Element4l is a terrific game that is perfectly balanced in everything that it sets out to accomplish.

Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe packs a ton of great run/jump/shoot/puzzle action in its arcade shell, and is easily one of the best Tetris-style games to show up in a very long time.

It’s Angry Birds meets tower defense meets beat ‘em up meets crack cocaine levels of addictiveness in a hodgepodge amalgamation of stuff that absolutely should not work as well as it does.

The Adventures of Van Helsing is an excellent game that deserves to be played by those looking for an extremely well written experience and for fans of old school RPGs everywhere. With a game length that puts many AAA developers to shame, NeoCore Games punched well above their weight and succeeded where so many indie games have failed in the past.

It breaks my heart to even talk about The Night of the Rabbit in a negative manner because, while it has its issues, it’s still an imaginative experience.

On the whole, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D offers up one of the most challenging and rewarding platforming adventures in recent memory. Take note, developers, this is how a port should be done.

There may be a few spots where combat feels repetitive and the stealth elements are half-baked, but the sheer audacity on display here deserves commendation.

The PC version is also an excellent port, offering a steady framerate, crisp visuals and well-established controls. If you missed out on this grand adventure when it was on the Xbox 360, here’s the perfect opportunity to fix that.

While the final explanation shows that, predictably enough, there’s more going on than meets the eye, it’s more short story than novel. In terms of both story and gameplay it’s hard to find much to recommend about The Starship Damrey, but there’s nothing really wrong with it either. It’s a curiosity, interesting enough while being played, and then it’s over.

With all of its issues, and in its current state, DUST 514 is a title that has lofty ambitions, but also far too many problems and contingencies to deal with right now. Only the hardcore EVE enthusiasts need apply.

Gunslinger is one of the best downloadable shooters on consoles and easily the best entry in the series.

Those with even a shred of self-respect should head to a seedy truck stop, bowling alley or other similar establishment and use the forty dollars this retails for to instead play the vastly superior The Fast and the Furious arcade game.

Strike Suit Infinity is not a game that is terrible by any means. It’s just a game that had some really high hopes for itself but failed to deliver those things in a way that was organic and a little bit more fun.

Thunder Wolves is a game that knows what it wants to be, and cuts through any of the other filler to give an experience that is as pure as possible.

All in all, it’s hard to recommend Tiny Token Empires for the PS3. Even though the puzzle portions are a lot of fun, they’re not so much better than other games on the market that the frustrations caused by the strategy portion are worth putting up with them for.

A more intimate affair rather than a blockbuster, it recalls terrific classic elements that have been sorely missed, easily besting the latest main-series entry.

Reus is a game of giants walking the earth, and an epic contraption whose pleasantly rewarding output wrests a world teeming with life from a dead planet’s skin.

Here Anomaly 2 is trying to reinvent its own wheel with little tiny incremental upgrades instead of taking the same drastic approach that gained it such praise in the first place. The result isn’t something groundbreaking; the result is a confused and missed opportunity that has more in common with RTS games in every wrong way possible.

Even though it’s atmosphere heavy and fairly short, its unique world and gameplay pull you in like most shooters don’t.

While Sanctum 2 is still a tough game, it’s tough in smart substantive ways that add up. Opting for this instead of the punitive approach that Sanctum was built on has made for a far superior product in the form of Sanctum 2.

Sorcery! is one of the best games that this reviewer has played on the iPhone and iPad, offering a plethora of options and an excellent story.

Zack Zero could have shot for the star of “inoffensive mediocrity” and gotten higher marks for the effort. What’s on display here, however, is the product of a game development fiasco that dragged some seemingly good people through a gauntlet of emotional and financial insanity.

Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut won’t win any awards for its visuals or mechanics, but the player will be completely immersed within a world just brimming with life thanks to the intriguing storyline and highly likeable cast of characters.

As a whole, Mars: War Logs is a game well worth checking out for RPG fans and, at only twenty dollars, there’s no reason not to. Although frustrating at times, the developers’ ambition puts it above other indie RPGs which seem happy to settle for less considering their price.

Papo & Yo is about growing into a person who can escape an abusive family situation, and that’s a theme powerful enough to overwhelm any number of small problems, if pulled off properly. The best parts of the game are when this theme is integrated directly into the action, whether that’s running from an enraged Monster or engaging in escapist fantasy with the platforming and landscape manipulation.

If you’re a newcomer to Dragon’s Dogma, then this is the edition to get; otherwise, you’ll have to be an incredibly dedicated fan as there isn’t enough here to justify an upgrade.

