If you can stick with Devil Survivor through the steep learning curve and occasional frustrating bits, you’ll experience one of the better RPGs – and better overall games – the DS has to offer.

Forza Motorsport really does create a platform that leaves an open track to expand on. This is the easiest Forza to get into and it performs at such a high level, you may forget it's just a game. There's nothing standing between you and the racetrack.

Sprint Vector is unlike anything else on the VR market. The Fluid Locomotion System allows for high speed virtual movement without motion sickness for most people, and the game's ubeat, irreverent tone encourages both casual and competitive play. It does seem to be hit or miss, and sadly seems to lack that addictive quality for most people. Meanwhile, my competitive friends and platformer fans can't seem to get enough of it, and it's just physically demanding enough to provide a bit of a workout to boot.

While Battlefield 3 was aiming to be the biggest name this holiday season, and while it has made strides towards knocking off Modern Warfare 3, it misses the mark. That's not to say it is a bad game, it's a very good one, but the polish and excitement that is found on the Call of Duty series feels missing here. Still, there are much worse games you could end up with this holiday season, and the competition between the two series should heat up significantly in the next few years.

While there will certainly be debate on the online license change (when it eventually works), there is no doubt that UFC 2010 is a vast improvement over its predecessor.

Monster Hunter Tri is a fantastic trip into a strange world, and a trip that you'll definitely want to take.

Blasphemous 2 continues the achievements set by its predecessor while adding three new ways to fight. Not straying outside the lines, Blasphemous 2 is simply more Blasphemous at the end of the day.

This may seem like a feature hardly worth mentioning, but being able to save whenever you want makes the game much more enjoyable.

Defies easy categorization by being equal parts a stealth-based sneaker, a puzzler, and a straight-up shooter. After playing video games for so many years, I appreciate games that shake things up a bit.

Yes, it may be more streamlined than you would like it, but the story and feel of the game are well worth it. The framerate drops are frustrating, but when you look at the lighting and the Havok engine displayed in this game the framerate drops become almost second nature.

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 isn’t just a collection of faithful ports on new hardware, it’s a mix of some of the best Mega Man games with plenty of love and goodies. The addition of medals is a great way to encourage players to fully explore every title, and X Challenge is fun, if not disorganized at times. For players new to the Mega Man X series, this is where to begin.

Record Breaker is a masterful retelling of an already amazing SRPG. Engaging battles, a wonderful cast of characters, in-depth meta-systems and a great atmosphere make this one of the best strategy handheld experiences ever.

Gears of War 4 also has the most stunning presentation we’ve seen in any Gears game. For the first time in the series, characters look more photorealistic than they do cartoonish, and the environment is alive with insane weather, deep darkness, and particle effects that are truly stunning.

Citadel is fan service at its worst, but Mass Effect at its best. Clever dialogue, heart-warming callbacks, and enough content to make it worth the $15 price tag make Mass Effect: Citadel a worthy goodbye to a cast of characters that forever shaped gaming history.

The plethora of vehicles available combined with the multitude of different types of races, this game will keep you busy.

A masterpiece, and quite possibly the best Halo game so far. The campaign is top-notch, even as Master Chief shares the spotlight, and the multiplayer is largely a return to everything that has made the franchise so beloved to begin with.

In a saturated market with games clambering to echo the soul of Animal Crossing, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has finally grabbed that baton and ran with it. It ticks every box in what I want from this genre, chucking every possible game mechanic at the player to play around with so there’s never a dull moment, and probably won't be for quite a while. My only gripe is that I had to stop playing it in order to write this review.

Seeing one of the most celebrated open worlds brought to Nintendo’s portable flagship is a welcome surprise. Being able to take a game this expansive on the go is an amazing feat, and seeing it come in this feature complete is Bethesda at its best. While the motion controls have a bit of wonk, come for the HD rumble, and stay for the chance to explain why you are yelling Fus Ro Dah! on the bus.

If there was one thing I would ask is that next time Capcom considers a two player cooperative mode.

What can you say? It’s Metallica. If you like Metallica, pick this up. If you don’t, you may want to skip it.

