If there was ever any question about “tower offense” being a viable sub-genre of tower defense, let Anomaly 2 stand as a definitive game to prove its worth.

So much of what makes Resident Evil: Revelations work is how Capcom plays it safe with level designs and gameplay mechanics. That said, the new characters and the bio scanner help turn the game into something more than a well made by-the-numbers Resident Evil. While it's not an optimized HD port of the 3DS version (to be so would require enhanced textures across the board), it still looks great and controls even better.

With homebuilding, a rival monster summoner, and the justifiably angry villagers, Haunted Hollow offers the kind of multitasking stimulation that is worthy of the attention of real time strategy fans. Granted, the multiplayer is asynchronous, but that makes the game equally welcoming to newcomers of strategy games.

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.

Last Light isn’t as gameplay-dense an action / stealth experience as Dishonored and it’s not as impossibly polished as Call of Duty. If you enjoy directed single-player experiences, you can’t go wrong with Last Light… just don’t expect the most focused or deep experience.

Sacred Citadel is a fine hack n’ slash side-scroller, and it’s even better with friends. The online netcode could use an upgrade and I wish there was a bit more content to flesh out the package, but for the price, Sacred Citadel is a solid adventure to be had. And it doesn’t force you into piles of menus to manage your character – that’s a bonus in itself, am I right?

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.

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.

As a longtime JRPG fan, I appreciate the irony. I can’t count the number of times I’ve defended the genre from people claiming it’s a mindless exercise of mash-X-until-you-win, but throwbacks like Dragon Fantasy don’t make the stigma any easier to dispel. Games like Cthulhu Saves the World and Anodyne show us that it’s possible to celebrate classic genres while still employing interesting design.

It’s a fabulously designed game with an interface so antiquated that only the most dedicated and nostalgic shooter enthusiasts will stick with it. In the end, maybe that’s for the best. You don’t see a lot of trucker hat-wearing Natty Ice-drinkers in Go parlours either.

For as “action packed” and “feature laden” as it is, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge suffers from a lack of balance and will no doubt be a source of frustration for those who try to go against its painful grain.

The concept of an open world zombie survival game is still good on paper, but somehow Techland has failed for a second time to make sure it works in execution.

The heart that went into developing Guacamelee! is evident in its execution and reverence to other works.

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 pitiful remake of a classic game and a damn shame for gamers. Double Dragon II on the NES deserves a better remake than this. Broken gameplay, boring combat, and no replay value make this one of the worst games I’ve played.

While Trion has to be held accountable for the severe problems at launch, the truth is that the game’s experience is strong enough to shine through them. Unless you need an artificial goal like a level cap to work towards in an MMO, Defiance offers some of the best fun you can have online.

With so many different gameplay options, and the ability to make your own levels to put your friends through your own custom hell, BattleBlock Theater was worth the wait.

Black Forest Games revitalized its series by staying true to the game’s origins while still moving past its blatant clone gimmicks.

Monster Hunter takes for granted a lot of extracurricular effort on behalf of its players. How much extra research are you willing to do on a game’s systems before you expect to have fun with it? How many nonsensical, anachronistic hoops are you willing to jump through just for a slight taste of what this game will hopefully become in ten years’ time?

The presentation is wonderful and the attention to detail creates a game that has a charm and feel all its own. The controls are a little confusing at times but if you can get over them you’ll discover a fun game.

With the release of BioShock Infinite, developer Irrational has delivered a bigger story, more polished experience, and created two similar-yet-separate games that can co-exist and remain equal in quality. When the history of videogames is written, not one, but two BioShocks will be remembered for pushing gameplay, story, and subject matter to new levels.

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

SimCity as a game is thoroughly entertaining, if flawed in several areas, and now at least we can experience it fully, and hopefully put the disaster of launch in our rear view mirror.

With a surprisingly long campaign, infinitely replayable multiplayer, improved spectating and community tools, and access to hundreds of user-made game modes, Heart of the Swarm is an absurd value and a complete necessity for anyone that enjoyed any aspect of StarCraft II. Unless you just hate using your mouse in video games, buy Heart of the Swarm.

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.

Disappointing. On its own the game is mediocre with a missed opportunity in character variety, short time to completion, and only a small amount of enemies. Compared to past games this is a downright disaster.

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

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.