It’s a shame the experience is so brief, but because this is an arcade title that only costs fifteen bucks to scoop up, it’s a nice amount of depth and a completely absurd amount of fun. It’s just funny that this may turn out to be one of the better things released this year and it started out as a joke.

If you played through the entirety of the first game and didn’t have a problem with it, this may be your thing. While the collision detection, and some other things have taken some serious hits, there’s still a good story to be found. Otherwise I would skip this and wait for the inevitable sale.

Until the bugs are ironed out, it’s just not worth the headache.

It’s a charming, charismatic adventure that will leave you with a smile across your face for the duration of your play.

Moreover, if you love testing your skills against others online, this game isn’t for you, either. If you like playing fighters by yourself, huddled up in a corner in some depressingly dark room, then sure, Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus R is the thing for you. It’s just a shame that such a terrible, terrible decision can hold back such a wonderful game.

Unless there’s a major update in the near future, you’d be better off waiting until it inevitably becomes part of an indie bundle so that you can briefly jump in and enjoy its first few hours. Until then, your money and time should be spent elsewhere.

Surgeon Simulator 2013 isn’t all bad and I’m surprised I liked it as much as I did. There is a bizarre sense of exploration you get from just goofing around and seeing what exactly you can do, and at times it feels like an odd sort of point and click adventure game, where every puzzle is to use a sharp object on a man’s face

It falls completely on its ass in every category. Generic shooting, incredibly poor artificial intelligence and glitchy bug-ridden gameplay amounts to nothing more than a meager attempt to cash in on next month’s film.

God Mode may be a shallow action romp that’s got the longevity of a fruit fly, but with a decent group of allies and some proper teamwork, there’s a good bit of run & gun gaming in there while it lasts.

The anime and magna iterations of Black Rock Shooter are so enjoyable because they’re crazy, over-the-top Japanese awesomeness. Unfortunately, not much about the video game take on the series is all that awesome, or even very good.

Dead Island: Riptide is a game where enjoyment hinges entirely on personal satisfaction of repetitively killing thousands of zombies and having friends with the same passion. For these select people, Riptide can be a whole lot of fun; but for anybody going it solo or demanding more from a game than just mindless violence, however, it will prove increasingly tedious.

While some of the controls can be a bit bothersome, the overall gameplay mechanics and sense of enjoyment is overwhelming. Mix one of the most gratifying cooperative campaigns in recent history with an absolutely charming cast of characters, and you have an addictive upper echelon independent game.

This is the video game equivalent of Rebecca Black’s Friday, something so terrible that its existence is nothing short of a miracle.

It’s hard to think of another Big N game that has its heroine munching on monster flesh, so here’s hoping that Nintendo recognizes what a fantastic action-roleplaying experience they missed localizing and gives stateside players more of this kind of mature title in the future.

In 2013, this sixteen-year-old game feels fresh, revitalizing and just downright good. That’s an accomplishment all of its own.

With a solid fighting engine, plenty of room for customization, a copious offering of modes, delightfully oldschool graphics and sound and some solid controls, Battle Grounds is a game that should be played by anyone who loves nostalgic beat’em ups, especially ones that are very stylized and very Japanese.

Dark Moon is a likable if flawed journey through an enjoyably spooky world, and while it may not hold up to a long-term residency, it’s certainly worth a weekend getaway.

Fans of the old school adventure games should definitely enjoy the combination of exploration and puzzles the game offers and Anodyne is a nice throwback to a type of game that you simply can’t find any more.

People who want a portable experience are going to absolute require the Circle Pad Pro, in addition to a suitable explanation for your friends and family as to where you were for the month you disappeared and couldn’t be found.

Terraria was utterly fantastic on PC, and has made a near-perfect jump to console.

Guacamelee! is a rich, fun, free-scrolling action platformer with a fantastic fighting engine, some truly tricky platforming challenges, and a vibrant style all its own.

Evoland is a unique game in that it’s impressive to see the scale of references and care to detail that is present within it. Despite several surprising flaws, it’s not often in a game where one can relive some of the greatest game-playing experiences from Final Fantasy and Zelda in a couple of hours and the combination of the two games is almost seamless in their execution.

As far as MMO launches go, though, Defiance has been surprisingly smooth for the most part. In the end, the game is off to a decent start, but it faces some inherent hurdles that could hold it back from being what one can tell it’s meant to be.

Whether or not you enjoy first-person shooters is irrelevant. It is whether or not you want an experience like no other; one that will be left in the back of your mind for years to come.