Drinkbox has crafted a brilliantly unique world on top of a platformer that combines the best of the classics, along with a few of its own ideas — things like two player local co-op is a feature I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a Metroidvania game, and I challenge more developers to try to include it.

CivRev has been an extremely pleasant surprise. It’s not perfect, but it does a fantastic job of taking one of the most complex gaming franchises and boiling it down to the fundamental aspects that make it so much fun.

Simply a great pickup if you like rally racing games or racing games in general. The only huge blunders are no music and the lack of Live online play.

It fits squarely between "Need for Speed: Underground 2" (a game I didn't like) and "Burnout 3: Takedown" (a game I loved), but tends to lean very close to Burnout 3 on the scale.

Eliza is a poignant, well-presented tale about how even technology created to help people can be harmful when it replaces human connection. Rather than demonizing technology, though, Eliza is a paean to compassion, communication, and all the varied ways people can lift each other up.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr’s Journey is a one-two punch of fun, casual and amusing gameplay, complete with all the expected charm, humor, and challenge expected of a game in the Mario Universe. Bowser’s Inside Story is one of the more odd and varied titles I’ve ever played, but it is a little too easy. The overall product combines several of the best game styles into one, yet the final product feels incredibly cohesive and is a must play modern Mario experience.

If you've never played Resident Evil 4, then the $20 price of entry is worth it and I highly recommend you experience the survival-horror genre at its finest. Especially considering that the genre has become something of an extinct race, particularly on consoles. If you're already familiar with the game it really comes down to how fond you were of that first experience.

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.

I loved every minute of it.

Battlefield: 1943 is a terrific example of the fact that games don’t have to be expensive or 10 GB in size to be fun and provide hours of entertainment. At 1200 Microsoft points ($15), Battlefield: 1943 is one of the best gaming values going right now on the Xbox Live Arcade.

Thumper is a right hook out of nowhere. It’s the right combination of speed, bizarre visuals, music, and difficulty that makes you want to replay it after the credits roll. The single button and stick controls also makes it eminently accessible to everyone, but difficult to master. Come for the bizarre visuals, stay for the even more bizarre bosses.

It is a tough game, but once you get past the early part it is pretty smooth sailing.

This is concentrated, unfiltered, Super-Nintendo-excellence given the modern treatment, and a landmark indie title.

Of course, it bears repeating that people who are already into Professor Layton will still find a lot to love. It's everything the first game was and more, so those who enjoyed The Curious Village will have a great time with The Diabolical Box. Even if you didn't like the first game, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

It feels odd calling a point & click horror game adorable, but that’s what Bulb Boy is. Heartwarming moments are mixed with gross-out details without any friction. The surreal story has plenty of twists and turns, and the puzzles are enjoyable to work out. This little indie title is truly a gem in its own special way.

The Banner Saga 2 is a worthy sequel to a great franchise. Combat is vastly improved, and the narrative is deep and rewarding, even as the game punishes the player every step of the way. The game suffers from a unwieldy UI, and some poorly placed setpieces that obscure the player’s vision in combat, but these drawbacks are minor.

Creed: Rise to Glory is an exhausting, sweaty, thrilling brawler title. It requires observation, reaction, and no small bit of stamina, as you read your opponent, dodge blows, create openings, and swing your way to victory. The story mode may be a little short and fragmented, but the PvP mode, allowing you to step into the ring with real people, more than makes up for it. It’s brutal, it’s highly responsive, making it the best VR boxing title, and one of the most addictive VR experiences I’ve encountered thus far.

Dungeon of the Endless is a clever mix of roguelike elements, tower defense gameplay, and resource management. Balancing these various mechanics, especially the resources used for tower defense, is challenging yet rewarding. The characters are interesting as well, but with some starting characters clearly being better than others, it leaves some of them on the sidelines.

EA SPORTS F1 23 continues the series’ legacy of being the definitive F1 racing experience for gamers. With the updates made to braking, accelerating, and cornering, as well as Precision Drive technology for controller players, the game plays smoother than ever and can easily be enjoyed by players of all skill and interest levels. Braking Point also makes a return with another drama-filled story.

