In the meantime, I can easily say that Star Wars Pinball is a must buy for Pinball Wizards, crazy old wizards, and even us pinhead mortals.

Ascension is not content to rest on past success, giving players new combat options, a fresh approach to magic and rage, an even larger sense of scale, and some small but meaningful mechanical changes that improve the overall polish to the game.

A triumph, MLB 13: The Show blasts the competition so far out of the park that the grazing cows out on the countryside get a souvenir. Every second of the game is exciting and enticing on different levels.

It isn’t for everyone, and it’s definitely not the game that will convince you to pick up a JRPG if you’ve been avoiding them for this long. Even so, I find myself entirely entranced by Ni no Kuni, and I’m willing to look past its flaws as I return to its magical, whimsical world.

As a shooter, Crysis 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the addition of the Predator Bow makes the stealth game take on new life. For me, the game’s true aim is bringing the adaptability of the Nanosuit to the player. If you’d like to play this game as a shooter, it’ll handle pretty much Crysis 2. If you’d like your games a little quieter, you’ll find the stealth aspects of Crysis 3 to be a vast improvement over the predecessor.

All in all, I enjoyed Drox Operative. It’s a niche game, certainly – graphically bland with some intriguing gameplay that situates itself somewhere between a realtime strategy game and a roguelike style RPG, offering a whole lot of replay value to those who end up getting into the game.

Pick this one up from Steam if you’re truly desperate for another attempt at playing the role of an evil dungeon overlord. If you’re waiting for a great game in that genre, however, pass this one by.

Overall, The Bridge manages to avoid crossing that fine line between challenging and frustrating, making you work to solve each puzzle without wanting to break your keyboard in the process. It’s an enjoyable experience that encourages you to think differently, and then rewards you for doing so.

It gets so difficult, and the progression is so odd, that I couldn’t even finish the game. You can only try to maneuver a dirt bike through pneumatic platforms that launch you from one to another, up a shaft, so many times before admitting defeat.

It’s a shame that Bientôt l’été is a game that is almost certain to be forgotten as the broken mess that it is. I really thought this game had some great concepts, but the unworkable controls and awful matchmaking destroy any chance it had. If you can find it on sale cheap—we’re talking under 5 bucks—and you really like the French New Wave, you might be interested. Otherwise, I’d definitely pass.

For true fans this title could be a no-brainer – it’s Metal Gear. More casual fans can rest easy that you really don’t have to know much about the series at all to enjoy this one. Both will have to weigh if that short of a run time warrants the cost.

Describing QuestLord as “Solid and straightforward” runs the risk of making the game sound dull, but I want to stress that that’s not the case. The graphics are well-crafted for what they are, though you have to appreciate pixel art to agree with that estimation, and even then you have to admire the throwback to the 1980s that QuestLord really seems to be going for.

If it were cheaper, if there were more to it, it would justify its $9.99 asking price. As it stands now, however, most people would probably be better off holding onto their money and looking elsewhere to satisfy their exploration fix.

Overall, I find that this game is enjoyable for what it is, and it’s fair to say that it doesn’t try to be anything else than what it is: essentially only a multiplayer game. It’s a fun one at that, so I do indeed recommend you play it if you’re into this type of gaming.

However, the $40 price tag is a bit steep, especially considering that the original Xbox 360 version sold for a budget price when it was released. Still, if you want a game that you can pick up, play for five minutes, and put back down again, there are much worse alternatives than Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is definitely not for everyone. People who enjoy a heavy dose of Japanese in their horror stories and who don’t mind that they are playing a video game that doesn’t have much game in it will be able to enjoy Corpse Party: Book of Shadows. As for me I found the storyline to be entirely too juvenile and non-sensible.

Visceral dodged this bullet while taking serious risks that ultimately paid off. The new crafting engine is a triumph, but the cooperative multiplayer and the complete storyline that unfolds inside of it sets the bar for how cooperative play should be done. Balancing the horror between the single player experience and the multiplayer experience without damaging either is impressive.

The enemies in this game are just dumb as a damned rock.

The feeling of accomplishment in this game is one of the most gratifying I’ve ever felt, and the few hours I spent inside Antichamber’s world felt like interacting with someone’s bizarro art exhibit.

