There was a certain magic to the first game that will never be recaptured. That being said, Portal 2 is better in just about every way possible. The puzzles are more intricate, the writing is better than most movies or TV shows I've seen, and the production value is everything you've come to expect from the guys that brought you Half-Life.

Mortal Kombat is not only back, it's ripping off heads. This reboot has an unprecedented amount of kontent (with a k), unlocks, charm, and raw fun. Even if you haven't liked previous Mortal Kombats, believe me, you'll be hooked the first time you triple d.ck punch someone.

Anyone that is still actively playing (and enjoying) old beat 'em ups like Strider or Shinobi may have the temperance to enjoy Moon Diver. The controls are some of the tightest I've played in a platformer. Unfortunately, the crappy everything-else means that those who spend most of their time in modern games should stay there.

The robust Career and World Tour modes offer up an amazing and in-depth game of tennis that fans of the sports will love. Even if you've never picked up a racquet in your life, Top Spin 4 is still a great game that is hard to put down. The controls, while requiring some time to get used to, are intuitive.

The 3rd Birthday should have been brilliant, but is merely decent.

Overall Pokemon Black/White is still a great RPG that offers up the same addictive gameplay you've come to love, but don't expect anything new to entice you to catch 'em all again.

Bust-A-Move Universe – from the puzzles to the music – feels stale. There simply are not enough new features to warrant purchasing it.

For all its faults, The Sims 3 on 3DS is a serviceable way of getting your pretend life fix on the go. As a launch title, it's frustrating that the game's 3DS features aren't better tuned.

Fans that want something like Monster Hunter but not in the same setting shouldn't hold their breath for Gods Eater Burst to be anything more than a quick diversion.

That was the magic of Monkey Ball, and that's the magic that is completely and utterly absent here.

It is without a doubt fan service to the extreme, but being a fan of the series I can do nothing else but eat it up! A ridiculous amount of modes makes sure there's always something to do, and the game is rewarding you for playing every chance it gets.

A Jekyll and Hyde of a game.

Sims purist[s] will likely wretch at this latest entry, as it guts nearly everything that makes a Sims game a Sims game-the Sims don't even have to pee for Pete's sake! But if you're actually playing games to make things pee rather than slay beasts and bed maidens, you're clearly doing it wrong. This is a great start for a Sims branch that will surely get at least one expansion, and to be honest, it's already my favorite branch on the tree.

Your interest in Tiger 12 is pretty much dependant on your enthusiasm for the Masters, and your appreciation of its mystique.

If you've found yourself underwhelmed by the lack of grandeur in other wrestling games, WWE All Stars is where you belong. Like NBA Jam, the game will not send you into another world for hours at a time or offer a profound single-player experience. It will, however, let you toss your friend twenty feet in the air and then stomp on his balls.

There are still a few hiccups with AI, glitches in gameplay and presentation, and repetitive commentary that need to be checked off on the "To Do" list for next year. Overall, it's a solid, occasionally masterful, occasionally frustrating sim of the national pastime.

If the news of a zombie-themed spin-off signals the series' proverbial jumping of the shark, then at least Sega managed to produce a game that feels as full and complete as Yakuza 4.

It's better than last year's abysmal effort, that's for sure. But it's still not the supreme racer the biking scene deserves.

This dungeon crawler is as long as it is generic, which is a terrible combination for a hack-and-slash game that appears to be a budget PS2 game selling on the PS3 at normal price.

Unforgiving quick-time events, unintelligent AI, frustrating cheap deaths, and confusing level design are just a few problems.

If you're a fan of turn-based empire games, you will love Shogun 2 for its deep strategic dilemmas and easy-to-use controls. If you're a fan of military history and tactics, you will adore commanding thousands of troops in realistic battle simulations. If you like samurai, there are literally thousands here for you to play with.

Crysis 2 really feels like the kitchen sink of recent shooters: compelling single-player, interesting multiplayer modes, vehicles, myriad weapons, and the Nanosuit. Plus 3D, stealth kills, grabbing and throwing enemies, sprinting and sliding, using cover, and facing enemies using highly effective AI routines to keep every encounter fresh: It's all here, every check box of the genre ticked. But this kitchen sink is 24-carat gold plated.

Ultimately, I was left with two of the three things I expect from a BioWare game - fantastic story and brilliant characters.

The Show has plenty of room for improvement, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for an annual franchise.

With open battlefields, near-future toys, and fast pacing, Homefront's multiplayer is the real reason to purchase this game. It may not explode with content, but what it does, it does well.

Radiant Historia delivers a compelling story coupled with entertaining gameplay that create a great package.

The game strokes the nostalgic centers of my brain with simple RPG mechanics, and I respect the game's moxy in mocking gaming tropes. There's just no excusing the dearth of content variety and boring-as-hell gameplay.

If you already have the core game and first expansion and are satisfied with them, there may not be enough new here to entice you into buying. But if you want to finish out the story of Sub-Sector Aurelia, or you want to try out a different race, or if you just can't get enough, Retribution is a steal at $30.