Video games are unequivocally a form of art. But like all art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With 'The Witness' I feel like I’m in an art gallery watching a gaggle of admirers who are looking at a piece together, commenting on its style and how it makes them feel. I’m the guy standing off to the side, not with them but looking at the same painting. I can admit that it’s pretty, but it doesn’t really evoke a significant response, and so I shrug and move on to the next.

If you like a more-than-decent shooter and lots of blood splatters on your television screen, DOOM remains a force to be reckoned with. I just wish the game was a little more fun to play.

In this violent, bloody holiday release schedule it is nice to have games like ABZÛ. It is an artistic, aesthetic game, suited for watching and observing, not playing in a strict sense of the word. Its undersea beauty is unmatched, but leaves me wanting more.

'Bethesda Pinball' is easily Zen Studios' most ambitious project yet. They really went all out making sure each table feels like the game it's based upon, but that leads to mixed results when it comes to digital pinball. 'DOOM' is the real standout addition, with the two role-playing game tables getting too overly complicated. While it may not pull off every idea it attempted, I'm glad that Zen Studios isn't afraid to take risks, and that's exactly why this is still a pinball pack that is worth checking out even if it's not the developer's best adaptation.

I don't know if Telltale has lost their magic or if their adherence to this formula has just worn thin on me, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to get excited at the prospect of playing another episode. The halcyon days of season one are long gone.

I don't know if Telltale has lost their magic or if their adherence to this formula has just worn thin on me, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to get excited at the prospect of playing another episode. The halcyon days of season one are long gone.

In 'Give No Shelter,' nearly all of the fat has been stripped away from the supporting cast to make way for Michonne, and the series is all the better for it.

The roster is impressive, but undercut by the game's insistence that players pre-select a single character before going online. In essence, the fighters are more accessible than what the game modes facilitate, but there's no denying how each human vs human match can be marvelous.

This is not your father's Pac-Man. Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2 is faster and busier, and the purity of the original has been sacrificed for variety and a more forgiving difficulty level. That being said, it's still a great score attack game, one that I will be enjoying whenever I'm in need of an hour or so of sparkly, candied arcade goodness.

Its odd yet enchanting art design and overall presentation make it stand out, not to mention the awesome training. Unfortunately, this port to the Vita has some control and visual issues, and '2nd Encore' is probably best played on the PS4.

While '10 Second Ninja X' suffers from a lack of difficulty scaling, it's still an enjoyable skill based title that is as much a puzzle game as a platformer.

If you're looking for a role-playing game that is trying to do something different, and innovative with online play, then this is certainly worth checking out.

I can see why some people like Hyper Light Drifter. Its combination of nostalgia, pretty pixels, and cruel gameplay are an intoxicating drug to some. I'm not one of those people, unfortunately. As I played I felt like the annoying moviegoing companion, always asking for an explanation of events onscreen from fellow viewers also watching for the first time, equally mystified.

A fascinating journey that ends a few stops too soon. Its ending ultimately raises more questions than answers, and I was left largely unfulfilled. This disappointment bleeds into the gameplay as well, as each facet of gameplay from the citizen management to the gunplay could've been fleshed out more. Despite these shortcomings, it's still an enjoyable five hour ride — just one that ends before it hits its stride.

'The Force Awakens' is one of the better 'Lego Star Wars' in recent memory. TT is paying attention to players and throwing in more variety. Even if we’ve seen all of this variety before, it’s very welcome in the 'Lego' world. If you haven’t been a huge fan of the series to date, this might not change your mind, but the returning fans will find a lot of 'Star Wars' to do.

Tripwire Interactive brings the FPS back to its most primal level, creating a ludicrous arcade-style bloodbath in an era of deeper, more thoughtful narrative-driven shooters. That approach ultimately proves to be refreshing; while more variety would have pushed the game over the top into "truly great" territory, what Killing Floor 2 does offer is undeniably visceral entertainment. And while the wave-based action is plenty of fun on its own, the perks system kept me coming back to upgrade my character and face even deadlier threats.

The writing team is doing a decent job with the direction and script of 'Batman: The Telltale Series', but the severely strained engine rears its ugly head at every opportunity. Telltale's formula and tech both are very familiar by now and have their flaws, which we've been able to overlook for the sake of an otherwise enjoyable story. The lag has nearly reached a critical mass, however.

A highly enjoyable platformer that doesn't take any risks. It's almost like comfort food in a way. You know what to expect, and it scratches that particular itch, but it's ultimately empty calories. Hopefully WayForward Technologies will take more chances and innovate with the next entry in the series, 'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.'

Nuka-World is not the perfect swan song for 'Fallout 4', but it is a perfectly playable homage to our favorite post-apocalyptic soft drink and, to a lesser extent, the Commonwealth itself. If you have come looking for something new and fresh, you may be disappointed. If you want another reason to return to the wasteland for shooting, looting, and reading through Nuka-Cola corporate emails, 'Nuka-World' will scratch the itch for a time.

I am happy to experience Event[0] because what it contains is probably a harbinger of things to come in gaming. As a complete gameplay experience, however, it can be limited and flawed. It has evolved from its beginnings as a student project to become more than a mere tech demo, but it could have gone farther in its Turing test.

Despite largely being a repackaging of last year's game, Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence - Ascension makes smart changes to the formula that immediately pay off. The new game still controls a bit wonky using a controller, but the revamped user interface does make the strategy title more accessible.

While it makes a few missteps in some critical areas, for fans of life sims or boxing movies, this is definitely worth checking out.

New World Order doesn't completely torpedo 'Batman' but it's by far the weakest we've seen yet. Sometimes I feel like I'm less Bruce Wayne and more of a boring CEO with a soap opera love life. There are still two episodes remaining and I hope the best is yet to come.

Impossible Creatures was a decent strategy game upon first release, but time has not been kind. It’s not a bad experience, but there are far better RTSs available on the market.

It has some fresh ideas and enjoyable missions within the framework of the successful 'Starcraft II' recipe. It’s a bit lighter on story than I would like, and stingy with Nova’s upgrades, but I’m quite happy to try the next one as soon as it’s here - especially considering that this is probably as close to 'Starcraft: Ghost' as we’ll ever get.

Not a standout expansion but nor is it disappointing the way that 'The Dark Below' and 'House of Wolves' were. The production values remain high with the superb score, attractive Temple of Iron, new Crucible maps and so forth. On the other hand, the PvE content has mileage issues. It is still worth playing and even worth coming back to 'Destiny' for, if only for a short while.

The LEGO Harry Potter Collection is a fancy-free, funny and robust brickified version of the eight Harry Potter movies. The current asking price of $50 may be a little steep, considering these are 5 year old games without additional content. One to watch once it hits a more comfortable price point. Worth a look, but only if you don't already own the games.

It was thoughtfully constructed even if it comes up a bit short in some places (and another bonus tomb would not have been remiss), but should not be missed by those who enjoyed the base game.