While there could be some further improvements to the motion controls, presentation, and AI, NHL 2K10 should be considered a must-buy for anyone remotely interested in the sport.

The prognosis is good: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 channels the spirit of the first game and then some with a tighter presentation and a developed story sure to reward players who've persevered with Derek in the first installment.

Review forthcoming.

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.

With a series of meaningful improvements that culminate in a more interestingly designed campaign and sustainable multiplayer experience, Fall of Cybertron continues the franchise's upward trend in quality with a sequel that's definitely worth attention.

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.

If you're a tower defense junkie, download Orcs Must Die! without hesitation. The lack of multiplayer is disappointing, but at around $15 you'll get five or six solid hours of play.

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.

These problems don’t dilute Valiant Hearts’ message, however. Rarely has war been examined with so much honesty and earnestness in a videogame. It only makes us yearn for more games that were less about guns and more about the people behind them.

Case Zero makes a lasting impression when it comes to slaughtering the undead. However, given its short two hour duration and the oppressive race-against-the-clock structure, it's hard to recommend without qualification.

What’s most surprising is just how well Until Dawn manages to pull you in. What starts as funny and lighthearted eventually becomes quite terrifying. At the beginning, you’re just shaking your head at the ridiculous things these guys say, ready for a self-centered character to get horribly maimed, but once you’ve spent most of the night with them, you eventually want to save everyone you can. And of course it wouldn’t be complete without some shocking revelations.

Though the modes and extras in the console port aren't solid gold, they still add a good bit of value to an accomplished fighting game. Like your nose, neck, or kneecaps, if a fighting game isn't broken, there's not really any need to fix it.

DeathSpank maintains a tongue-in-cheek quality throughout that mocks hackneyed game conventions even as it celebrates them. If you've played several RPGs before, you'll definitely be in on the jokes, but the never-ending fetch-quest gag isn't quite as funny when you actually have to do the legwork.

With the challenge of bringing such a distinct franchise to a brand new platform while retaining all of the things that have made it great, including the hard work of the community, all things really were considered.

If you buy games for the single-player experience it's hard to recommend Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Once you hop online it's a different story as the tactical, objective-driven modes manage to fill the five-year void left since the release of the superior Advanced Warfighter 2. It's heavily reliant on teammates who are willing to play specific roles, but with a group of dedicated soldiers it's a war that you'll want to keep fighting.

The Unfinished Swan is a treat for the senses, with thoughtful music and a poignant, elegant, and ever-so-slightly enigmatic story with tinges of the bittersweet, as well as humor and hope. This is the sort of game that offers up that rare spark of ingenuity that manages to thread both its form and function between narrative, aesthetics, and game design.

Dissidia boldly marries an interesting new approach to fighting with some of the touchstones that the Final Fantasy series is built on. And though it takes some sizable risks at being different, the end result is great. It's everything that you wouldn't expect a Final Fantasy game to be, but if you're looking for a feature-rich time-sink with fight and flair, then Dissidia is well worth your consideration.

EA should be commended for creating a console control scheme that works well in real-time strategy games. But that doesn’t mean that this is the best way to play Battle for Middle Earth, or an Xbox 360 game for that matter.

The small improvements, like the extra save slots and crafted weapons, are just that--small improvements. The joys of co-op are obvious, but not always available. If you can deal with dead time and like kill counts in the thousands, let the dead rise so you can lay them to rest.

The lack of online play, or any real enhancements, is a bummer--making The Takeover a quick and dirty port. But when the original game is so strong that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Rochard has a fair number of idiosyncrasies, including its off-key attempt at Southern, blue-collar comedy humor, but its heart is in the right place. It's not on-point 100 percent of the time, and it doesn't concern itself with optional modes or bonus content, but you'll mine more fun than frustration from this endeavor.

Whether you're a Layton and Phoenix expert or a newcomer, the game does an admirable job of demonstrating why each series is so beloved in the first place. The few rough edges do little to dull the wonder of Labrythina, making us hope that these erudite heroes will someday reunite.

If you can overcome navigating pre-rendered backgrounds and enduring countless random battles, Devil Summoner 2 turns out to be an enjoyable experience.

Quite unlike anything else out there. It's a game that pushes back and challenges you to think on your feet. If the confounding puzzles don't hook you, the branching, variable story, and the steamy, nightmarish vibe certainly will.

If you have a tendency to rage quit and throw controllers, Trials Fusion may not be for you. Sometimes satisfaction is only found after hours of failed attempts, but the ease of giving it "just one more try" can be absolutely engrossing. The game’s outside-the-box goals are brimming with creativity, and the uncompromising level design pushes you to keep digging deeper to conquer every roadblock in your path.

There isn’t much like Fat Princess on any platform, and though it’s clear that it can grow in any number of ways, the game is already hectic and fun.

For a series that frequently touches on such dark themes, Harry Potter is surprisingly amenable to the Lego treatment, even at its grimmest moments.

Those with a keen eye for the nuts and bolts of puzzle composition will walk away moderately enriched by this effervescent anthology of game design haikus.