Anybody who loved anything The Behemoth has done before will dig this, as will platforming fans who were raised on Super Mario Bros. and enjoy a challenging game of Super Meat Boy from time to time.

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is a must-buy for anybody who skipped the initial release, or those still burned by a likely swift trade-in of the flawed original. It’s only forty bucks at launch and offers up a lot of fun gameplay that is back to feeling what it should feel like instead of a neutered version of it. This is the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 3, and fits in nicely with the best versions of NG and NG II for scratching that action-platformer itch when you’re in the mood for some ninja-based killing sprees.

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel is not a bad game — just an extremely generic one.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’14 offers up a satisfying golf experience that will certainly please fans of the sport. Serious fans will get a lot of use out of the online modes, and the ability to relive key moments in the careers of legendary players should keep die-hards happy for a long time. The game is very accessible for newcomers as well, although they may want to either pick up an older game in the series or try out the demo before paying full price for the latest incarnation.

Fishing games are supposed to be relaxing, but Super Black Bass 3D was one of the most stressful gaming experiences I’ve had all year. Second-rate graphics, poorly thought out motion controls, bad music and some of the worst gameplay a fishing game has ever seen add up to an experience that is frustrating at best and unplayable at worst.

At $15, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is well worth its cost to platforming fans.

Those who haven’t experienced the original incarnation of the game will find Plus to be the premier version, and the fact that it’s the handheld rendition of a graphically-intense six month old game makes that fact alone worth the price of admission.

If you like challenging platformers with some minor puzzle elements thrown in, you’ll probably love Alien Spidy. The control issues make it hard to recommend at full price, but it’s an easy recommendation to try out when it goes on sale at some point in the future.

Rhythm Destruction has its problems, no question, but it’s also an interesting experiment in combining genres.

The tough reality is, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is an outdated game from top to bottom.

If you stick with the original runner or his female counterpart, don’t mind a bit of iffy 70s-throwback art, and can forgive the repetitious level backgrounds, the actual running/jumping/sliding gameplay rapidly gets under the skin, demanding more and better play.

There are nice customization options and the game has some personality, but even still, these concepts don’t feel fully realized. That’s the main and final problem with The Showdown Effect: it tries hard to be something folks want, but it comes up short, and needed to try a little harder.

God of War: Ascension is another great entry into the beloved series that fans will eat-up, but it’s just that — another entry. While other hack ‘n’ slash series like DmC have been reinvented and boast fresh mechanics and tone, Ascension is content with simply being another God of War.

When it’s working, SimCity is an ecstatic god game that can be addicting to play; when it’s not, it’s one of the most frustrating experiences you’ll have.

With some fine-tuning and a more effective blending of old mechanics and newfangled, newcomer-friendly ones, Gust may have a top-notch JRPG hit on their hands next time — but only next time, because this time they’ve missed the mark ever so slightly, despite their intentions being in the right place.

It falls just short of its goal of being a Bomberman killer, but just short of Bomberman is still a pretty good place to be, and Dollar Dash is definitely worth looking into.

Instead of being content with slapping a new year on the box and updating rosters, SCE San Diego Studio continues to add numerous improvements that bring the series closer to feeling like the real thing. MLB 13: The Show is the most realistic baseball game to date and remains the sport’s premiere video game experience.

DmC fans will get passable enjoyment from the ability to play as Vergil, but besides that, it’s a trivial addition to a compelling game.

Much like its title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate plays with multiple concepts attempting to garner widespread appeal, but would be better suited focusing on just one.

If someone is looking for one of the most entrancing, addictive RPGs on the 3DS, then they should not hesitate to run as quickly as they can to their nearest game store to purchase Legends of the Titan; it’s certainly worth every penny of its price tag, and then some.

Super House of Dead Ninjas is one of those rare games that is meant to serve as an homage to various gaming classics and yet manages to develop its own unique identity.

Tomb Raider is not just a reboot, but a revelation in a series that had long passed its prime.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+ is an excellent game that makes the transition to the Vita quite well.

It has its share of issues, but DW7: Empires turns out to be an incredibly addictive experience.

On paper it’s wrong in far too many ways to count, but in practice it’s actually pretty fun overall. The strong battle system manages to salvage Neptunia’s faults, and once you fall into the game’s tempo, the story is light and fluffy rather than the cliched obnoxiousness it could be.

Simple as it may be, Alien Breed isn’t unenjoyable. It’s a bit easy and straightforward, sure, but it’s also a very good update of an Amiga classic. You run through corridors, shoot everything that moves, pick up all the goodies, then make a run for the exit to do it all over again. There’s no denying that Alien Breed is pretty mindless, but sometimes a bit of brain-dead xenomorph extermination is a nice way to kill an hour.