Despite the constant feeling of déjà vu, there’s a lot of gameplay here. The entire adventure will take around 10-15 hours to finish, never mind hunting down all of the hidden secrets and trying to chase after that ever-elusive Platinum trophy. And its hard not to fall back into Sly’s world – it’s familiar, safe, like an old blanket.

Launching for $35 USD, Brain Age is a bit pricy for what it delivers. But for that price you get a variety of different games that will truly challenge your mind, record your progress, and give you a serious sense of accomplishment if you actually manage to claw your way up in terms of performance.

Puddle is relatively brief and can be tackled within a lazy afternoon or two. There’s not much to the game once you’ve gotten through it – other than going back through to unlock in-game achievements and trying to get gold on each of the levels – but it’s fun while it lasts. It won’t set the world on fire, and it can be crushingly difficult at times, but it’s got a ton of nifty ideas and wrings every single drop out of them – and in that, Puddle greatly succeeds.

While the single-player has several issues, the multiplayer makes up for it. The $30 price tag helps as well. I wouldn’t recommend this to every fan of beat-em-ups, but if you can handle the unique Platinum flavor, then it’s worth trying out.

The proficient graphics, distinctive environments, and interesting story keep you playing in spite of the frustrating difficulty spikes and lack of polish. It’s a brave move to try and recreate a long-dead genre like Cadenza has done, and they’ve wound up with a solid game.

Any minor complaint is overshadowed by everything Strike Suit Zero does right. But the best part of it was reminding me how good these space sims were, and how good they can be. If my thirteen-year-old self had found this game, he would have had his eyes glued his computer monitor for days.

Ninja Theory has done a great job capturing the action of the Devil May Cry games, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better action game.

It has all the aspects of a Super Smash Bros., but the fact that only super attacks can kill off a character make the game feel less strategic. Still, it is a fun game to play with a few friends on the couch or online.

Those looking for a challenge need look no further than Fire Emblem: Awakening, and newcomers can enjoy a much more accessible experience via the casual mode. With steady innovations such as the improved sound, relationship system, and online functionality, fans can finally rejoice at the series' return to Nintendo's newest portable device.

Croixleur isn't broken, but it is aggressively mediocre.

If you aren't into fighting games, the breakneck pace and split-second timing required by the game might put you off the genre for a while. But if you like fighting games, and you've already played as much of Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix as you can stand, you won't have to feel guilty about picking this up.

The bottom line is that Sticker Star is a generally enjoyable experience filled with long stretches of utter rage induced by poor game design.

Tokyo Crash Mobs is probably the strangest game Nintendo has published outside of its own Wario Ware series. It's so delightfully weird, and its mechanics are a fun, interesting refinement on the Zuma-esque puzzler. It's too bad, then, that whatever fun that could have been had from this game is mitigated by its asinine touch screen controls.

I would only recommend this game to those who have attached themselves to Shank's story from the first game, or perhaps the hardcore gamer that enjoys a challenge. The art is good, the mayhem is there: too bad it sometimes feels like you're bringing a knife to a gunfight.

All in all, Forge's frenetic gameplay, innovative concept, and active community make up for the lackluster feature list-but just barely.

You could just plow through the story and ignore a lot of the side stuff and be completely happy. In fact, you'll probably get a good 20 plus hours out of that. However, if you choose to feed all the animals, collect all the treasures, complete the bestiary and find all the beads you'll find it very rewarding without being too tedious.

If you enjoy either RPGs or table top games then you should definitely check out Crimson Shroud on the 3DS.

I would recommend getting it if you need one for your Vita collection and have some familiarity with both franchises, or if you want to get the extra DLC characters for both Vita and PS3 versions.

If you are a fan of Budokai 3, then this might be a good way to relive those memories without getting out a PS2 and hooking it up again.

Overall this game was a unique experience that is not your everyday type of game, but is worth playing and I would suggest this game to almost anyone. It is a game that simply tells a beautiful and tragic story. It sucks you in emotionally and does not let go.

Despite the DLC's sometimes repetitive experiences, occasional glitches, and underwhelming dragon mounts, Dragonborn is the first major expansion for the Elder Scrolls V, and is worth every penny you'll pay for it.

