The transition from emotionally tinged burial ground to functional battleground is at once touching and tasteless, presented in that kind of awkward, bittersweet combination that video games have gotten down to an art form.

Whether you've wrangled dozens of Charmanders or couldn't pick a Pikachu out of a Safari Zone lineup, Pokémon X/Y is hands-down the best in the series.

As a platformer with beat-em-up tendencies, Battleblock Theater is a rousing good time, alone or accompanied, and it weaves a charming tale throughout every challenge.

Most importantly, the game seems to have been designed with usability in mind, while also maintaining the endless reams of Pokémon trivia and esoteric references that longtime fans demand.

There's a sense of wonder again, of exploration and discovery. I'm not quite prepared to say New Super Mario Bros. U fully recaptures the spark of Mario's 2D heyday, but it's an impressive step in the right direction.

It's just really pretty, has refined combat and a more engrossing story than Chains of Olympus. If you were hoping for something really innovative, you're out of luck. If you have a PSP and haven't played it since beating Peace Walker (I can hardly blame you), it's time to get it out and charge it up.

WWE All-Star revels in its absurdness. By moving away from what pro-wrestling actually is -- slow, fake, melodramatic -- WWE All-Stars is closer to what we imagine wrestling to be -- fast, violent, an epic battle between two, three or even four men who unleash not one, but dozens of blows and acrobatics that defy mortality and take a folding chair to Isaac Newton's head.

The coolest use of the GamePad, however, is in the environmental audio. When Batman receives radio transmissions from Oracle or overhears a conversation with his surveillance equipment, the audio comes in over the GamePad, simulating Batman's earpiece.

An imperfect, complex and ambitious reminder of what a game can be when it's unafraid.

Saints Row: The Third doesn't play like recent THQ efforts have -- all bark and no bite -- but instead feels like a labor of love. It feels like the developers had fun, and they wanted you to feel it too. And I promise, you will.

Between real, actual co-op and Chell's adventure, Portal 2 provides a stupendous package. So stupendous, in fact, that I feel tremendously guilty admitting that somewhere, way deep down in whatever critics have in place of a heart, I kind of wish it didn't exist.

The real treat for fans, of course, will be revisiting Halo 2's campaign and subsequently reliving the classic multiplayer...For newcomers looking to see what all the fuss is about, Halo is as vibrant now as it was a decade ago, and The Master Chief Collection is essential.

Outlast perfects this self-inflicted madness in every area of its design, and it's absolutely petrifying. I love it.

Transformed should not be missed by anyone who truly values a fun, exceptionally well crafted racing game.

This is Tekken's thesis statement, in a sense – the complete distillation of everything the series ever was and everything it is now, which just so happens to be everything I could possibly want in a fighter.

The sense of flight and weightlessness is as intoxicating as the build-what-you-want nature of the game's war machines. And besides, dying is just an excuse to try out a new combo of parts, and I'm mighty curious to see how an armored, cannon-firing airplane with an underwater engine would handle.

Shovel Knight isn't just inspired by 8-bit classics, it is inspired in and of itself.

Donkey Kong Country Returns proves that Retro Studios doesn't just have a talent for first-person sci-fi adventures. This is a game that succeeds not because of incredible innovations, but simply because it was designed really well.

It's the finest simulation of basketball out there and this year's entry in the series is bolstered by smart and simple additions.

Devil Survivor 2 isn't an anime, and it more than makes up for its lack of originality with well-drawn characters, a branching storyline and excellent mechanics. For that, I'm more than happy to accept any similarities, overt or otherwise, to the most popular -- and most screwed up -- anime ever made.

Never Alone is a glimpse into the real lives of Alaska Natives, and it's a peek at a different kind of fairy tale.

Having played so many of the Firaxis' games and having spent so much time learning their intricate mechanics, I'm pleased to report the simple elegance of Sid Meier's Ace Patrol doesn't diminish the satisfaction and underlying depth the studio is known for.

The main draw for the Battlefield series has always been the chaotic camaraderie of its multiplayer, and that's no different here. But the sum of Battlefield 4's parts shows that DICE is capable of more. Not only has the developer iterated on and progressed its marquee multiplayer, it's provided a tight and cohesive campaign that is everything a military shooter needs to be.

This team of rhythm game veterans have proven once again that they are, as they always have been, masters of progressive iteration.

It has the capability to convert people who aren't particularly interested in rally racing to addicts who need just one more race or Gymkhana event. It would seem that Codemasters' love for the sport is infectious.

Asura's Wrath is a glittering, golden starchild of incredulity, and I love it.

Resistance 3 isn't just a great game full of marked, inspired improvements over its predecessor -- it's a declaration of intent to become the new heir apparent to the sci-fi shooter throne.

Maybe all that beauty would be undermined by the low-key narrative if the combat wasn't as deep. It's why this collaboration between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli works. One without the other might have been good, but together they've created a superb role-playing game for this generation to savor.