While the shift towards having more control on offense has left the defensive game a bit out of step, NBA 2K13 is still highly entertaining overall, offering enough changes to keep players interested in starting another career, season, player, or franchise.

Despite a few fumbles with the new multiplayer option and the throwaway storyline, it's a polished adventure that easily justifies its reasonable $20 price tag. But, even better, this is a game that begs for multiple playthroughs.

It manages to deliver everything you'd expect out of a Pokémon game, and it's still a decent RPG, but it fails to take any chances or offer real innovation.

Despite throwing in some new bells and whistles, Pokémon Black & White 2 doesn't deviate from established formula.

With its old identity stripped away you've left with a massive action game that tends to check all the boxes instead of creating new ones, yet measured against its contemporaries it remains near the top of its class. Big, brash, and full of memorable moments, Resident Evil 6 deserves to be played by any fan of the action genre.

Last year's game featured major enhancements, and FIFA 13 is a disappointment in comparison. However, refined offensive controls, a brisker pace, and a focus on thoughtful, skillful play ultimately help this year's installment achieve an identity.

While the driving in F1 2012 is as tough as ever, quicker modes and a greater emphasis on driver rivalries make it easier for a broader audience to get into. There's still plenty of room to make for a more exciting depiction of the sport, reflecting the trends of a given season, but Codemasters continues to push its strengths to create demanding and detailed racing gameplay.

For its high-def debut, Jet Set Radio's visuals are clean and crisp, as you'd expect, while retaining the original game's comic book-style presentation.

Joe's sophomore outing certainly delivers on its goal of bridging the precise and methodical nature of platforming with the white-knuckle rush of finishing as fast as possible. If you're curious about this sort of hybrid experience, Joe Danger 2: The Movie is well worth the $15 ticket price.

Dead or Alive 5 capably reaffirms the intrinsic charm of the series: fast, technical fighting that's easy to pick up, easy to appreciate, and easy on the eyes. But rather than advance the series into a new level of play, it merely repackages the its strong points rather than evolve them.

While this bunny can be funny, his game is lame, and even its standout segments aren't particularly strong--they just seem that way in comparison to the overall mess. Weak charm and knowing references aside, we can confidently give Hell Yeah a "hell no."

Despite a few wrinkles, LittleBigPlanet is a wonderful outlet for creativity and a great fit on the handheld. While the gameplay won't convert those who weren't already enamored with the series, its longtime admirers are guaranteed to burlap it up.

If you've every daydreamed about commanding a starship held together by sheer will by a bloodied, ragtag crew, these are 10 bucks very well spent.

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.

As with its predecessors, it's a rare game that earns its difficulty through the weight of its decisions rather than its gameplay, and it sets an increasingly high bar for narrative excellence in video games.

The story in Borderlands 2 is by far the biggest improvement. The humor and over-the-top style that was merely glimpsed in the first game are ever-present here. Strong personalities drive the experience from beginning to end, whether it's Claptrap's sense of self-importance, Tiny Tina's hyperactivity, or Handsome Jack's spiteful annoyance.

The level of imagination, inspiration, and variety on display sets a high standard for other games to come. And with a payment model a good deal more generous than the majority of its competition, it puts to question just what other developers can get away with.

Focusing on what's most important to creating a good fighter, Tekken Tag 2 sets a moderately high bar and confidently clears it. It offers a ton of fighters, the tag system is interesting, it plays well online, and it preserves the goofy sense of humor that defines the series. Spinoff or not, this is the best Tekken game in years.

Reconstructing the skating and goaltending succeeds at making the game more realistic, but not necessarily more rewarding. Still, these changes will pay huge dividends down the road. The new GM connected option provides just about as much flexibility in playing a sports game as we've seen, and there are more than enough ways to keep your mind off the looming lockout.

Just like those that inspired it, this slick, demanding game inspires you to revel in the grim possibilities it offers. And when it comes to the precision of its execution, it might just have something to teach the big dogs.

There are one or two things to be wary of here, but if you're willing to sign, you'll have a chance to earn a feeling of true accomplishment.

The best rhythm games successfully tie gameplay and music in such a way that players feel like they're part of the song. Rock Band Blitz doesn't quite bridge that gap.

The most important aspect of any multiplayer game is how much you want to play after a session ends. This is where Global Offensive excels, possessing the same addictive quality that helped make the previous games a long-term success story.

With its brand new physics engine and RPG elements, Madden NFL 13 tries hard to make its mark, but both changes have problems fitting into the existing gameplay and design structures. While it's better than last year's game in some ways, it's worse in others, and buying it at full price is hard to recommend unless you've sat out a couple seasons. It's encouraging to see EA Sports finally take some risks with the series, even if they don't all hit pay dirt.

The Last Story employs some bold mechanisms in an attempt to chart new territory. If not for a few undercooked components like the multiplayer, it would stand among the best on the Wii. Still, it's a strong RPG in its own right, excelling precisely where you'd expect such a game to. The Wii could have done much worse for a bookend to its storied history.

If you're game for a striking take on the classic side-scrolling adventure, albeit one populated by a cast of urgently self-serious talking animals, you could do much worse than Dust: Elysian Tail.

It won't exhilarate you in ways that games typically do, nor does it offer much in the way of replayability. But its existence proves that neither are specifically required for a worthwhile experience.

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.