Crashmo is a natural extension of the concepts introduced by Pushmo. Sure, it gets much harder much faster than Pushmo, but it does so much more with less that it easily surpasses the achievements of its predecessor.

Fans of Suda 51′s work may be able to look past the numerous flaws present here, but ten dollars is a lot of money to spend on frustration and the desire to play something, anything else.

I'll say again what I said at the beginning: Planetside 2 is a downright amazing game, especially for a Free to Play title.

It's not perfect and it's not for everyone, but ZombiU is a fantastic return of the survival horror genre.

All in all, you'll have to make that decision for yourself. If you want to play the game as it originally looked, or if you want to pay the barrel bottom price, pick the GoG version, but if you think the game is worth a bit of money, want to play the game with a bit of tweaks to make it more usable, or want access to the excellent new content, be sure to at least give the Enhanced Edition a look.

If you're looking to expand your time in Mass Effect 3, the combat is good enough to enjoy, though it doesn't really earn its keep with a fifteen dollar asking price. If you want more Omega station, I'd suggest a replay of Mass Effect 2 instead.

After playing Guardians of Middle-Earth every day for the past week, I'm happy to say that the title is a successful attempt to bring the MOBA experience to the console.

It's not that Fallen Enchantress is isn't broken like it's predecessor War of Magic–it's just that it doesn't grab hold of you in the way that a 4X game should.

If you've never checked out this series before, you should know that there's a demo for the original Deponia up on Steam – so be sure to check that out and judge for yourself whether this kind of game not only appeals to you, but will actually make you laugh. Godspeed, friend, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a game that deserves to be liked. I'll leave someone else to the task of actually enjoying it.

It even makes great use of the Gamepad with real-time maps and streaming Gamepad play, while staying away from needless touch screen gimmicks. Ultimately, Black Ops 2 is just as good on the Wii U as it is on Xbox 360 and PS3 – save for the complete lack of a multiplayer community.

There are only two potential audiences I see for this game: small children with incredibly short attention spans and Transformers fans blinded by nostalgia. It's an incredibly expensive way to waste a few hours.

Chances are if you're a long-standing player of Rift, a lot of what I've said in this review is (while probably encouraging) not a surprise to you. Judging by the sheer amount of improvements I've seen since the last time I played, not to mention the content added over the course of the core game's many updates, I'm guessing Rift players know their MMO of choice is clearly handled with care and attention. But if for some reason you're a Rift player who has hesitated over whether to pick up this expansion, I'll sum up my take simply: it's fantastic. Go get it.

Atlus has done such a good job with this version of Persona 4 that it truly deserves the "Golden" moniker. While I enjoyed the original PS2 version, the Vita version has so much added to it that it enhances the experience. It's amazing how good the game looks on a portable.

Stealth is my genre, and from sneaky signature kills to spectacularly horrifying 'accidents', nobody does it quite like Agent 47.

Don't be fooled by the packaging; these are not the Skylanders you're looking for.

For only $10 Pid offers far more content and a more enjoyable experience than many titles available on the marketplace. If you're a platforming junkie, don't let Pid pass you by.

With a single-player campaign that finally lives up to the hype of movie level quality and a solid multiplayer experience that clearly shows the benefits of a yearly iterative cycle, Call of Duty: Black Ops II comes close to being one of the best titles in the series.

If you're at all interested in Penny Arcade, retro RPG's, or tranforming into a dinosaur, it's hard to go wrong with this one.

If you enjoy the challenge of creative description, WordTag Free is worth checking out – I can't think of any other title in the App store that has quite this approach to a vocabulary based game, and it seems to have a lot of potential.

Don't let my minor complaints deter you though. If you haven't played Lord of the Rings Online for a while then Rohan is the perfect excuse to pick it up again. If you have never played LotRO then I would encourage you to give it a try, all of the stuff leading up to Rohan is still compelling and you will know that you have a good expansion waiting for you at the end.

The good news is that the basics, such as its over-the-top style, four player functionality, and diversity of tracks have returned. The bad news is that the opportunities this series has had to improve, like their unhelpful dance cards, crummy menus, and sometimes shoddy motion-tracking have gone unfixed.

