Obduction succeeds as a follow-up to Myst not because it invokes nostalgia for 1993, but because it builds realities like Myst did. A new world, one that feels true, one that breathes.

$20 might seem like a bit much for a little over five hours of gameplay, although there's a lot of content packed into this first installment: Four largish 3-D environments, a dozen or so main characters, and reams of funny dialogue.

If you can bear the frustration of that early grind, there’s a reward waiting for you. The thrill of pushing your thrusters to full burn, looping around the asteroids near Karahdor Outpost, the Prince Ol in your sights, his fighter dancing in evasion. Vulcan cannons blazing. The stars watching, an entire universe built for for one exhilarating fight after another.

Far Cry Primal is best played through subtraction. First thing, go into the options menu and turn off the mini-map. Takkar certainly doesn’t have a map, and using one is distraction that detracts from the beauty and horror of Oros. Ignore the extraneous missions, the ones that rely on formula and filler by, say, having you kill the same two warriors to save the same kidnapped Wenja. Seek out the upgrades you find most useful and skip the rest. Ignore the completion percentages. Take it slow.

Trackmania DS is a great game. But racing time trials and designing tracks starts to lose its appeal when you don't have anyone to share the experience with. If you're having trouble convincing your friends to buy the DS game, remember that the PC version of Trackmania is incredibly popular -- and free.

A ballsy take on literature that worships at the altar of God of War.

Hitman, the franchise, has always been known for elaborate assassinations and long missions that flow beautifully from one moment to the next. And it’s wonderful to see the subtitle-free sequel keep to that tradition. This is only the first of several planned episodes, but one with an emotional rollercoaster with enough depth and challenge to last some time.

It’s a paranoid nightmare vision of my own cell phone, and I can’t look away.

Batman: Arkham VR is quite a short game. You step into the Batsuit for just a little over an hour. In that span of time, it can be quite a frightening experience. But it’s definitely worth playing if you’re an early adopter of PlayStation VR.

The camera angles could have been placed better. The characters could have been more developed...But damn is it fun.

The enemies just aren't clever enough to keep up with players in most situations, not to mention the number of times your computer controlled partner will inevitably get stuck behind a wall. Plus, the seven-hour campaign doesn't provide enough entertainment value without the added fun of multiplayer gaming.

It bakes a string of unnerving themes into its gameplay that stand wholly apart from the bevy of shooters it’s competing with.

The difference with Star Fox Guard is that, for me at least, it clicked automatically, and I was having a blast from the first moment.

If you’re looking for novel virtual reality experiences, I do think you should check out Eagle Flight to get a sense of how much fun it can be to soar in VR. After playing it, though, I feel like I’d really enjoy a game with these precise mechanics, but without constraints: a more free-form, less demanding play style that would accentuate the freedom of flight—not detract from it.

There’s a buttload of money to be made here, and Nintendo has done the exact minimum amount of work necessary to make that very buttload, just in time for what’s probably going to be 3DS’ last big holiday season. Too bad it couldn’t be bothered to make this the definitive version of the game that it could have been.

But it’s a big game best taken in small doses: An hour or two of clamber up the side of a building, snipe some guys, drive like hell, lather, rinse, repeat was plenty. Any more than that and I started to think maybe the Nazis could just have France, if they wanted it so bad.

Flawless presentation, funny dialogue, great puzzles.

The combination of clever, strategic gameplay with hopelessly niche subject matter almost guarantees cult classic status for this one. But Political Machine 2008 is definitely worth playing, particularly if you're a fan of politics -- no other game to date better represents our embattled system.

It's done some brilliant things with its genre to create a brand new experience, but no game mode aside from team deathmatch is well-balanced or interesting, and there are precious few maps.

It's all the more disappointing because you can see, mired in the boring levels and bad cameras, glimpses of fun ideas.

The Molasses Flood’s debut is a brilliant tone piece, drawing skillfully on an established well of symbolism and cultural preoccupations that rarely get showcased in games. The Flame in the Flood is a journey toward hope at the end of a long river, a journey worth taking.

Dokapon Kingdom's perfectly balanced multiplayer, cool aesthetics and pure addictive fun make it a new high-water mark for party games on the Wii.

