In the end, Dawnguard doesn't add vast new stretches of wilderness to explore or new game mechanics; it merely builds on what made Skyrim so great to begin with. The main quest will captivate those who have exhausted the majority of storylines in the base game, but players will inevitably be drawn into exploration once again. Dawnguard is almost guaranteed to elicit more than twenty hours from your schedule, so stay away if you have any real priorities at the moment.

Valley lacked any redeeming fun factor to make up for the time I spent playing the game. While the game offers plenty of opportunity to explore a wide world, there is no real story that explains where you are going or where you are.

Much as its title may suggest, Lollipop Chainsaw is a sweet confection of a game. It's an enjoyable experience, but ultimately hollow. Unlike the lollipops that Juliet sucks on, Lollipop Chainsaw won't make you fat, as it has almost no fat to speak of. It's a lean game predicated on replay value instead of an epic story and/or brilliant gameplay.

Minecraft on the Xbox Live Arcade is an addicting and rewarding experience, assuming you are willing to put the time into the experience. This is one of those games where you will truly get out whatever you put into the game, and that can be both good and bad. If you put in the time and dedication though, you will discover one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever.

DiRT Showdown breaks new ground for the racing genre. New event types set it apart from other games in its field, but a lack of traditional aspects holds it back from extended player engagement. More tracks and vehicles would have provided a solid premise with the adrenaline rush it needs to maintain the excitement. The game modes don't prevent Showdown from becoming boring after only several hours in, so the thrills are short-lived.

It's not a very deep game, but LEGO Batman 2 manages to charm with its open world and large roster. Fans of DC will love how many characters show up, while everybody else will have a good time taking down the Joker once again. Best of all, this game sets things up for the far more interesting LEGO Justice League adventure that is bound to be announced any time now!

Quantum Conundrum is about as close as you can get to ripping off Portal without Valve contacting their lawyers. Some of the puzzles are fun, but the game ultimately devolves into nothing more than platform hopping. The moments of brilliance cannot make up for some truly awful writing and an anticlimactic ending!

Max Payne 3 is a real love-hate relationship. Just when the solo story is getting good, the gameplay will get clunky, the slow-mo will go unused or Max will do something dumb. But then you remember how fun and creative the multiplayer is, and you can't in good conscience completely hate the game. Max 3 is a rocky return to form but at least Max Payne is back and dodging bullets again.

This is a decent expansion to the best 4X-RTS-in-space out there. A real treat for newcomers to the game, veterans might find the $40 price tag a little steep for an expansion that is more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage is a goofy, entertaining battle racer with a good sense of humor and plenty of variety, provided you get past the brutally difficult intro. Gamepires is already releasing patches for the game so hopefully they open up more than just the solitary grinding race at the beginning of the game. For now, though, you'll need to suffer first before this games gives up all it has to offer.

Not only is Starved for Death a great episode, but it also shows that The Walking Dead has more to show us than just zombie fighting. There's a story here that is unlike anything I've seen in a zombie game, which is really saying something given how many zombie games there are. It's not for everybody, but fans of the pilot will this atmospheric second episode up!

Dragon's Dogma may not be the best game of 2012, but it is certainly one of the most surprising. Intense and refined combat help an otherwise average RPG become something special. This game redefines the concept of boss battles with confrontations of epic proportions. The future is bright for this new IP.

They say war is hell; Spec Ops: The Line, however, is not. Oh, it is no doubt for Martin Walker, John Konrad, and the poor people of Dubai, but for the player, Spec Ops: The Line just puts the fun back into the word fundamental with a solidly written and acted story, well-constructed gameplay, and perfectly adequate multiplayer.

Rock Of Ages is a weird but fun take on the tower defense genre. Its a fast, challenging and intense game that is worth your time and money. If you can get past the difficult controls there is much fun to be had.

Playing Game of Thrones is just like sitting on the Iron Throne itself - there's a lot there to find fulfilling, but you'll cut yourself on the sharp edges if you're not ready for them.

Inversion is yet another derivative third-person shooter with a gimmick. This time around you control gravity in the most limited way possible. Although there are plenty of strong moments, the game is ultimately brought back down to earth with the never ending cinemas, repeating bosses, ugly graphics and frustrating level designs!

Starhawk is truly a gem in the PlayStation lineup of 2012. Frantic and addictive multiplayer combined with some unique gameplay elements make for one of the best multiplayer experiences available in the industry today. It's just too bad that the multiplayer experience fails to carry over to the single-player campaign.

Armored Core V is big, explosive and full of good ideas. Too bad the game is nearly incomprehensible. Thankfully the game's strong online component and roughly one hundred levels make up for some of the learning curve problems, but don't go into this game looking for an easy ride!

Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room is a painful collection of four mediocre mini-games and an out of place racer. The dated graphics and questionable design decisions aren't helping anything. With only two easy modes, players will see everything there is to see within a half hour. At least you don't have to eat the pizza!

With its Don Bluth animations and movie-quality production values, Dragon's Lair is the best looking game of the 1980s. Unfortunately, in order to look so good the game had to make a few sacrifices. As a result we're left with a shallow "action" game that is little more than Simon Says. Not even the gimmicky Kinect support makes this game worth playing more than once!

MLB 2K12 has made some strong strides to improve the overall product. Pitching, as one would expect with the Million Dollar Challenge, is the strongest aspect of this game, and it can be fun if a player enjoys just doing that. The hitting system has taken great strides, but a lackluster My Player mode and many little glitches and graphical blunders take away from an overall product. Improvement still needs to be there in order to get to the big leagues of gaming.

Max Payne 3's bold and different direction from series' norms has resulted in a lackluster narrative and infuriating gameplay difficulty. A well-polished presentation and hectic gun battles aren't able to redeem the lack of a memorable and worthwhile narrative, an aspect that's defined the Max Payne series since its creation. Even with Max Payne in the game's title, the actual content couldn't be further from the truth.

Has Blizzard created a game that can last as long as Diablo 2 has? I don't know, but Diablo3 is an absolutely stellar game that everyone can enjoy, provided they've got a stable internet connection, and the time to find all that sweet, sweet loot.

The Pinball Arcade is an excellent platform for emulating the classic tables that made the pinball genre as great as it was. An accurate physics engine and an insane attention to the level of details make the future bright for the game. Now FarSight just needs to begin putting its licensing agreements to use and roll out more tables as well as make use of the various features being promised. Until then, it fails to live up to its potential.

World Gone Sour is a fun little game with a few surprises and flaws. However, for $5 you should get a decent value for your money without getting force-fed Sour Patch Kids advertising.

StarDrone Extreme feels so much better than the original release; this game feels as if it was meant to be on the Vita from the start. It has that same old-school, beat-your-school appeal of a classic arcade game and the gameplay fits perfectly with the abilities of Sony's new handheld.

The Witcher 2 is a highly recommended purchase for those seeking a mature and visceral role-playing experience.

The art style might be a hard sell for some people, and if that's the case they'll be missing out on one of the best new fighting game franchises in recent memory. Here's to hoping that Reverge Labs and Autumn Games can release a "Super Skullgirls" in the near future.