The game looks great, sounds great, has great writing, offers a lengthy and satisfying journey, has a great technical element and engaging sword-swinging and spell-slinging. It would be difficult to find a game out there with better production values, or that meets its goals so successfully while still introducing new ideas and innovations.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.

The PC version suffers from a few technical glitches and generally looks a little dated compared to other PC titles, but still feels like an improvement over the PS2 version, and is filled with weeks of gameplay and unforgettable moments. It's not to be missed.

What better way to make good use of your new DS system (with its lacking library) than by popping this game in? It looks absolutely stunning on the DS's screen.

The backgrounds and gameplay are purely 2D, and the 2D and 3D elements blend together perfectly.

A game that could keep anyone busy for a long, long time. Although it's got plenty of excellent features, it's ultimately the storytelling that makes it an instant classic, a game unlike any we've played before. As is the case with many great books and movies, you'll want to know what happens to the characters after the game ends, and one can't help hoping that all of their American Dreams comes true.

This action-adventure is so smart, so well-written, and delivered with such an obvious love for its source material, I daresay it is both the best licensed game ever made, and arguably the best game of its kind in our current console generation.

The Heisman difficulty level seems really balanced for the first time in years. The running game is great, with grind-it-out yardage available inside and game-breaking moves to be had outside.

It looks and sounds better than ever, which more than makes up for the minor control issues. If you've been searching for the best Grand Theft Auto experience around, look no further: San Andreas is the real deal.

With astounding graphics (especially for the all-important and terrifyingly frequent explosions), a sweeping symphonic soundtrack, a surprisingly deep story and a smooth multiplayer experience, GRAW 2 proves that the PS3 can perform just as well as the 360 any day of the week.

A terrific update of an already excellent game. The new camera gives the single-player a new lease on life, and the multiplayer mode and classic games are worth the relatively low ($30) price of admission for veterans of the original Snake Eater.

Although everything in the game has been improved, nothing makes a bigger difference than the new co-op mode, which can be played via splitscreen, system link, and Xbox Live. That's right, you and a buddy can now join up to take down enemies and pull off a variety of acrobatic moves, and it may very well be the most satisfying experience I've ever had on Live.

Tiger Woods 10 on the Wii is the definitive golf game. Beyond the high level of immersion from the Motion Plus controls, and the many months worth of entertaining game modes, this version welcomes the widest ever audience to a "sim" sports game. EA is leveraging the Wii perfectly.

It's a rare thing when a game comes along with the power to move a player emotionally... Mass Effect takes interactive entertainment to breathtaking new heights.

With Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar succeeds in creating one of the most impressive open worlds I've ever seen in a game, and it's telling that -- even after playing for over 30 hours -- all I want to do is get back on my horse and gallop back into the wilderness.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is anything less than an amazing, triumphant game right down to its core. It's XCOM's Batman Begins, in effect -- it does a magnificent job of rebooting the series with its soul intact, delivering an awesome modern experience and paving the way for a future that doesn't just recreate the tense tactical battles and global strategy of the 18-year-old original, but builds on them.

How exactly did they manage to make Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 a better game? By making it more varied, and thus, more replayable. By far, the biggest upgrade to the game is the new GameFace II system, which allows you to create a player who looks like just about anyone you could possibly imagine.

The very nature of the American Dream is the central theme in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV, a gaming masterpiece that is a picture-perfect snapshot of the underworld of today's big cities. This is not only the finest title of the generation thus far, it is one of the best games of all-time.

What makes the multiplayer so much fun is the constant balance between being the hunter and the prey. Stalking enemies around the map is a lot of fun (even when I end up on the business end of a blade before I can make my kill), and patience has never been so important.

Once you strap into an F/A-18 and rocket over the landscape, once you're crouched next to a tank trying valiantly to repair it while bullets ping off of the armor inches above your head, once you defend a waypoint and ask for new orders from your commander over the radio, all of those nitpicks about map balance or sniper power fade.

An absolutely fantastic title with superb graphics and tight gameplay. Single-player or multiplayer, no matter what your skill, you'll get hours of joy out of this sucker online or off.

At this point, it's a leading contender for our Multiplayer Game of the Year, and whether you pick it up as part of the Orange Box package or on its own via the Steam digital download service, it's worth every penny.

It's one of the best-looking, most creative 3D action adventures in recent memory, and every PS2 owner out there owes it to themselves to snap up a copy to enjoy immediately. Truly magical stuff.

If you only buy one more PlayStation 2 game before retiring the trusty system to that dusty closet, make sure this is it.

