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.

In the end, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention is a fine port of the PlayStation 3 original. It tweaks the gameplay in interesting ways, and improves the look and feel of story sequences. It's not all great, as the gameplay graphics have not been improved from the original, and the added Vita touch controls and GPS functionality to get minor bonuses are largely pointless. With a lengthy story, additional post game challenges, and the many optional endeavors present in a Disgaea game, it still makes for an exceptional package of content.

Inazuma Eleven 2 definitely stays true to the simple charm created by the first game, providing what is very much more of the same. An engaging premise sets the early theme of simple but enjoyable fun, which the gameplay is more than happy to uphold. Those looking for a challenging experience won't find that here, but there's plenty of enjoyment to be had by those prepared to sit back and enjoy the wacky adventures of the Raimon team.

Inazuma Eleven 2 definitely stays true to the simple charm created by the first game, providing what is very much more of the same. An engaging premise sets the early theme of simple but enjoyable fun, which the gameplay is more than happy to uphold. Those looking for a challenging experience won't find that here, but there's plenty of enjoyment to be had by those prepared to sit back and enjoy the wacky adventures of the Raimon team.

Not since Tales of Symphonia have I played a Tales game that's felt as whole as Tales of Graces f. It is an engaging, enjoyable, and lengthy game, easily lasting as long as sixty hours. The "Legacies and Lineage" post-game story can add even more time. Tales of Graces f unquestionably stands apart as one of the best games in the series, and as one of the best JRPGs to grace modern consoles yet.

The Last Story's preferred focus on combat and characters puts it far enough apart from Xenoblade, with its focus on exploration and the wider world that there's more than enough space for both games to carve out their own identities and stand proudly together.

BioWare has crafted a fantastic game with Mass Effect 3. The shooting is improved once again, the RPG customization is deeper, and the story missions are mostly amazing, with the exception of the overall plot ending with a big letdown.

After wasting thirty hours of my time, this is one game that has no right to pass kindergarten.

Devil Survivor 2 remains an addictive experience for a large chunk of its length.

Ultimately, Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is a much, much better game than its predecessor. While the script isn't as funny as the first and tends to cross the line of good taste a few times too often, the improvements to the gameplay, the more diverse cast, and the better developed world all solidify it as an actually enjoyable game. It's much shorter than the original Hyperdimension Neptunia, clocking in at a little over twenty hours, but in many ways that's a good thing, not a bad thing. I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised.

As it stands right now, the loot-gathering is outstanding and the combat, with the full character progression system supporting it, is faster and more responsive than any other RPG out there.

Overall, XIII-2's more diverse play experience should make it a more palatable game to a larger segment of gamers. Whether or not it's better than Final Fantasy XIII is something I leave for you to judge for yourself.

Dungeon Defenders is unlike any game you'll find on the market, and that is what makes it such a triumph. It's not without its few pitfalls, but it creates an enjoyable atmosphere that has yet to be replicated by other co-operative RPG experiences.

It's a serviceable package, but could have been so much more if its mechanics matched the sweep of its story and the story didn't wear itself out on tangents. The participants in the Holy Grail War are nuanced, cleverly designed characters, but they gutter and die before becoming truly awesome.

At the end of the day Dark Souls succeeds in producing a game that is both incredibly challenging and fair.

Tales of the Abyss is a very worthwhile addition to gamers' collections, and more than welcome on the 3DS' library. The removal of the technical issues is much appreciated and gives players the opportunity to experience the game at much closer to its full potential, where it easily earns the right to be spoken out in the same breaths as the more beloved entries in the series. Tales of the Abyss 3D is a very solid game all round, and the handling of characters' growth throughout the story should stick in one's memory for a good while.

Like any reimagining of a series, Skyward Sword doesn't get everything right in the first try. Despite everything it does well, there are still several kinks that need to be worked out. That said, it's still the most creative, bold, and arguably important Zelda title to be released in over ten years.

Fossil Fighters: Champions is very similar to its predecessor, but doesn't offer a significant improvement.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny took me over eighty hours to complete and only twenty of those hours actually felt fun and exciting. The game has way too many unpolished elements that keep it from being a fantastic successor to Rune Factory 3, and in the end falters from its problems described above.

Skyrim is one of the finest embodiments of an open world RPG, as there is never a dearth of places to go or quests to complete. What Skyrim lacks in tough role-playing choices, it more than compensates for with interesting things to do.