Chu Chu Rocket looks and sounds as charming as the Dreamcast original. The graphics are simple, consisting of playfields with running mice and cats, but they're designed with the same Sonic Team charm.

For $4.99, you won't find a better racer on the iPad right now.

For those who prefer strategy and planning over the random elements of a game like Puzzle Quest, Clash of Heroes may be the deviously clever, deliberately paced game you've been looking for. It can be a bit rough around the edges, but it's also the smartest and most rewarding puzzle-RPG you're likely to play.

An exceptional high speed platformer that accomplishes what Sonic has been trying to recapture for years now. The sense of speed and some fancy parkour moves are held back by some slight control issues, but it's a platforming adventure well worth diving into.

Ultimately, Portal 2 is pure genius. With gameplay that never stops becoming addictive and new characters that always threaten to steal the spotlight, Portal 2 is one of the best games of 2011.

The new approach to the stale genre ensures a fun single-player experience, even if it is a bit short-lived.

Only the monotonous music besmirches an otherwise delightful atmosphere.

If you already own some version of Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld, you won't have much reason to shell out the cash for this collection.

Uprising is for gamers who seriously enjoy punishing games.

If you want a full Ridge Racer experience that makes one of the best uses of 3D so far and just so happens to fit in your pocket, then Ridge Racer 3D is a launch game that deserves your attention and immediate purchase.

Quality issues aside, it's a fun 3D shoot-'em-up, and the PSP could use a few more of those.

A party game in the purest sense of the term. It's the type of game you'll want to play in short bursts with a sibling or return to countless times with a group of friends.

For what RIFT tries to do, it does very well. I rarely felt bored with all the random events and rifts constantly breaking up the monotony of questing. It's also important to give Trion a tremendous amount of credit for releasing such a "complete" MMO.

THQ has done a fantastic job of cherry-picking the best elements of wrestling with some of the most recognizable characters and stars in a visually fantastic package. Unfortunately, it's a good foundation with some major holes. The lack of select wrestlers, missing match variety, anemic campaigns and pointless create-a-character undermine a very good wrestling game/fighting game fusion.

An enjoyable game that's both enthralling and humorous.

Whether choosing your personal advisers, colonizing a new country, requesting marriage to soften international relations, or just stomping the boot of military might across the world, Europa Universalis III Chronicles is the game for it-as long as you're prepared for a steep learning curve.

An outstanding game. Between the incredibly challenging AI and the stages that reward creative thinking, Crysis 2 distinguishes itself as a thinking man's shooter. Unfortunately, the bland and almost generic story is very weak glue for an otherwise great FPS.

Its great depth of gameplay, packaged in an approachable and fun format, elevates it to the upper echelon of tennis titles. Buy the game, not the 3D spectacle.

I also find it intriguing that my journalistic brethren so easily throw a new IP like Homefront under the bus after lavishing perfect scores upon the laughably flawed Black Ops and Halo: Reach. With a few tweaks and a fresher paint of coat, Homefront would have been outstanding, far outshining either of those titles. As is, it's still worth a playthrough.

As far as baseball games rate, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better sim than MLB 11: The Show.

Ultimately, Pokemon Black and White borrow heavily from the series' classic foundations. However, thanks to the improved presentation, stronger emphasis on plot, inclusion of brand new Pokemon, and exclusion of older Pokemon at the start, the latest set in the series actually manages to feel quite new.

The puzzles could use some polish, and in the case of the final chapter, they're downright annoying, but the compelling narrative and strong characters are more than enough to keep most gamers playing right through to the surprisingly satisfying conclusion.

It may be based on a two-year-old game, but Retribution looks, sounds, and plays brilliantly and is virtually impossible not to recommend.

A flawed, repetitive, and wholly derivative Western RPG, but still manages to be a vast improvement over the original and should greatly please fans of Origins. Fans of Mass Effect may also find enough satisfaction here to hold them over until ME3 releases, but make no mistake: if only one Bioware title is nominated for awards this year, it will not be this one.

Torchlight is probably the closest thing to a Diablo experience on the Xbox 360. The perfectly translated controls and addictive gameplay makes this a must-buy for anyone with an affinity for loot hoarding. If anything, it serves as a great appetizer for the much-anticipated sequel.