Even lacking that [online] option, WE 8 stands as the best soccer game of all time. It looks fantastic and plays out of this world.

It's an amazing epitaph to the GameCube's life and it's certainly the best game from Nintendo this year. If you've been on the fence in any capacity, then please rest assured that you'll not be disappointed. Nintendo's flagship game has arrived in style and you better damned well appreciate it. It's ultimately fantastic.

Easy and approachable enough for the DS' vast install base of casual users but rewarding and challenging enough to satisfy the hardest of the hardcore Zelda fans. Somehow, magically, it succeeds on both counts. Phantom Hourglass isn't perfect, but it's one of the best experiences, casual or hardcore, available in gaming today.

What makes the multiplayer so much fun is the constant balance between being the hunter and the prey. Stalking enemies around the map is a lot of fun (even when I end up on the business end of a blade before I can make my kill), and patience has never been so important.

A slightly reduced retail price and the cool unlockable stuff make VJ for PS2 one of the best buys I've seen all year. It offers something great for those of you that already Joe, and something truly epic for those of you that don't.

Yes, Fallout 3 is a lot like "Oblivion" (with guns!), but it's a superior game in nearly every way, as it features a more engaging storyline, impeccable presentation, and hundreds of hours of addictive gameplay. While the jury is still out on whether or not hardcore Fallout enthusiasts will accept the game as part of the storied franchise, Fallout 3 is a must-have title for most RPG fans, as well as one of the finest games of this generation.

How could God of War II possibly live up to the successes of its predecessor? The answer, my friends, is astonishing, because GoW II completely eclipses its forefather by adding even more of the stuff that we loved, namely: blood, puzzles, cinematic presentation and fifteen minute long combos.

While Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood feels a bit too much like its predecessor in many ways, that's like saying "The Godather 2" was a bit too similar to "The Godfather."

If you're a college football fan, NCAA Football 06 is the game you've been waiting for your whole life. It might even be the best football game ever made, professional or collegiate, which, given the competition for the title, is really saying something.

By combining stunning visuals, an entertaining (and challenging) combat system, and one of the best stories in recent memory, the folks at BioWare have somehow managed to create yet another brilliant game.

Fantastic narrative aside, the most important thing to know about AC2 is that it won't make you want to throw your controller through your TV like the first game did.

If video game history were ever to be taught to children, then Final Fantasy VI should be part of the curriculum's required playing. Its characters are among the genre's most unique and memorable, while its villain is quite possibly the most well-crafted embodiment of evil in RPG history.

Just about every aspect of the production is top-notch, from the stunning graphics to the realistic, graphic dialogue. Although there might end up being better Xbox games this year, you won't find a better WWII shooter anywhere.

I'm smitten with Gears of War and all its glorious, horrific violence, blood and anarchy. Move over Master Chief, 'cause Marcus Fenix will kick your bony ass all over town.

The fact that I didn't even get into the stunning visuals and amazing sound design speaks volumes about the sheer amount of content in the game, and I could probably write another 800 words simply about the ridiculous attention to detail on display in each level.

If you're a number-munching automotive aficionado with a penchant for judging games the way an accountant judges a financial portfolio, know that this is a racing game dedicated to the act of racing rather than the actors, more intent on refining the experience of driving rather than celebrating car culture with scads of vehicles.

It's a rarity to play a game as highly polished and as well-crafted as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We cannot recommend it enough and fans of the series are getting just what they've been wishing for since "CoD2" released over two years ago.

It's a brilliant combination of incredibly deep real-time strategy, beautiful presentation and innovative features that make it one of the best gaming experiences of 2006 to date.

With its organic controls, beautiful visuals and amazing presentation, it quickly becomes an addicting experience that's tough to stop playing, even during some of the most frustrating parts of the game.

There's oodles more I could go into detail on about why Torchlight 2 is simply an amazing game, but I think you get the idea by now -- it's not to be missed by anyone who considers themselves a fan of the proud tradition of action RPGs. It's great, it's gorgeous, it's hugely replayable, it's multiplayer, it's moddable (with Steam Workshop!), and it's dirt cheap.

A strong case can be made for Ninja Gaiden being the greatest action game ever made. This is easily one of the best games to play on your PlayStation 3.

I feel totally comfortable saying that God of War is the best action game ever to grace the PS2. The gameplay, graphics, sound, production, presentation, and story are excellent. It all adds up to an epic Greek adventure where you can execute some of the slickest moves in gaming.

If you're a Batman fan, this is the best treatment the World's Greatest Detective has ever received in videogame form -- and if you're not a Batman fan, Arkham Asylum will change that. This is how to make a licensed game.

