It's a bit of a shame, really. Codemasters Racing is one of the best and most dependable developers of racing games out there, but F1 Race Stars simply doesn't live up to the high standard defined by F1 games of the past.

F1 Race Stars is a competent kart racer that fails to go that extra mile and, as a result, outstays its welcome sooner rather than later.

Once you see past the charming bobble-headed drivers and nods to F1, there's little here to hold your attention for long.

The campaign hits the same satisfying rhythms, the multiplayer captures the same frenetic intensity, and the cooperative zombies mode delivers the same stale undead-massacring action. Caught between striving for the future and remaining rooted in the past, Black Ops II finds solid footing, providing another great ride on the Call of Duty rollercoaster.

Wonderbook: Miranda Goshawk's Book of Spells is a great augmented reality adventure that deftly imagines the experience of spell-casting at Hogwarts.

Sticker Star falls into a rut at times and may even drive you crazy, but in the end, Paper Mario's unwaveringly cheerful attitude, and fond memories of the game's many great moments, will be what stays with you.

Natural Selection 2 offers a promising combination of strategy and first-person shooting, but disappointing execution holds it back. [Editor's Note: this quotation and score are from the original GameSpot review. Metacritic, per long-standing site policy, only accepts a publication's first review/score for a given game.]

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is a memorable and enthralling sci-fi/horror adventure that will have you glued to the small screen.

Kurt's trials partly arise from the traditional platforming challenge, of course, but trimming the more repetitive sequences and draining the bosses' health would have edged this effort toward the greatness enjoyed by some of its contemporary cousins.

Kurt's trials partly arise from the traditional platforming challenge, of course, but trimming the more repetitive sequences and draining the bosses' health would have edged this effort toward the greatness enjoyed by some of its contemporary cousins.

Thankfully, the core racing is exciting, and the lengthy story mode offers a variety of well-designed courses to compete in, so even if the community never takes off, there's still plenty of entertainment to be had.

Subtle refinements and a great campaign boost WWE '13.

The aerial combat is still thrilling, but some inexcusable issues make Zone of the Enders HD Collection a disappointing repackaging of two cult classics.

The aerial combat is still thrilling, but some inexcusable issues make Zone of the Enders HD Collection a disappointing repackaging of two cult classics.

Banana Splitz's disappointing collection of minigames can't live up to the standards of classic Monkey Ball gameplay.

Code of Princess is a fun and funny fantasy brawler that's unfortunately hampered by technical issues.

Every bit the massive shooter package that its predecessors were, and it holds the series' standard high. The thrilling and emotional return of Master Chief and Cortana is the highlight, and the campaign breaks new ground in narrative quality for the franchise. The top-notch competitive multiplayer picks up where Halo: Reach left off, infusing the action with some mainstream elements while still remaining undeniably unique.

Though Assassin's Creed III: Liberation toys around with intriguing concepts and centers its story around a character you desperately want to know more about, none of it comes together especially well. Liberation often excels, but it stumbles just as much.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted isn't quite a return to the racing paradise of some earlier Criterion games, but it's a mostly exciting ride nonetheless.

It's not quite the smooth, finely tuned speed machine it could have been, but Need for Speed: Most Wanted is still an exciting racer.

Other games stimulate emotion with manipulative music and teary monologues; Assassin's Creed III rouses your mind and your heart by giving you a glimpse into its characters' souls and letting you judge them on their own merits.

An intoxicating celebration of violence that will have you pounding the restart button for more.

A host of significant additions make this the most exhaustive, but also the most streamlined, Football Manager to date.

As a horror-tinged slaughterfest that vomits blood and bile on the face of modern first-person shooter convention, Hell & Damnation distills the essence of the Painkiller series into a tight, finely honed package.

You shouldn't dismiss the game as wholly unworthy: online multiplayer is good fun, and the campaign shows signs of life, occasionally letting you see past the me-too warfare and appreciate a brief flash of imagination. But on the whole, Warfighter leaves you thinking, "Yep, that's a military shooter, all right." Its heroes strive for greatness; the game they star in is merely serviceable.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter doesn't merge its cliched parts into a satisfying whole, making it just another middle-of-the-road military shooter.

Zombie Driver HD never grows more complex than slaughtering zombies with a car, but it makes up for that simplicity with sheer fun.

Lucius has an intriguing premise, but some not-so-original adventure-game flaws.