While the story was less than original, and players can't customize the central character, Ravensword: the Fallen King is an amazing attempt to bring a console-sized, open-world RPG to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Developer Crescent Moon Games has not only provided an AAA game for Apple's mobile platform, but has raised the bar for portable gaming on any device.

As an XBLA release, concessions like simple graphics or a rough edge here and there aren't exactly gamebreakers. Beyond Good & Evil isn't a short game by today's standards, either. You'll get about ten hours or so out of the quest, much more than you'd squeeze out of comparable download releases today.

No matter what frustrations the game may hold for you, there's no denying this is one pretty package of violence. Fight Night Champion is surely one of the best-looking and best-playing games of its kind.

Players will have to figure out the game's controls for themselves, with only a simple button map as guidance, but they'll soon find the learning curve bends in their favor, and and gamers will quickly accelerate from petty rankings to the top charts-at least until a higher difficulty knocks their confidence out of whack.

This is a humorous and addicting casual game, far from the tense and gory experience found in most zombie games.

De Blob 2 is like a blank canvas ready to have your creativity unleashed upon it. It's an excellent sequel that improves on aspects from the original and includes some new, nifty additions.

Sure, the game is hilarious and "laugh out loud" funny, but not everyone is going to find the dick and fart jokes worth their $60. If the developers can ensure the future of the franchise is free of bugs, and work in a competitive multiplayer mode, we might be onto something outstanding. As it is now, Bulletstorm is a very good start to a series on the cusp of greatness, yet hindered by some seriously problematic technical issues.

The old-school feel of Super Quickhook is undeniable. It takes the best aspects of games we loved in the 80's and early 90's in a simple, 8-bit format, and puts it on a new device like the iPhone expertly.

The game looks absolutely gorgeous, with dioramas made up of lifesized everyday items, as well as cardboard cutouts. The silent film style cutscenes have a certain charm to them as the play out, and they fit the Victorian time period that the game takes place in.

All of these elements come together for a simple game that is deeply addictive. StarBurst is hectic, fast-paced, and highly enjoyable. If you're into puzzle games, add this one to your list of must-download apps.

The only negative you'll run into with Episode 1 is how quickly it's over. You'll finish up with the four worlds and the bonus stages in about 2-3 hours time, if that. However, there's replay value galore.

Whether plowing through breakable walls, spinning along a corkscrew tunnel, or frantically running toward the finish line after grabbing Sonic's trademark power-up (his running shoes), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is all but a non-stop thrill-ride.

Helsing's Fire may be one of the most well-built games on the iPhone, and may be one of the most enjoyable, but every purchase you and your friends make for it, is another purchase against the undead.

While it's a few dozen DLC characters away from fulfilling its true potential, the appeal of seeing Viewtiful Joe stand side-by-side with the likes of Dante, Thor, Deadpool and Ameratsu, and the overall value due to its superb execution, make it a must for anyone who knows what a Hadouken is or has ever made "snikt" noises with their imaginary claws.

It won't blow your mind, but it will keep you busy during your next, "I'm bored and I need to kill time!" moment.

As a port to Apple's i-devices, Geometry Wars: Touch is a great addition to anyone's portable game library. The only hardship is the controls take a long time to get used to, but as we've found in our testing and just by looking at the leaderboards, it can be done.

It's a steal for a plane-ride or many a car-ride, but it definitely is not the kind of casual game you play for 10 minutes at a time.

It's a graphical achievement, and it's a launch title no less. Sure, the plot is paper thin and the campaign is short at 5-6 hours, but for the price and the console, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better.

Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES definitely has some promise and is a fun game to play with friends. However, at the moment there's just not really enough content here to justify the 10 dollar asking price.

The graphics are absolutely phenomenal, making Killzone 2 look obsolete in the process.

Though it has some hurdles to overcome, some bugs to exterminate, and a fairly inconvenient control scheme, Magicka is a thoroughly charming and entertaining tongue in cheek adventure.

This isn't a game that'll rock your world, nor is it one that will change the way you look at the survival/horror genre. But if you don't mind spending a buck for an hour's worth of fun (plus replay value), Dawn of the Dead is worth your time.

