Pokemon X & Y set a new standard for Pokemon games to come.

Sonic Lost World is a wonderful addition to the Sonic legacy and one of the best exclusive titles on the Wii U. It harks back to the classic days of gaming that got me into video games in the first place, a time when developers aimed to challenge players rather than guide their hand through a movie experience.

It fails as a 2D sidescroller, it fails as a 3D platformer, and on a system that has no short supply of absolutely amazing examples of both of those genres, Sonic Lost World is absolutely inexcusable.

If you’re trying to figure out what it is that makes The Inner World so satisfying, you’re really not going to be able to pick any one thing. The story, graphics, and gameplay are all okay, but it’s the sum of the parts that synthesizes The Inner World into the charming gem that it is.

It fills a niche that I’m sure will have a following, but it is not for everyone, least of all casual strategy gamers such as myself.

Even if you don’t have any other versions on other platforms, SWAP Force on 3DS is a decent 3rd person 3D platformer. Just don’t expect a 3DS interpretation of the console SWAP Force game – it stands on it’s own pedestal, and it can fit your toy collection inside a pocket.

I don’t think there are any weaknesses in the story or its delivery – the plot is fairly simple, as is the combat. I think Vicarious Visions does this series proud in carrying out a new and challenging role – take a genre-defining product and bring some freshness to it while maintaining the consistency and imagination of new characters balanced with the old.

Prime World is free to play on Steam, so if you’ve got time to burn and are looking for a game that tries to shake up the MOBA genre, then give Prime World a shot.

Cavemania is a gorgeous, fun, and addictive game that should probably be on your phone, but doesn’t quite hit the high mark in terms of free-to-play iOS games quite the way Real Racing 3 or Pixel People has.

While Quantic Dream tackles subjects usually only handled within the realm of film, it lacks the grace, subtlety, and class of its celluloid counterparts to do it properly. Technically, it’s a triumph, with some of the best looking graphics and facial capture I’ve ever seen in a video game, but if you’re going to put so much emphasis on the story, it better be damn good, and honestly, it just isn’t.

If you’ve never tried Port Royale or Patrician, but are looking to explore a truly engaging “period piece” that will provide hours of entertainment, take Rise of Venice for a spin. As the latest offering from Kalypso and Gaming Minds, the game succeeds at re-creating an age out of mind through the very modernity of its design, and the presentation is as slick as any other new release you’ll find out right now.

Rune Factory 4 is a game that you could easily dive into for twenty minutes or two hours at a time, and it seemingly never ends. There’s always one more thing you can do to improve your station in the town, or the town’s station in the world.

Ultimately, Shadowrun Returns is a great game that does an excellent job of not only drawing players into the Shadowrun world, but doing so while delivering an option-laden classic RPG experience.

The storyline used to merge the two is slightly clumsy, but that can only be expected when combining two relatively disparate franchises. What I didn’t expect, though, was for the merge to be treated as a zero-sum game; where Unmasked expanded the depth and breadth of DC content, it has responded by limiting the scope and difficulty of the core Scribblenauts experience.

The experience of playing Rain felt like it should have culminated in an emotional and poignant ending, but the abstruse storytelling only acted as a roadblock to a sought-after moment of epiphany – it borders on pretentiousness. But where the narrative and gameplay are let-downs, the impressive art style and outstanding soundtrack are a treat for the senses.

Skydive: Proximity Flight may be lacking all the bells and whistles of more popular arcade titles, and at times I did want a little more variety, or maybe even just a missile launcher or two. But that’s not what this game is about. What you have here is a fairly realistic and engaging simulator of an experience that most of us will never try due to an overriding sense of self-preservation. And maybe that’s enough.

While the awkwardness of the campaign mode’s storyline is unfortunate, the game more than justifies its cost in terms of inventive mechanics, a refreshing setting and a well-thought-out realtime tactical system – all without the looming threat of microtransactions and booster-pack expenditures that so often are matched up with any card-based game.

Fans of the JRPG genre who are looking for a challenge and aren’t bothered by the facepalm-worthy tropes will be delighted with the experience. This game won’t do much to capture anyone who isn’t already interested in the series with its very confusing mechanics and foreign gameplay structure.

It’s casual in that it’s a fighting game that doesn’t require the memorization of combos.

This is a breakthrough in what interactivity can accomplish with little aid from more traditional storytelling mechanics – its resulting importance to this medium is no exaggeration.

Unlike many other repackaging efforts, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX does just enough positively, while leaning on its own greatness to create a worthwhile addition to one’s video game collection.

It’s hours of mindless, bloody, expletive-filled fun in an action-packed fantasy world illustrated with gorgeous graphics, a good variety of unlocks, and enough challenges to make completionists feel as if they got their money’s worth.

If you’re craving pinball on the go, it’s tough to beat the paltry $6.99 price tag. But for most, this is not the platform you’re looking for – and that’s no Jedi mind trick.

Unfortunately for Konami, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 doesn’t have the benefit of coming at a highly reduced price tag. Konami is working against a stream of influence and licensing deficiencies, but has failed to work what it does have into a good product. Unless you are dying to play two soccer games, or have the burning desire to customize, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 is best left on the shelves.

Piranha has long promised that “community warfare” will address this lack of endgame, but that feature has been delayed so often that it’s hard to be sure if it’s ever coming out. It’s a bit of a shame that there’s so little reason to keep at MechWarrior Online. The matches themselves are fun–and as it is free-to-play, there’s no barrier to entry–but without any form of metagame it’s hard to stay engaged.

FIFA 14 is a beautiful send-off to the waning current generation of gaming, and a perfect example of what has become the most authentic and entertaining sports game around.

At any rate, if you have any interest in hockey games whatsoever, then you probably already own this, but if you don’t, go out and get a copy – you’ll have an absolute blast.

If you’re willing to power through some unfortunate pacing, you’ll still get to experience a fantastic and wondrous adventure of epic proportions, upscaled for the modern era.