While we stay delusional in hoping for a Valkyria Chronicles 3D or an Ogre Battle 3D, there is no question that Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is one of the standout launch titles for the 3DS.

Excitebots is a step up from its four-wheeled cousin and possibly just bizarre enough to hold your attention for far longer.

Web of Shadows is a passable, but sincere, form of flattery to the king of the genre.

Graceful Explosion Machine is the gaming equivalent of empty calories. It's pretty to look at, super smooth, and has some interesting weapons, but there's no real hook to keep you sustained beyond the act of moving around and blowing up aliens.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a surprisingly well-executed roguelike that melds well with the core of Elden Ring and even builds on it with a refreshingly rapid pace and spectacular new bosses. It's also excellent with friends, making for a superb co-op experience, but limited matchmaking options and mixed bosses mean it can be as frustrating as it is fun.

Flawless control, sleep-stealing gameplay ... there's just no reason to skip out on this perfect, mutated storm.

Non-fans will be confused by references to little played NES and Game & Watch games. Oppositely, Nintendo fanboys will enjoy the references, but won't like settling for imitations of games like F-Zero and Zelda instead of the real thing. In spite of all that, Nintendo Land is great introduction to the Wii U, even if it lacks the longevity of Wii Sports.

Still surprisingly swing-and-miss online, but for long-lasting and moreish solo play, NBA 2K22 is its only competitor in a two-horse championship duel.

One of the most unique multiplayer experiences we played in a long time. The RTS elements create significant strategic depth and the action is a blast. Once we got a hang of the somewhat complicated gameplay systems of building bases and driving the various vehicles we didn't want to put the controller down. If you've been looking for engrossing, chaotic, large-scale multiplayer battles, Starhawk is going to satisfy your needs.

Buy it, finish it, love it, because if this takes off we’re going to see a renaissance of new-old games. And if that happens, a whole new batch of gamers will grow up learning why rock-solid gameplay, not tera-flipping flop-bib shaders, make games truly exceptional.

A great package overall and especially for long time MMA fans. There are some minor sticking points in the controls and some will miss their favorite UFC fighters, but if you want a fuller experience of what mixed martial arts is coupled with superior online modes, you can't do better than EA MMA.

Need for Speed Unbound is a great showcase for a new generation of hardware. Criterion has delivered a high quality, breathtakingly fast open-world street racer that is both technically superb and strangely familiar.

If pro hoops was a one-man video game gang this year, we’d be pretty happy with Live. Luckily for us, though, competition is king and Live falls a couple of free throws short of the superior "NBA 2K9."

It's simply frustrating that, even after several previous installments, the series has yet to improve significantly – even moreso since a lot of the issues holding it back seem easily fixable. As it stands, Rune Factory 3 is a solid game – just not a great one.

It never takes any chances but delivers an overall solid beat 'em up. Inconsistent difficulty, nonexistent story and a lack of gameplay variety hold Shank 2 back, but those looking for a better playing experience from Shank's last outing might want to give the sequel a try.

Back 4 Blood is brilliant, co-op fun, with an interesting card system, but it's marred by terrible bots, awkward solo campaign choices, and a lackluster PvP mode.

Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new direction for the series, and it chiefly pays off with brilliant scares and disempowerment of the player. The bottlenecked level design can be frustrating though, as can the nature of do-overs with the beast hot on your heels.

The flashy, splashy art style is cute without being annoying, new elements are introduced at a nice pace, and it’s just plain satisfying to create goofy contraptions that keep our charismatic little cartoon glutton alive and puzzling.

Despite a few lurches here and there and some so-so exploration, Mario & Luigi Brothership offers an enjoyable voyage with smooth sailing, and a punderful script that brings the laughs. It has a new developer and an extra dimension, but the same dedication to humor and brotherly love.

Street Fighter 5 is deep, endlessly fun, and immensely inviting, but local competitive play is currently the primary way to enjoy it.

With its increased pace, defensive tweaks, and reincarnated fighters, Soulcalibur V feels like a sorely needed reinvention for a series whose formula has gotten too long in the tooth. It feels as accessible and nearly as entertaining as Soulcalibur II and soundly one-ups its HD predecessor. You won't realize how much you wanted this revamp until you've put in a few hours on the arcade sticks.

FFIV stands completely on its own so if you look at it as a PSP release of one of the greatest RPGs with some extra bonus content thrown in, it's an easy sell.

There's nothing wrong with the fundamentals, and the online play is sweetness, but a couple more weeks in the situation room would have helped this war sail smoother.

Dying Light 2 offers a great open world playground for zombie survival, but lacks an impactful story or meaningful choices.

As it did with its reimagining of Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward has used the past as a point-of-reference rather than a blueprint, and the result is thrilling. The MW2 campaign is reliably unrevolutionary, and the multiplayer is bold enough to press against expectations – even if it isn't successful in everything that it tries. Call of Duty is slowly wading outside of its comfort zone, and it's all the better because of it.

Little gameplay innovation.

The biggest disappointment is the sheer lack of innovation in the game engine and graphics. Yes, the shooting mechanic is a little different, but for the most part the gameplay is the same as the last few FIFA games.

At least Alien Swarm doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. It's an online action shooter with plenty of things to shoot at.