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

Awkward motion controls and shallow combat make Rise of Nightmares a frighteningly unremarkable adventure in zombie killing.

UFC Personal Trainer offers the most exhausting workout in video games, but bugs, repetitive programmes, and overlong stretching periods cause you to tire for the wrong reasons.

A schlocky, gruesomely fun action role-playing game awaits you on Dead Island. Bring three friends.

If you don't step off the boat expecting a taut horror experience, a masterful gun game, or compelling characters, you'll have a bloody good time.

If you don't step off the boat expecting a taut horror experience, a masterful gun game, or compelling characters, you'll have a bloody good time.

Age of Empires Online effectively infuses its conventional real-time strategy gameplay with massively multiplayer online-style loot and leveling mechanics.

Tropico 4 is a likeable and engaging sequel that expands on its predecessor but doesn't offer much new depth.

This faithful port of Third Strike comes with all of the pluses and minuses of the arcade version, including tight, fun gameplay coupled with a steep learning curve.

This faithful port of Third Strike comes with all of the pluses and minuses of the arcade version, including tight, fun gameplay coupled with a steep learning curve.

Inazuma Eleven is a charming RPG with a lot going on, but it doesn't offer a great game of football.

Bastion is a wonderfully diverse game that offers up a great deal of flexibility in how you approach its many challenges.

A strong sense of deja vu and poorly balanced combat loom over The Baconing, but smart puzzles and humorous dialogue entertain throughout.

Chaos Theory is the highlight of the three single-player campaigns in Splinter Cell Trilogy HD, but technical issues and the absence of multiplayer really disappoint.

Achron's time-traveling brilliance is marred by some critical flaws.

Rock of Ages has a delightfully goofy concept and offers some destructive fun, but it's hampered by its weak defense elements.

More than 10 years after its original release, Persona 2: Innocent Sin no longer has the magic it once did.

Fallen Champions is a short and mostly sweet compression of many of the good elements in its King Arthur predecessor.

Explosive action and incentivized gunplay fail to heat up in Bodycount, a tepid and short-lived shooter.

Explosive action and incentivized gunplay fail to heat up in Bodycount, a tepid and short-lived shooter.

Driver: San Francisco's inspired shift mechanic and wealth of action-packed content make it an absolute blast that revives the franchise.

Limited licences, stripped features, and disappointing presentation make Rugby World Cup 2011 disappointing to even the most ardent fans of the sport.

Limited licences, stripped features, and disappointing presentation make Rugby World Cup 2011 disappointing to even the most ardent fans of the sport.

Few offseason improvements mean that Madden 12 is another fun but flawed entry in the stagnating series.

Few offseason improvements mean that Madden 12 is another fun but flawed entry in the stagnating series.

Driver: San Francisco's inspired shift mechanic and wealth of action-packed content make it an absolute blast that revives the franchise.

It seems like a great fit for the Kinect, but Hole in the Wall doesn't quite line up.

This is an extensive (20-plus hours) game that by the very nature of its complexity invites replay. It is true that many of its individual elements don't withstand close inspection. But those elements add up to an impressive and absorbing adventure that invites you to improvise.