While Forza Horizon does have room to grow, it's fantastic for anyone who wants to take to the open road with more authentic driving and car customization.

Dota 2 is so carefully constructed and improving at such a rapid rate that it won’t only be played for years, but possibly decades. Though it may take dozens of hours to learn, players that grasp Dota 2’s ideas will find a game that’s almost endlessly enjoyable.

Chinatown Wars boils Grand Theft Auto down to its basic elements and wisely goes with what works. The game also makes wise use of the DS hardware without requiring too much back and forth between the control pad and the stylus. Most impressively, the game takes cues from the series' 2D past and incorporates modern amenities from recent installments, letting it live up to its legacy and stand on its own.

The size and scale of these environments are incredible, with so much little detail going on in the background and no loading time once you've entered a level. It's definitely the best-looking PS3 game on the market.

Vanquish is a sleek, focused action game with every individual element tuned for a demanding, fast-paced, and highly enjoyable experience.

Crown of the Ivory King is exhausting, but at the end of it all, the predominant emotion swelling inside of us was sadness. We wanted more: one more boss fight, one more tucked-away room – not because the DLC is lacking, but because we didn’t want to leave.

It's a clever and challenging platformer that consistently hits the sweet spot between fun and frustration. You're guaranteed to rage in a few stops, but at the end of the day, it's still good to be Kong.

Just like its predecessor, this sequel manages to wring every last ounce of enjoyment out of seemingly simple core concepts. If you're strictly into action its slow, plodding, calculated pace will be a turnoff. Yet, somehow Valve has managed to make a puzzle game that will make your pulse rise with a never ending daisy chain of positive reinforcement.

Odin Sphere is a rare gem - fans of action games, RPGs or just good artwork are in for a treat. Its mix of gameplay styles is near-perfect and the art on display here will remind you that quality 2D visuals never go out of style.

It’s a rewarding game that constantly revs up the creativity and challenge to keep you addicted while also throwing in a decent amount of extras to bring you back for seconds. It’s charming presentation and clever puzzles give it a special touch that sets it above other similar games. And frankly, there’s little else out there that’s like Captain Toad.

The first couple hours with Dead Space 2 are very familiar, but it's one of those rare games that just keeps getting better. It's still a very dreary game that can make long play sessions a challenge, yet there are scores of moments that stick with you for quite some time. The multiplayer is a disappointment, but it's a much more accessible game that won't leave fans in a lurch.

It's the perfect blend of something old, and something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

The best compl[i]ment possible to give a puzzle game is that the real reward is the playing itself. You don’t need fancy stories, or whiz-bang effects when you’ve got solid, addictive gameplay. And CRUSH has this in spades--not to mention the presentation is quite nice as well.

Quake 4 is everything that fans loved about Quake 2 and 3 in one package, providing an engaging single-player story and chaotic high-flying multiplayer.

One of the strongest aspects of Soul Calibur 4 is its sense of style. Meticulously detailed mechanical gnomes, lizard-people wielding oversized tableware, and titanic, lasciviously rendered breasts may not be to everyone’s liking, but there’s no denying it all makes an impact.

Uncharted is one of those rare games that borrows elements from all the latest hits without feeling like an also-ran. It manages to simplify gameplay elements that typically frustrate casual players, yet provides enough challenge in the gunplay to satisfy the hardcore.

Beneath its standard run of modes and a fighting system almost too big to contain is an extremely fun and well-thought-out brawler that, even without the UFC license, would stand very strong. It's incredibly complicated, but that's also what makes it as deep and strategic as the real thing.

With Conviction, the Splinter Cell series expertly keeps pace with the way stealth games are ploddingly evolving. It even throws in a few flourishes all its own. The result is a great stealth game that's well worth experiencing, even for newcomers to the series.

Forza Motorsport 6 maintains the series’ strong handling, robust features, and its ability to bring together players of varied skill levels. There are improvements in virtually every area, but even with additions like night and weather, it doesn’t really feel like there’s a standout change to push the series forward. It seems like most of the effort this time around went into getting Forza back on track.

While it's still puzzling why the developers seem so reluctant on including some sort of simultaneous multiplayer action, Championship Edition DX is unbelievably fun and mercilessly addictive, enhancing the timeless appeal of Toru Iwatani's original coin-op design to frantic and eye-catching levels.

With its refined mastering of the English language, VI Advance is an even better example of how a brilliant story can immerse you in any game, no matter how small in stature the characters are.

The quickie dungeons and throttled exploration are outright disappointing, but when held up against the rest of the DS library, it’s an impressive game. But it’s just a good Zelda.

It feels every bit as deep and engrossing as a traditional four-X title--riding the fine line between accessibility and “dumbing things down” is always a gamble, but here that gamble has paid off handsomely.

One of the strongest aspects of Soul Calibur 4 is its sense of style. Meticulously detailed mechanical gnomes, lizard-people wielding oversized tableware, and titanic, lasciviously rendered breasts may not be to everyone’s liking, but there’s no denying it all makes an impact.

A careful, confident treatment of a classic game that's had more influence than it's had time in the spotlight. If you're interested in the history or practice of fighting games, this is a great chance to pick up a fighter that's paid its dues and proved its worth.

Anyone weaned on Zelda and tempered by Diablo will have a strong attraction to the wonders of Demon's Souls.

Telltale has presented yet another riveting story that's arguably superior to the AMC television series on account of the level of immersion granted by its interactivity. It's a different experience than the first episode, but it's also a better one.

If the trial-and-error aesthetic turned you off in the past, not a whole lot has changed in that regard, and the series becomes increasingly less accessible for new players with each entry. But Double Agent is an unforgettably tense experience no stealth fan can afford to miss.