Dark Souls II is a phenomenal experience, knitting together lore-driven adventure, thoughtful decisions, deliberate, weighty combat, and that golden feeling of true exploration matched only by leveling of heart palpitations upon defeating a fiendish boss or invader.

A solid platformer, revisiting the original's distinctive gameplay with a wide range of fresh ideas. It just feels as if many of its elements never grow beyond the introduction phase, resulting in a romp that's varied and enjoyable, but never quite raises the stakes.

It doesn’t redefine first-person genre, but it certainly threatens the status quo, and that’s a welcome step forward.

It’s easy to have fun with TowerFall, and there’s a lot to like on the surface, but players who put more into it will certainly get more out.

The last episode was a tough act to follow, but similar to season one, episode two is even better. The stakes are higher and the consequences steeper. Telltale has once again proved that adventure games are not only still alive, they’re as strong as ever. We can only hope it’s not long before we find out what's next.

Despite some minor technical issues and sometimes abstruse mechanics, South Park: The Stick of Truth is an experience to behold. It’s one of the most faithful adaptations of a television show into a video game, and its signature style of humor and commentary come through in every facet of the game. Even with so much focus on capturing the feel of the show, this still manages to be a solid RPG that’s fun and rewarding. There’s simply nothing else like it out there.

Garden Warfare was a surprise when it was announced, and you’ll be surprised when you play it what PopCap managed to accomplish. But it can get repetitive when the jokes run dry, and the system designed to combat this is locked behind piles of crumpled tinfoil and stacks of unwanted stickers.

Diverse, connected environments, creepy characters, and fantastic boss designs speak to a journey that resonates stronger than the plot itself.

The game’s technical performance feels like a struggle at times on both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and after a strong buildup that takes you through cleverly designed missions and well-considered spaces, the game departs from its strengths in an attempt to build dramatic confrontations at the end of the game. It’s not exactly a perfect run for Garrett, but players will still find many things worth taking.

It’s a game torn between two personalities, and it shows. The new Strider is at its best when it’s delivering arcade-style action moments, but sadly these come too infrequently and too late for its own good.

It doesn't just add a few extra chapters to the existing campaign, or some new weapons and skins like so many other DLC add-ons. Instead, it adds some actual meaning, gives us a new way to play and an intimate look into Ellie's poignant past that is essential to any fan of the series.

The game offers dozens of moments that you just can't get anywhere else, and there's simply nothing like shooting a bug out of the sky with a giant laser. It's pretty great that in 2014 you can drop $40 and waste an entire weekend killing things straight out of a low-budget sci-fi movie.

As challenging as the game is, it’s never unfair. It’s rare to come across a game that has you screaming profanities at the screen one moment in a fit of rage, and then jumping for joy the next as you finally succeed.

Lightning Returns feels almost pointless, amounting to little more than an excuse to dress the heroine up in different outfits and beat the crap out of things. There's not much payoff for those that have been faithful since the beginning and it's so obtuse that it will be difficult for new players to get into.

Jazzpunk ends up being scatological and surreal, but it’s not sublime. Like Meatloaf says, two out of three ain’t bad. But when’s the last time anyone listened to Meatloaf? Jazzpunk is funny in its own peculiar way, but that’s about all it is.

For all of its strengths, Bravely Default’s best quality is its underlying enthusiasm that permeates almost every aspect.

Episode two puts The Wolf Among Us in an awkward place. Telltale shows enough of its hand to interest players in the rest of the story, but the unevenness of this second episode deflates the enthusiasm that first worked so hard to earn. It's difficult to tell how strong the series will become, but right now, it's tough to accept good when you're used to great.

It keeps you laughing with the sheer absurdity of its lead character, the not-so-subtle references, and fumbling physical comedy that's made all the more potent through your participation. Like a plate of sushi, it might seem a bit pricey for what you get, but it's worth paying a small premium for a fresh catch.

All in all, this eagle has landed on some seriously shaky ground. Short, boring, and reeking of “been there, done that,” this first episode in the series feels like a poor value as a one-off $9.99 purchase or as part of $29.99 season pass.

The Broken Age will win you over in minutes, and what it lacks in length or difficulty it makes up for in pure personality.

To put it plainly, Nidhogg is incredibly fun. If you can appreciate the game’s style for what it is and you don’t have an ego as fragile as glass, you’ll delight in testing your mettle against another’s.

