The five or so hours it takes to escape this den of iniquity are rife with high caliber direction. It balances the new gewgaws with the series' hallmarks to deliver a fitting send-off of BioShock's under-the-sea story.

Much like the original Guitar Hero, Dance Central nails the essence and charm of its ambitious format in its very first act.

Open Tee was and is a fantastic game, and it’s hard to complain about being able to tee off online with that very same feel.

Child of Light may not be the biggest game this year, but sometimes it’s the smallest things that shine the brightest.

Minecraft on the Xbox 360 does an admirable job of reproducing the essence of its forbear, and on the strength of the local co-op, it also manages to improve upon it in a small but essential way.

Dead Space Extraction is certainly worth experiencing, though with its slim feature set, it's a hard sell at the 50 dollar price-tag unless you're a fully-devoted Unitologist. For most, a rental will suffice. Either way, prepare yourself for great ride.

Nagging issues we've been complaining about for years have gone untouched, and the meager additions to this year's game aren't enough to offset the problems. The endless list of bells and whistles is pointless when your team is blowing wide open layups when it matters. NBA 2K10 is barely the best roundball game on the market, but at this point it's starting to look like a paper champion.

What you have here is a full-featured Resident Evil release squeezed down onto the 3DS. It sacrifices little due to the hardware, with its most glaring faults a result of development decisions. The meaty campaign is short on scares, but well-designed and engaging, while the raid mode will sink its claws into you after just a couple missions. While tip-toeing the line between old series staples and its latest evolutions, Resident Evil: Revelations proves that what's old can be new again.

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

The lack of downloadable content or a custom piñata creator is disappointing, but the card content will suffice for now. With the numerous improvements and its bargain price, Trouble in Paradise is one party you shouldn’t miss.

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.

Trenched is doubtlessly a tower defense game, just one that falls further from the tree than most. Though it takes a few missteps, particularly the tedious scrap collection and the lack of a survival mode, it's ultimately another notch in Double Fine's belt.

Dyad's heart and soul ultimately reside in the hard-edged and inventive gameplay mechanics that prop-up the aesthetics. Both easy on the eyes and exciting to fiddle with, it'll simultaneously dazzle and bedevil you. If you're game for the challenge, a ticket to this vivid world is yours for a song at $15.

So PES 2015 isn't quite the FIFA killer that many may have hoped, as there are many things that the current iteration of EA's footie series does better. Yet the gap has narrowed significantly with PES 2015, and the hardest part of any sports game -- the gameplay and feel of the sport -- has never been better than with this year's installment.

While the more obvious gating puzzles aren’t as charming, Antichamber still manages to craft its conclusion to a crescendo, with the swelling geometry taking on a personality, successfully building a narrative despite a lack of story.

Casual hoops players aren't going to be wowed with this latest iteration of NBA 2K9, but it's meant to satisfy those who live and breathe basketball, as the improvements in the AI and atmosphere alone are sure to tickle the inner twine of dedicated fans.

If you’ve been hankering for another tour of Ferelden, then jump right in. Just don’t expect any fantasy romance; this time around, your companions are keeping it strictly professional.

Undeniably fun, AND has the ability to humble even the biggest self-proclaimed geek, with its staggering amount of characters and references. Its flaws aren't impossible to look past, and with a solid story and improved combat, it's definitely evolved the genre for the better.

Like a fifth-year senior, NCAA Football 12 relies on its experience more than improving its game. With minimal improvements where it matters most, it doesn't have the benefit of updated rosters of real players to help its case. It's undoubtedly the best game in the series to date, but when you can pick up last year's game for a fraction of the cost, it's difficult to recommend at full price.

It’s like a great amusement park ride: fun while it lasts. But peel off that shiny paint and pause the adrenaline rush and you see there are some core problems hiding in the shadows, like underlying structure and play that just don’t completely congeal. Even so, it’s a hell of a ride, and it’s hard not to be forgiving and embrace this darkness.

It’s all about dropping the clutch, and as unique as the concept is, some lackluster execution keeps this one from reaching the level cap.

Blur is essentially Mario Kart with deeper driving mechanics and more strategy, but those characteristics are potent enough for it to stand on its own. The unpredictability of races packed with drivers, as well as the wealth of vehicles, tracks, and challenges, ensure that you'll keep coming back for more.

If you've never experienced Sins of a Solar Empire before, you'll find no better entry point than Rebellion. But if Rebellion commits any sins of its own, it's in the $40.00 price tag, which seems excessive for an expansion that will almost certainly strike its loyal fans as little more than a meaty content patch.

Focusing on what's most important to creating a good fighter, Tekken Tag 2 sets a moderately high bar and confidently clears it. It offers a ton of fighters, the tag system is interesting, it plays well online, and it preserves the goofy sense of humor that defines the series. Spinoff or not, this is the best Tekken game in years.

Sure, Galak-Z may be rough around the edges, but the core of it is so good that it’s easy to recommend regardless. It’s a game of ecstatic moments, where you’ll kill a boss with only a sliver of life, or dodge a barrage of lasers at the very last second. Galak-Z may not have the highest production values, but it’s one of the most energizing games we’ve played on the PS4 this year.

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.

It’s the kind of game that can only work this well on the Nintendo DS, and despite a rather simple puzzle element, ends up being better than the sum of its parts. If you’re looking for your next DS fix, this one will have your head buried in it for days.

Trauma Team is a step in the right direction for the series, adding new elements to keep things fresh while managing to preserve what's worked well.