws should satisfy anyone else who enjoys career-oriented oval racing.

An original and memorable entry in a genre that's been mostly stagnant for years now... More than enough to recommend it to anyone looking for a truly great role-playing game.

Clubhouse Games serves up 42 different parlor games that practically anyone can pick up and play--and most of them support local and online multiplayer modes.

A dark, disturbing game. And while it may not bring anything new to the genre, it can create obsession-level loyalty if you tend not to look beyond the barrel of a gun.

It isn't the most full-featured port, but excellent combat and challenging puzzles make Darksiders a brutal blast.

While Street Fighter Alpha 3 for the GBA does cut a few corners here and there, it takes a discerning fan to notice any real difference between this version and the arcade original--and that's pretty amazing.

Plays very well, makes a great link cable game, and still stands as one of the best Tetris-style puzzle games ever made. Purists may find the slowdown a little disappointing.

The fun and funny Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues gushes personality and is the game's best add-on yet.

Despite a few small issues, Madden NFL 13 is the best version of the same basic game that has existed for years. Nominal improvements in most aspects create a more believable experience, both on the field and off, and the expanded career mode lets you decide how much control you want in creating your team. But these changes never go beyond what you'd expect for a yearly sequel.

Sharp new skating physics and the advanced AI make this a different, more realistic game, but there are just enough aggravations here to take some of the shine off these otherwise impressive adjustments.

Tightly balanced action and a superb array of guns make Resistance 3 a blast.

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

This compilation is about a place. It's a place where you can hear the laughter of children long since dead, and the screams of aircraft passengers moments before their incineration. It's a place where you must fear both the hideous mutants that prowl as well as humankind--and yet it's only with humankind that you might find safety.

You're treated to one of the most interesting and effective re-imaginings of a retro aesthetic around. Octopath will likely be a divisive game due to its fractured storytelling, but it's one worth playing despite its lesser qualities. Its high points are simply too good to ignore.

When I began Triangle Strategy, the plodding pace of the story was a low point I had to get through to play the tactical battles. As time went on, that calculation flipped. The strategy segments are streamlined and enjoyable, even if the class system is missing the amount of flexibility and nuance that I'd like. But instead of getting through the story segments to play more combat, I found myself getting through the combat to see more story. It's overindulgent at times, but I became invested in my band of trusted advisors as they carefully navigated a fraught mixture of war and politics. And more than many games, I felt the burden of the decisions I reached, the relationships they shattered, and the lives they impacted, as belonging to me alone.

Delayed gratification from the episodic release schedule or not, this 2016 take on Hitman is a brilliant game. Expansive level design and nearly unlimited replay value courtesy of so many routes to your assassinations (and so many methods with which to carry them out) make the experience almost completely different each and every time you play. Yes, Agent 47 took his time getting here, but it was time well spent.

Its fast, furious action and brilliant visual style will appeal to any side-scrolling action fan.

Even though Madden NFL 07 doesn't have any big, game-changing features to make it an especially memorable iteration of the series, its roster of small, but useful changes are ultimately more compelling than anything Madden 06 had on offer last year.

It's cute, colorful, and the perfect puzzle game to keep on your 3DS for dull commutes.

Buckets of whimsy and oodles of puzzles make this a satisfying adventure, despite the sometimes steep difficulty.