It really can teach you to appreciate the nuances of racing and may even renew your love of cars. For a game like this, we think that's the best compliment we can give it.

Every game in the package is a winner, and the price makes it a no-brainer for anyone remotely interested in Half-Life or PC shooters in general.

How exactly did they manage to make Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 a better game? By making it more varied, and thus, more replayable. By far, the biggest upgrade to the game is the new GameFace II system, which allows you to create a player who looks like just about anyone you could possibly imagine.

The campaign mode introduces a ton of new elements, not only to the game itself, but also to the Halo universe as a whole. As for the multiplayer, you won't find a better Xbox Live experience anywhere, and you can be sure that Halo 2 will be topping the Live charts for years to come.

The online shortcomings are annoying, yes, but very minor, and they are more than made up for by the amazing single-player content and local WiFi gameplay.

It's inevitable that Limbo will be compared to 2008's Braid, but I think this game's sum takeaway is more in line with Portal -- an intricate and internally consistent world that communicates itself through simple mechanics and a creative, minimalist structure on which to hang events that happen to a vulnerable protagonist.

The reason that the Wii version is the best is because the new control system makes the gameplay more enjoyable. Using both the Wii remote and the nunchuck, players will be able to perform all of the regular moves and attacks from before, only now they can do them in a more sensitive, accurate and pleasing fashion.

If you're a college football fan, NCAA Football 06 is the game you've been waiting for your whole life. It might even be the best football game ever made, professional or collegiate, which, given the competition for the title, is really saying something.

UYA's multiplayer experience is excellent. The level of polish is surprisingly high, which is evident in everything from specific gameplay details (the grappling beam's ease of use is superb, for example) to the extensive number of options that can be tweaked.

The new king of arcade racers. Think about everything that was brilliant about its predecessors -- the whimsical take on the laws of physics, the gorgeous graphics, and the completely insane emphasis on crashing -- and multiply it by ten thousand.

From the new Trick Stick system to the amazingly deep career mode, nearly everything added to NBA Street V3 works perfectly... [T]his may very well be the greatest basketball game ever made, arcade or otherwise.

It's perhaps most telling that although we have already played BioShock a bunch of times on other platforms, it's still every bit as intoxicating on the PS3. In fact, the temptation to complete additional playthroughs proved too much to bear as we immediately began a new game after finishing it the first time around.

With its organic controls, beautiful visuals and amazing presentation, it quickly becomes an addicting experience that's tough to stop playing, even during some of the most frustrating parts of the game. Though its online modes slightly tarnish on the experience, the rest of the game more than makes up for it.

Integrating some nice variety into one game while maintaining its decidedly action-oriented dynamics, Dead Space is appealing across a wide cross-section of gameplay styles. Wrap an engrossing plot that is a veritable warren of intermingling themes around this and you've got a game that is basically a guaranteed experience.

While it's certainly open to debate, we're going to go out on a limb and call Gears of War 2 the most visually impressive game of all-time.

The core tactical gameplay is the real gem here, and its quality still shines 10 years after its first release. It's grinding, demanding gameplay that presumes a level of dedication and competence that many modern games don't, and it's all the better for it.

The simplified interface elements, great campaign, and much-improved map and information screens make this the most accessible Total War yet, and a great place for those unfamiliar with the series to get started.

If anything, the PC version skews towards golf fans because it's more of a simulation, but that doesn't change the fact Tiger 2005 is one of the best PC games of the year, and one of the deepest, most completely realized sports games you could ever hope to play.

World of Goo's mix of ingenious physics-based puzzles and witty, colorful presentation make it a game almost everyone should check out. It goes by fast -- you can get through most of the puzzles in 5-6 hours -- but for $20, there's little excuse not to check out this World.

For gamers who've mocked their PS3-owning friends, it's time to suck up to them and hang out at their crib for this one. One taste of this, and it's going to feel like a long, long wait for the summertime release on Xbox 360.

From its opening moments to its spectacular closing sequences, Half-Life 2 assaults you with a variety of gameplay styles and memorable moments, all executed with amazing precision.

It's a must-play game for anyone who loves the reward-based exploration and side-scrolling action of the side-scrollers of old.

If you have any interest in the guts of baseball, OOTP 2007 is simply a must-own product. It's a landmark achievement. It's weird to think about it: It took a London-based company known for its soccer management games and a German-born developer with a passion for the sport to produce arguably the best and most complete simulation of America's Pastime.

This is a classic game that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "F-19," "Longbow 2," and "European Air War."