Streets of Rage 4 proves to be a heavy hitter, paying homage to the beloved series while not being held back by what came before. The new art style shines, the soundtrack is as good as ever and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a game I’ll be revisiting for a long time to come. Day one purchase worthy game.

The shortcomings of the Switch port are easily forgiven when the proposition of a portable BioShock is on the table. All three are phenomenal games that could face off against any modern-day juggernaut, but only the BioShocks can be played on the go.

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.

While I will continue to miss Sully, Nathan, Elena, and young would-be adventurer Cassie, The Lost Legacy is another amazing adventure in the living Uncharted world. Whether it spells the start of a new direction for the series, or just a fun encore, it’s an excellent experience for any Uncharted fan.

Add these two multiplayer modes to the ones from Rainbow Six 3 and you have a lot of multiplayer loving, at least until Halo 2 comes out.

SoulCalibur VI’s combat could crack even the toughest case of fighting game-phobia; it’s strategic, fluid, and deep, but remains as accessible as ever. It’s unfortunate that it’s hampered by a lack of interesting modes, and that its hefty single-player offerings attempt to shift the focus away from the robust combat system and towards stale, cumbersome stories.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge feels like it’s designed from an Ninja Turtles arcade beat ‘em up template, which strips it of creativity and originality and makes it feel predictable and familiar. But the fluid combat continually sucks me back in, even though that also suffers from combat designs that should’ve been left in the past.

A complete package, with all DLC packed in, Final Fantasy XVI Complete Edition lives up to its name. The performance on a wide variety of hardware speaks to a lot of optimization work, and mods make the skies the limit. This is the ultimate way to experience this fantastic entry to the series.

This is a game for the person who likes revenge or the person who likes to strategize. Whether you play through the story mode or the online mode you will encounter different environments and their derivatives that promise to leave you in the game until the very end.

If you have been curious about Ascension but weren't ready to pay the price for the actual board game or don't have any local friends to play it with, the iOS version is a great option to play it. Because it plays so quickly, you can get a game in at a fraction of the time.

Summary: If you are a fan of deckbuilding card battlers, with a dash of RPG, then Gordian Quest is the best of the bunch. While there are a few tutorial elements and stability challenges to attend to, the endless replayability and randomization element makes every run unique.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a brilliant testament to what a small team of dedicated individuals can accomplish, with River End Games releasing one of the best narrative-driven stealth adventures in a long while. Eriksholm features a moving, tragic, and ultimately hopeful story, mixed with fun stealth gameplay, and increasingly difficult scenarios to navigate. From its humble beginnings to its epic end, Eriksholm delivers in spades.

Snipperclips Plus completes a fantastic cooperative puzzle game. The additional games are a blast, stamp mode is a fun distraction, the new levels are fun with creative ideas, and the ability to play as random shapes breathes more life into an already lively batch of brainteasers.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is everything you love about J-pop. Its infectious music, snazzy visuals, and accessible yet challenging gameplay will have you shouting for an encore.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is everything you love about J-pop. Its infectious music, snazzy visuals, and accessible yet challenging gameplay will have you shouting for an encore.

Risk of Rain Returns shines thanks to a fantastic roster of classes, sublimely chaotic gameplay, and fever-dream like presentation. When firing on all cylinders, it's rare for a game to make the player feel as powerful as this one does, even if some runs take a little too long to get going.

Having multiple Lords to hunt and take down, each with their own unique territory and play style, greatly helps Village stand out from previous entries. Bringing back a merchant, giving hunting and fishing options, an upgraded inventory system, allowing the story to go absolutely off the rails, and switching the gameplay to be more action focused, even though I understand that may upset some players, all combined to help Village stand out from previous entries while still feeling unique. Upon completion I immediately spent my CP and hopped back into the campaign, the greatest compliment I can give any game. Village may very well be my new favorite entry in the series.

In short, DJ Hero is just what the music game genre needs- a breath of fresh air, a taste of new music, and a style all its own.

Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends features the best balance I’ve seen in an RTS – ever.

