The game does feel quite a bit like "THUG," but if you haven't played a Tony Hawk game in a year or longer, you'll be pretty impressed with THUG 2.

A rambunctious, thrilling, attitude-laden thrill ride. The design is slick and highly effective, the presentation is vintage DMC (while adopting a fresh flair), the combat offers fantastic variety and endless entertainment, and the story is a big improvement.

The control is just about right, the graphical presentation is loaded with beautiful animations, the roster is huge, and there's a ton of content. The story is still totally lame, the Challenge Tower can sometimes feel unfairly tough, and the AI is…well, MK AI, but those aren't deal-breakers.

All in all, despite some awkward design choices, Need for Speed: SHIFT is still a fantastic racing game, and once you figure out your preferred sensitivity settings, everything just clicks and you'll find yourself going from one race to the next, onto the other, and before you know it...it's 4AM.

If you are even a mild fan of Bioshock then you should definitely play this expansion, it is single player greatness that redeems the former episode.

Valkyria Chronicles is indeed one of the best games of 2008, and certainly the best strategy/RPG of this generation.

It'll keep you entertained for hours and hours, and the multiplayer capabilities truly are an absolute blast. Head-On is completely faithful to the Twisted Metal namesake and does pretty much everything right.

Hotline Miami doesn’t apologize for what it tries to do. It’s a throwback to the golden age of gaming but at the same time, it reminds us that over-the-top violence was always tongue-in-cheek in those days.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a testament to old-school gaming and modern sensibilities. It balances the old and the new with grace, offering up a riot of radical changes while keeping the prime platforming appeal intact. All the while, the animation and art style propels the experience, making you feel like you’re watching your favorite cartoon. Ultimately, this all results in Crash’s most astonishing adventure yet.

When you're out and about and you've got some downtime, your fancy new Vita is just begging for some classic stealth action. If you're a fan, it's a no-brainer.

It nails down its position as a multiplayer-oriented (and thus, party-oriented) game and succeeds beautifully. Still, there's a part of me that resents the lacking single-player campaign, and the learning curve may prove frustrating (or maybe it's just me).

The lack of any direct competition seems to be taking its toll on the series as each year it feels like it's slipping ever so slightly in quality.

This is one gaming experience that should be a hit at any party.

The game can be a little easy at times, and the short levels hurt the flow of the game, but if you’ve been a fan of 007 on the big screen or on a console, you won’t be disappointed by his latest outing.

It's the Martian equivalent to inFamous and that's a surprise to us. Guerrilla's gameplay is solid and enjoyable, boasting fun mechanics that really draw you into the game, especially with the amount of destruction you're capable of. It's also got an extremely impressive physics engine that calculates your destruction in a way we've yet to see.

The stellar concept and artistic style of Transistor is nigh-on unparalleled. The mystical aura surrounding and permeating the entire game is original and attractive, the blending of real-time and turn-based gameplay is inspired (and yeah, it works exceedingly well), and there’s a surprising amount of humanity injected into this otherwise sci-fi presentation.

One of those games that just has to be experienced. Even if it's not your cup of tea, you'll probably be thankful that you tried it.

When all is said and done, DiRT 3 is a robust, in-depth and almost sparkling package that is immensely appealing to racing fans of all kinds. The realism combined with great accessibility is quite possibly the biggest draw.

An adventure title that is longer than most others. It features 15 levels, with 5 tokens to be collected in each level, mini games, 15 mini bosses, 5 bosses, beautiful FMV's, colorful areas, free movement, and so much more that my fingers can break from writing so much info.

A game that delivers the fantasy goods in spades. The ultra-anal Tolkien lovers might take issue with Talion and how the game is presented, and the AI and frame-rate issues are clear. That being said, this remains a wildly immersive, engaging adventure with an excellent combination of action and platforming elements.

Braid is a great game that will force you to flex your mental muscle; in a way, it’s similar to something like echochrome, simply because you have to “bend” your mind into a certain shape before you can fully comprehend the skewed setting and premise.

There's plenty of content, it's flashy and pleasing in so many ways, the presentation is singularly appealing, and the gameplay is rock solid. The load times are oddly slow and visibility can be a problem but for the most part, this is a highly enjoyable experience.

One of the biggest draws of Super Monkey Ball is the addictive multi-player games, all of which included here, and are unlocked from the get go.

It all just works so, so, so well. If this was my first Final Fantasy or even my first RPG, I’d think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever played. But I really can’t shake the recurring feeling that Square-Enix has taken something away from me. It’s hard to pin it down exactly, but it’s the void I feel when I subtract so many beloved role-playing elements.

The bottom line is that Rainbow Moon is put together fantastically well. It really is a very solid and complete package from top to bottom. There's enough depth to satisfy even the most hardcore, the blending of strategy and traditional elements is both innovative and extraordinary, the feel and style is just beautiful, and yeah, the hours can really melt away.

An interesting blend. It consists of everything I expected to see and a few things I didn't, the latter of which surprised me. I can't say the Strike Force missions were a good idea but at the very least, they're a departure from the norm. And the addition of player choice is definitely a plus. As for the rest, the high production values, Hollywood-esque presentation, relatively intriguing campaign, and a multiplayer that delivers on all counts, it's hard to say this year's CoD falls short. Some can say the multiplayer is too similar but hey, this is Call of Duty. The fans know what they like by now.

It has a few drawbacks – the story isn't great, it takes too long to progress, and some of the battle can feel a little underwhelming – but for RPG fans, it's a winner.

The game’s technical flaws are minor, and the game’s only other negative point is that it’s somewhat short.