The level of synergy between Career and multiplayer feels precise and balanced; one constantly bolsters the other, yet neither take priority or feel parasitic. It's an equalized, symbiotic relationship that neither hampers nor enables, and players that prefer one over the other need not worry over missing out.

Successfully executing plays in its more complicated control system, especially in trapping and dynamic one-two passing, does feel appropriately rewarding. There's definitely an appeal to the more challenging game in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, and I happily encourage players to give it a shot.

Despite its small annoyances and ancillary shortcomings, King of Fighters XIII is hands down the best, most polished and solidly constructed King of Fighters game there's ever been.

Medal of Honor's campaign is an exceptional experience, but the total package simply doesn't beat Call of Duty...But at least EA's getting closer.

Even as a one-off experience, though, Leo's Fortune is an excellent platformer. The thumb-sliding controls fit tablet play perfectly, and the clever, gorgeous design is evident throughout. It's neither lengthy nor terribly challenging, but these complaints are outweighed by the joy of sliding through each beautiful level.

Every bit as fun as Earth Defense Force 2017 was, and it's a great improvement over Insect Armageddon. Though its rehashed content disappoints initially, EDF 2025 emerges as the best in the series in its latter half, delivering freakish new enemies, over-the-top weaponry and a solid and expansive multiplayer experience.

Adults who have a fondness for Disney will get the most out of Disney Infinity, thanks to its expansive Toy Box mode, and the Play Sets will provide hours of entertainment for kids who have prior experience with platformers.

Payday 2 proves that you can't plan for everything. No two jobs, despite being of similar set-up, go down in the same way – and without the help of few friends, you'll never survive long enough to reach that tropical paradise.

Those looking for a challenge in planning, reflexes and dexterity – and those with the intestinal fortitude to witness the scads of gruesome deaths that result – will be well served by Hotline Miami.

No matter what powers, weapons or gear you end up with, Eldritch challenges you to learn its systems. You can't memorize the level layout, so you'll have to take into careful consideration your surroundings, what you're capable of, and how you can put your abilities to proper use.

Begins stupendously, kicking things off with a visually stunning, orchestral bang. Its first moments are truly captivating, introducing a planet that is both hostile and inviting -- a world that begs to be explored.

Even with the infrequent hiccup, unavoidable video segment or occasionally tiresome menu, Madden 15 has taken major strides in defining its place in the series. Hammering QBs after slipping past a blocker is all the more invigorating thanks to a flattering, defense-minded camera.

It doesn't possess the customization features of a Forza or a Need For Speed, and it lacks some of the arcade-friendly gameplay variety offered by a Mario Kart and a Blur. However, more than any other racer that precedes it, Split/Second creates dramatic tension and cinematic thrills in every single race, and it almost always leaves you trembling after crossing the finish line.

The "Challenge Mode" is a decidedly harder New Game Plus option that started me off with all the weapons, bolts and raritanium I had acquired by the end of that first game.

Despite the matchmaking quibbles and the occasionally stilted friendly AI, Section 8: Prejudice is a tremendous package, one that easily keeps up with -- and in some cases surpasses -- the retail competition.

The transition to PS4 proved to be a healthy one for MLB 14: The Show. Continued online issues and increased load times aside, the visual boost provided by Sony's new hardware adds to what is already a solid baseball sim, making it the best version of the game available.

WWE 2K14 offers a huge dose of familiarity with some welcome tweaks to the formula.

Fans will love it for everything it is, while detractors will ignore it for all that it isn't. This is a game, and series, that isn't out to win over gamers by changing its stripes -- though its fans probably wouldn't have it any other way.

Doesn't do much to innovate the platform-adventure sub-genre, but it does manage to look and play beautifully throughout, and sometimes that's enough.

It's not the prettiest thing you'll ever pop into your 3DS, and the story isn't the series' strongest, but SMT4 will demand your full attention every step of the way.

