Excels with a varied open world, bookended by monumental set-piece battles. The inclusion of user-generated content constitutes almost as a game unto itself, and while the morality system isn't one that calls for tough decision making, it pushes even further to provide two dramatically different gameplay experiences.

Draws up a completely new plan that spells out every last detail of the player's job with little room for deviation, but the crazy damage model that's always defines the series plays as well here as it did in an open world. The destruction certainly packs a punch, it's just not quite enough to blow us away.

A race to the bottom, buggy and ill-inspired by genre clichés.

The Witcher 2 is bold, inspired, and not afraid to take some risks, but neither does it work overly hard to endear itself to less patient players. In the end, though, it's a no-brainer of a deal. This standout RPG is among the best in years, and one that simply begs for multiple playthroughs. If you have any sort of affection for this sort of game, you can't afford to miss it.

Dirt 3 really does have something for drivers at every level, offering a surprising amount of variety. It's a strong package overall, with beautiful landscapes and an exhilarating sense of speed, making it perfect for anyone who wants to take a not-so-quiet drive through the woods.

Dirt 3 really does have something for drivers at every level, offering a surprising amount of variety. It's a strong package overall, with beautiful landscapes and an exhilarating sense of speed, making it perfect for anyone who wants to take a not-so-quiet drive through the woods.

Honest Hearts is most exciting at the start and then gradually ebbs, as Zion ends up being much smaller than it first seems.

If this is your first time in front of the net, Virtua Tennis 4 will make you glad you picked up a racket. However, if you already mastered your game in the last version, or you're looking for a full-on Kinect-enabled entry, you'll probably want to remain court-side for this one.

If you're a fan of the mud-flinging franchise, you'll probably want to take Alive for a spin. Its fresh gameplay tweaks generally outshine its shortcomings, and plenty of throttle-twisting thrills await those willing to master the controls and progress their character. Just be prepared to re-up your entry fee once you reach the finish line.

LA Noire floors you out of the gate, loses some steam due to repetition, but eventually wins the day thanks to its subtlety, attention to detail, and stunning character interaction. It has a certain level of class to it and sets a new standard for storytelling in video games, but it's also a bit limited compared to its contemporaries.

Though Gatling Gears adheres unerringly to the dual-stick formula, it really nails the execution. This is a lengthy endeavor that you'll want to come back to again and again.

If videogames are systems of learning, then Bangai-O is a scatterbrained professor teaching advanced calculus.

Its biggest problem is that its core conceits fail to contribute to what the series is best at. If you're a newcomer, Mount & Blade: Warband is easily the better bet. Veterans will get a brief kick out of this powder keg, but we suspect they'll be reaching for the familiar steel soon enough.

If you've played past Lego movie tie-ins, you can expect more of the same from Pirates of the Caribbean. It follows a predictable formula, but it's still suitable for Pirates fans looking for lightweight family fun.

Despite failing to live up to some of its bold promises, Brink lands on its feet with an enjoyable class-based shooter that most anyone with a true taste for teamwork will take to. You may find a few hurdles to jump over, but if you're looking for a solid and fun team experience that isn't Team Fortress 2 on the consoles, you could do worse than Brink.

A shameless God of War knockoff without a soul of its own.

Darkspore is merely a pretty good action-RPG. It works great on a fundamental level, but its execution is a little too cumbersome to let you truly appreciate its breadth.

Loads of fun, and it's a decent buy at $14.99. While it could benefit from a wider range of weapons and environments, its engrossing and unusual gameplay makes it a safe bet for any dedicated tower defender.

There's no mistaking Outland for its marvelous presentation or its curious conglomeration of elements, which quite possibly amount to the freshest take on action platformers in a good long while. At 800 Microsoft Points, it's a journey well worth taking.

With its level of variety and solid grasp of the fundamentals, it's more than worth its price. It may not be doing anything new, but what it does do, it does quite well.

For a free-to-play game, World of Tanks offers a surprising wealth of entertainment, although you may feel the need to fork out a bit of cash for some armor upgrades. The best part of this armored adventure is that enjoying a few rounds of battle doesn't take the time commitment required by other MMOs.

Apocalypse has high expectations of the player, but the reward for hard work, diligence and patience is one of the most exciting racing games available. Even with the lingering issues, this is Motorstorm at its most extravagant, at its most intense, and at its absolute best.

Frankly, though, it's unlikely that the gameplay will hold your attention long enough that you'll want to sample these extras.

Conduit 2's cheeky dialogue and creative weapons are amusing, and there are enough multiplayer options to keep you busy, although not likely for the whole of spring. Conduit 2 isn't top of its class, but it's a fun B-movie experience nonetheless.

