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 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.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter improved on its forebears, in both perceptible and imperceptible ways. I like all the other Laytons, but I like this one just a little better.

It's easy to forgive the things that Gravity Rush gets wrong because of the absolutely basic thing it gets spectacularly, brilliantly right: movement. You might have guessed already, but I found flying around wildly to be fun in itself.

The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure.

If you approach it as a series of challenges to be overcome with skill, you will be driven into a rage (trust me). The correct approach is to just have fun, enjoy the funny animations and noises when you screw up, and keep playing until you can keep up with the rhythm naturally.

It's a good game, but Sleeping Dogs mostly leaves you remembering the media that inspired it and probably won't remain in your thoughts over time.

Critics are constantly crying out for fresh mechanics, and this is a wonderful one that I hope I get to see an evolution of.

The highs handily outweigh the lows, thanks to a near-schizophrenic level of variety and metric tons of charm HAL Laboratory has included. Mathematically speaking, the sheer volume of Kirbys doesn't make Mass Attack ten times as good as any other DS title, but I'll be entirely damned if it doesn't make it ten times as endearing.

Ultimately, Alan Wake is driven -- as is any good story -- by the impulse to see what happens next. It offers up a believable world, characters worth caring about, enjoyable combat and a narrative I wanted to follow.

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.

Skylanders Swap Force is fun from start to finish, and outclasses its predecessors in depth and breadth of content.

Stuffed with new mechanics, meticulous level design and what I believe (with some confidence) to be the best ending of all time, Ms. 'Splosion Man excels over its predecessor in every way.

Modern shooters do their job well, but Counter-Strike is the series that helped build the scene. At $15, Global Offensive is a great extension to that legacy.

Curtain Call outclasses its predecessor to such an extreme degree that it makes the original Theatrhythm obsolete. It's a solid purchase for Final Fantasy fans and rhythm game veterans alike, and it explores the Theatrhythm concept to its fullest.

At this point, there's not much written here that couldn't have been repurposed from a review of 2010's Donkey Kong Country Returns – and that's both the problem and the recommendation.

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.

Ultimately, Dance Central's greatest shortcoming is that it can't actually teach you how to dance. But, it's greatest triumph is that -- against all odds -- it will make you want to.

The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure.

There's simply no soul in Child of Light, no emotional attachment to keep you pressing on into the darkness. There isn't even a good addictive hook – the story makes a few feeble tugs at your heartstrings, but doesn't create any great mysteries that you'll be desperate to solve, and the combat, while solid, never quite achieves "just one more round" status. It's all lovely and pleasant and well-crafted – and hollow.

This is a formula that just works.

Rather than decrying Level-5 for relying on a formula, I'm happy with the developer for providing me with such a consistent, and consistently enjoyable, experience.

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.

With the release of Shift 2 Unleashed, the Need For Speed franchise now holds the distinction of representing the best of arcade-style and simulation racing on consoles. It's an evolution of the original -- not a revolution, but still markedly improved across the board -- and a worthy sequel, easy recommendation for those who enjoyed the first game and great entry point to "real" racing in general.

Like Costume Quest and Stacked before it, Trenched is one of those downloadable games that almost makes you feel like you're getting away with robbery for paying $15 for it rather than full retail price.

Its visual and aural splendor lies a simple, stimulating experience that's difficult to put down. Dyad manages to create a beautiful synthesis of music, visual design and gameplay mechanics, and it does so without missing a beat.

Blur is clear[ly] best played against other human beings, but online multiplayer unfortunately suffers from the same gating issue that the single-player game does, locking you out from a handful of game modes until you reach a certain level.

Shooter 2 is not as consistent of an experience as its predecessor. Given Q's record of creating terrific "Encore" expansions for previous PixelJunk games, it's a bit disappointing that the franchise's first real sequel falls a little short. Still, I imagine it'd be a welcome addition to anyone's PSN library.