From the seamless online options that encourage you to compete to the graphics engine that ensures a level playing field, the entire game has been built to maximize play. The result is a game that's just flat-out fun. The more interesting moments tend to be fleeting and the single-player is anemic, but it's a great mix of old and new that will satisfy both fans of the series and first-time rippers.

It'd be easy to dismiss Sigma Plus as another attempt to cash-in on an aging game, but those who've never experienced it--or even seasoned fiend-slayers looking for a portable fight--should definitely consider picking up the sword.

An absorbing experience while it lasts, but it's short-lived and lacks any truly direct, interactive moments. However, its approach to story is thought-provoking and open to interpretation, traits that are generally lacking in the medium as a whole.

With its high-production values, there's nothing else like it. Provided you don't approach Asura's Wrath as you would a typical game, you won't be disappointed.

Compared to other multiplayer shooters flooding the market, Gotham City Imposters may not offer the same breadth of game modes and map content, but it certainly stands out thanks to a great sense of self-referential humor and some oddball gadgetry. Even when the chuckles subside, the madcap action stands strong on its own.

World Invitational may not possess the sheer system-selling appeal of an Uncharted: Golden Abyss, but it's still a solid, packed launch game that old hands as well as rookies should consider grabbing alongside their Vitas.

Online play holds up admirably to the lobby features and netcode standards of the original, and dedicated pad players should find little trouble adjusting their links, loops, and launchers to the Vita's crisp controls.

Escape Plan's puzzles are charming and inventive, and it's smartly designed to be playable in short spurts.

Offers enough memorable moments and entertainment value to be worth its $15 price point.

It's hard not to get lost in Rhythm Heaven Fever's charming and addictive gameplay. Whether it's the relaxing bass hits of a boy kicking away balls on a date or a rockin' interview with a rambunctious wrestler, these games will undoubtedly warrant repeated plays. We got a fever, and the only prescription is more Rhythm Heaven.

A visual presentation that looks more PSP than Vita, doesn't help matters. It makes a killer first impression-and certainly earns points for offering something different on launch day-but such limited appeal may not be enough to send gamers to Hell.

Syndicate has a lot of ideas, but seems unwilling to let some of them out of the bag, instead parading them around at key moments, while some mechanics, like running through weak walls, never amounting to much.

Touch My Katamari does little to break the mold, but with its odd humor and addictive simplicity, it's a great game to have on the go. Plus, at $30, it's one of the more reasonably-priced Vita launch games.

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.

The controls suit the system, with a surprisingly smart option to touch on-screen icons to turn the camera toward potential threats. The stealth play and covert killing is fast and satisfying but when blades clash, things can get awkward. You're eventually given a reversal move can quickly end fights with weaker enemies, but there's no running away from certain fated confrontations, which are almost always prolonged and clumsy.

With so much emphasis on sharing, the fact that there's only local multiplayer is frankly puzzling. More time should have been spent on what matters instead of fun gimmicks to promote hardware functionality.

The ability to skip challenges after failing multiple times and an inconsistent driver assist option does nothing to make the game accessible to anyone that lacks serious dedication.

Like an old muscle car, Twisted Metal can be a bit rough around the edges, but once you get the engine warmed up, you can get a lot out of it. The more you invest, the more it gives, providing a fulfilling sense of mayhem whether you're playing online or with friends at home.

Feels like it's held back by the need to incorporate the different features of the Vita, ultimately over complicating a package that would have benefited from some simplification.

A powerful tech demo for the PlayStation Vita, but it's also an engaging game that's a blast to play in spurts. Touch screen use is a little heavy-handed and it's missing those "wow" moments we're used to getting from the franchise, but it's a solid action adventure with production values strong enough to quell any sense of system buyer's remorse.

Longtime fans may appreciate the engorged roster and Pride rule set, but others may not find the extra purchase, or year long break, justifiable by any other regard. Bear no reservations if you're looking for another year of top notch brawling in the octagon, but if it's evolution you're looking for, Undisputed doesn't deliver.

A significant improvement over its predecessor, and one that proves there are still a few developers out there willing to learn from their mistakes.

The Darkness still packs plenty of gut appeal, with limbs being sheared and torsos torn asunder. Alas, players cannot sustain themselves on gore alone. Ultimately, the ultra violence will whet your appetite for bloodlust, but fail to slake your thirst for a truly great game.

Though it leans a little too heavily on well-trod genre conventions, there's no denying that Reckoning has a whole lot to offer in terms of sheer breadth. Similarly, though the challenge tapers off dramatically toward the end, its combat is welcoming, gratifying, and hypnotic.

Like flowers in a trash dump, the fragrance of NeverDead's high points is overpowered by the tons of garbage surrounding them. Even the most worthwhile moments are awkwardly handled, and there's nothing fun or helpful about having your body torn apart over and over again.

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.

Soul Calibur V enjoys its triumphs, most notably the strong online element, as well as its shortfalls, such as the flat story and relative dearth of extra content. In spite of its mostly positive gameplay tweaks, though, it's in no real danger of reinventing the wheel. That's OK with us. In this fifth installment, Soul Calibur is as easy to enjoy as it ever was, and it brings with it enough new stuff to more than justify its existence.

Unequivocally better than the original in almost every single way, XIII-2 presents a rehabilitated spin on one of the most polarizing Square-Enix releases in recent years, as well as a promising way forward for the franchise. It may not be enough to undo what's already been done, but for what it's worth, XIII-2 may just change your mind about the future.