This new PSP version retains all of the original's charm and addictive playability, while adding in some fantastic new levels and overhauling the graphics and controls to make it feel like it was meant to be a PSP game from the start.

Yes, Fallout 3 is a lot like Oblivion (with guns!), but it's a superior game in nearly every way, as it features a more engaging storyline, impeccable presentation, and hundreds of hours of addictive gameplay. While the jury is still out on whether or not hardcore Fallout enthusiasts will accept the game as part of the storied franchise, Fallout 3 is a must-have title for most RPG fans, as well as one of the finest games of this generation.

Combines best-of-class graphics with a surprisingly back-to-basics approach to the series' familiar gameplay. The result is a sublime shooter that not only does its legacy proud, but actually transcends it.

The huge, diverse cast and excellent fighting engine guarantee lots of fun fights for a long time into the future, and its pick-up-and-playability make it the best game to pull out for more casual company.

It's easily the best title for GameCube this year, and while there's really not all that much new in terms of game mechanics, play style, and presentation, what you're ultimately left with is a rock-solid sequel that offers a bigger, harder, more rewarding challenge than the first game.

This game stays truer to its roots than any other currently surviving hit game series from the 80s, and it's all the better for it; it shows us that radical rethinking isn't always the key -- that developers can preserve the look, feel, and soul of a series across decades.

A completely fresh gaming experience that will both astound fans of the series and quiet its detractors. It's action/adventure gaming at its absolute finest -- yes, Action... with a capital A.

It's amazing that Team Ninja was actually able to take one of the best games ever to hit the Xbox (or any console) and make it better in nearly every way.

This year's game clears up almost any blemishes that may have carried over through the years, and perfects the package in a way that blew my socks off.

The Forge is a gargantuan achievement that puts game design in the hands of players, daring you to be creative and invent a Halo 3 multiplayer experience all your own. Of course, the multiplayer is every bit as astonishing as it has been in past iterations and even eclipses its predecessors in many respects.

Minecraft is what you make of it, and that makes it pretty damn special.

The world of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a vast expanse of sheer beauty, danger, and adventure -- you can also terrorize townsfolk, get punched in the face by a giant, and fight a ton of dragons. Those are just a few of the reasons why we love this game so much.

The gameplay is a snap to pick up, but the player is rewarded for delving deeper into the combo system. Sure, there are those who will say that the original Tetris is the best puzzle game of all time, but if there was ever a game that could top it, it's this one.

A brilliantly twisted love letter to the videogame medium, scrawled in blood and pixels.

We've played both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions extensively and have had zero crashes, little to no lag or stuttering, or any other kind of technical issues. The online experience is a testament to IW's high standards of production.

This game simply doesn't belong on the PSP; it's too early for a game of this caliber to show up on Sony's little portable system -- hell, it took nearly five years before "God of War" showed us what the PS2 can handle. Not only is Dark Mirror a damn fine game, it may very well be the best game on the system.

A triumph for Massive Entertainment. The developers have managed to take a quirky "action game" take on the real-time strategy genre and wrap it in an instantly appealing, accessible and highly polished package.

If you're a number-munching automotive aficionado with a penchant for judging games the way an accountant judges a financial portfolio, know that this is a racing game dedicated to the act of racing rather than the actors, more intent on refining the experience of driving rather than celebrating car culture with scads of vehicles.

Dreamfall is an amazing journey that propels players into a world where science and magic and art and music combine to make a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

An excellent addition (and homage to "Ocarina") to the franchise, and you'll have an enormous amount of fun playing it from start to finish. Get over the fact that the Wii's hardware is simply not as powerful as the other next-gen machines and get into the fact that Twilight Princess is one of the best games you'll play this year.

Warhammer Online has had the smoothest, most complete MMO launch we've ever seen. Game balance and other elements of the game need tweaking but they're all there, they all work and most importantly, they're all fun.

Fantastic narrative aside, the most important thing to know about AC2 is that it won't make you want to throw your controller through your TV like the first game did.

The defense upgrades bring a lot of welcome strategy to the game, and the new AI is simply superb. Its amazingly deep, well thought out franchise mode is the best I've ever seen, while the basic gameplay still can't be beat.

Dead Space is a solid realization of several of our favorite gameplay mechanics in a way that we've only seen in blockbusters like BioShock, Half-Life and Resident Evil 4. Its quality is undeniable and we have no reservation in recommending its potent mix of panic-inducing plotline, furious action and deep customization.

Most definitely qualifies as art -- exquisitely horrific, body-slam-your-emotions, tears-on-your-keyboard art. It is a near-perfect conclusion that may leave you emotionally gutted.