That said, if you enjoy online, vehicle- and objective-based warfare, it has quite a bit of staying power. Just don't expect to get your money's worth from the campaign.

The impulse to go back in time for inspiration serves this SideScroller well in creating an attractive visual identity. But failure to properly consider what makes shoot'em ups fun, past and present, holds this PixelJunk project back from greatness.

While Festival of Blood is more of a bite-sized take on the Infamous experience, it's a great Halloween treat. If you're a fan you'd have to be batty not to pick it up.

Sega finally appears to have learned from its mistakes. Sonic Generations' thoughtful mishmash of the hedgehog's distinct incarnations delivers the best of both worlds. Though it's a bit on the short side, the fundamentals are undeniably well executed. Sonic hasn't been this good in years.

The hack 'n slash category isn't exactly thriving on consoles these days, so if you've been hard up for a cooperative loot bonanza, War in the North is worth sinking a weekend into. Its lack of variety and polish, however, makes it hard to imagine it having any sort of longevity.

A niche title lacking the surface appeal of its party-game predecessors, Rocksmith's not for everyone. Still, there's absolutely nothing else like it for its intended audience. Those who'd rather play than pretend will appreciate the lasting reward of learning riffs from Nirvana's In Bloom far more than the shallow gratification that comes with pressing colored plastic buttons to a Top 40 hit.

Fiddling with a well-loved formula is frequently a recipe for disaster, but Might and Magic Heroes VI manages to maintain the feel of the series while making the franchise relevant for a new generation.

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.

While it doesn't inspire the imaginative wonder of Epic Yarn, Kirby's Return to Dream Land is a welcome return to the gameplay that got this hero off the ground. The structure feels a bit formulaic at times, but it's challenging and true enough to form to keep Kirby fans of all ages from feeling deflated.

Rumble Blast looks and feels like something you'd expect on Nintendo's eShop, but instead it's a retail release at full price. Don't be deceived--Rumble Blast is a far cry from the quality you've come to expect from the Pokémon series.

If you've always been curious about what it'd be like to play a Jensen that's tricked out in a completely different way, The Missing Link offers a blank slate with which to do so. Diehard transhumans will want to unravel The Missing Link without hesitation in any event, but at $15, those less committed to Jensen's cause could stand to wait until the price of the upgrade isn't so steep.

While all of the events offer glimpses of the Kinect's potential to enhance sports games, they're too basic and imprecise to satisfy fans looking for a new way to control their favorite athletic events.

Its near-perfect sequence of peaks and valleys demonstrates how restraint can imbue some moments with increased impact. It's a short campaign, but the multiplayer makes it worth the asking price.. Drake's Deception is one of those games that has something for just about everyone, and if you own a PlayStation 3 it shouldn't be missed.

It features a stellar multiplayer suite with practically limitless replay value and a mostly forgettable campaign. The coop missions are a nice addition, and to be fair, the single-player is the best in series history, but it still falls short of its contemporaries. Online warfare is intricate and rewarding, but it also presents a learning curve and a strong reliance on team coordination.

Even with a few problems and annoyances, a generous, no-failure design makes it fun to just screw around or work together with another player. Super-serious cloud-whale pilots, if such a thing exists, may want to go for high scores and best times on the leaderboards.

Given that the elements designed around its collectability are the game's biggest hook, though, it's hard to recommend to those who'd play on the cheap. If you aren't willing to shell out for the plastic, then you should reconsider clearing some shelf space for this one.

Has a great foundation of fun co-op moments, marred by awkwardness, random deaths, and rough edges. It's certainly fun to bash crates and solve puzzles with friends, but the bustle of co-op play also multiplies its flaws.

In spite of its few faults and a curious lack of a competitive multiplayer element, Payday: The Heist manages a fun and fresh cooperative experience that duly pays tribute to a genre rarely seen in games.

The replay value is tied to your interest in collecting items like newspapers, action figures, golden spiders, and alternate costumes. The story will take roughly seven hours to complete, with the majority of your time spent crawling, climbing, and clobbering your way through an uninteresting environment that offers little interactivity.

Nimbly straddling the line between technical and accessible, the series continues to be one of the best dancing games out there, if not one of the best games on Kinect period.

The Layton series has held up remarkably well over the years, and The Last Specter is no exception, but that's not to say Professor Layton isn't getting a bit long in the tooth. The next installment will need some innovations lest the series run the risk of stagnating.

Mom and dad might even enjoy themselves as well.

Arkham City feels like a logical extension of its predecessor, wholly embracing and expanding upon all the elements that made it great. It most certainly is the definitive Batman game, but to leave it there would be to damn it with faint praise. Simply put, if you admire painstakingly-realized worlds rich with secrets and game mechanics that never cease to surprise you, then you it to yourself to experience Arkham City. Your interest in the source material is irrelevant.

If you're a tower defense junkie, download Orcs Must Die! without hesitation. The lack of multiplayer is disappointing, but at around $15 you'll get five or six solid hours of play.

While it could have benefitted from a few new modes, a create-player feature, or mini-games, NBA Jam: On-Fire is still a shoulder-charging steal at $15.

Ace Combat may never fully overcome its identity crisis, but its latest sortie is a successful one. Assault Horizon creates some spectacular moments with its visually impressive, close-range battles that make up for some of its slower, more repetitive lulls, and incorporates several different types of gameplay without compromising its overall quality or theme.

If you've missed out on the original outbreak, Off the Record is a great opportunity to experience what Dead Rising 2 is all about. Walking amongst the living dead is an enticing proposition in this alternate version filled with extra content, especially when it comes with a discounted price tag.

For the mouse-and-keyboard crowd, this re-release will serve as little more than a target for negative comparison to the original. However, if gamepads serve as your peripheral of choice, this $20 download is an easy recommendation.