Like another delicious mashup, the Cadbury Creme Egg, Hyrule Warriors is superficially dead simple, but for those willing to unwrap its foil lining and bite through the chocolate shell, there lies a wealth of cleverly designed gameplay mechanics, charming references to fan-favorite characters and locations and a whole lot of tasty, sugary goo.

Treasure Tracker may be small in stature, but it's packed with depth and detail.

The game's not perfect, and if the genre doesn't already appeal to you, this probably won't be the entry to convince you otherwise. But it is a neat experiment in translating a very PC-centric experience over to the console space, and a fun throwdown featuring some of fantasy's finest.

For established players, the additional characters will likely be the main draw, but Continuum Shift's greatest strength lies in its ability to teach newcomers the ropes through its wealth of applicable tutorials that go way beyond what I've seen in other fighters.

A standout effort as Wii U launch titles go, but it's also a welcome improvement to a game that sorely needed a kick. Team Ninja heard the complaints about Ninja Gaiden 3 and came back with an exceptional revision in Razor's Edge, one that lives up to the high standards set by other games in the series, reinvigorating its combat with fresh variety and a real challenge.

The Banner Saga is a human story told with inhuman flair, and that somehow makes it all the more relatable. Even the fights themselves have grown on me – they're just tough enough to provide a challenge on normal difficulty, but not so unforgiving that I feel like giving up.

For the first time in years, I'm ready to put aside the steady grind of raising the perfect monster and really delve into what the world of Pokémon has to offer. A world that feels larger and more interesting than ever.

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 feel like the "true" versions of Black and White, much as Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum felt like the real versions of their respective generations.

Although Comic Jumper is Twisted Pixel's biggest and arguably most traditional title yet, it loses none of the studio's in-your-face personality and infectious irreverence. When developers tell me they had as much fun making a game as I had playing it, it's not often that I believe them.

Amnesia's macabre sensibilities and slow pacing may not be for everyone, but horror fans looking for a truly frightening experience should turn off the lights, plug in some headphones and settle in.

By and large Legend of Grimrock's penchant for walking the incredibly fine line between chin-stroking challenge and hair-pulling frustration is superbly impressive. It will absolutely pounce if you let your guard down, but that's a major part of the appeal.

If you're after a tennis fix with Move and can't hold out for Virtua Tennis 4, this $30 title is a lot of fun and has high production qualities. A word of warning though: The game runs in 1080p at 60fps, but there's noticeable screen tearing.

It's not a bad game, but it's certainly not a friendly game -- something that you'd notice even if you weren't coming off of Dragon Quest IX, and something that is only exacerbated for those who are.

A pretty uneven experience. Most casual fans of the franchise might not feel particularly compelled to venture past the game's sagging midpoint -- but the diehards will be rewarded with a satisfying conclusion that finally shows that, yes, the titular pedagogue has (gasp!) feelings.

The world of Ether One is a superbly detailed and well thought-out place. The gameplay hearkens back to an age when you needed three pages of notes to solve a single puzzle. The story is both heartbreaking and horrifying, as well as intriguing and enigmatic.

Space Marine is a terrific title, and proof that Relic's expertise can extend far past the RTS genre they've already conquered. The game is short, in terms of both length and features, but what's there, especially in the single-player campaign, is of the highest quality. Warhammer fans especially will love it.

For one low price it manages to offer a hefty slice of what to expect from the full title, fill out the back story of Dead Rising 2, add more depth to the overall experience and, at the very least, give eager fans something to do until Dead Rising 2 hits the shelves...And seriously, try out the pitchfork-shotgun.

It matches this respect for its players with easy controls that belie the game's complex puzzles. It's surprisingly refreshing, and yet very unassuming. While the occasional frustration may grate, it's this charming simplicity that will always pull you back in.

And that's probably the best summation of Dungeon Defenders: a great (virtual) place to hang our with your friends.

My major bugbear with Bravely Default is it drags on by the end. Not because of length, but rather because the story forces the game to retrace its steps in a way that's not as clever as it thinks it is, or at least not clever enough.