Just like its predecessor, this sequel manages to wring every last ounce of enjoyment out of seemingly simple core concepts. If you're strictly into action its slow, plodding, calculated pace will be a turnoff. Yet, somehow Valve has managed to make a puzzle game that will make your pulse rise with a never ending daisy chain of positive reinforcement.

Darkly decadent as one of its sadistic X-ray moves, the new and improved Mortal Kombat emerges as an impressively realized reboot that elevates the series to a new plateau of excellence. If your interest in Mortal Kombat has remained in stasis until now, unfreeze your expectations and take a dip in the dark side. You will that find ripping someone's head off is a lot more fun than you originally remembered.

If you've never experienced old school Final Fantasy, this is the perfect way to get acquainted.

Patapon maniacs will find a lot to keep them interested: this is a long game, especially at $20, and there's a lot to the online if you can deal with its rough edges.

Rift is a young game, so it's natural for it to exhibit some growing pains during these early months. Still, even amidst the relative flux of rapidly-changing classes and other early-game kinks, the experience feels remarkably complete and cohesive.

The game makes several middling attempts to align itself more closely with other successful designs while keeping its identity mostly intact. Despite a few stumbles in engineering its single-player experience and some irregularities with its controls, this is still a unique and solid experience provided you plan to enlist in online multiplayer.

Last year's biggest problems--the graphics and glitches--still plague this year's installment, which is a letdown for a series that seemed to be on the cusp of becoming something more than just an alternative to MLB: The Show.

The challenge level in the Dishwasher is nearly pitch-perfect, skillfully walking the fine line between punishment and reward.

Battlegrounds is a competent enough shooter, though it could use more depth and originality. The single-player portion can be completed within an hour, and the multiplayer games lack the depth to sustain long-term play.

Pays as much tribute to the classics as it does the games and superstars of today, reinvigorating the wrestling genre with a fast, fun pace that most anyone could appreciate. If you dig classic wrestling games but are turned off by the ultra-complex, sim-oriented direction the genre has taken, then WWE All Stars is exactly what you've been waiting for.

Strives to replicate the Masters, and it succeeds on an impressive level. It's got the sort of variety that'll keep you playing for a good long time, and its treatment of the Masters is slick and educational, doing honor to the venerable tournament.

Strives to replicate the Masters, and it succeeds on an impressive level. It's got the sort of variety that'll keep you playing for a good long time, and its treatment of the Masters is slick and educational, doing honor to the venerable tournament.

Sure, the graphics are ho-hum and the 3D does little to enhance gameplay, but if you value substance over style, Shadow Wars stands as one of the stars of the 3DS launch.

Visually, Asphalt has decent car models, but suffers from choppy performance, lots of pop-in, laughable animations, and tire marks that float above the road in 3D. It's as if it was made merely to look good in screen shots.

Ridge Racer has enough content to keep you busy, but despite the visual depth, the gameplay is too shallow to hold your attention for long.

Yakuza 4 builds on its history and its strengths, using four well-differentiated playable characters to multiply the value of its character-driven drama and exhilarating fights. The game sometimes feels dated and a bit too stodgily conventional, but its virtual tour of a bizarrely attractive, crime-soaked, hyperbolic slice of Japan as seen through the eyes of its underworld nobility is certainly worth taking.

It's over in a flash, but when it's done, you'll be eager to find out what happens next.

It's hard to deny the fundamental appeal of Nintendogs + Cats. These lovable virtual critters are a pleasure to play with. However, the package would've benefited greatly from more options, especially ones that broadened the ways you interact with your pet.

It's hard to deny the fundamental appeal of Nintendogs + Cats. These lovable virtual critters are a pleasure to play with. However, the package would've benefited greatly from more options, especially ones that broadened the ways you interact with your pet.

It's hard to deny the fundamental appeal of Nintendogs + Cats. These lovable virtual critters are a pleasure to play with. However, the package would've benefitted greatly from more options, especially ones that broadened the ways you interact with your pet.

Parasite Eve this is not. The 3rd Birthday squanders some clever concepts with clumsy execution, and the end result is just another mediocre shooter that has very little in common the PlayStation classics that preceded it. This is one birthday that is not worth celebrating.

The extra modes are more forgettable than fun, but the core Monkey Ball experience passes muster, though keep in mind that using the gyroscopic controls kills the 3D. For best results, pick your primate, turn your circle pad on, and the 3D slider up.

It's a fighting game that successfully infuses RPG elements to provide depth and variety. It doesn't quite strike a perfect balance, and the lack of true online functionality hurts, but Duodecim delivers on the thrill factor with its cinematic battles.

With options that are barebones and gameplay that can be at one moment exhilarating and the next maddening, PilotWings Resort isn't a great showcase for the 3DS' capabilities. It's a different kind of game that will appeal to specific players, but the lack of content won't keep anyone coming back for long.

