Square Enix may be taking its signature Final Fantasy series to new places, but Bravely Default shows that they still know what makes a good, traditional JRPG.

Ultimately, Battle of Z offers Dragon Ball Z fans more of the same: another chance at seeing their favorite characters pummel each other. However, without a real fighting engine to support the game, hardcore fans haven't just played this before, they've probably already played something better.

Nidhogg is a simple and enjoyable package, only marred by an unstable netcode, a limited stage selection, and all-too-simple options.

Mario Party: Island Tour never seems a natural fit on the 3DS. It feels more like the game has been hammered into shape to fit as well as it can on the platform.

Pirates isn't a terrible game, but its pedigree means it needed to aim higher. Black Flag's ship combat was extremely refined, but Pirates comes off as a shallow imitator, and will undoubtedly leave players wanting.

Polyphony's latest may be burdened by familiar shortcomings, but Gran Turismo 6 reaches its greatest heights yet as a driving simulator.

Drivatars prove to be a winning addition to the franchise, ensuring every race is thrilling. Stepping into the virtual cockpit of these spectacularly detailed cars, Forza 5 is a love letter for car enthusiasts. It's a shame, really, that most players will never be able to see everything the game has to offer.

Given its feature film length, one can't help but wonder if the game would've been better served in that format. While there are some interesting puzzles, the overall lack of polish makes it more frustrating than fun to play through. Like the shadows that inspire the game, Contrast just doesn't have much substance.

Ryse: Son of Rome had potential, but Crytek did too little to expand upon its repetitive combat. While I ran through the campaign in about five hours, it honestly felt like 20. And with the formula becoming more and more boring with each by-the-numbers execution, the addition of throwaway collectibles, like vistas and scrolls, couldn't save this game. Ryse doesn't come close to living up to Roman standards.

With its shallow gameplay, lazy design, and unfunny writing, I can only hope that Twisted Pixel intentionally set out to create a bad game--one that could be celebrated in the way that terrible films can. If so, LocoCycle is a huge success; it is miserable.

Super Mario 3D World is a tightly-designed platformer, raucously fun in multiplayer, and a master's class in level design. Don't pass it off as just another Mario game. This one is not to be missed.

Multiplayer may be fun, but it plays too safe to overcome the genuinely disappointing single-player campaign.

Zoo Tycoon may have taken a best-of-both-worlds approach, but to my surprise and delight, ends up being more successful as a "game" than a mere family-friendly "experience."

At launch, Killer Instinct serves as a solid foundation for what could eventually become a good fighting game. More characters and stages are coming down the line, but at launch, the game's limited single and multiplayer modes are glaring and will grow stale quickly.

Capcom Vancouver shot for a much larger world and, in the end, that idea wound up taking away from the overall experience. In the case of Dead Rising 3, I feel like less would have been more.

A unique, satisfying experience that's a sheer joy to play. It may not be able to scratch the itch that a more traditional racing fan may be looking for, but it sets the bar for what online-connected worlds should be about. As you try to dominate the map, take down racers, and unlock the fastest cars, you'll always be mindful while playing online: anything can happen, and that's pretty awesome.

The story is also a convoluted mess, going on for much too long. Even worse, its reliance on deus ex machinas is almost comical. The emotional manipulation that Cerny attempts through the story is a bit too brute-forced.

Quite honestly, I didn't realize Nintendo still knew how to make a Zelda game at this level of sheer quality. Though A Link Between Worlds may not become an enduring classic through the decades like A Link to the Past, it stands as a worthwhile successor and a modern masterpiece in its own right.

The Ratchet & Clank series has seen several iterations over the years, but the core gameplay loop of constant progress and upgrades remains as fun as ever. Insomniac just had to strip out some of the extraneous bits and give us a condensed version to show off how well it stands up.

Equal parts frustration and elation, XCOM: Enemy Within is a bonafide fist-pump producer, taking players through the same emotional peaks and valleys of the original. Like most expansion packs, Enemy Within is targeted towards the experienced. But Firaxis once again manages to balance XCOM's disparate elements, resulting in a challenging and satisfying experience.

Auto-runners may be a dime a dozen on the App Store, but Fiesta Run is simple, satisfying, and gorgeous to look at.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is yet another serviceable entry to Activision's long-running franchise. The franchise's staleness increasingly leaves something to be desired, but at its core, Call of Duty is still reliably fun. New additions like Extinction and Squads will likely suffice for series fans, who don't mind the franchise playing it safe.

The real shame of Batman: Arkham Origins is that those attempts at innovation are so clearly visible. The studios have obviously made an attempt to freshen up the series, and some changes like the boss battles are actually very successful. But those changes are fairly minor in the grander scope of the game as a whole, leaving Arkham Origins unable to escape from under its predecessors' shadows.

Much like Assassin's Creed 2 took the unpolished ideas of the original AC, Black Flag builds upon the flawed AC3 experience. Ubisoft's latest adventure takes the best ideas of last year's game, refines them, and adds surprising new experiences in the form of underwater missions and a genuinely fun modern-day narrative.

Battlefield 4 doesn't break any molds, but whether you're making your way through the glossed-up campaign or burning scores of hours battling online, there's always a strong underlying sense of anxiety and uncertainty. You simply never feel safe. All the great things you remember about the series like realistic ballistics, balanced vehicles, and solid gunplay are here.

It doesn't take long, however, to realize that Sonic Team was inspired by Galaxy on a cosmetic level only. Lost World fails to execute on the gameplay afforded by circular worlds. In fact, in nearly every aspect of its design, it's evident that Sonic Team has never asked the crucial question: "why?"

Meaningless microgames water down the package considerably. Instead of 80 plus games, many of which don't use the GamePad at all, Wii Party U would have been better served focused on what makes Nintendo's new home console unique. Of course, that kind of creative decision would have gone against what the real goal of Wii Party U is: to sell more Wii Remotes.

While Dual Destinies may initially appear like a fresh take on the series, it ultimately doesn't take a lot of chances. Still, Capcom continues to do what it does best: creating a compelling courtroom drama with fun, campy, off-the-wall characters. It may be more of the same, but for fans, that's really all they need.