As he writes his own escape from the Dark Place, the tale ironically lacks the narrative punch of his first trek into the shadows. Even so, it invites us back into Alan's world, takes us on a new adventure and sheds new light on his predicament. The writer is correct: we love our characters, and if you love Alan Wake, you really don't have a choice. You must survive his American Nightmare.

To say that this game comes as a surprise would be an enormous understatement. Sonic fans, I know it's hard to believe, but there's a reason to believe again.

The pacing and presentation of objectives is what's really different: They make Tropico 4 feel fresh, despite the truly remarkable ripeness of the franchise's core mechanics.

The music in Fate is dark, ominous, and really cool.

Black Ops is a terrific action game with a solid story and a deep, rewarding multiplayer mode.

Whatever issues might plague Wonderful 101 are glossed over with charm and an idiosyncratic vision. Sorting through dozens of heroes, picking out your leader and imbuing him or her with a personality feels like dumping your toy box on the floor and gathering up the ones you want to play with.

For now I'll happily mock Kasumi for wearing next to nothing in Antarctica, roll my eyes at Christie creeping on boys in an oil rig bar, and question the practices of Helena Douglas, a supposedly French CEO who dresses for sultry cabaret and literally beats up her employees.

Ultimately, Puzzle Quest 2 manages to add some new strengths while still clinging onto some old weaknesses, resulting in a game that's addictive and engaging in short bursts, but slightly repetitive in extended sessions.

The Walking Dead's impact lies in its relationships, and A House Divided plays to that strength. As an action game, it falls flat, offering a few sections of ho-hum zombie-killing. As a soap opera controlled by the player, it sings.

It would have been nice had Strider been a more difficult experience, but it more than makes up for its lack of arcade-style challenge with a rewarding focus on exploration. Long-forgotten franchises are rarely resurrected as successfully as Strider.

It's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.

This is an easy one: Buy this game. There's a ton of content, and you're almost scientifically certain to like some of it. It's rare that I'm able to make this strong of a recommendation, but honestly, six games on one disc? How am I supposed to argue with that?

It seems odd to slam Serious Sam 3 for a lack of restraint, especially if you've spent space arguing that it's not as mindless as it appears. So, a piece of advice, rather: play it in spurts, play it with friends in sixteen-player co-op, and shoot many monsters.

What it does offer, though, is enough to warrant a recommendation, namely its fun dungeons, great bosses, an enjoyable chain-flinging gimmick, and emotional warmth in the relationship between Aeron and Elena.

Multiplayer is king in Black Ops 2, offering plenty of in-game and inherent rewards for its ravenous online community. It's paired with a lackluster story that fails the ambition shown by the branching campaign, reflecting the overall game's forward-thinking but imperfectly executed ideas.

The overall game doesn't get the polish on Wii U that it needed on other platforms back in August, but it remains a majestic blend of melee combat, puzzle solving and exploration. And if you squint, it's the best Steven Tyler game since Revolution X!

While it's puzzling to watch so much effort go into streamlining Fable 2's already superb design without fixing its obvious technical shortcomings, try not to let that distract you from what remains an exceptional game. It may not be revolutionary, but it is royally fun.

Closure offers up a unique puzzle experience set in a wonderfully moody environment caught somewhere between the designs of Dan Paladin and Edward Gorey.

Young Thor may be light on content, but what it does offer is polished and well-executed.

The clumsy evolution of combat aside, I'd heartily recommend Guacamelee – once for its devilish difficulty, again for its luchadorable charm, and one last time for its even-handed treatment of the lowly video game chicken.

Ultimately, Explodemon doesn't coalesce into a product that's as refined or as beautiful as the Treasure classics that inspired it. But thought it may be a bit rough around the edges, it's also precisely the kind of game I would've bought used from a Japanese import store -- so, in that sense, it's still something of a gem.

If you just want to shoot things with friends, you'll enjoy your time with Destiny, even when you're mocking the lame story. If, on the other hand, you love the loop – town, dungeon, loot – you'll be more likely to stick around after the story's over.

