Death flirts with mediocrity, but he's careful never to linger there too long. Darksiders II has more than a few rough edges, but they never fully run away with the experience. With a meaty quest, and hours upon hours of optional, quality stuff to do and discover, you simply can't beat Death, so you might as well join him.

If you own a Vita, Sound Shapes is a no-brainer, especially since a purchase gets you both the handheld and PS3 versions of the game. That said, we'd also heartily recommend it to those consigned to TV play, provided you have even a passing interest in fiddling with music, and/or games. Few creation-oriented games make it feel so effortlessly rewarding to fiddle in this way.

By appropriately mating the strengths and traits of its mixed heritage, Persona 4 Arena flourishes as a fantastically realized fighting game that stands tall even without resting on the laurels of legacy.

You feel more as if you're performing a repetitive series of tasks rather than surviving by your wits, but there's still a certain satisfaction in overcoming the game's challenge.

Heroes of Ruin fails to deliver a solid action-RPG experience, and earnest efforts to tailor the experience to the 3DS hardware don't excuse its shortcomings.

The addition of coin rush and StreetPass functionality extend the shelf life of what would otherwise be a rather limited experience, but while there's still reasonable value here, the new Super Mario Bros. formula is losing just a little bit of its luster. Innovation and creativity don't shine as brightly as they should, but the glitter of great control and tight level design still make New Super Mario Bros. 2 tempting to pick up.

It is a great pick-up and play title with an upbeat sense of humor, relentless action, and strong replay value thanks to different difficulty levels and cooperative play.

Even if you've been hankering for a reason to dust off your Kinect, there is no shortage of fleeting distractions better suited to the task.

Far from yet another filler installment to hold you over until Kingdom Hearts III, Dream Drop Distance is one of the better entries in the series and a solid RPG in its own right. It avoids the pitfalls some of the more recent entries have stumbled into and delivers some fresh new ideas to a series in danger of stagnating.

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.

The vainglorious plot and meticulous landscapes of cliché will draw you in place of base compulsions to hit a level cap or maximize a "gearscore." If you can stomach the horrors of the night, as well as rote combat and occasionally glitched gameplay, you might just be the perfect pledge for this secret society.

Those who grew up with later installments in the series may lament the lack of an open world, split-screen support, create-skater option, level editor, or moves such as the revert, but the best part of the original games--working toward mastery of particular techniques and levels--remains a compelling reason to revisit the past.

Virtual Fighter 5 Final Showdown shines in its utilitarian simplicity, delivering a premium experience that's focused on the fighting at an economical price. If you've ever wanted to see what the hubbub was all about in the arcades of Akihabara, consider this your ticket to find out.

If you've never experienced Sins of a Solar Empire before, you'll find no better entry point than Rebellion. But if Rebellion commits any sins of its own, it's in the $40.00 price tag, which seems excessive for an expansion that will almost certainly strike its loyal fans as little more than a meaty content patch.

Dyad's heart and soul ultimately reside in the hard-edged and inventive gameplay mechanics that prop-up the aesthetics. Both easy on the eyes and exciting to fiddle with, it'll simultaneously dazzle and bedevil you. If you're game for the challenge, a ticket to this vivid world is yours for a song at $15.

NCAA Football 13 is a bit of a disappointment as the franchise faces its inevitable confrontation with the law of diminishing returns. Significant advancements in design or gameplay are few, and the ones that are included are flawed in some way. With last year's game available on the cheap, spending 60 bucks on this will feel a lot like buying tickets from a scalper, but you'll ultimately feel fairly satisfied.

Thanks to a wealth of content, solid presentation, and overall playability, the new Duels of the Planeswalkers is an excellent way to enjoy a game of Magic.

Level randomization is a delicate tool and one that Spelunky wields well, placing its tiles just so to equally aggravate and entice. Play Spelunky to conquer it, keep playing to master it, and just remember to keep your eyes open for new danger and adventure.

Anyone who has an appreciation for Final Fantasy music will find much to love here.

With an expansive city to explore between levels, LEGO Batman 2 can easily be a likened to an Arkham City-lite. The promise of playing with other DC Super Heroes isn't brought to its full potential as the story remains laser-focused on Batman, Robin, and Superman, but there's a fun family-friendly adventure for these three leads.

This Spider-man isn't that amazing, but he saves the day anyway. His adventure goes the distance with enough ingenuity sprinkled into the sustained action to distract more often than he disappoints. Even with the kindergarten controls, you'll want to see the story to its conclusion.

It's kind of like having some philosophical chewing gum to go with your war. You feel like there's something to think about, but it's not going to bother you as you go about your business.

The problem is it doesn't work consistently, effectively shattering the sense of immersion each time you reach out and hit the wrong lever or button and then comically try to undo what you just did. There's a potentially entertaining game here, but it's buried underneath the Kinect's infuriating limitations.

Despite its faults, Gods and Kings scores high on the entertainment-per-dollar scale and the allure of building a civilization from sticks and stones to ships and Gatlin Guns never wears thin.

Suffice to say, it won't be giving Square's vintage stock a run for its money, but if you've got some pocket change and a healthy admiration for Gabe and Tycho to spare, this amusing trip through time is certainly worth the expedition.

With several dozen scenarios on offer, it'll certainly keep you busy if you've got a hankering for transdimensional brain-teasers. It's just too bad that so few of the puzzles end up feeling memorable.

The game's shorter than the protagonist's skirt and is filled with more cheese than a Hickory Farms gift basket. Despite its relatively shallow gameplay, Lollipop Chainsaw is worth checking out for its sheer audacity and outrageousness. At the same time, it's hard to recommend paying full price when taking into account the limited replay value.

Gravity Rush is definitely a looker, achieving a level of visual fidelity that wouldn't seem out of place in a high-end console game.