Starseed Pilgrim makes saving the sky from a virulent blackness an especially rewarding challenge.

It's not zombies you need worry about in the painfully dull The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct.

The whole thing is just so dull and tedious that it captures all the worst qualities of a road trip, but none of the exciting ones.

BioShock Infinite isn't afraid to magnify the way religious and racial extremism inform our culture and change lives. It isn't afraid to depict a less-than-holy trinity diseased by power, deception, and manipulation. As the story circles back on itself, you're left wondering whether redemption cleanses us of our atrocities, or simply invites us to commit greater ones. Once the finale comes, you will want to play again, watching each event and image through the lens of information you can never un-know. BioShock Infinite is more than just a quality game: it's an important one.

A stupendous game, portraying a beautiful and broken city that will absorb your every waking thought.

You'll be haunted by this thematically devastating adventure, and indeed, its phenomenal final minutes, which are bound to be discussed and dissected for some time to come.

For all the shortcomings of WRC Powerslide, nothing stings so much as the absence of a split-screen local multiplayer mode.

Fresh combat and stylish visuals make Vergil's Downfall a fun addition to DmC: Devil May Cry, despite a less-than-stellar story.

A mostly pleasant game marred by the possibility of moments so frustrating, they threaten to overshadow the entire experience. These missteps are all the more disappointing because the better elements of the game are so charming. You may still want to take up the PolterGust 5000 and explore these haunted houses, but be warned: the things lurking in these dark places aren't likely to scare you, but they may well have you seeing red.

Twisted Dreams combines satisfying gameplay with dazzling environments to create a worthy platformer.

The lackluster story is disappointing, but taking control of the Zerg--those nutty world-devouring insectoid-dinosaur hybrids--makes Heart of the Swarm well worth the investment.

It still stands in the shadow of those that came before it, and little flaws like loading hiccups and soft textures underscore the fact that Judgment feels like a lesser achievement. Still, it's a heck of a lot of fun, and if you still enjoy utterly destroying hulking monstrosities with one blast of the sawed-off shotgun, you'll find a lot to like in Gears of War: Judgment.

Rather than resolving what came before it, Awakened simply shrugs its shoulders for a couple hours before throwing another cliff-hanger ending your way. Sure, it still plays perfectly well, with plenty of intense dismemberment and a pleasingly varied selection of necromorph enemies to fend off.

Control issues and a lack of online play hamper what's otherwise an outstanding Monster Hunter game.

It's easily the best Monster Hunter game so far, and while it would be nice to see a console sequel with more up-to-date visuals and all-new locations, Ultimate is an great entry into the Wii U catalog.

Satisfying stealth and shooting make Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 a notable improvement over its predecessor.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2's story and stealth make for a satisfying and entertaining single-player campaign. The frustratingly few-and-far-between checkpoints and MIA multiplayer are disappointments, but this is a worthy sniping experience, especially given the game's budget price.

The frustratingly few-and-far-between checkpoints and MIA multiplayer are disappointments, but this is a worthy sniping experience, especially given the game's budget price. This thoughtfully designed sequel makes good on the promise of its highly flawed predecessor.

Taken as a whole, however, Etrian Odyssey IV is the most impressive and entertaining entry in the series yet. It may be somewhat old-fashioned, but modern sensibilities make it both challenging and welcoming, and rich lore draws you into its world.

Darkstalkers Resurrection combines two fantastic games with an abundance of useful features to make one outstanding collection.

Wizardry Online is jagged around the edges, but manages to pull off a few interesting tricks.

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.

But with its excellent controls, engaging heroine, thrilling combat, and fascinating setting, it doesn't need to. Lara may be covering some previously charted territory here, but Tomb Raider is so well-crafted, you won't mind at all.

An exhilarating action adventure that serves as a terrific origin story for the iconic Lara Croft.

It's understandable that Sony wants to link the two versions of the game every year, but more acknowledgement that these are two different games for two different platforms and even two somewhat different audiences would make the Vita version stand on its own much better.

MLB 2K13 is a complete and utter retread with all the appeal of used chewing gum.

You have to wonder how much time was even spent on prepping this game for release, since 2012 was believed to be the last in the series until a surprise January announcement that the series was back from the dead.

While the game remains challenging, the frustration factor of hitting has been dialed way back, which will draw in new players who want to get good wood on the ball like a real big leaguer.