The controls are one of the best I have ever seen on an iPhone game; it is so simple and comfortable to use with having a control stick appear anywhere on the screen wherever you place your finger.

Easily one of the most addictive and exciting games on the iPad. But don't expect to ever beat it. Those 21 levels will, without a doubt, give you a run for your money.

Trilobyte has once again granted the world a memorable game, and it's great that these devices have given the developer the ability to revive this long-dead game.

The best part of Angry Birds, however, isn't just that it's inexpensive and offers hours upon hours of fun and puzzle-solving - it's that the game is still being built, and that your $1 investment will continue to pay off as more and more levels become available.

Whether you're playing on a Touch, iPhone, or iPad, Infinity Blade marks the unequivocal next generation of iOS games.

The iPad and iPhone may not be quite the gaming machines Apple wants them to be, but this is one format perfectly suited for touch screens and The Smoking Mirror is a great adventure just waiting to be explored.

The pinnacle of Bioware's many years honing their craft, Mass Effect 2 is one of the most important and enjoyable games ever made. The PlayStation 3 port may be a greater value by incorporating a great deal of DLC into a single package, but it is still vastly inferior to the experience available on the Xbox 360.

DoDonpachi looks and sounds great.

I'm disappointed that the story never pays off, and seems more like a bridge to a third installment (getting close to Earth). It may not be deep, but it is an exciting journey, and possibly the most frightening game since the original Dead Space.

It's frantic, it has moments of hilarity, and it's just plain fun. And although variety isn't one of chick chick BOOM's strong points, it's still one heck of a download, and an easy recommendation.

Undead Nightmare may sound gimmicky at first, but it quickly becomes clear that Rockstar spared no expense creating what is arguably one of the best DLCs of all time. It's not just the sheer amount of content that's included, but also the method in which said content drastically renovates the Red Dead experience in an exciting and meaningful way.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a perfect storm of clever puzzles, suspenseful storytelling, and spectacular visuals that hasn't been witnessed since the heyday of LucasArts adventures. The linear plot makes this a one-time experience, but one that is so enthralling and witty that you'll be thankful for the opportunity.

Lost Horizon reminds gamers that the adventure genre is still very much alive, can still be entertaining, have a gripping storyline, doesn't coddle gamers by having challenging puzzles that will have you saying "How did I not see that!" after finally figuring each one out, and that not all great adventurers need a fedora.

Kinectimals took me by surprise. It's not an amazing game by any means, but rather a cool pet simulator that doesn't dip too far into nausea-inducing cuteness.

Super Mario All-Stars on the Wii is not a bad compilation by any means. The included content is solid and offers a good look at the early years of the series. Unfortunately, everything in the bundle is fairly predictable and doesn't exactly shine for a momentous benchmark like this.

Ultimately, you're going to have to ask yourself if Tetris for the PS3 is worth the $9.99. It's a perfectly playable version of the game, and it looks nice. However, there's nothing really special about it. It's Tetris. It's on the PS3. It's kinda hard to get too excited about that.

The decision to make it strictly Move-enabled is odd, but there is no denying that the game possesses enough challenge and charm for fans and newcomers to give this light-based puzzler a chance.

Pleasantly cute, yes, but more importantly consisting of smart designs and inventive game mechanics.

Anyone can jump in and enjoy DanceMasters instantly, but those looking to truly master the game will find a long, rewarding process ahead of them.

Strictly as an RPG though, Dark Down is a worthwhile endeavor.

Wii Sports has got some competition breathing down its neck with Kinect Sports. While the game doesn't support much outside of two-player competition (and even that's questionable) and has its reading issues, it's a well-planned collection that you shouldn't hesitate to pick up with your Kinect device. Let's hit the lanes!

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is yet another winner from Level 5. It both entertains and challenges the mind through its clever puzzles, brilliant story, and convincing characters.

Yes, different. Not better, not worse, but different.

The majority of quests and locations are familiar, and stepping into Azeroth for the first time is sure to be mildly overwhelming. Cataclysm is an expansion for the veterans, and an amazing one at that.

With a funny and engrossing story, and outstanding voice work, this is one game any fan of the franchise would do well to play.

