If you’re really into JoJo, or really into fighting games, or both, you’ll be able to see through the messy design, pick out the good stuff and have some fun with it. Otherwise you’re likely to be beaten and bewildered.

The various game crashes, audio glitches, and unceasing loading make up an additional catalog of do-not-want, but it’s really just how diminished Spider-Man is that hurts. The anemic plot and the oft-repeated zingers give us a pencil sketch of the great Spider-Man, when he deserves to be inked and colored.

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

Daylight's potency is diminished by repetition and distraction, but when you have the chance to become truly engrossed in its shadows, it can really pull you in and make you jump, especially if you’re wearing a pair of headphones.

With so much to do, achieving 100% completion will take some real effort. It’s fair to say the game earns the Deluxe in its title, and almost everything here is well done. Charming and light like its hero, Kirby Triple Deluxe has some real substance under all the pink fluff.

Cold, Cold Heart is a bit curt and claustrophobic, not unlike Mr. Freeze himself. If you felt Arkham Origins didn’t do enough to force the franchise forward then you can give this DLC the cold shoulder. If you’re a committed defender of Gotham City, you should be amused by this brief addition to Batman’s beginning. Just don’t expect this New Year’s party to last all night.

Simply stated, NES Remix 2 is a real sequel’s sequel, with stronger games, weirder remixes and better bonuses. Players who’d like an interactive history lesson and anyone with fondness for old-school Nintendo could do far worse than romancing these ROMs.

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.

The new additions have helped streamline the experience, and the "Stubs" system has directly addressed fan criticism of micro-transactions. However it's unfortunate that its ambitious element, Online Franchise, is severely marred by technical difficulties. Hopefully the situation can be remedied in a future patch, and if not, well at least we have the PlayStation 4 version to hope for.

Though the series has yet to recapture the magic of the first episode, The Wolf Among Us still offers a grim fairy-tale world worth getting lost in.

The long and the short of it is that it feels good to be bad. The thrill of abusing and degrading these virtual people and the little twinges of guilt you might feel for enjoying it serve as a wonderful complement to the mental exercise of building a better deathtrap.

Hearthstone is thoughtful and complex, but at the same time welcoming and almost irresistible. It may just be a card game, but it often feels like so much more.

This mix of ideas just never properly congeals. Uncovering mysteries and vanquishing foes while building up your repertoire and knowledge should be fun, but wandering this world is often little better than performing listless chores.

Blizzard listened to complaints, and moved to rectify issues, not just remove them, while mixing in an impressive amount of new material. It’s more than enough to entice veteran players to return, and if you have never played Diablo 3, there has never been a better time to start.

Its title may be a bit of a misnomer, but Revelations is an interesting addition to Lords of Shadow 2. It adds next to nothing to the story, but the clever and more challenging gameplay is worthwhile for anyone wanting to delve deeper into Dracula's castle.

The sheer scope of the episode and what it accomplishes with the story makes it feel essential. Even more importantly, episode two is the best kind of DLC by being both distinct and deeply connected with its associated game. If you’re willing to invest in the struggling first episode, episode two considerably strengthens this interesting extension of Bioshock’s world.

Second Son is visually stunning with rocking dynamic music to boot, but with its repetitive side-tasks, the finely crafted Seattle streets feel a bit lacking in things to do. Nevertheless, the game's characters and core story arc holds strong. The varied and eccentric powers give you a lot to experiment with, and you truly feel like a super-hero with the city at your fingertips.

Past Ninja Gaiden games demanded a certain level of commitment and you could actually feel yourself get better while playing. In Yaiba, even when you're doing well, it all feels like a mess. Between the horrendous camera and the overly simplistic combos, you'll never truly feel like a ninja. At this point, it seems like Tecmo Koei has no idea what to do with Ninja Gaiden, but whatever comes next, we hope it's better than this.

The real enjoyment in Luftrausers doesn’t really come from experimenting, it’s more about finding the right fit. It’s really about performance, not options, and the game’s longevity and value come from excellent tuning and feedback. You launch, then you thread the needle, push the envelope, curse your foes, and go out in a blaze of glory.

Unless you’re determined to only go through the main mission once, there are plenty of things worth seeing. The greatest achievement in Ground Zeroes is how bold it feels. There’s so much new, and none of it obfuscates what originally made Metal Gear Solid special. There’s still thrilling stealth and an attention to detail that’s rarely seen, but all of it is smarter and streamlined.

Dark Souls II is a phenomenal experience, knitting together lore-driven adventure, thoughtful decisions, deliberate, weighty combat, and that golden feeling of true exploration matched only by leveling of heart palpitations upon defeating a fiendish boss or invader.

A solid platformer, revisiting the original's distinctive gameplay with a wide range of fresh ideas. It just feels as if many of its elements never grow beyond the introduction phase, resulting in a romp that's varied and enjoyable, but never quite raises the stakes.

It doesn’t redefine first-person genre, but it certainly threatens the status quo, and that’s a welcome step forward.

It’s easy to have fun with TowerFall, and there’s a lot to like on the surface, but players who put more into it will certainly get more out.

The last episode was a tough act to follow, but similar to season one, episode two is even better. The stakes are higher and the consequences steeper. Telltale has once again proved that adventure games are not only still alive, they’re as strong as ever. We can only hope it’s not long before we find out what's next.

Despite some minor technical issues and sometimes abstruse mechanics, South Park: The Stick of Truth is an experience to behold. It’s one of the most faithful adaptations of a television show into a video game, and its signature style of humor and commentary come through in every facet of the game. Even with so much focus on capturing the feel of the show, this still manages to be a solid RPG that’s fun and rewarding. There’s simply nothing else like it out there.

Garden Warfare was a surprise when it was announced, and you’ll be surprised when you play it what PopCap managed to accomplish. But it can get repetitive when the jokes run dry, and the system designed to combat this is locked behind piles of crumpled tinfoil and stacks of unwanted stickers.

Diverse, connected environments, creepy characters, and fantastic boss designs speak to a journey that resonates stronger than the plot itself.