Even without multiplayer, however, Torchlight on XBLA is as close as you can get to dungeon crawling nirvana for $15. Like its PC counterpart, it removes the cruft of the genre, allowing players to get right down to the loot-driven core with a minimum of fuss. And now, thanks to the streamlined controls, we get it all without the constant clacking of a mouse.

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.

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

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

From the awful AI to the jittery camera to the hazardous-to-controllers difficulty spikes, right down to the grammatically-challenged title, Knights Contract feels unfinished at best and lazy at worst.

This isn't Conker's Bad Fur Day. It is still very much a game, if not bluntly for kids, that kids can play. The co-op and difficult unlockable objective stages present the game, intentionally or not, as a adventure that a parent plays with the kid. It's not a perfect game for kids or adults, but it's good for both.

I've come to a conclusion: Bulletstorm wasn't so much developed as it was raised on human growth hormones and taught the English language by a group of sailors and truck drivers. It was also shown every '80s action and sci-fi movie ever made about a dozen times, given a bottle of whiskey, handed a gun and instructed to shoot anything that moves.

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 game made great by an enormous amount of love and attention to detail. It's a worthy sequel to one of the most beloved fighting games of all time, brought to a current-gen level. Expect this one to be in heavy rotation among fans of fighting games for a long time coming.

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.

Any game with such a premise is inevitably, and unconsciously, drawn into comparison with Katamari Damacy, which is pretty much universally beloved. Having to be measured against something like that makes any game seem worse. And from that perspective, the not-bad About a Blob seems bland.

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

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

This is a formula that just works.

No amount of 3D waggle can change the fact that the Killzone 3 campaign is a miserable experience. Killzone 3 certainly offers more bells and whistles than its predecessor -- it's just a shame they've been affixed to an inferior game.

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 simply doesn't live up to its predecessor. Side by side, Rearmed looks more like the sequel, packed with bigger, better iterations of the concepts in Rearmed 2.

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.

It's the kind of deep, well-thought-out combat system that puts most console sword fighting to shame, and it's still only part of what makes this one of the easiest recommendations I'll make all year. You might find games that are a more perfect fit for the platform, but in terms of recreating a console-level experience on the iPhone, you simply will not do better than Infinity Blade.

But especially on the PS3, the menus and various engine bugs really make it tough to justify the initial purchase (with one free month of gameplay), much less the eventual monthly fee.

As it stands, military enthusiasts or die-hard shooter fans looking to grind for a new set of unlockables may find something to like. Those willing to put in the time will find some very enjoyable weapons and gadgets waiting for them.

There are parts of me that are objectively bad, yes. But there are also things that are just obtuse or antiquated, and if people can look past that stuff or even embrace it, there's absolute merit to me.

How much you get out of Dead Space 2 is directly proportional to how much you enjoy slicing up Necromorphs (or eviscerating humans in multiplayer). The campaign is designed for multiple plays, with a "new game plus" option allowing Isaac to take his items and upgrades into a new game, even on a new difficulty.

The camera constantly needs babysitting -- my index finger was a near-permanent fixture on the repositioning trigger--and platforming sections can be a frustrating nightmare; floating, disappearing and jump-boost blocks require the sort of precise controls only games with "Super Mario" in the title can claim.

Venetica contains hints of a compelling quest but feels like its development life was cut short. The end result is a potentially grand concept that just can't flourish within its forced, generic confines.

Derivative, yet lacking in what makes twin-stick shooters like Geometry Wars and Robotron: 2084 great, MicroBot's intravenous adventure makes what should be an adrenaline-fueled genre boring with lackluster controls, dull levels, and lame co-op.

It turns fetching a bottle into just as heroic an effort as preventing a hitman from reaching his target. And I don't think I've had a better time doing either elsewhere.

My apprehension toward abandonment is exactly what kept me coming back to ilomilo, because I couldn't bear to leave those errant thumbs unsupervised (in the game, I mean).

It feels like a decent downloadable game trying desperately to stretch itself into a full retail suit that doesn't quite fit. As it is, its joys are like its formless protagonist: ephemeral.