99 Levels to Hell is all about action, jumping gaps and gunning down hordes of enemies in the finest arcade traditions.

There really isn’t anything bad about the game, although the audio may not be to everyone’s liking, and the very nature of this being full of logic puzzles means it’s not going to be for everyone. If you’re prone to rage-quitting, this may not be the game for you, although perhaps its relaxed feel will put your mind at ease a bit and help you enjoy the experience.

Diehard fans of the series won’t be swayed one way or another by this review, because those folks already know if this game is for them. For fans of the genre looking for an interesting take on the tried and true strategy roleplaying formula with that very distinct Japanese flare, though, Pandora’s Reflection is worth checking out.

Paradox Interactive have managed to release a grand strategy game that actually feels not so overwhelmingly complex as to scare off newcomers.

If it weren’t for the visuals, this would only be an average shooter with a kick-ass bow.

Rising represents some of the most fluid and enjoyable combat mechanics to grace a modern action game, presented in a manner so over-the-top that it’s hard not to laugh hysterically at the sheer ridiculousness of the affairs.

Everyone else should probably steer clear. The simple truth is there are better Ys games out there, ones that are already on Steam even. So check those out long before Chronicles+.

Germinator doesn’t do a lot new, but everything it does is done really well. It uses the basic framework of a Bust-A-Move game and tweaks it to craft the most addictive puzzle game I’ve played this generation.

With solid shooting mechanics, well-designed environments and a tense atmosphere, it’s a fine first-person shooter, but its repetitiveness, glitches, substandard graphics and insubstantial story make it a far cry from anything close to matching the prestige of James Cameron’s beloved film.

In essence, Rotolla is the Tetris of this generation. It’s accessible, easy to understand and heinously challenging — all the ingredients a game needs to thrive in the mobile space.

Simple as it may be, Alien Breed isn’t unenjoyable. It’s a bit easy and straightforward, sure, but it’s also a very good update of an Amiga classic. You run through corridors, shoot everything that moves, pick up all the goodies, then make a run for the exit to do it all over again. There’s no denying that Alien Breed is pretty mindless, but sometimes a bit of brain-dead xenomorph extermination is a nice way to kill an hour.

This mixed with AI problems, some glitches and an over-reliance on played-out concepts makes Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch a great JRPG, but overall, only a good game.

Ken’s Rage 2 feels like it was developed by Koei’s B-team thanks to performance issues, subpar graphics, a shallow character development system and fighting mechanics that are only as fun as the game’s limited combat engine allows. For the price, there are so many better alternatives out there that it would feel irresponsible of us to recommend this to anyone who’s not a diehard fan.

After three commendable HD ports, Sanzaru Games has done a perfect job capturing the essence of Sucker Punch’s original trilogy. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time features not only the addictive gameplay the series is known for, but the humorous and charming tone it’s loved for.

Sure, it has a larger scope and a more intriguing storyline, but there are some questionable design choices mixed in with the thought of déjà vu. Regardless, Dead Space 3 retains its horror brilliance in offering a moody, atmospheric adventure full of exciting events.

Antichamber is a giant, brilliant, stripped-down shot of pure mental exercise, delivered with a stark but colorful style and wrapped in an accessible FPS shell.

In the end, Dungeonland is light on content and features, but that’s okay because it’s an absolute steal for $9.99. Players will get a hell of a little dungeon crawler that can provide hours and hours of entertainment, so long as they have friends to partake in the silliness.

Those who experienced Guilty Gear XX Accent Core first on the PlayStation 2 back in 2009 will feel right at home with Plus, as it looks and feels the same - which is both a positive and a negative. Overall, though, the transition to this console generation has been kind to Accent Core Plus, with astoundingly deep mechanics that still play impeccably in the year 2013.

Those devoted to the genre with a lot of patience may enjoy its meaty campaign, but anyone else would be better off buying one of the many superior entires in the Rapala series.

It's a massive game filled with a lengthy single player campaign and a long-lasting multiplayer component that can be played day-by-day or minute-by-minute. Patience is a virtue as Skulls of the Shogun was worth waiting for.

Once you get past the vertigo, Retrovirus becomes a great little shooter that also resurrects an FPS sub-genre that absolutely deserves its new lease on life.

In what seems like commonplace lately, the PC version of DmC: Devil May Cry is the definitive version to play. While the mouse and keyboard controls aren't as precise as playing with a controller, the graphical upgrades and increase in frame rate make an already impressive game even more stunning.