Making the most of Krieg requires more situational awareness than other Borderlands 2 characters. Between watching your health and cooldowns in your UI while dealing melee kills in crowds, there’s a lot to handle. What you do get out of Krieg is a palatable rush regardless of how often you die, and at least dying gives you the chance of taking enemies with you.

The more time I spent with it, the more the new changes to the formula grew on me. The AI routines are less predictable and scripted, meaning every game feels like anything can happen.

If you enjoyed The Stanley Parable or Dear Ester, or you’re a fan of narrative-driven games, you owe it to yourself to play Gone Home. For $20 it can seem quite steep so you have to be willing to pardon the linear gameplay and short length in favor of the journey. But the few tears I shed confirm that I feel the experience is worth it.

The wacky world that Gearbox has built really shines in Borderlands 2. It doesn't just work as a means to deliver funny lines of dialogue, though. Here is an established universe providing ample free reign to contrive silly gameplay mechanics that defy both first-person shooter and role-playing game conventions in way that has me convinced we'll be seeing a lot more Borderlands in the future.

But if you're a big fan of F1 – or motorsports in general – and you're up for a challenge, you can't go wrong. F1 2012 feels like it comes from a developer that truly gets the sport and has tried not just to simulate the handling of an F1 car, but capture an insider glimpse of what its like to have an F1 career. And it totally nails both.

The game's long-term entertainment value is tied up in multiplayer, and while I'm confident the user-generated tracks will always yield new and interesting experiences, playing with other players won't so much.

Luigi U is absolutely worth playing if you enjoyed the original Mario U… or any Mario for that matter.

And while the additions of features like campaign co-op and survival-based multiplayer are not unwelcome, it's the core aspects of FEAR 3 that should be the reason you play this game.

It’s pretty darn respectable package. The difficult-but-fair single-player was very satisfying and well-paced, with extremely well implemented co-op, something rare in games these days. Overrun is a welcome addition to the Gears multiplayer suite, even if there’s little variety among the modes.

Capcom has given us two excellent titles in Darkstalkers Resurrection that fighting game fans will absolutely love.

If you missed out on Dragon’s Dogma the first time around, Dark Arisen is a must-play. Arisen’s content is different from the original game, but in a way that’s additive when combined with the experience. On the other end of the spectrum, dedicated Dogma fans will get their money’s worth thanks to the increased level cap, scads of new items, and new end-game boss encounters.

Though the level of precision required to solve some puzzles is a little beyond my taste, it's great that games of this nature are starting to become so prolific that those looking for puzzles with a little more bite can find them.

And while all these pieces are solid, reliable, and improve the product, they won't set any soccer fans' pants on fire. So do you upgrade? If you haven't since FIFA 11, then you're due. If you're a new recruit in '12, then maybe you can wait until '14.

Captaining a spaceship is a dream that many gamers have had for years, and FTL pulls it off near perfectly. If the difficulty, randomness, and repetition of rougelikes doesn't scare you away, FTL will give you an experience you can't find anywhere else.

A fun game that does a great job showing off the DS. Unique controls, a fun new concept for the series, and the same fun and imagination that made the Kirby series popular combine to make Kirby Mass Attack is fitting end to the popular handheld.

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.

The visuals are universally great with detailed character models featuring natty costumes and appropriate attention to detail. The storyline really should appeal to DC Comics experts and novices alike for its tale of superhero battles.

A very good game, if not an unnecessary release. Minor enhancements to the graphics and sound coupled with the addition of an entire new day to play through are nice additions to the game, but shouldn't warrant another play through of the game for those who already experienced the first.

The biggest change the series has seen so far. Layton fanatics may cry foul at the series' change of 2D to 3D visuals, but upon playing the game you'll see the game is hands down the best looking of the series.

They really don't make games like Hell Yeah anymore. It's one of the most random and oddball games I've played. It's one of those games where a bunch of wildly creative developers got together, had a bunch of fun, and made a game without ever asking "why?"

With dozens of hours of gameplay, plenty of replayability with multiple class types, and a difficulty that is balanced with the right amount of reward, Etrian Odyssey IV is far and above the best dungeon crawler I’ve played.

Character drama has rarely been better in the gaming medium, and it most definitely deserves a spot on your hard drive.

There's a certain amount of diminishing returns on the mechanical evolutions made but the fresh, authentic setting along with a brand new protagonist go along way in rekindling the fire.

Blood Dragon is a reminder that a story about one man killing thousands is just silly. That’s fine though, because games don’t always need to be serious. Games should just be fun, and that’s exactly what Blood Dragon is.

It may not be saying much but Dragon's Dogma is the ballsiest, most ambitious thing Capcom has attempted in years.

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.

This is not a revolutionary game by any means, but it builds upon the established strengths of the franchise. Most importantly this is a fun game of football, one that immersed me in all of the elements that make the NFL exciting to watch on Sundays.

Dark Souls has hooks, and those hooks are in me deep; I'm already planning my next several playthroughs as different classes, and for a game that is 80+ hours, that's a testament to its gripping quality.