Trap Team delivers a new gimmick on top of an old gimmick and does it damn well. The strong scriptwriting and voice work keep both adults and children interested in the story, even if you have to spend a lot of money to get the full effect.

It offered bags of replay value with plenty of unique build options, and each enemy felt well-designed. If you’re a fan of titles with elements of dice games, roguelikes, and deck-builders, you’ll get a kick out of the speedy gameplay that Dog Witch offers.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is solid fun for anyone wanting to experience cinematic dogfighting, though subsequent playthrough are going to reveal the smoke and mirrors behind the illusion.

Simple to pick up and play, the precise, tension-filled combat is capable of turning friends into bitter rivals.

A visually stunning game with simply fun action and challenging platforming, El Shaddai is only slightly marred by the death system and unoriginal mechanics.

Dead Rising 3 will likely go down as one of the quintessentially "good" launch titles seen when a new console releases. It's an exclusive title with a big open world and tons of zombies that demonstrates the power of the next gen console well.

Dead Space 3 has a way of getting into your head, uncoiling and slithering around your subconscious until you're not quite sure what's wrong, you just know you want to get the hell out. Its subtlety makes for a great contrast to the in-your-face combat that dominates the rest of the game.

A:WE is a superlative downloadable title. A cheap price tag belies a deep, difficult game that offers some frustration, but much more fun. Even if you've had more than your fill of tower defenses lately, give this one a shot. You might be surprised just how much a shift in perspective can change the feel of a whole genre.

One of 2013's best games, Outlast deserves success in 2014 as a PlayStation 4 release. Disturbing and macabre, sometimes to the extreme, this is one of the best horror games to grace the world in a long time.

Pokémon Legends Z-A improves on its predecessor, Arceus, by making battles just as fun as the previous entry made catching. The Z-A Royale and the mystery of Rogue Mega Pokémon mean exploring Lumiose City is a consistently rewarding delight, especially when every corner feels carefully curated with Pokémon quests, items, and more. While visual fidelity is no match for Arceus’ better artistic direction, Z-A runs flawlessly. Plus, visually, both Lumiose City and the title’s character designs have moments of brilliance. Altogether, whether exploring Wild Zones to uncover Pokémon, steamrolling through battles, or leaping across rooftops, Pokémon Legends Z-A is a consistently and brilliantly rewarding entry in the Pokémon franchise that hopefully heralds the start of a new standard.

Overall, if you’ve played Virtua Fighter in the past, R.E.V.O. World Stage is a great way to return to the series, thanks to its ‘World Stage’ mode, better graphics, and more. If you’ve heard of Virtua Fighter before, but never had the chance to play it, R.E.V.O. World Stage is a fantastic way to get into the series before the sixth entry arrives.

I can't imagine a game so fundamentally about number crunching being universally appealing, but the audience it will appeal to will absolutely love it.

Starhawk's an average shooter with an engaging multiplayer element and a unique sci-fi western theme, but the single player is forgettable.

Sanctum 2 is a thrilling, fast-paced tower defense game, which keeps things interesting with the FPS gameplay during the assaults. The RPG elements add to the total package, making even the single player feel like a complete experience.

Solid strategic gameplay, clever, well-written characters and cutscenes, and a loyalty to the board game we played when we were kids all make Risk: Factions a great game.

While it is incomplete by design, with the missing content being dolled out for free over the course of the year, Street Fighter 5 is the most accessible the franchise has ever been and remains mechanically brilliant.

CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs is a short but sweet horror-adventure that’ll be a joy for any indie horror lover to play through. The card-based dialogue and exploration mechanic was unique, and the world itself had clearly been crafted with care, with a gorgeously eerie art style that matched the narrative nicely.

Colorful yet dark, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles effectively communicates its theme about ending discrimination while providing a fun and sometimes emotional playing experience. Dawn of the New World uses a similar formula, but loses the charm.

You fight lots of pallet-swapped enemies over and over again, rinse and repeat. Fun to play with a friend and a huge nostalgia rush, but not much to hold your interest for long.

Echoes of Aetheria weaves narrative, combat, and exploration together wonderfully, with no one aspect of the game overshadowing another. However, dialogue is occasionally cheesy and design flaws cast a shadow on what is meant to be a tactical combat experience.

Orwell is a thought-provoking interactive debate about the politics of privacy and security. It's the kind of game that never actually feels like a game, and it manages to do it well.

A brilliant remake of two classic, underloved arcade brawlers.

A good, solid platformer with several fun quirks, but has an issue with reusing the same gameplay elements for some of the stages and a rollercoaster-style of difficulty level.

If you’re a fan of Lovecraftian horror and walking simulators, Eclipsium will be a delight for you to explore. It’s gross and gorgeous, with a subtle narrative, interesting premise, and heavily stylized world. While the art style may prove divisive, the experience as a whole is mesmerizing, adding a fresh spin on a classic horror walking simulator.

Duels 2014 has everything you've ever wanted from a Duels game. The Sealed Play option takes this version to a whole new level, and will make it exceedingly difficult for Stainless to one-up itself again.

Transformers Devastation is a blast to play while it lasts, and expertly blends elements of Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising, but packages it in a way that makes it come off as completely unique.

Quantum Conundrum nails the puzzles, and does okay with the atmosphere, leaving a well-crafted "Diet Portal"-style adventure that succeeds when it matters.

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 manages to turn dark material into something lighthearted and fun, but it never quite achieves the magical goofiness that its predecessor does.