The elastic story provides plenty of incentive to replay the campaign, the strikeforce levels aren't executed perfectly, but they're a glimpse at the future, and the multiplayer features are tweaked to make every play style relevant and to level the playing field. It does so many new things so very well, making it the most groundbreaking Call of Duty since the first Modern Warfare. Shooters simply don't get much more deep, varied, surprising, or rewarding than this.

If you have no friends and no broadband connection then UT III will be a snore. When twitching out against opponents around the globe it can be as addictive, and deep, as video games come.

This War of Mine is a powerful and intimate portrayal of war through the eyes of ordinary civilians. An immense weight is put on the value of human life and moral decisions that can put your own well-being at risk. It’s a thoughtful and heavy game, but one that’s well worth playing.

A rare shoot 'em up that successfully draws in the entire spectrum of players, and it's hard to get too frustrated with the frequent deaths you'll suffer in arcade mode when it's all wrapped breathtaking in a presentation that swings effortlessly from 2D to 3D perspectives. Above all, it's simply fun.

Need for Speed Shift is a surprising turn for the series, pushing away from flashy street racing to compete with the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo. Its feature-set still has room to grow, but the tight driving experience stands up with the best.

Due to the occasional frame rate dip and the inevitable, constant circle strafing, this re-imagining of Ms. Croft’s premier pursuit falls just short of top shelf. But the new control scheme has made it infinitely more playable, and the additions of quick time events and new areas tint it modern, and the grand cave explorer from 1996 is still intact, and still fantastic.

Final Fantasy XIII embraces a feeling of immediacy that ultimately serves it well. Yeah, there aren't any towns, at least not in the classic sense. But once you're fully invested in the deep, demanding combat, you probably won't miss them. If you've been waiting years for Final Fantasy XIII, don't let its streamlined approach scare you away.

Season showdown strikes at the heart of the college football fan and running the ball feels much more natural. There are also tons of new features and no one can fault the developers for not trying. But many of them prove to be irrelevant for experienced players and there are still more quirks and cheap tricks than there should be for a franchise so long in the tooth.

The best compl[i]ment possible to give a puzzle game is that the real reward is the playing itself. You don’t need fancy stories, or whiz-bang effects when you’ve got solid, addictive gameplay. And CRUSH has this in spades--not to mention the presentation is quite nice as well.

Borderlands is a bit of a grind-fest, but that's part of the fun, as you take on tougher enemies and hunt for bigger and badder gear. The co-op play is integrated seamlessly, and there's a huge world to explore with friends or on your own.

Just like the Vita itself, Lumines Electronic Symphony is slick and at times irresistible, and well worth experiencing for yourself. Still, we can't help but feel that the $40 price is a tad steep for what it offers. Unless you absolutely can't wait to participate in this carnival of light, it's probably wise to wait until the price settles a bit.

Crackdown is one of those games that sounds like it’s full of good ideas until they’re actually put to use. The role-playing elements are addictive for a while, and it can be fun to play in this sandbox, setting up massive explosions and stunts, but the actual game is seriously lacking in a number of areas, and compared to the other GTA clones on the market, it falls firmly into the middle.

An experience similar to Minecraft, but it manages to distinguish itself with a heavy dose of breakneck fun that Minecraft often lacks.

There’s a whole lot of game here, but that was true last year, and for every gameplay improvement there’s something annoying to dampen the enthusiasm. It’s still an excellent football game, but the casual player is going to like it a lot more than the grizzled vet.

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.

Reconstructing the skating and goaltending succeeds at making the game more realistic, but not necessarily more rewarding. Still, these changes will pay huge dividends down the road. The new GM connected option provides just about as much flexibility in playing a sports game as we've seen, and there are more than enough ways to keep your mind off the looming lockout.

The increased emphasis on weapons is clearly the right move for Resistance 3. Trying out different guns and upgrading each is a blast, and there are some fun surprises as the game goes on. Despite some neat boosters and abilities, the multiplayer doesn't do too much to stand out, but the variety and pacing of the campaign makes it the best in the series so far.

It is a great pick-up and play title with an upbeat sense of humor, relentless action, and strong replay value thanks to different difficulty levels and cooperative play.

The gameplay is a bit of a hybrid, but its open enough for exploration without getting lost. It’s obviously a game for fans, and it succeeds, but it’s also a good game for a portable platform that anyone can get into.

It's able to emulate its idols very well, so whatever War is doing, it's bound to be enjoyable. But anyone who's attracted to this sort of game, or action games in general, is going to feel more familiar than floored.

This arcade-style take on stealth takes a careful balance of planning and execution, and even if it’s not quite a perfect crime, it’s still a pretty darn good one.

Despite some reservations with the ending, Transistor is captivating in ways that few other games can manage. It creates a place that we wanted to be a part of, learn more about, and most importantly didn’t want to leave. Transistor isn’t something you’ll forget about immediately after finishing it. Instead, it’s one that you’ll wish you could play again for the first time.

Grinding out levels and looking for items is rarely this rewarding, and it’s obvious that Level 5 knows the depths of the role-player's mind all too well. Now if they could just hire a good writer.

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.

Yakuza 5 looks fantastic... Delivers one of the best stories in the franchise.

Bad Company set out to deliver a successful single-player campaign, and it succeeds. This isn’t a unique feat and it’s not a new high standard, but it’s definitely a first for the series.

Without a doubt, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves tops any current Wii minigame collection on the market.

Torchlight applies a smooth and modern design to a time-tested concept. The result is successfully crafted and eminently playable dungeon crawler at the attractive price of 20 bucks. The one downer is the puzzling lack of online play.