Seasoned Party-goers and newcomers looking for an entry point into the prolific franchise, however, should consider crashing Mario's latest shindig.

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.

Challenges tend to strike the right balance of brevity, the game library is varied and mostly wears its age well, and the Remix stages offer a much more interesting and enjoyable bag of tricks than before.

What's remarkable about it all is that Xeodrifter crams this much into only a few hours.

If you're in the mood for a rhythm game unlike anything else and don't have to worry about ruining the relationship with your downstairs neighbors, give NBA Baller Beats a try. Just move the lamp first.

Harmoknight isn't a bad little tune, but its simple melody just doesn't have the strength to carry a truly memorable song.

There are few better places for creative players and unchecked villainy to prosper than in Scribblenauts Unlimited.

It has a look all its own, and the dreamy, ambient score would make for great mood music in an opium den. It is, however, hindered by its controls and a lack of gameplay variety, which doesn't much evolve over its 10 hour campaign.

The cel-shaded graphical style and kid-friendly characters keep the game from delving into morbidity and the message, overall, is one of positivity and joy. Nox and his friends aren't hoodlums, they're just young artists caught up in a dangerous situation. It's just a shame the game's frustrating design makes it so hard for you to help them.

2014 FIFA World Cup is a reliable on-field game, and its depiction of soccer is as superb as that of FIFA 14, but it's only valuable to the sport's biggest World Cup fans. It behaves more like a one-off version of the sport, one that's not particularly worthwhile with another main entry in the series just months away.

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.

Without the well-established relationships in Always Sometimes Monsters, the game would be a disaster. It would be an exercise in tedium and starving artists – but the writing makes it all worthwhile. Yes, even the act of making tofu burgers. In the end, love – even just the chance of it – is worth it.

It's largely the same entertaining experience that Team17 has been iterating for years now, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Looking only at its core mechanics, Project Diva F is about as basic as a music game can get. It's not that it makes any huge missteps; more that it simply fails to do anything particularly interesting in a very well-trodden genre.

As much as Killer Instinct is a sound and inviting fighter mid-battle, it's an experience that ultimately feels hollow everywhere else. Online play – as spare as it is – may present a limitless well of competition to draw from, but with only six fighters to master and very few modes of play, Killer Instinct lacks the value and staying power offered by most other modern fighting games.

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.

Infamous: First Light is everything Infamous: Second Son should have been, it's just too bad it only arrives now, in this anemic form.

The core gameplay in Pro Evo 2011 3D is enjoyable, but it's constantly failed by the rest of the cart's fundamentals. Even with the game's limitations and shortsighted exclusions of some modes, the few options available to customize your experience makes for one of the best portable soccer games on the market. That may not be saying much, though.

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.

The game's ultimate failure is that it doesn't quite create an identity for itself. Beyond some entertaining moments, Warp isn't particularly memorable.

The characters are well-designed and the story well-performed, but actually playing through the campaign is a chore. The multiplayer can be great, especially in the team or Death Ball modes, but the limited combat is bound to wear thin before too long, and matchmaking troubles are irritating.

Crimson Alliance could be a delicious piece of peanut butter and s'mores toast with raspberry jam, it's just that the proportions are distracting on this first attempt. Basic genre expectations are fulfilled, delivering an approachable, action-RPG dungeon crawl -- but with a bit more careful measurement, Certain Affinity could have made this good game great.

Surely, this game's existence demands to be celebrated.

If your goal is simply to be more active, of if you're just starting to dabble in dedicated personal fitness, Wii Fit U will probably fit the bill. If you're willing to put in the legwork to create a regular regimen and stick with it, you can definitely get a good workout. Anyone seeking detailed fitness guidance and structure should look elsewhere.

There's nothing inherently wrong with linearity here; Mirror of Fate is just lacking an easily discernible big picture, and often conflates errand-running for intricacy. It's also unevenly paced, with all the solid puzzles sedimenting in the game's middle.

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.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris's temples and puzzles are fantastic, but I found myself wishing for several more hours of gameplay.

That butler is what I most clearly remember about Pid. In time (maybe just in a matter of weeks) it's probably all I'll remember about Pid. I'll see him flying around, crushing my spirit time and again, and cleaning up those broken pieces of glass. Too bad he can't pick up the pieces of this once promising game.