It's a bare minimum situation that will disappoint even the most desperate player. We have to go back a long way to remember a Madden game that offered so little.

While the 3DS-enabled features are a nice touch and the core concept is intact, The Sims 3 ultimately feels like a lightweight launch title. Newcomers may get a small kick out of living a fake life, but if this isn't your first virtual rodeo, you're better off sticking to the real world.

Refines the strengths of the first game and extends their value indefinitely through the competitive environment of autolog. There aren't any breakthrough new features here, but this is a racer that will constantly push you to improve and make you sweat under the pressure.

Lego Star Wars III has some interesting, innovative concepts that sound great on paper, but they ultimately fall apart the moment the game gives you control. What you end up with is one of dullest entries in the entire series.

Even at the discounted price of 30 dollars, this is clearly the wrong move to bust on a new platform.

There isn't much to explore in Steel Diver's shallow waters. There are better ways to showcases the new hardware, even among the 3DS's sparse launch lineup. Only the most dogged would-be Nemo need apply.

The 3DS rendition of Super Street Fighter IV is a smart adaptation that looks, functions, but most of all, plays just like the genuine article. If you can live with the compromises it makes with controls, then it's a solid pick amid a lukewarm lineup of welterweight launch games.

Knights Contract is far too rough around the edges to be worth its asking price. The needlessly frequent cutscenes interrupt the game's flow, combat against the majority of enemies requires little thought, and you'll be constantly fighting either the camera or the level design. The finishing blow is Gretchen's AI, which makes the boss fights annoying instead of exciting.

There may not be any truly revolutionary additions here, but the tightly-focused map, extensive streamlining, and rich opportunities for strategic gameplay inject a welcome freshness into the series.

Crysis 2 takes the ideas and technological prowess of the first game and focuses them into a multifaceted experience that encourages you to go to town with its tactics and physicality. The nanosuit is what defines the Crysis 2 experience, and once you get familiar with its features, it feels as natural as a second skin.

Crysis 2 takes the ideas and technological prowess of the first game and focuses them into a multifaceted experience that encourages you to go to town with its tactics and physicality. The nanosuit is what defines the Crysis 2 experience, and once you get familiar with its features, it feels as natural as a second skin.

MLB 11 finally moves the series forward with enough meaningful change to make the game feel like a fresh start.

Complemented by absorbing environments and evocative imagery, Homefront's presentation succeeds in immersing players in its plausible nightmare. Sadly, a weak script, unremarkable gameplay, and a short campaign undermine much of the promise in solo play.

Much of what made Okami so special has been preserved and even refined in the sequel, but Okamiden slips on the execution front a little too often, preventing it from rising above its predecessor. Nonetheless, it's still a beautiful game and a worthy successor that both newcomers and veteran celestial painters will enjoy.

The HD upgrade for Beyond Good & Evil is an unmistakable improvement. The conversion isn't quite perfect though. In places, you'll still find blocky textures, odd visual glitches, menus floating beyond the edge of the world, and places where you can fall right through the geometry.

If you enjoy deep RPGs and you're looking for a great time-killer--or just ask a lot from your video game purchases--you can't go wrong with Pokemon Black and White.

If you enjoy deep RPGs and you're looking for a great time-killer--or just ask a lot from your video game purchases--you can't go wrong with Pokemon Black and White.

Mixes up the series' gameplay fundamentals in interesting ways without fouling up what makes it unique, reinvigorating the multiplayer game in process. It's a remarkably ambitious standalone expansion, and at a mere $30, it's a great introduction to those who've yet to take up arms.

Though it doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor when it comes to sheer breadth, Dragon Age II has quite a bit more soul.

Though it doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor when it comes to sheer breadth, Dragon Age II has quite a bit more soul.

Brimming with fan-service, Back to the Future tickles the funny bone more than it taxes the brain, but we're guessing fans of the time-traveling film trilogy wouldn't want it any other way.

Meaningfully expands on the original game's deep interactive story and dynamic battle system, showing as much respect to prospective players as it does to its source material. Remake or not, this is the rare game that can sustain and reward months of play.

Playing by your lonesome isn't that rewarding, and online play can be frustrating with all those cheap answer grinders out there.

With Fight Night Champion, the series has gotten leaner and smarter, and has packed on the features. In short, it puts in the effort to live up to its name.

Uprising's hand-drawn sprites are stunning, and they blend with the 3D environments to good effect. The same can't be said of the audio, with effects that feel dull and flat only barely redeemed by a genre-appropriate metal soundtrack.

One of those rare games ostensibly aimed at youngsters that is likely to sustain adult interest. Its core premise is simple and plays to our most base completist urges, but it never feels cheap for doing so. It may start off slow, but once the experience picks up, it becomes a delightful trip indeed.