The Banner Saga isn't what you’d strictly call “fun.” Instead it's interesting and challenging, more like a chess match than death match. But there's an incredible satisfaction when you take on a gang of armored monsters that by all rights should trample you, yet you're able to hamstring their health then line them up for execution.

Escape Plan’s memorable puzzles are wrapped up in a unique presentation, but once you finish the 3 hour campaign there's not much of a reason to comeback.

So many moments in The Curse of Brotherhood are hampered by a sense that a square peg is being shoved into a round hole. All of its great ideas are dwarfed by the fact that it doesn’t feel good to play. The game tries to make invoke a sense of creation, but it’s more akin to fumbling in the dark.

Episode one not only reintroduces us to the world of The Walking Dead, it raises the stakes in such a way that Clementine’s situation is more perilous than ever. We weren’t convinced that season two could eclipse season one, but at least in a few ways, it already has.

With an asking price of nothing, it’s not unreasonable that Warframe charges for things, but when the game’s main hook is getting more loot, it slowly becomes frustrating running into so many roadblocks. Even with your warframe’s athletic prowess, the nondescript missions don’t offer enough to put up with the waiting, and there certainly isn’t a strong reason to part with a credit card.

Gran Turismo's biggest weakness is its inconsistency. Its best parts are so great that it's shocking to come across elements that are so far below standard. Still, many of its faults are purely cosmetic. Where the rubber meets the road, it's still fantastic.

Leveling up dragons and replaying for ranks and leaderboard score might be enough to garner Crimson Dragon a cult following, but for most people the bungled core mechanic is a deal-breaker. This dragon might fly, but it never truly soars.

Despite infuriating DLC practices Forza remains a fantastic drive, and with some improvements, Drivatars could set a new path for competitive AI.

The world of Tearaway is one you’ll want to soak in until your battery dies. That said, the story is sweet, but the story is short, and the game can be finished in a few sittings.

Responsive controls and steady momentum will keep you engaged in Ryse’s constant war-making, but repetition unavoidably dulls the edge.

Super Mario 3D World is much more than the console big brother to 3D Land, incorporating the series’ every idea into a well-tempered concoction of imagination fueled by jumps and 1-ups for a new experience that transcends nostalgia to enter the realm of the sublime.

None of Dead Rising 3’s issues will stop you from enjoying the ludicrous ways you can kill zombies. While it may initially appear to be a more somber game than before, after spending a few hours with Dead Rising 3 you’ll realize the spirit of the series is well intact.

Hunting down your prey as the police or getting to your hideout in the nick of time is exhilarating, and constantly sharing a social sphere with other players feels like a natural step forward for a series intent on putting players on opposing side of the law.

While the specs look alright on paper, the dodging and shooting almost completely lack precision and the sloppy bike-fu loses its punch when you realize you can get away with mashing all the buttons at once to propel your combo counter into the thousands.

As likely the last Ratchet and Clank game on the PS3, the series could hardly ask for a better send off.

A rare accomplishment that recaptures the spirit of classic Zelda. It takes the series into new territory much like its SNES counterpart did two decades ago, and it might be the most significant revision to Zelda’s structure since the landmark release of Ocarina of Time.

Resogun lays out all your tools in front of you and has you gunning for a high score simply for the sake of improving your game. You can look at this as a virtue, but even with the addition of online coop, Resogun doesn’t completely explore its promising possibility space. It feels almost inevitable that the game will see some sort of update to offer more ships and more levels in the future.

With the way it looks and how simple it is, it’s easy to think Knack is a game for kids. And while that may be the intent, it doesn’t make Knack any less dull. Whether you’re five or 25, Knack is boring throughout its 10-hour duration.

Despite these setbacks, Contrast crafts an amazing world and continuously invents clever new ways for you to interact with it. The story is fantastic, bolstered by strong voice performances and a jazzy soundtrack that nails the mood. Few games can consistently grab your attention and wow you with each passing moment like Contrast can.

Guerrilla Games needs to recognize that it's not plot points and politics that move its games, but the bullets and guns. If the campaign could take a step back from the spectacle to focus on core concepts and feedback loops, the qualities that make the multiplayer suite so flexible and entertaining could make the campaign even stronger. Killzone Shadow Fall is easy to recommend as a launch title, and it's also a fantastic shooter on its own merits, regardless of hardware or history.

