It's clear that Enemy Unknown was made by people that both really loved the original XCOM and understand how to make games more approachable and enjoyable. Yes, some of those adaptations cause Enemy Unknown to lose some of the bite that the original had, but it's an unquestionably better game for it.

Black Ops 2 is a very impressive achievement both from the audacity of its slightly flawed single-player narrative to the massive construction of its multiplayer offerings, and so, Black Ops 2 scores.

Persona 4 Golden is a fantastic modernized expansion of a brilliant RPG that many will have missed simply because it released out of sync with its original console generation.

All in all, everything here is fantastic-I just wish that there were about twice as much of it.

There aren't many strategy RPGs as approachable for newcomers and as deep for veterans as Fire Emblem: Awakening. Though the story feels like it's just going through the motions, an expansive cast of characters with a wide array of personalities to match means you'll find plenty to still love about the narrative.

Team Bondi did a wonderful job of creating an enjoyable game that takes interactive storytelling to a new level. The production values and graphics are up there with Heavy Rain, but the gameplay is more appealing to longtime gamers.

Team Bondi did a wonderful job of creating an enjoyable game that takes interactive storytelling to a new level. The production values and graphics are up there with Heavy Rain, but the gameplay is more appealing to longtime gamers.

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.

Outland has a lot to offer: A great combination of gameplay styles influenced by other games, astounding controls, and a simple and effective aesthetic. In short it has everything a game needs to be great.

The inclusion of a brand new game engine, new broadcast team, and wide ranging career mode make this year's version of Madden the biggest leap from one year to the next since the move to this generation of consoles.

NBA 2K13 improves upon its already solid foundation of basketball gameplay and presentation, and turns it up a notch. Improvements and additions to MyCareer mode as well as the addition of MyTeam mode will provide for great depth this season.

But if you're a glutton for punishment, itching to play more Trials Evolution and have a spare five bucks in your pocket, there's no reason to avoid experiencing the Origin of Pain.

The story can get confusing and nonsensical at times, and the camera gets caught up in some funky angles, but these are tiny flaws in an otherwise stellar RPG.

If you just want to click your brain off and shoot some guys, Spec Ops is not for you. That's ok though, gamers looking for that can find it in, well, almost every other game ever made. Spec Ops is unique in its intelligent treatment of adult themes. If you want a different take on the war game, I can't recommend Spec Ops enough.

Recommending Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an interesting proposition. If you don't like menus and cutscenes, Final Fantasy XIII-2 won't change your world view, because they're still there. However if you, like me, have been waiting for a reason to like Final Fantasy again, this is it.

Once in a while a game comes along that makes you proud to be a gamer. It's the kind of game you want to show your parents to prove to them that it's not all explosions and fast cars. It's the kind of game that you want to tell Roger Ebert to go play after he makes inflammatory statements about how video games can never be art. And it's the kind of game that given the right platform and exposure, has the potential to resonate with an audience that doesn't usually care about games. Journey is one of those games.

While it may seem trivial to say, Age of Empires Online lives up to its title perfectly. It's a fully-featured Age of Empires game, while including all the Online trappings an MMO aficionado could want.

Niggles aside, escapeVektor is a game in which everything included works perfectly and anything left on the cutting room floor isn't missed. It's a fantastic value in addition to being fantastically fun to play, and it belongs on every 3DS.

The Wolf Among Us is a noir stemmed in fantasy and (actual) glamour that blurs the lines of right and wrong. I wasn’t able to appreciate the mystery of The Wolf Among Us until the last chapter, but what a gratifying experience it turns out to be.

Touch My Katamari is FUN - fast-paced, zany fun.

Do you feel games similar to Fallout 3 are a little too open-ended? Or maybe Call of Duty is too linear? Well, Rage is some kind of happy medium between the two and it's unlike anything id has done before.

If you missed parts one and two, Gears 3 is still accessible. That in itself is impressive, helped by the "Previously on Gears" video that provides a quick reminder of who did what to whom, where, and why. Second, if you're a veteran, you're likely diving online immediately, and those modes are very impressive, fun, and likely to help keep this turn in the trilogy in your gaming rotation for some time to come.

A breath of fresh air into the somewhat stale Pokemon series. Creating a strategy game that is both accessible for newcomers and deep for veterans is quite a feat, and this game has done just that.

By including areas and missions outside of the tournament, this Campaign of Carnage has room to breathe and deliver a narrative that retains the twisted charm of the Borderlands franchise.

The new definition of how a game should be remade.

The excellent story hooked me in from the opening minutes and I didn't want to let go. With branching paths, multiple endings, and truly mysterious characters to interact with, Virtue's Last Reward will keep you thrilled for hours on end.

I’m having a hard time remembering the last time I had this much pure, unmitigated fun just playing, period.

The familiarity of the controls in combat help in welcoming DmC's distinctive art direction and new look for Dante. The attention paid to the script and narrative manages to make these intermissions worth watching, and not because of over-the-top gunplay or sword work; that's for you to control in-game.