There's something about the heart of the game that keeps me pressing forward. Despite the bony exterior, Dokuro feels like it has a real soul, like it was made by people who truly loved and believed in it. It's inspired, well-made, and thoroughly enchanting.

Developers! If a battle has several clear stages of pattern recognition, there had better be checkpoints between them.

Ultimately, though, these are the new trappings of an old, old game -- one you may have already played three or four times before.

Based on its initial look and feel, Spelunky is a whimsical adventure. It's adorable and exciting, but it's true, underlying plot to destroy your soul is what will keep you coming back. It offers a randomly generated world of fantastic possibilities, though all of them amount to what is essentially an infinite, irresistible quagmire. You'll love it while you hate it.

Ultimately, though, these are the new trappings of an old, old game -- one you may have already played three or four times before.

Rare's work on Kinect Sports really demonstrates what the camera is capable when it's used by a capable developer. If you've already got the hardware to play it on, consider Kinect Sports a must-have.

Even without the creation and sharing tools here, Intelligent Systems' little series continues to tickle the brain just right. Mallo may trick you into thinking a relaxing, smooth time awaits therein, but even when the game gets rough, Pushmo World is well worth visiting.

It's a hard-won thrill, and one errant bullet or second of distraction is enough to undo it all. If you can accept that challenge, if you can pick yourself up and start all over again whenever you fail, you will lose hours to Risk of Rain. Whether you mean to or not.

Dual Destinies is aggressively oddball, but it's also sharply written and cleverly constructed. It trades the typical staid approach to murder mysteries and puts a pair of magic panties on its head (yes, there are magic panties), spinning a clever mystery that will please your crime-solving brain.

Sure, it may drag on at times, especially for those accustomed to more cerebral RPG fare, but it's also kind of magical, and I'm not convinced you're ever old enough to pass that up.

Heart of the Swarm isn't perfect. Blizzard spends time in the campaign teasing the story of Legacy of the Void when it could be doing Kerrigan's tale a bit more justice. Still, the expansion is well recommended to anyone who enjoyed Wings of Liberty. Heart of the Swarm shakes up the universe and moves a larger threat into place, getting us ready for the resolution in Legacy of the Void.

Overall, Q.U.B.E. isn't on par with Portal 2, but it offers a delightful on-screen Rubik's Cube to puzzle-lovers and perfectionists everywhere -- maybe just don't tell anyone you played with blocks all day.

LittleBigPlanet Vita positively bursts with charm and cleverness. It's more refinement than revolution, but that also makes it the purest distillation of the concept's potential. Don't let franchise fatigue keep you from this latest incarnation; it's the best yet.

But like Narbacular Drop, Hoard's gameplay shines beyond its meager trappings. If anyone ever polishes this game to a Portal-like hue, there won't be enough cake jokes in the world.

Luckily, Madden NFL 11, with Locomotion, the improved audible system and coordinators feeding me tips, has taken a considerable step forward in the accessibility and polish of its on-the-field action. Or to put it in the common tongue: Though it's in constant danger of going wide, Madden still gets it through the uprights.

I am in love with this engine, true, and I probably spent as much time finding combos in Training Mode as I did finishing Story Mode, but it was Story Mode that got me honestly choked up.

Its elements are very well-executed, though some of the more elaborate encounters can really make the Wii chug. I suspect that experienced role-playing fans will find it a bit on the easy side, but The Last Story nevertheless has plenty of merit, and is certainly one of the better Wii games ever made.

The more progress-focused Adventure definitely loses some of that competitive edge in translation, and that's certainly a shame, but it still has that instant, stimulating, rip-roaring flavor that puts the shots into shoot-em-up.

Even with its rough spots, Encore of the Night is a great game and a genuine surprise. You don't have to be a Castlevania junkie to enjoy it, but you'll definitely appreciate it even more if you come from the vamp-stamping camp.

By the time the last sword was swung in Dragon Age 2, I had enjoyed some great conversations, participated in some thrilling battles and even been at the center of an interesting story. I just never could shake the feeling that it was a story I was telling myself.

