Awesomenauts' peculiar mix of fast-paced 2D action and ever-shifting strategy plants it in a strange niche, but it also rewards adventurous players with hours of warfare and entertaining experimentation. [June 2012, p.74]

Some exceptional next-gen visuals--including complex and intricate terrain graphics, detailed cockpit renderings, and hair-singing pyrotechnics--also help propel Birds of Steel to an unprecedented new altitude for Xbox 360 dogfighters. [June 2012, p.69]

This episode dazzled us. Everything from its brisk pace to its gorgeous, comic-booky visuals to Lee and Clementine's sweet friendship just feels right. Unlike so many zombie games, its story is human instead of hokey, and it helps make The Walking Dead, Episode 1 slam-bang entertainment.

The recurring annoyances that result don't bleed all the joy from clobbering, but they do keep this third-person action game from devel¬oping a more natural flow and better exploiting its gruesome graphic-novel aesthetics. Luckily, such issues are diminished when you try to chop down massive bosses inspired by Celtic mythology.

Even when your objectives sound about as thrilling as a Sunday-afternoon grocery run, the sheer chaos Heller unleashes upon the distressed and detailed world of New York Zero while completing them keeps Prototype 2 from feeling like a chore. If you can turn off your brain and just enjoy the frenzied carnage, you'll have a blast.

Adding up the gorgeous visuals, extra coats of polish, replayability, multiplayer, track editor, and core gameplay that is both artfully scientific and scientifically artful, we'd say Trials Evolution is as close to a perfect download as we're ever likely to get.

By virtue of Season Two's weak core collection of mini-games, Basketball slots in as the second-best sport on-hand (after golf). And this DLC's 10 Basketball-themed Achievements are some of the easiest 250 Gamerscore you'll ever earn.

What The Pinball Arcade set out to do - lovingly and accurately re-create true genre classics - it does very well, and pinball purists won't be disappointed.

For an experience that could've drowned in an overreliance on using familiar signposts from what's come before it, Fez succeeds in celebrating the past in a smart, joyous way that has us incredibly excited for gaming's future.

Drop-in/drop-out couch co-op adds an extra level of value to this extremely affordable game; overall, World Gone Sour is a fairly satisfying, calorie-free way to get a Sour Patch fix.

You never truly get the sense of being a pro podracer, a vicious monster, or a mighty Jedi, leaving you all-too-aware that you're just playing a videogame…and a mediocre one at that.

If stupendous puzzler Peggle and the cute gelatinous hero from de Blob had a teleportation accident à la Jeff Goldblum and the common household pest in The Fly, then The Splatters would be the result - except it'd be totally awesome and not a hideous Brundlefly monstrosity.

When you consider what you do get for your $15 - a beautiful, darkly humorous game with one of the most well-made, finely tested fighting engines around, plus great online play - fighting-game aficionados have plenty of reasons to hang out with these dysfunctional damsels.

The constant shuffle between real-time mobile defense and time-pausing tactical route planning is both seamless and nerve-wracking. Even after you know every crisply rendered map back to front, you may find you just want to keep playing.

Temporary frustration (and upper-arm pain) will fade as you mow down hordes of blade-throwing rabbits and hammer-toting elephants. Diabolical Pitch may not be a perfect game, but it's definitely an All-Star effort.

Like the rest of Saints Row: The Third's DLC packs, Clones is only an hour, but it's a terrific romp through Steelport, showcasing the series' unique style and fun. Of the game's three add-ons so far, it's definitely our favorite.

Though Devil May Cry 2's faults required more than just an HD makeover, we won't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. For $40, we're finally getting two of the most extensive and excellent action games of all time, with a decent HD makeover. And that's a deal worth smiling about.

Unbounded can't compete with the genre's best, but it's not devoid of value.

This DLC isn't quite the arm-jerking reflex test that Gunstringer's Real Big Shootin' DLC was - you have to be quick but careful in deciding whether to shoot targets - but both packs were built purely for diehard fans. If that's you, spend the $3.

Made with the input and voice talent of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Tenorman's Revenge is a loving homage to classic 2D platform games. The story is a blast for South Park fans, the jumping and climbing action is challenging but not too hard, and the price is definitely right.

Blades isn't bad; it's just very average and uneven. For every innovative desert level (that forces you to stick to the shadows lest you be seared by the sun), there's a lot of jungle straight out of Avatar.

Wrecked sabotages itself at every turn.

Overall, there's not a lot of depth to Country Dance, but it is a pleasant, non-demanding way to spend a few hours kicking up your cowboy-booted heels.

Kinect responsiveness can be spotty, especially jumping, but it works well enough to keep kids (and adults) grinning ear-to-ear while playing.

It won't win any awards for graphics or sound, but it's simplicity is part of its charm. [Apr 2012, p.77]

Most crucially, the journey is worth every minute of effort: The Witcher 2's malleable final moments are remarkably satisfying no matter which choices you make. [May 2012, p.36]

Unfortunately, it all feels very hollow. Minimal Jim Nantz commentary and crowd noise, limited facial emotions or post-shot reactions, and an overriding... silence makes Tiger 13 feel lifeless. We know golf is supposed to be serene, but it all feels unfinished here, as if the developers meant to take another pass on the audio, animation, and overall presentation.

Unless multiplayer's a must, stick with one of XBLA's older (and better) tower-defense games, like Defense Grid or Orcs Must Die.