Enemy Within isn’t the definitive version of XCOM, but it’s a smart and satisfying extension of a game ideal for enticing players back for a second, third, or fourth playthrough.

Burial at Sea is a worthy return to Rapture, but by the end you’ll wish you could’ve spent more time absorbing the sights and sounds of the city’s unspoiled areas. The grand tourism of the game’s opening versus the constant combat in the rest of the DLC creates a disconnect that makes both halves feel underdeveloped. Hopefully episode two will mend the tear of Burial at Sea’s two disparate parts.

There’s clearly potential here, but these games will never be more than easily discarded novelties until the developer’s fine tune the controls and embrace the creative craziness of Dream Matches. Here’s hoping Mario and Sonic bring their A game next time around.

Ghosts is certainly not a bad game, but it offers few surprises. Although Black Ops II wasn’t always successful, it felt like it was conscious of stagnation and attempted to push the series forward through player choice in the campaign and the introduction of the 10-point system in multiplayer. By comparison, Ghosts seems almost afraid of screwing anything up.

Killzone Mercenary is the best FPS on the system and works well enough, even as batteries drain quickly and pinky fingers go numb. It does what it does honorably, unlike some of the Mercs you’ll find, but any way you look at it, be it by platform, or by genre, it sits between adequate and good, a tech demo that happens to be worth your time. Only evangelists will collect a full deck here.

Battlefield 4 is stout entry to the series and a strong addition to the PlayStation 4 launch lineup. As the first game to demonstrate the prowess of the Frostbite 3 engine, its explosive debut indicates a promising future for its technology. Gear up and strap in, Battlefield 4 sets the new standard for next-generation multiplayer.

While some core mechanics could still be improved, Black Flag's story, world, and systems come together to form a markedly better and more cohesive game than Assassin's Creed III. It's not only the best Assassin's Creed game to date, but also one of the best games for pirate fans to embark on as well.

You’ll feel a bizarre motivation to uncover each of more than a dozen endings, even when the game is openly mocking you for doing so. The insults speak to a larger truth and may make you question what it means to play games at all. This introspection, however, will have you laughing the entire time.

The quality of the combat, the diversity of the dialogue from lead characters to two-bit crooks, and the sheer amount of things to do make this stretch of Gotham an enjoyable place to visit. Origins proves the Arkham formula is strong enough for another team to tamper with, but if the series wants to really break free of its restraints in the next generation, they’re going to have to teach this old bat even more new tricks.

This game has surely glimpsed the Necronomicon, and while the blood-curdling rituals may not bewitch you for years to come, it's a delightful cantrip to enchant you for a fortnight or so.

Quotation forthcoming.

There’s a lot to see, and a lot of it’s worth seeing. It may not be in the echelons of excelsior, but we feel it’s safe to say: make mine Marvel.

Lost World nearly trips over itself to find a compromise between pure speed and stopping to smell the roses, but unlike many other Sonic games, this one does a pretty good job.

In the end the gassy theme of Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion exists only to draw attention away from the game itself; a game that just isn't worth your time.

This is one of the best installments in the series, and the new mechanics introduced in X and Y could turn into something even more significant and refined in the future, paving the way for truly spectacular evolution.

Whether you’re battling online or plowing through the single player mode, the huge range of things to do and places to go -- along with numerous revisions and additions -- more than compensate for the games few flaws and relatively low number of new Pokémon.

As a first episode, The Wolf Among Us successfully introduces a world we want to know more of. Tidbits of information about places and characters are enough to satisfy while also creating sufficient mystery that your mind will stretch into all sorts of possibilities. The way you play The Wolf Among Us doesn’t earn as much enthusiasm, but that perhaps proves games can enthrall even if what your hands are doing isn’t that interesting.

While F1 2013 is certainly improved over 2012, like the subtle new lighting effects, most of those changes don't make for substantial additions. The move to include features from past eras is a promising step for the future of the series, but carving out half of that content as DLC leaves the remainder as a briefly entertaining pit stop before moving on to business as usual.

For a work that prides itself on its story and your role in it, Beyond: Two Souls can’t help but make you feel a bit inconsequential in the ultimate scheme. The looks, the action, the acting, will have you see Jodie and Aiden through to the end, but not without shaking your head at what feels like a missed opportunity, bandaged by ghostly pranks and callbacks to more established games and movie staples.