Test Drive Unlimited 2's flaws aren't bad enough to keep you from being sucked into the vast amount of single-player content. The problem is that it isn't designed to be a single player game, and the online features meant to be its biggest draw have been broken for far too long.

If you can make peace with the ridiculous vibe, it's almost a sure thing you'll have fun with it. It doesn't have the legs to sustain it for months, so you might want to approach the game as one of its characters would approach a leather-clad Mad Max reject: wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.

Combat quickly grows repetitive, even with talent trees and new abilities. Advancement is slow, and many missions and challenges seem more like busywork than fun.

Unapologetic in more ways than one, exulting in the methodized chaos of its fighting engine in a way that few other games can.

The DS has been good to RPG fans over the years, so it's somewhat poetic that Dragon Quest VI sees the system off into the sunset. It's a game that lets veterans reminisce over days gone by, while allowing newcomers to revel in a golden era they may have otherwise never known.

Stacking is quaint, even charming, with its silent-film style and the funny ways that the dolls react to whatever nonsense is being propagated. The game is a little on the short side, and though there are some gameplay change-ups in the conclusion, don't expect any keyed-up moments; the experience remains moderated and subtle throughout.

Just keep in mind that truly enjoying this adventure often requires you to overcome challenges that don't involve puzzling quests or formidable monsters. Yet even with its faults, there's a lot here to indulge your urge to explore and conquer.

The package just lacks the substance to keep you coming back. Mario Sports Mix is good for a diversion, but it ultimately makes for an underwhelming trip back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

The revamped controls result in the best Killzone experience yet, and the thoughtfully-conceived multiplayer elements will keep you in the game until you've maxed out and mastered its finer points. Killzone hasn't forgotten its roots--it's just improved its fundamentals in every way that matters.

Rearmed 2 may not be as easy to recommend as its predecessor was--1200 Microsoft points isn't peanuts--but if you've been craving another dalliance with Spencer, you won't be disappointed, provided you're not a stickler about the whole jumping thing.

Magicka's clever, inspired twists on the straight action-RPG are sure to result in hours of freeform chaotic fun.

Director George Lucas famously said that a "special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." A special effect without strong gameplay is also a boring thing, which is Lost in Shadow's greatest fault.

There's little to redeem Mindjack. You'll quickly grow tired of the unresponsive controls and repetitive shootouts, and the multiplayer game's appeal, while novel, is fleeting. What's left is a dreadful shooter that will have you wishing you could mindjack into another host, preferably someone who's playing a better game.

The first couple hours with Dead Space 2 are very familiar, but it's one of those rare games that just keeps getting better. It's still a very dreary game that can make long play sessions a challenge, yet there are scores of moments that stick with you for quite some time. The multiplayer is a disappointment, but it's a much more accessible game that won't leave fans in a lurch.

Despite these moments of frustration, Fluidity surges past the usual fare of stagnant WiiWare games, sparkling with a steady stream of fresh gameplay mechanics.

A charming and enjoyable package. The variety of levels and modes will keep you busy for hours, and the online play provides much in the way of chaotic fun.

Blurring the line between game and application, Media Molecule still manages to keep it fun. It's clumsy at times, but its huge potential to amaze and amuse will have you sampling from the burlap buffet until the next version hits. Whether you look at it as a new game or as some sort of massive patch, LittleBigPlanet 2 rocks the boat without threatening to capsize it.

It's not a terrible deal at around five hours for 10 bucks, but you'll certainly come away hoping that the next New Vegas expansion tries a little harder to temper its idiosyncrasies.

It's not necessarily a bad game, it's just far too difficult to enjoy.

Ghost Trick is about problems and solutions, and while there's some fun in exploring the possibilities along the way, the game is only really concerned in wrapping you up in one memorable, start-to-finish run. Give it a chance to haunt you, and you won't be disappointed.

By now, it's clear that the Kingdom Hearts series really needs to move into new territory instead of rehashing the same tired elements that are well past their expiration date. If you're new to the series, there are worse games than Recoded to start out with. Veterans, on the other hand, will be hard-pressed to find anything worthwhile here.

While it's still puzzling why the developers seem so reluctant on including some sort of simultaneous multiplayer action, Championship Edition DX is unbelievably fun and mercilessly addictive, enhancing the timeless appeal of Toru Iwatani's original coin-op design to frantic and eye-catching levels.

The appeal of creatively eradicating the undead remains undeniable. Drab environment and co-op hiccups aside, there's plenty to enjoy in the three-hour campaign to make it worth the $10 asking price.

One could theoretically get better at playing Sonic Free Riders, but the rewards for mastery pale before the spastic mess of a game you have to deal with.