The ability to customize characters, arenas, and just about everything else in the game is a testament to how well Yuke's and THQ know what wrestling fans want. It's just a shame that the game didn't have just a bit more polish. Non-fans like myself might want to put their money elsewhere, but wrestling fans will probably really enjoy what WWE '13 has to offer.

By far their greatest success lies in a more nuanced realization of the series' main protagonist, Master Chief, and while the campaign works exceptionally well as a stand-alone narrative, it leaves our hero in a place that opens the story to exciting new possibilities in the next two installments.

Formula 1 2012 is a great F1 racing simulator, but it's only an okay game. For a title that aims to be approachable to all audiences, it has failed in that regard, but for those who are racing fanatics and crave a realistic immersion into the F1 world, F1 2012 is the game for you.

There are two types of people I recommend Painkiller: Hell & Damnation to: those who were huge fans of the original and want to experience the game again with updated graphics, and those who are looking for a throwaway experience that doesn't require much of a commitment to enjoy.

While the team has definitely put in a good effort to use all the features of the Vita, a few technical issues weigh it down. Still, it is a unique experience well worth owning, especially for any fan of Assassin's Creed that owns a Vita.

Criterion has done the impossible – they've taken what is, arguably, the best race-and-chase game made for this generation and somehow made it so much better.

Freerunning has taken on new life with Connor's ability to flit through the trees, and the new weapons hem nicely into the freedom and wealth of options of the series...I can personally guarantee it'll see the top of many Game of the Year lists, perhaps even our own – Assassin's Creed III is a masterpiece.

Tryst seems to be targeting people looking for an RTS experience at a lower price point, and I think there might be something here for those gamers. Meanwhile, the game's developers are promising bug fixes, fleshed out tutorials, and DLC to make the game worth the price for the rest of us.

Medal of Honor's reboot in 2010 was high speed, low drag, but this year's title just feels like a rush job – a little 6P (Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance) could have gone a long way.

Sports Champions 2, if nothing else, has shown just how the Move can be effective on a new set of six game types. While Tennis fell flat, Archery remains strong, and the Bowling portion was an absolute blast. I know that I just added bowling to our Sunday family game night, and for that I can certainly recommend Sports Champions 2.

Do you like competitive multiplayer games with an emphasis on giant maps, team play, and vehicles? Then grab the demo. Tell your friends to grab it too. It definitely warrants a look, and if the community grows and stays active this can easily be a game to go back to again and again to get your online FPS slaughter fix.

What value you get out of Skylanders Giants is tied directly to how much you'll be willing to spend on it and while it's definitely pricey, the added value of a physical product that is actually a pretty well made and exciting piece of tech softens the blow a bit. The game itself is way more fun than it has any right being, and while it doesn't pull off its concepts perfectly, it does manage to stay interesting throughout, with tons of clever little ideas and nods to other games.

007 Legends lets us see Bond, but never actually be the suave, debonair, brash, and ultimately human British Secret Agent. Instead we are forced to watch as our generic agent shoots people in the face and then punches them in the sides for a few moments.

Even if you don't like strategy games, if you love action games and have an open enough mind to try out something a bit slower-paced, you will be rewarded with one of the most thrilling, thought-provoking, and heart-pounding games of the year.

If you're a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fan and can look past some significant flaws to experience an authentic Sherlock experience, then by all means, go for it. Otherwise, stay away.

But getting behind the wheel of one of the most realistic driving engines and booting around, challenging racers, and having all kinds of fun adds value to all cars – not just the ones that are ridiculously fast and expensive. I've played the game at numerous difficulty settings both with 360 controller and MS Force Feedback Racing Wheel, and have come away impressed.

Dance Central 3 isn't just the best reason to own a Kinect; it is the reason you need to own one.

Overall, the puzzles in this game are great, but the loose, floating controls really hamper what would have been a great puzzle-plaformer. I'd only recommend this game for people who really-and I mean really-enjoy challenges.

If you've got a Kinect gathering dust, you need to get it plugged back in. While Fable: The Journey has its fair share of issues, it is certainly one of the best non-dance games for the Kinect.

Whether you like to sneak, like to slay mercilessly, or somewhere in between, there is something here for you. Dishonored is very easily a contender for Game of the Year.