It is neat to experiment with language to summon your favorite heroes or see surprising effects on the world, and it's at its most fun with a friend brainstorming with you. Still with the awkward action and haphazardly placed puzzles, there's a lack of direction to unleash that potential, making it hard to stay interested for the long-run.

The game is fun, at least it starts out fun, but repetition eventually morphs into boredom and killing demons changes from a guilty pleasure to a chore. By the game's mid-point the joy of combat has faded, the humor has worn thin and the characters and storyline aren't strong enough to carry the game. Shadow Warrior does stay true to its 1990s roots, but never truly moves past them.

There are some poetic moments using evocative music and words that seem to exist within the world right along with you, and though it rains for hours, the atmosphere somehow never feels tiresome. Rain can be a bit irritating though. You don’t get to see the script beforehand, and the stage managers often fail to provide you with proper cues. Things seem to stretch out too long, with some scenes seemingly exist just to fill time.

It’s the early days of Card Hunter, but it feels charming and exhilarating, with the promise of co-op and new campaigns in the future. We’ve played with and without spending a dime, and while cash can assuredly speed things up, Card Hunter is a valid experience for penny pinchers and pizza lovers alike.

Rather than aim toward a mass-market audience with an arcade approach, the developers have slowed the game down and required more finesse and skill out of players. Though still lacking in some areas, it is nonetheless an improved version of its predecessor with all of its strengths and fewer of its weaknesses.

MechWarrior Online is a smart game burdened by free-to-play annoyances and unfortunately lacking in things to do outside straightforward combat. The grind of match after match eventually erodes your enthusiasm as you start to wonder what it’s all for. Considering MechWarrior has a rich history to draw from, it’s hard not to feel like something’s missing when you find yourself in an endless arena.

While the ideas for those dungeons eventually made their way into other games, it’s disappointing Nintendo didn’t re-work the Triforce quest into a new dungeon or two to greatly improve the experience. Or why they still left three charts in the game rather than making all of the items immediately obtainable once you reached the quest. As it stands, even with the refinements, this segment breaks the otherwise great pacing of the game and feels out of place.

For the anarchist, GTA5 is quite a playground. The entire map is available once you get through an hour or so of the story, and the tools of destruction are numerous and hugely enjoyable, although some of them might need to be unlocked first. The Gatling gun returns and a gas canister spills a solid line of flammable justice waiting to be set off. Guns can be painted up and modded with flashlights, grips, scopes, and suppressors.

The sporadic moments of greatness, when you’re storming enemy walls or have finally brokered a peace agreement, are swallowed by tedium. With patience, your inner imperialist is satisfied as you skillfully cultivate a sprawling empire. It’s too bad you have to put up with so much to get there.

While its action and playful aesthetic are easy to admire, perhaps The Wonderful 101’s best quality is evoking a child-like innocence.

It’s not a perfect collection, but a decent bundle with Kingdom Hearts Final Mix serving as the main attraction. If you’ve never played Kingdom Hearts, this might be a good opportunity to get acquainted with the series.

The impressively eerie environments provide a convincing backdrop to the tale, and a few good scares and unsettling revelations mean that Machine for Pigs can still grind at your mind.

While Puppeteer's unique construction doesn't always make for the most fluid action, it presents some new ideas across an undeniably fun and diverse journey. Creatively fashioned visuals and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor lend an impressively elaborate feel to the overall production.

The initial hours, when played with a survivor’s unsure intent are electrifying, illuminating a slice of fast, animal terror. Before long, it settles into the mechanical, methodical, human realm, challenged by a few creative late-game curves. By all means check in, get a physical, but you might want to opt for outpatient care.

To be a turtle trapped in a game this bad is a truly wretched fate...The game barely functions on a basic level.

Killer is Dead never becomes anything more than a decent action game. The perpetual nonsense in the story isn’t remotely cohesive and the gigolo missions are nothing more than degrading distractions. While Killer is Dead often looks striking, the game’s other parts rarely match its outward style.

Lost Planet 3 isn’t a particularly handsome or graceful action game, but beneath the somewhat dull surface the characters and the multiplayer progression are outstanding.

Both visually and mechanically, Rayman Legends consistently sparks the imagination. The co-op play on the Wii U is something that really must be experienced.

