What's really amazing about Okami is that it is just as good of a game today as it was six years ago when it was first released. An HD release that barely had to touch a thing to still be one of the best games available today.

Capcom continues to thumb its nose at long time series fans. Not only have they abandoned any pretense of tension and fear, they've dredged up tired old storylines and shifted the game solidly into Gears of War territory. Let the series die!

Zero Escape is the very definition of a niche title. If you have experience with visual novels you'll be in love with the game, and if you like puzzles and don't mind a LOT of narrative it's still great. If you want nonstop action, move along!

While it does more iterating than innovating this year, FIFA stands alone atop a somewhat small heap of competition to remain the soccer game you want if you only want one soccer game.

PES 2013 is a very respectable soccer game that maintains its excellence on the field but unfortunately fall further behind in the bells and whistles department making it a distant runner-up in this year's battle for soccer supremacy.

It's a return to the PlayStation for Dead or Alive, but not an especially triumphant one. This is a great looking game that fails to separate itself from a crowded field of fighters and relies a bit too much on a tired gimmick.

NBA 2K13 is the unrivaled (literally!) champion of NBA action despite some struggles with implementing a user friendly interface. Jump right in with you own player or run the court with any of the dozens of legends included.

In some ways Tekken Tag Tournament 2 feels like a waypoint before the next REAL Tekken game. Still, there is a huge roster of fighters and the same tight technical gameplay that is the hallmark of the series. Series fans will be pleased.

It's not a great leap forward from last year's model, but F1 2012 adds just enough to an already tight package to keep the series on top. This is a far cry from an arcade racer so only serious Formula 1 fans need apply.

A budget game through and through, it still manages to tell an interesting story but the whole experience is brought down by technical limitations and uninspired puzzle solving. The game would have felt out of date a decade ago.

Joe Danger 2 follows very closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, echoing the same gameplay with a new coat of paint. That's a good thing though, as we didn't get enough Joe the first time around.

The latest in an outstanding crop of indie art games that we've seen this generation, The Unfinished Swan lives up to that legacy and provides yet another sublime experience that transcends the usual confines of video games.

A tale of two games, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron plods through its opening acts only to redeem itself with a strong showing at the end. Plenty of fan service will make series vets smile.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth makes the leap from mobile to console seamlessly. While you want find any daring new gameplay, you will find just enough tweaks to pique your interest if you dig tower defense.

It's tough to grade Zen Pinball 2. It's nice that they've brought all the tables under one roof, and the price can't be beat. Yet they've offered nothing new and it would have been nice to see a more robust tournament system in there.

Simply put, it's one of the best fighters to grace the console. It'll keep you coming back for more over and over, but I did find myself wishing there were more characters and more of the story. Still, as a fighter, it hits all of the high marks.

It's a solid game, and the improvements show a lot of promise. It fixes a lot of problems from last year, though some things are continuously overlooked. Next year should really make or break the Infinity Engine, as 13 was a test run.

Once again, despite Roger Ebert, a game finds a way to blend art and gameplay together in a fun and accessible way. Sound Shapes isn't really like anything else, and that's a shame because more games could stand to experiment like this.

By no means is NCAA 13 a bad game. It's just that it is not a substantial update given the annual cycle. I wish there was more to keep coming back to. Last year blew my socks off, this year, I still have my shoes on.

It's a treat to see super heroes nteract with one another. The script is great, the gameplay is strong, and it's a strong step in the right direction. If you enjoy previous LEGO titles, you'll be right at home here.

Jeremy McGrath's Offroad is a competent racing game that fails to drum up and excitement and is completely overshadowed by retail releases like DiRT Showdown.

DiRT Showdown is the most fun I've had with a racing game since Burnout Paradise, a great looking game that nails the entertainment aspect of video gaming head-on.

It doesn't quite live up to its bigger cousin, mainly due to some difficulty issues and a control scheme that doesn't feel quite as natural. It's still a great game to pay on the go though, and there isn't anything else quite like it.

The tables might not live up to some of the past ones, but that doesn't mean these aren't still fun. All four tables bring something different to the... ahem... table, and the collection bolsters the already impressive value of Marvel Pinball

Great sniping and robust multiplayer do a lot to offset the awful non-sniping sequences which there are far too many of. Rebellion and 505 should stick to the rooftops if they revisit this series.

Velocity is the product of a tiny yet extremely talented british studio that, should they continue along these lines, have a grand future ahead of them.

The FPS doesn't launch with much of a bang on the Vita. Resistance is a decidedly average game with major control and graphics issues that make it a chore more often that you'd like. The promise of competitive online is mostly squandered.

It's not perfect but it is more than good enough to be one of the best titles so far this year. Few games make me want to rush into a second playthrough yet MP3 did. With some patches and tweaks the multiplayer could be the best of the year, too.