DOA 5 could easily get overlooked in the deluge of upcoming titles, but it shouldn't. Despite the departure of Itagaki, Team Ninja manages to take DOA 5 up a notch. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, the counter system adds a new layer of depth. Toss in the upgraded stages and the accessibility offered by the story-lead training and you can almost forgive said story for making almost no sense at all. The game remains accessible, pure fan-service, and most certainly the best looking fighter of this generation.

Pokémon Conquest's replay value is through the roof. After the first campaign is completed many more stories that allow the player to control different warlords open up. These different stories have their own objectives that the player has to complete in order to win. After 33 of these stories are completed, a campaign similar to the first one becomes available. In addition to these, more stories can be downloaded from the Nintendo WFC. All of this, combined with online multiplayer, will leave one with hundreds of hours of Pokémon themed turn based strategy excitement to enjoy.

Zen Studios clearly has a lot of love for pinball; it shows in every facet of this game.

If you like piles of guns, lots to do and shoot, and a robust leveling system with a natural coop multi-player aspect and aren't put off by the cel shading, it's a no-brainer.

Probably the worst thing about Dogfight 1942 is that it costs $15. Many downloadable games cost far less and have far more to offer than this sub-par flight simulator. The entirety of the game is no more than three hours and has zero re-playability.

Torchlight II represents the perfect iteration of a series, combining solid innovation from Runic along with a deluge of feedback courtesy of fans and player mods. Runic and Perfect World have given us everything we've asked for – I can't think of a single game that can make that claim in recent memory.

With all that in mind, FTL remains a great game – not perfect, not legendary, but a great indie title that offers up something pretty unique as opposed to a cheaper version of a game that mainstream devs already do and do better.

If you're not prepared to implement the tweaks and fixes mentioned in this review, then you should stay away from the game or hunt it down on its native consoles instead. If the previously mentioned 360 Review doesn't describe the sort of game you enjoy, then stay away altogether – not even bug fixes and gameplay tweaks will make this a game you like. But if you're willing to implement a couple fan-made patches and you crave a game that's beautiful, dark, cryptic, challenging and just plain unique in so many ways, grab this game and give it a go.

Guild Wars 2 represents a raising of the bar for MMOs, taking the best aspects of a great many titles that have come before it and polishing them up in a way that makes it addictive and fun for all. Given the rate that ArenaNet has been addressing player concerns and patching them, I think we can expect great things from Guild Wars 2.

For those who still haven't had a chance to enjoy the amazing experience of Mass Effect 3, the DLC will integrate well with your experience and enhance an already enjoyable game, but for anyone looking for a reason to dust off their copy of ME3 for Leviathan, the DLC may prove too much trouble for such a brief expansion and not worth the $10 price tag. If you're a hardcore ME fan however, you won't want to miss out on the exciting content revealed about the Mass Effect universe.

The game feels like a healthy upgrade and a new dawn for this franchise. While there are still some minor issues that hold back NHL 13 including jerky animations and some odd bugs, but this is easily the best NHL title I've played in some time.

Time will tell whether it has the legs to keep up with more traditionally-styled MMOs, but for what it is, I'm certain that the gaming world will always have room for experiences like The Secret World.

Either wait for Damage Inc. to hit the discount skids, or pick up any of the comparable Mad Catz flight sticks – this flight title is not flight-ready.

In the end I came to the conclusion that made the most sense – Rock Band Blitz is another accessory for my Rock Band experience. When you stop thinking about it as a separate product, picking up this downloadable title just makes sense.

If you're a fan of Resident Evil or rail-shooters and you own a Move controller then Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection is a no brainer.

Madden NFL 13 makes huge strides this year, but also makes a few rookie mistakes. Seasoned football fanatics and casual onlookers should be satisfied with the end result. As seen in my previous Madden reviews, you know that I have had my fair share of issues with the game. If you have been skeptical of Madden before, this year's edition is worth a look. If only they could do something about the number of interceptions.

It's technically great, but Nintendo needs to do more than repeat old ideas with its flagship franchise, especially if it wants to release not one, but three main entries in the series in the span of a year (Super Mario 3D Land released last November, New Super Mario Bros. Wii U comes out at launch).