I guess the question really comes down to whether Bulletstorm is worth your hard-earned gaming dollar. If you're a single-player campaign person, there is a fun and engaging story to be found. If you're into the multiplayer scene, I'd highly recommend getting the full version (you may want to calculate your new cost vs. used cost + 800 points). It is definately worth playing ... the question you need to answer for yourself is whether it's worth owning.

It is a solid game with only a few issues, and is deserving of a purchase.

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.

While there is an incredible wealth of things to discover and enjoy in Fallout: New Vegas, so much of it will depend on the game being stable enough to see it. The gameplay mechanics (factions, crafting, etc.) that Obsidian has brought to the table are welcome additions, but the framerate issues, lockups, and texture oddities are not.

A fantastic expansion with a very compelling set of features, including a new class, a far-better approach to bosses, and a few borrowed elements from their other MMO works. It’s a big step in the right direction, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

In the meantime, go out and get Dragon Quest V, and enjoy one of the best "lost" RPGs of the Super Nintendo generation.

It takes the well-oiled RPG mechanics of its predecessor and delivers a vast and alien world so meticulously and passionately designed that it’s easy and fun to get lost inside of it.

Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga is a test of frustration. It’s rarely fun to play and the sagging story never merits giving it a shot. It may look jaw-droppingly stunning but don’t be fooled - there’s not all that much going on beneath the surface. If you’re a PS5 owner who loved the original game and have been waiting forever to get your hands on the sequel, you’d best do yourself a favour and play the first game again instead.

A vast improvement over its predecessor, just by adding Live play and improving the character management system.

This classic arcade style shooter will keep your thumbs and your senses occupied for many, many hours.

Viewfinder is a beautiful and heartfelt journey that challenges the player in different ways. Perspective means everything in this game, and the challenges you face will give you a whole different view on puzzle solving games. Each puzzle is interesting and never feels repetitive or overly complicated. This game is a ton of fun, I can’t recommend it enough.

If you’re looking to get your pants scared off, SOMA may not be the game for you, but for those who appreciate its brand of subtle horror, it is truly a masterpiece.

Easy to learn but difficult to master as your tactics need to be adjusted on the go.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined wants to have its cake and eat it too, but ends up feeling incredibly bland in most aspects. It's still a Dragon Quest game and is fun to a point, but in sanding off the edges of the original game it loses the charm of a time traveling adventure and becomes a rote, forgettable RPG checklist of a game.

With an incredibly robust feature set and massive swaths of content ready for the launch window, as well as an extensive roadmap on the horizon, The Division 2 raises the bar for how a sequel should launch. Only a handful of minor bugs and hiccups remain, but none of them hold this back from being the best team-based shooter we’ve played in a very long time. Massive Entertainment has a massive hit on their hands, and we can’t wait to see where it goes next.

The game makes you feel like a badass from the word go, and it just gets even more out of control as things progress. Sure, there are some hiccups graphically, and sometimes things can be a little clunky mechanically, but there is no doubt that Saints Row The Third is crazy fun from start to finish.

Skate 2's more realistic feel will probably appeal more to actual skaters, and while some of the big tricks might be a bit harder to pull off, it's more satisfying when you get that trick pulled off.

A fairly linear game, and while there is a sense of exploration, the path for the game is fairly easy to find and it is difficult to get off-track into an area you shouldn’t be in.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy is a great game, and while this HD Remaster cleans things up a bit its efforts often feel lacking. It looks better in some ways, but the same in others and plays better in some ways but worse in others. If you enjoy experimenting with character builds, it’s a great time, but it’s still going to take some grinding to get there. If you can persist through the grind, you’ll find the same diamond in the rough that the game was on the 3DS.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon aren't bad games, but they are victims of their own hype, which they fail to to live up to. While the plot has changed, these alterations are minor, thrown together, and ultimately do harm to the experience. Despite the addition of two new mini games, a few new features, and a different post-game, they are simply not as enjoyable as their Sun and Moon predecessors.