Beware though, a few bugs resides that need ironing out such as tasks not being removed after or accepted as completed by keflings. They may potentially confuse gamers and have them get stuck as they spend unneeded hours trying to solve a problem with no solution.

DeathSpank is a true love-it-or-hate-it game through and through. If you appreciated the jokes in Ron Gilbert's earlier games (such as Monkey Island), and share an equal appreciation for Diablo-style games, it is worth a look.

As much as there is to do in Rune Factory 3, none of it ever gets too complex or stressful.

In terms of sheer amount of characters and stages, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match offers up the most comprehensive KOF title to date for an affordable price. Sadly, SNK's perpetually poor network code hinders online play and it lacks the Striker and Multi-Shift gameplay that would have made it a truly complete experience.

SHRED is a considerable improvement over RIDE, and the addition of snowboarding adds substantial value to the package.

Despite its limitations, Sims 3 manages to be the closest to the true Sims experience for people who want to play God on the go.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is one of the finest games of 2010. It has wit. It has flavor. Most importantly, it has style.

Marvel Pinball is simply a must-buy. Though the ball physics can be a little speedy at times and some of the bonus rounds are mildly frustrating, it's a great collection of pinball games that you shouldn't miss.

While The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout may seem like another fitness knock-off, the fact it has so much health-related content packed into it, along with mostly good interactivity with the Kinect, make us feel like it deserves a recommendation. This Loser will make you feel like a winner-if you're strong enough.

A lack of challenge has led to the demise of many platformers in the past. Oddly, that's not the case with Kirby's Epic Yarn. It is easy to play and requires no real skill to master, but it's a load of fun regardless.

Just remember that this is a game that gets by on charm and humor, not gameplay.

The more challenging aspects take a bit to get to, but when players do reach the Plus Mode and Special Levels, it's worth every second.

The action is exciting, the presentation is a sheer knockout, and the replay value is through the roof, especially with the "Nation" factor and the looming Platinum trophy. It's definitely worth wiping out the undead for.

The first game, while good, definitely shows it's age, but the second and third are every bit worth it.

Although it ultimately comes down to personal taste, not only did I not enjoy the police campaign whatsoever, it actually greatly detracted from my overall experience with Hot Pursuit.

Retro Studios may have instilled a higher difficulty that many gamers may not be used to, but that shouldn't scare them away from the joys of nostalgia and charm that DKCR brings to the table.

Though Nail'd might not offer a deep career mode, or crazy over the top stunts, it nails an incredible sense of speed and has out of this world courses that might have you reaching for the nearest altitude sickness pills.

This year's iteration is one step forward, three steps back, and an awkward shuffle to the side, but there is still a great deal of familiar content included in Call of Duty: Black Ops that should satiate trigger-happy fans.

The problem is, the overall presentation feels immediately obsolete. The "flashy new HD graphics" are only new if you haven't already played Blitz, and the lack of Facebook connectivity feels like a step backward.

Chrono Rage never strays far from conventions, but it is always a joy to play. The lack of multiplayer and selectable difficulties is regrettable, but hardly detrimental in light of the numerous modes offered. In a market becoming crowded with shoddy knockoffs, Chrono Rage stands out as a polished trophy of the genre.

Sonic Colors is a blast from start to finish. It's a shame that the game doesn't last much longer, but it does more things right than it does wrong.

Vindictus is truly a huge advancement in free-to-play MMOs.

I find myself comparing Brotherhood to Fable II; both are incremental releases to a pre-established formula, and both have a ton of ideas that are not implemented to the fullest of their potential. The difference is that what Brotherhood does, more often than not, falls just short of brilliance, yet even when operating at 80 percent Ubisoft has crafted a game far better than most others on the market, and the superb multiplayer puts it over the top.

An excellent starting point that contains a 32-song setlist with a good variety of dance moves to perform.

Aside from Sonic Pinball and Devil's Crush, Pinball FX 2 is hands-down the best virtual pinball experience available on home consoles.

Anyone itching for an insanely long grindfest on-the-go with an immense amount of customization should look no further than Z.H.P. The amount of content included for the modest asking price is unmatched for a PSP game.