With four massive game modes to choose from that could all serve as standalone titles plus a strong core gameplay engine, NHL 14 is about as good as it gets.

Quest for Cool Stuff is short and simple: an adequate diversion for tykes, but lacking particular creativity or excitement. In an era of great, affordable downloadable games, $40 for a routine, bite-sized licensed game seems like a stretch.

Even if you don’t harbor the slightest hint of nostalgia for the original, Castle of Illusion offers up a great experience. It’s a fun update to yesteryear’s classic, but also a solid platformer in its own right.

Dispel any doubts you might have had: thanks to some smart tweaks and changes, Diablo III is a deep, spirited game that fits right into its new home.

This game’s not just bizarre, it’s downright schizophrenic. And while we’re used to — and even enjoy — some of these sorts of wild hijinks from mad-genius Suda51 and his team at Grasshopper, Killer Is Dead’s individual components never coalesce into a worthwhile experience.

It’s certainly a fresh take on the franchise, but sadly, it isn’t a particularly captivating one.

What's here is a smart, somewhat kinder, but no less addictive approach to the series' trademark challenge. And that's just the way we like it.

A wide-ranging and entertaining beast of a simulation, but it's showing its age. Issues we've seen for years now — like garish sideline details, poor transitions, and incorrect stadium surroundings — remain untouched, with new ones added to the mix (like odd facial texture glitching).

While its gameplay and visuals are better than they were in 1992, what was groundbreaking back then feels merely average 20 years later.

As a whole, you’ll find the roughly 4 hour Dishonored finale enjoyable, but not quite as thrilling as what came before it.

Declassified may not be innovative or even very pretty, and it certainly has its problems. But this is also a strategy-lite shooter that’s more than the sum of its often rough-hewn parts. It's entertaining from start to finish, and feels a bit brainier than other shooters when it comes to gunning down hordes of enemies. In that regard, Declassified captures at least part of what makes the XCOM franchise so special.

It's easy and incredibly fun to use, but also powerful, and content can be shared with friends. Even as additional play sets and figures are released in the coming months, it'll be the Toy Box that keeps us hooked, and it's how Disney Infinity remains so endearing even as it commands ample cash.

Like any human, Sam Fisher stumbles occasionally when the pressure’s on. But as long as you’ve got the patience to accept a handful of limitations, you can expect to have a damn good time saving the world once more.

It's all worth it...for the unbridled fun of wreaking havoc at high speeds and experiencing the laughs and unexpected emotional highs of Saints Row IV's storyline. Simultaneously more and less impressive than SR3, it's not quite the highest point the series has reached, but it's nonetheless a satisfyingly explosive send-off for the Saints.

There may be no such thing as the perfect heist in PayDay 2, but they’re rarely forgettable — proof that while this game isn’t quite the transcendent co-op experience on the level of, say, Left 4 Dead — it still offers up a nice change of pace in first-person shooters on Xbox.

Loads of fun, a delightful trip back to an era where simply jumping in the right spot could reveal copious hidden goodies. Whether you’ve played the original or not, this remake is worth every Number-One Dime.

Its tough-love formula offers fun and challenge in the short-term, but there’s just not enough variety or depth to make a lasting impression beyond those initial thrills.

At only 10 bucks, Charlie Murder is both a killer game and a solid value for solo artists; for anyone with a few friends willing to join the slaughter, it’s damn near mandatory.

Even when functional, however, Narco Terror lacks intrigue or interest, and feels like a lazy take on a well-worn blueprint.

The confusing narrative, poor voice acting, and lackluster puzzles make the game hard to love, but if “weird” is your niche, this trip offers some solid entertainment.

Magic 2014 manages to retain what made the previous games great, while more than justifying the series’ yearly releases.

The game does have a few bright spots. Its cel-shaded art style is fun to look at, and the level designs — which include a museum with a huge medieval-castle exhibit, plus an artificial forest inside a skyscraper — are unique and memorable. But that’s not enough to recommend what’s otherwise a stiff, banal mess of wasted potential.

Do yourself a favor: leave R.I.P.D. in its grave.

Dynasty Warriors 8 should be the pristine, refined culmination of a long-running franchise, but instead it’s a reminder of how much a series can deteriorate when it coasts on its success.

You might well opt to buy stat upgrades or temporary performance-boosting items instead, for the sake of simple one-on-one multiplayer confrontations. But because stat upgrades make little difference in the field, and you can carry only a single boost item at a time, you're probably better off just playing something else altogether.

And however you play each story, Telltale’s seemingly simple presentation reveals its writers’ skill in surfacing humanity in even the most inhumane acts. (After all, in the zombie apocalypse, does “doing what’s right” even matter anymore?) Action segments come slightly faster and more furious in some of these stories than they did in most of Season One, with rudimentary gunplay and weapon-handling conveying a more grisly side of survival, but decision-making remains the game’s biggest challenge — and draw.

Predictably, you’ll have a much better time blasting away in by-the-numbers deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture-the-flag engagements — well, if you can find any other players in the ghost town that passes for Scourge’s multiplayer lobby. Given the game’s crippling problems, it’s hard to blame folks for staying away in droves.

EA Sports has removed some modes and features this year (like Heisman Challenge) while others return or debut, but ultimately, the end experience feels about the same. As expected, NCAA Football 14 is an entertaining game of college ball, but rarely much more than that.