If you're desperate for a portable Little King's Story experience, New Little King's Story should sate your appetite, but be warned: little Corobo's all grown up, and he's lost his imagination.

All in all, Mugen Souls turns out to be an incredibly frustrating game with some good ideas that quickly get lost in the grind.

Agarest 2 is a definite step in the right direction for the series, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Some time spent focusing on creating a more engaging world and story, as well as to streamline some of the game's unnecessarily complex systems should help in getting Agarest to rise up the rankings. The series is beginning to show promise, however, and its pre-existing fans will find much to like in this entry.

Despite being an all-around improvement over the original Borderlands, Borderlands 2's biggest flaw is that it plays it safe.

For me Torchlight II was an immensely enjoyable experience from start to finish. The game is more than welcoming for both fans of the original and newcomers to the series and is high amongst the better gaming experiences I've had this year. It might not bring anything particularly new to the genre, but those who choose to pick it up will be provided with superb value for their money.

R.A.W is a waste of time, energy and money, as you get very little value and content, and no reward other than a sore thumb and a sour attitude.

Unchained Blades isn't unenjoyable, and its subsystems are an inventive take on what less skilled hands would have turned into a bare slog. However, a game as long as this one needs something greater to keep the inevitable hours of filler at bay. Deeper, more nuanced characters would have been been one route. Alternately, a smoother difficulty curve would've limited the opportunities to switch on autopilot.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from 3D, having never seriously partaken of this series before. The experience, with its annoying mechanics and impenetrable narrative, has soured me on trying any more. Fans of other Kingdom Hearts titles will probably have a completely different reaction as they have already learned to cope with the mechanics and have some clue what the hell is going on. Absent from this conditioning, I find I have no interest in learning what else this series has to offer.

Those prepared to battle through the tough times will find much to like from Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time, but a good number of players are likely to be chased off by some of the more frustrating parts. For me the enjoyable story and cast were more than enough to outweigh those sections where it felt like the PSP might go flying soon and it is a game worthy of serious consideration for those who enjoy the more story and text-heavy RPGs, even if those frustrating gameplay sections prevent a universal recommendation. On a whole it was an experience I would be happy to volunteer for again.

Though this might seem like a gripe, Darksiders II is not a bad game. Its mechanics are tightly crafted and there are plenty of exciting battles and twisted puzzles to work through. But don't be surprised if everything feels very familiar, and don't feel ashamed if you're inclined to simply turn it off. After all, you've probably played this game a hundred times before.

The game is a cohesive and stunning effort that keeps you coming back for more.

Despite its flaws Rainbow Moon is a decent option for fans of the SRPG genre at a very approachable initial price.

At the end of the day, Heroes of Ruin is a fun game with a slew of issues that prevent it from being great. A wealth of multiplayer options make it the closest to a console third-person looter you'll find on any portable system. While it can still be a fun single-player experience, the game is best played with a group of friends. Even so, with repetitive environments, monsters, music, and sound, it is not likely to be a memorable experience.

At the end of the day, despite some presentation and interface issues, Pokémon Conquest does a splendid job of combining two seemingly uncombinable franchises.

For all its flaws, it did genuinely surprise me in areas and had twists and turns that were unexpected. It's a pleasantly mediocre game that could have used tons more polish to create a better experience.

Rain-Slick 3 is a terrific little indie RPG, and hopefully the launching point for something much bigger from Zeboyd in the future.

Ys Origin is a very tightly crafted experience. Considering that a single playthrough with one character will only take about six to seven hours, it's amazing how much story is packed into that amount of time.

There are areas for improvement, most notably on the storytelling front, but Capcom has produced a thoroughly entertaining adventure with widespread charm.

Gungnir isn't the most original game out there, but neither is it as bog standard as it first appears. The story is engrossing and the battles skillfully tease the line between challenging and punishing. There's enough going on under the hood to keep arithmeticians happy, without making the game inaccessible to everyone else.

The problem with Yakuza: Dead Souls is that it's a game full of wasted potential. The story is fun and the atmosphere is excellent, but the broken controls and awkward camera make this game more frustrating than fun.

It takes the core experience that made Diablo II great and makes it less frustrating and, more importantly, much more accessible. Where Diablo II encouraged careful planning and forethought, Diablo III encourages experimentation and fun. And hey, if you're not down with that, Torchlight II is right around the corner.

Fans of the Arland trilogy will surely adore their experience with Meruru, but for newcomers, this may not be the best place to start if you want to get a feel for the entire world. Still, Meruru is the silver lining at the end of this wonderful trilogy, and it will no doubt bring joy and closure to the long-time fans who stayed along for the journey.

As an actual game, Risen 2 is mediocre. The gameplay is primitive and the technical problems alone are more than enough to recommend shying away from it. However, as an experience, Risen 2 is highly entertaining. Players willing to overlook the issues with the gameplay will find themselves sucked into a sweeping, high-seas adventure that's rare for the RPG genre.

If you can accept some mechanical quirks in exchange for a torrent of indie exuberance, check it out.

While I clearly had issues with the actual gameplay parts of The Witcher 2, the story and characters were memorable enough to make it worthwhile, mostly because of how real they felt. While it starts off rough, has a steep learning curve, and offers a lot of places where it can get frustrating, in the end the experience was worth the effort. With a little more polish on the controls and interface, this series can continue to mature into something truly outstanding.

It's cast from a different mould than that of Xenoblade and The Last Story, and while it may not reach the same level as its contemporaries, those looking for a decent adventure should find plenty to like.

LucasArts generally exercised greater quality control of Star Wars games than most licensed properties receive, though that didn't necessarily translate into titles that were actually good. I've played a few other Star Wars games in the past, and while the SNES platformers were pretty good, this one is even better. Knights of the Old Republic may just be the best game in the franchise, and succeeds at being a top-tier RPG even if one has no interest in Star Wars. BioWare did the license proud.

Dragon Fantasy should not be dismissed as a Dragon Quest clone, but instead should be embraced as a game that takes all the greatness of the older games in that series and wraps them up in a nice, new format for a whole new generation to enjoy.