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.

Axiom Verge isn’t the best in its class, but it takes a familiar structure and adds a tool belt loaded with interesting weapons and gadgets. It’s a worthwhile adventure that entices you to unearth its secrets and rewards you for doing so.

Too bad the game doesn't offer much variety outside of its weirdo flea market.

The lack of narrative finesse and the toning down of the scripted events was a good call. It’s not quite the open world shooter that was promised, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The choice to rebuild from square one on a new engine has resulted in a game that doesn’t necessarily stand up to last year’s on paper, but shows promise when taking into account the track record of EA Sports NHL. In the game of hockey, sometimes you have to make the counter-intuitive decision to take a big penalty to prevent a season-ending goal.

To say Total War: Attila is complex would be an understatement. At times it can feel like you are studying for a final exam. If you manage to get past the steep learning curve however, Total War: Attila is a rewarding historical strategy game. There’s a wide range of possibilities on the battlefield and conflicts are a marvelous sight to behold. Unfortunately a few technical problems and an insignificant political system hold it back from greatness.

The Warriors on the PSP is basically the same game it was on the consoles; a rock solid brawler that captures the heart and soul of one of the coolest flicks of all time.

The Wii version of Call of Duty 3 probably isn’t the best choice for die-hard shooter fans, yet it’s still a solid game. Realistically, you’re trading online multiplayer and cutting edge visuals for a fun, hands-on method of picking off enemies with the Wii controller.

Serviceable enough, but a grand return to form it isn't. Frankly, it feels a little warmed over.

While the ideas for those dungeons eventually made their way into other games, it’s disappointing Nintendo didn’t re-work the Triforce quest into a new dungeon or two to greatly improve the experience. Or why they still left three charts in the game rather than making all of the items immediately obtainable once you reached the quest. As it stands, even with the refinements, this segment breaks the otherwise great pacing of the game and feels out of place.

Exploring this recreation of London is a marvel, but the repetitive cycle of taking territory and gathering pointless collectibles quickly wears thin, while gameplay pillars in stealth and combat still feel lacking. It’s the most modern Assassin’s Creed has been, but the Industrial Revolution doesn’t quite bring the series into a new age.

A game of extreme highs and lows. The fragile atmosphere of fright and wonder that starts the game strong is nearly crushed by idiotic human AI and design choices that don't quite work in practice. Like its roller-coaster chase sequences, it's worth the experience, but it will at times make you want to hurl.

Divekick may not look like it’s worth ten dollars, but like the stance-switching Uncle Sensei, looks can be deceiving. Once you’ve connect with high-powered “headshot”, you’ll gain a much better sense of the game’s value. When you’re on the receiving end of that ego-crushing kick to the dome, you can be damn sure that you’ll want a rematch.

As a standalone single-player adventure, Aliens vs. Predator hits a shaky equilibrium with carefully planted franchise winks and underwhelming set pieces. But for someone with an inclination for diverse experiences, interesting multiplayer modes, or even the AvP franchise as a whole, the game casts a pretty wide net of appeal.

The implementation of the system and peripheral is inventive, but its somewhat lackluster set list and poor audio quality strike at the core of the experience. Still, if you’re the person that imported Ouendan (when-dan) from Japan or just can’t get enough of the series, hop on the tour bus.

The games repeat core mechanics too often, many solo games go on too long for good alternating multiplayer, and while it’s safe to say the Wii version is going to be the superior one, it doesn’t lend itself to extended play due to the repetition and possible physical strain.

Taken for its strengths, Mafia II delivers a rich slice of 50's mob culture with phenomenal atmosphere and solid gameplay that's easily worth experiencing. But if you're expecting the generous breadth of the best open-world games, the absence of extracurricular activities will be a bit of a disappointment.

The odd premise of Tokyo Jungle is only augmented by the adrenaline rush of survival and the peculiarity of its systems and rules. It can certainly get repetitive and unlocking everything is a bear, but its random nature can often have you shouting at the screen in moments of panic and surprise.

Fun but short, and lacking enemies more substantial than guys with grenade launchers. The series definitely still has quite a bit of potential to live up to, but if you have a friend to partner up with, it’s definitely worth taking a couple trips to witness the destruction of Shanghai.

Like a good sci-fi flick, Infestation is at its best on the very first viewing. Just don't be surprised if that inevitably ends up being the only time.

Dead Space 3 has the bad habit of drawing you into a tantalizing catastrophe right before goading you right back into its more tedious and borderline exploitative elements. The quest is long and the side-content plentiful, but it all comes at the expense of the atmosphere. In our estimation, it’s a poor bargain.

Wii Fit has it's own style and look, but there's no hiding the fact that very little effort has gone into its presentation.

It's a decent stop-gap if you're waiting for "Burnout 5" to hit stores, but most will be able to milk it for all it’s worth via rental. If the series continues to lumber on like this, its fans will inevitably burn out.

Lost Planet 3 isn’t a particularly handsome or graceful action game, but beneath the somewhat dull surface the characters and the multiplayer progression are outstanding.

Killzone Mercenary is the best FPS on the system and works well enough, even as batteries drain quickly and pinky fingers go numb. It does what it does honorably, unlike some of the Mercs you’ll find, but any way you look at it, be it by platform, or by genre, it sits between adequate and good, a tech demo that happens to be worth your time. Only evangelists will collect a full deck here.

Those hoping for an in-depth solo campaign should look elsewhere to satisfy their story-driven shooting, as what's included is short and largely forgettable. Yet, if you value large-scale battles, tactical combat, and team-oriented play, Fuel of War won't leave you running on empty.

Stranglehold is trying to hijack a two-hour action movie and stretch it out into a seven-hour game. The concepts are great, the controls work, and there are plenty of cool things to do, over and over again as a bad ass cop. But keeping that sort of intensity is a challenge all its own, and throwing endless waves of enemies at the player isn’t the way to do it.

The development team has played it safe, delivering a game that maintains the status quo. It will make fans giddy, but those without preconceived notions will find it to be a bit clunky and growing long in the tooth.