If you thrive on variety, your patience with Forza 5 will wear thin in ten hours or so… and the idea that DLC may fill out the experience sometime in the future isn’t very comforting. That’s tragic, because Forza 5 is one of the most gorgeous and best-feeling racers I’ve ever played.

Driving on both sides of the pursuit/chase coin are equally engrossing, but where the game transcends other racers is the opportunity to race friends and escape the police at the same time. It can be a lot to take in, but there is a near palpable rush in managing these objectives while trying to make it back to your garage in one piece.

Alien Rage may have made a positive impact if it were released in 2007; however its ambition isn’t matched in execution. The shooting and technical graphics work well, but a lack of distinctive moments fail to distinguish Alien Rage from a sea of same-y space-marine, sci-fi, alien shooters.

I loved the huge variety of new maps but felt the meld upgrades sapped some of Enemy Unknown’s bite. The other half of that sentiment is that I now feel empowered to pick up my Hard / Ironman run again. The neatest summary I can give is this: if you want an excuse to play more XCOM, you’ve got it.

There’s a gritty, punk spirit here that I haven’t seen since No More Heroes. As such, Shadow Warrior is more than a victory for fans of the original, but a spiritual rebirth of what made games of that era so fun in the first place.

Dual Destinies is another great game in the Ace Attorney series and superb welcome back to Phoenix himself.

From a story standpoint the single-player campaign is less ambitious than Black Ops II and less effective, despite several cool, fun moments. But wow, volume of content, tight multiplayer, and interest in Extinction, Ghosts is classic Call of Duty.

The freshness of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag puts any concerns of sequel fatigue to rest.

From the levelouted maps to commander mode to the new squad mechanics, Battlefield 4 is a top-to-bottom improved multiplayer experience over Battlefield 3. And Battlefield 3 was damn good, so that’s saying a lot.

Small improvements make the game better in ways I didn’t even know I wanted. The ease of online connectivity and interacting with players from around the world makes these games even more immersive and entertaining. Finally bringing the franchise into the third dimension makes the game look and feel like nothing we’ve experienced yet.

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are the best, most refined versions of the games to date.

The director’s commentary is completely worth it, especially if you’re a big fan of the original, but you can get that on other platforms for a cheaper price. At the end of the day, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an amazing game that Director’s Cut only makes better. You should absolutely play it, but weigh your available platforms first.

The Etrian Odyssey series remains the pinnacle of the dungeon crawling series for the current generation. Though the game’s high difficulty and required vigilance will not appeal to more casual gamers, it is exactly those aspects that will keep the cartridge in many an RPG fans’ 3DS for months to come.

It’s incredibly telling that all Wind Waker needs is an HD spit-shine to belong in 2013. No game is released in a vacuum, but the greatest games are fun no matter when you play them. This re-release puts Wind Waker in that column, right along classics like Super Mario Bros. and Pac-Man. It’s an incredible game.

Rune Factory 4 certainly isn’t a game for everyone. The intended audience is rather niche, but if you’ve enjoyed past games in the franchise or are looking for a solid RPG to hold your attention for several days you can rest assured your time with Rune Factory 4 will be well spent.

The Wolf Among Us is a fantastic narrative adventure equal to its Walking Dead predecessor.

While we could have done without the non-linear storytelling, it wasn’t hard to keep tabs on the scattered episodes of Jodie’s life. Beyond: Two Souls is certainly an overall advancement on the mechanics of Heavy Rain, just don’t expect it to be David Cage’s magnum opus… that’s still to come.

The core gameplay is still enjoyable and the addition of DC characters makes this game the most expansive yet. But if you’ve already played around as God with Maxwell’s notebook then there is little reason to return.

While not a revolutionary advancement over last year, smart gameplay tweaks and the return of a couple favorite game modes make it once again a must buy for hardcore NBA fans.

Through complementary presentation, pacing, and the ease of the puzzles, the game’s rain mechanic transcends gimmickry and effectively serves both the gameplay and the narrative.

Foul Play is a combination of good and not so good. On one hand the overarching theme, visuals, and humor are top notch. But on the other the gameplay is boring and there is little challenge.

What you will find is the most mechanically broad, content dense, and goddamned gorgeous MMO ever made. If you’ve enjoyed any MMO of the past decade, there’s something in Realm Reborn for you. And if you’ve enjoyed them all? Well… just remember to take a shower once in a while.

A fantastic collection of three of the earliest Kingdom Hearts games and stories. There isn’t a mountain of must-play new material here, but the updated visuals, bonus content, adjustable difficulty, and trophy support for all three games should make a repeat playthrough of the games as satisfying as the first.

What other game on the market today is like the Wonderful 101? None.

Getting through the main story in a timely manner was a challenge in itself, but in that time I found that GTA V was possibly the most well-paced open world game I have ever played. I never felt like I didn’t have something to do and as of right now, I’m going right back in to do it all over again. I’ve been with GTA since the beginning way back in ‘97, and it feels like GTA V is the culmination of everything we love about the series: It’s big, it’s pretty, and most importantly it’s just nonstop fun.

Out of the Shadows has all the trimmings of a fantastic brawler, but none of it works as it should. For every highlight the game showcases there are multiple failures: shoddy controls, a complicated combat system, and far too many glitches.

There’s so much to take in from the world of Puppeteer that the seven hours you’ll spend on the moon may not be enough. It’s not a fluffy story by any means, given the idea of a boy running around without his head, but it still manages to have a sugary exterior that will delight and entertain.

Brothers is a touching story that strays from the cookie cutter formulas we’ve come to expect from the industry. The brothers’ journey is full of raw emotion, even if it borders on the line of pretentious at times.