Paradoxically, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified feels immediate and inclusive as a strategy game, relying more closely on your rapid-fire commands than the bursts of your rifle. The odd hybrid is far from being fully evolved, but it's well suited to further study.

In the same way that Ash respected the alien for its brutality in the original film, though, maybe I also respect Alien: Isolation just for how long, grueling and relentless it ends up being. Instead of completing the game, it feels more like I've escaped it and the nightmare it put me through. I no longer have to hear the sickening slump of the alien being spewed out of a vent.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War isn't out to change any paradigms. It's a game through and through, a game based on perhaps the oldest boyhood pastime there is. I'd never dream of recommending it over real toys and childhood imagination but, for the adults who want to remember – and maybe share some of that 80s magic with their own kids – it definitely fits the bill.

Describing the opening moments of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as a "trial by fire" is almost too trite to bear, but don't tell me it isn't accurate.

Dark Souls 2 may not be what came before, but it is its own game, with its own hilarious deaths, ridiculous traps, haunting melodies, and foreboding bosses, and it still stands out with ease. That punch to the ribs may not wind as hard, but you'll still want to get up and explore this dark, devious world, over and over again.

Retro City Rampage is still worth playing for its simple, accessible gameplay and charming, lovingly crafted world that Provinciano created. It's the perfect game for gamers, an experience carefully executed to appeal directly to them.

A marvelous soccer game, and it's certainly better than FIFA 14, but the series' improvements felt even more marginal this year. The game captures the thrill of soccer unlike ever before, but the new, emotional player animations are only a small addition to what was already a great product.

Forza Horizon 2's world isn't the most lively, beset as it is by roaming bands of automotive enthusiasts, but it leaves room for the living – for you. There's space enough to imprint your moods, whether you rocket into hairpins with a Ferrari or simply cruise around in a gaudy, gold Bentley. Forza Horizon 2 is a big, bouncy summer drive.

Opposing teams taking potshots at one another from cover is nothing new, and Hybrid doesn't really turn the concept on its ear, but supplanting the usual ground game with an entirely aerial one is a delightful twist. It turns every movement into a serous commitment, a dedicated choice. When that choice is to glide into the air and gently lob a grenade behind a pair of unsuspecting adversaries, that's just gravy.

Much as Persona 4 Arena was a great fighter in its day, Ultimax immediately renders it obsolete. Whether you're a fan of fighting games or just want another chance to hang out with the familiar faces of the Inaba region, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has you covered and then some.

If the writing were as clever as the gameplay it supports, Orcs Must Die would be a comedy masterpiece. It oscillates perfectly between states of calm, cool and collected design and panicked damage control, and rewards your diligence with a gorgeous sight: A finely-tuned whirling chamber of death, which gnaws up enemies with tactical brutality reminiscent of Tecmo's Deception series, and a gory kind of whimsy reminiscent of Grape Escape.

What I can say is that the original Valkyria Chronicles was one of the freshest Japanese strategy role-playing games ever, and this handheld sequel delivers all it can, while fixing several issues from the original game along the way. Valkyria Chronicles 2 is smart, fun and -- although I do hope the series does make its way back to consoles someday -- gives fans more of what they want.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe doesn't succeed on all fronts, but the majority of its campaign is a joy to play, and the "Kirby Fighters" mini-game is solid enough to flesh out the package. Triple Deluxe doesn't reach the heights of Kirby Super Star, but it's still one of the finest Kirby adventures to date.

The hands-free motion control with heart monitor alone is worth the price of admission. But fortunately there's more to this game than just a gimmick – it's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.

With all of its expansion packs, the first game has greater card variety; but if you're looking for some innovative changes to the classic gameplay formula, Planeswalkers 2012 deserves your attention.

You don't need to be a Disney fan to appreciate the high points of Epic Mickey, but it certainly helps when the going gets rough. Thankfully, the moments of sheer joy this game creates -- whether it's the umpteenth weird twist on a Disney classic or the multitude of fantastic side-scrolling levels themed after Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts -- mean there's always something worthwhile just around the corner.