Lies of P: Overture is a fantastic, albeit slightly short, addition to the already incredible Lies of P base game. Clocking in somewhere between six to eight hours, Overture is an incredibly well-made expansion which does an impressive job of fleshing out the lore of Krat while providing impressive new set pieces to explore, weapons to master, Legion Arms to forge, and challenging bosses to defeat.

Borderlands is leading the way with the new FPS/RPG genre. It strikes a comfortable balance between real-time combat and character advancement.

I can't say with certainty that it is a result of the patch, but I can say that I feel that this game plays on the field much better than last year's version.

Offer[s] its genuinely-hilarious story for a whole new generation of gamers. While it isn’t the cleanest port ever, it’s a welcome addition to any library — especially at the $14.99 price point.

Spiritfarer excels in every genre it dips its toes in. It’s a joy to see what’s in every corner of the game’s ocean, explore every nook and cranny of the various islands, and play various minigames all while managing your ship and making sure your passengers are happy before you see them off. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and feel terrified all at the same time. It’s one of those games that, after finishing, you immediately want to play again.

If you’re into side scroller beat ‘em ups, then look no further. Anomaly Agent supplies you with a plethora of weapons and moves to deal with combatants in style. The story isn’t a masterpiece, but it definitely has compelling moments, usually fueled by the garish and lively characters.

Thimbleweed Park is a game that was created with a specific audience in mind, and that audience is adults who grew up on classic LucasArts adventure games. If you’re part of that audience, you owe it to yourself to check it out. If you aren’t, there really isn’t much for you here.

It’s a strange thing to find yourself smiling so much while playing a game that has you carrying out a series of grisly murders, but that’s exactly what Hitman 2 does. Whether you’re disguising yourself as a cupcake salesman to get close to a target, or spending an hour to make someone’s death look like an accident, Hitman 2 is the best stealth action game of the year.

Thank Goodness You’re Here is a wonderful little indie game that punches higher than it should. The comedic dialogue will have you rolling, and the art style is to die for. A lackluster story and shallow gameplay could drag it down, but somehow work perfectly for the game Panic has created. Know your medium, and good things will come of it.

This game is not very easy, but with the ability to choose where you're going and how you're going to finish the mission you may be able to find an easier way out of a situation than you were able to in the previous game.

After seeing what they have done with this setting, I can't wait to see what the next campaign will contain.

After tons of time squinting at my monitor trying to solve whodunits and twisting my iPad around to see if my puzzle will cooperate, The Drifter has been the refreshing and innovative experience I’ve been looking for. You’ll find me hard-pressed to find any glaring flaws, as it excels in its characters, writing, puzzling, and everything else. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish that I’d recommend to anyone.

This is a solid contender for RPG of the year (along with "Oblivion" and the unreleased "Final Fantasy XII"), and is easily the best SRPG to come along since Disgaea itself, if not Final Fantasy Tactics.

The game is pleasing to the eye, has a play style that encourages teamwork, and has a nice variety of characters.

It definitely give PS3 owners something to tide them over until some of the bigger titles hit later this year and next year. I look forward to coming home from work and playing for 30 to 40 minutes and getting new ribbon or badge.

I'll put it simply: If you can roll with the macabre toilet humor and if religion jokes don't put you off, AND if you enjoy games with non-optional permadeath, randomized content, tons of secrets and considerable replay value… it's hard to go wrong with The Binding of Isaac. Especially at five dollars.

Momodora: Moonlit Farewell displays a quiet confidence that’s easy to appreciate. It executes on its straightforward design sense effectively and without deviation. As a finale that goal may come across as a little complacent, but it still makes for a perfectly pleasant Spring day.

Ultimately though, RIFT has had one of the smoothest launches in MMO history, and Trion Worlds has shown publicly that they're willing to own up to their mistakes as soon as they're made, and are quick to enact change to prevent things from recurring, as shown by their near-instant creation of the coin-lock system and their authenticators, as well as their reaction to the end of the River of Souls event.

The main benefits are the intriguing single-player scenarios and the tweaks to make warfare a more feasible strategy.

The simplification of the controls from the PC version to the XBOX version makes it much more accessible to those that are unfamiliar with the Rainbow Six/Ghost Recon games.