Involving missions, cutting edge graphics and an excellent narrative that, while not always living up to its potential, strives mightily to expand the storytelling and emotional connection while maintaining the right balance of fun and adventure.

Guitar Hero has the more innovative drum and guitar hardware and a promising custom music feature. But, snazzier instruments and a tricked-out music studio don’t guarantee triple platinum success.

This is not only the best motorcycle racing game on the market, it is one of the best racers period and a must-have for speed lovers everywhere.

Crysis 2 may not be the new killer app, but it's the complete package when it comes to shooters.

It's accessible, packs deep character customization, has much needed online play, not to mention it looks great and runs smoothly.

I have seen what makes a hero, and what makes a coward. I will choose the path of a hero... always.

It’s old-school and traditional, but has gameplay depth unique to it, and a wicked sense of humor that will keep you going without fear of falling into the melodrama trap.

It presents a great challenge and a unique, if cheesy, style that has appeal, and if it does appeal to you, you’ll love it.

In the end, The Two Thrones is a very solid action title that more than survived the transition from console to PC, especially if you happen to have a decent gamepad.

With Super Paper Mario, Intelligent Systems has crafted a game that will appeal to fans of both the platforming and RPG genres.

Professor Layton and the Curios Village is a great game for anyone regardless of the age due to the nature of their game.

The game has some annoyances with its level-up system and minor problems with load times and survivor AI, but the ways in which you can kill the zombies are endless, and the story and presentation actually creates a narrative more compelling than most would expect.

All in all, the multiplayer component of Mario Kart 7 is solid, addictive and fun.

For all of its shortcomings Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a solid game that stands on the legs of the series' praised gameplay and an epic story that is not seen in every other video game of its kind, which sadly is an accomplishment these days.

There’s a lot to do in Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, which looks as good as a top-down Pokemon game is going to get for some time. It also benefits more than any other sequel in the series from a predecessor due to online capabilities. [JPN Import]

Virtua Fighter 5 may not go down as the most charismatic fighting game around, but it gets it done in the gameplay department, which is what matters most anyway.

A great story that fleshes out some beloved characters, a simplistic but amazing fighting engine and perfectly captured atmosphere makes The Warriors a great addition to any action fan's Xbox library.

In terms of playability F.E.A.R. really couldn’t be much better, there’s really not a lot more to be said about it. If you played the PC version there’s not much new here. If not, however, sit down, turn the lights out and scare yourself silly.

Is Winter Assault a worthy heir to Dawn of War's Game-of-the-Year status? Heck, yeah.

Laden with a few differences here and there, no horror fan...in fact, no GAMER can be without this third instalment in one of Konami's best franchises on the market.

While it's not the most perfect version of Bomberman ever (a better variety of maps and a better single-player mode would have went a long way), it's Bomberman on Live and that's pretty exciting (and as fun as ever) in and of itself.

The only real drawback to The Movies is that, with how deep of a game experience that it provides, it can be overwhelming at times.

Crysis 2 may not be the new killer app, but it's the complete package when it comes to shooters.

The gameplay itself is perfect for a video game – fast paced, twitch action that's incredibly addictive and simple all the same.

Guitar Hero has the more innovative drum and guitar hardware and a promising custom music feature.

Super powers and the most comprehensive list of substitutable parts possible alone isn't quite sufficient to slice into the series with a fresh enough cutting edge.

With all of the classic NES sights and sounds, Tetris DS looks and sounds better than practically any game of Tetris before it (but I still miss the Russian feel).

Even though I was only interested in Outland for its looks at the onset, playing the game gave way to one of the more memorable gaming experiences I've had in recent months. From the growing complexity of the level design, to the vibrant and simple presentation, to the way in which developers Housemarque were able to create a universal mythology that truly speaks to the hero inside all of us, Outland has set the bar for downloadable titles in 2011.