It's clear more time was spent fixing the things that needed fixing rather than building new additions on a shaky foundation. The physics, animations, and AI are among the best this series has seen since its inception. The level of customization and flexibility offered to players is another bright spot, with users able to freely share rosters, sliders, and playbooks with the community.

Divekick may not look like it’s worth ten dollars, but like the stance-switching Uncle Sensei, looks can be deceiving. Once you’ve connect with high-powered “headshot”, you’ll gain a much better sense of the game’s value. When you’re on the receiving end of that ego-crushing kick to the dome, you can be damn sure that you’ll want a rematch.

A disappointing game with little to offer. The original had its eyes toward the future, very deliberately trying to do things differently. Great remakes are able to adapt, modifying and expanding upon the previous game’s ideas. Here there’s hardly more than recycled concepts and a total failure to capitalize on the first game’s potential. Improvements are few, and many of the updates make things worse instead of better.

The Bureau is trying hard to pass as a shooter and a strategy game, but seems to accidentally squash its clever ideas with brute force. Though combat might slosh around and threaten to spill, it’s functional. The presentation can only be called cheap, but there’s a dab of polish.

Disney Infinity is a source of constant amusement and there’s never been anything quite like it before. It’s a driving game, a shooter, a platform-heavy action-adventure game, a stealth game, and it includes modes of customizations that challenge you to invent your own genres or make worlds greater than the ones the developers have already built.

Gone Home's crisscrossing threads, like any good short story, are sure to have your mind racing as you try to unravel what's going on. This heavy sense of mystery is mixed with a dose of nostalgia that might have you head-banging.

As both the counterpart and conclusion to Knife of Dunwall, The Brigmore Witches doesn't innovate as much as its predecessor, choosing instead to sharpen the point and deliver a killer blow for those who have stuck with Dishonored. If you know who Daud is, and what he's capable of, you'll certainly want to see his story through.

The dark and humorously grim atmosphere help make Charlie Murder a unique brawler that knows how to throw a punch and stands out from others in the genre.

Despite these minor issues however, Splinter Cell Blacklist impresses with its scope and versatility. Level designs aren't limited to paint-by-numbers solutions, and the game not only gives you the option to play how you want, but pushes you to perfect your play-style.

It’s a classic “jack of all trades, master of none” scenario and it’s easy to think of other franchises that do every element of Saints Row IV better than it does. That isn’t to say the game won’t keep you entertained, but hopefully the next Saints outing is as refined as it is irreverent.

Ducktales Remastered is clearly made with care and considerable skill, but it might actually have a little too much in love for its source material. It looks and sounds great, but the huge effort spent to tell a story in the same voice as the TV show gives it the unbalanced feel of a fan project.

Despite its strengths, the original Payday sometimes felt as though it were little more than a Left 4 Dead clone with the zombies switched out for swarms of police officers. A touch of that still remains, but elements such as the new focus on stealth, a multitude of unlocks for gear and marks, and the greatly increased mission variety allow Payday 2 to assume a life of its own, and one far more in tune with the heists we've come to love in films like Michael Mann's Heat.

It’s a vast improvement over its predecessor Tales of Graces, but it doesn’t quite surpass the excellence found in Tales of Vesperia.

The tried and true formula might taste stale for some veterans, but it’s still an engrossing game well-suited for those seeking a solid RPG experience.

Rise of the Triad has its heart in the right place. How often does a game give you six different rocket launchers? But goofiness doesn't remedy the multitude of bugs. Hopefully Interceptor will address these issues, but right now, Rise of the Triad is less of a triumphant comeback and more of a fun diversion.

The game may not transcend its genre, but it’s a great reminder of why so many us fell in love with role-playing games in the first place.

The melancholy can swell at times to border at overbearing, and one or two real head scratchers would have been nice, but Brothers is a yarn that hopefully won’t be forgotten after fussy first looks.

The ways in which the game extends its life aren't exactly elegant, but they transform what would be a relatively short experience into something repeatable and fun. When you finally complete the game, you'll be able to start a new game with your powered up character on a new difficulty level or try a new adventurer. As long as you possess the will to quest, Dragon's Crown will provide you with ample adventure.

More than enough material to keep the shadows running long into the future.

Dota 2 is so carefully constructed and improving at such a rapid rate that it won’t only be played for years, but possibly decades. Though it may take dozens of hours to learn, players that grasp Dota 2’s ideas will find a game that’s almost endlessly enjoyable.