It does exactly what a game is supposed to: It entertains throughout its duration, it flexes the muscle of both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and above all it squeezes your testosterone gland just enough to make the gaming experience enjoyable.

It feels like I stepped through a time warp and am reviewing the original Mirror’s Edge again. It recreates the original game’s strengths—and, more importantly, its fundamental errors—as if no time had passed.

Let it Die is certainly addictive. There’s something there, in its madcap core, that is good and possibly great. I’m just not entirely sure what it is.

Galactrix is a surprisingly robust game, but you really need to have an investment in the rote act of matching gems to appreciate it all.

Dragon Ball is ultimately a story about transformation, about the idea that people can change to become more than they are.

Never feels challenging, so it lacks exhilarating highs.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is more than a below-average platformer. It feels like the last nail in the franchise's coffin. If this game couldn't take the series back to its glory days, it doesn't seem like it'll ever get there.

The enemies just aren't clever enough to keep up with players in most situations, not to mention the number of times your computer controlled partner will inevitably get stuck behind a wall. Plus, the seven-hour campaign doesn't provide enough entertainment value without the added fun of multiplayer gaming.

It does exactly what a game is supposed to: It entertains throughout its duration, it flexes the muscle of both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and above all it squeezes your testosterone gland just enough to make the gaming experience enjoyable.

I wouldn't recommend that version of Sega Superstars Tennis to anyone who isn't a massive fan of the company. I had high hopes, but with so many simple yet crucial issues here, it looks like we're going to have to wait for the inevitable sequel before truly enjoying our trip down memory lane.

Gameplay and narrative are inextricably intertwined, and ought to reinforce and point toward one another. In Song of the Deep, they feel at odds in a way that’s made even more grating by the loving, attentive eye Insomniac casts on the world it created. These people care about Merryn and her journey, and they do so much to make you care, too. Now they just need to get out of her way.

Although 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand has enough novel gimmicks in its shooting gameplay to keep things interesting, everything else is no better than average.

If Nintendo is serious about proving that its polished portable releases smoke competitors' cut-rate downloadable titles, the company should concentrate on producing games that last longer than a few hours.

For all this, for all of its pretentiousness, for all of its own flaws, No Man’s Sky rightly deserves a place in a modern art museum. Like a home with doors that may never open, begging us to ponder what lies beyond, No Man’s Sky is an unanswerable question, but one I’m glad I asked.

It's all the more disappointing because you can see, mired in the boring levels and bad cameras, glimpses of fun ideas.

The concepts behind the new Bionic Commando are strong, but the moment-to-moment action just doesn’t deliver on the promise of how awesome it would be to have a grappling hook instead of a hand.

An interesting experiment? Sure. But the changes to the game design have all but removed the most-fun parts while emphasizing the game's weaknesses. Whoops.

If you’re willing to devote some of your leisure energy into Tumbleseed, I imagine you’ll be rewarded. But I can’t guarantee it. I might just be the world’s worst Tumbleseed player.

While Mirror’s Edge Catalyst opens up the city rather than confining you to discrete levels, its design woes feel precisely like the original. The odds of me clearing a mission on the first try were approximately zero. Not because my reflexes weren’t up to snuff—I swear it!—but simply because the missions are so tightly timed, the positioning so precise, that there really isn’t any time to figure out what the plan’s going to be: you simply have to do. And while that may (I can only assume) genuinely recreate the sorts of fast decisions you’d have to make if you were really trying to outrun the cops on foot, it doesn’t make for a game experience that feels fair.

It sounds confusing. It is confusing. It’s also not optional. This is how you play Star Fox Zero. It’s the shooter equivalent of rubbing your stomach while patting your head and also keeping a hacky-sack in the air with your foot.

No continues or saves, no level selection, weapons aren't balanced.

But even the best programming can't save this game from the flaws in its design. There's nothing horribly wrong with it, but it also fails to bring anything remotely new or original to the genre.

But like a jazz-master bringing new life to an old standard, or a Jazzercise-master making leg warmers fashionable again, Bloons TD 4 transforms the familiar into something fantastic. If, like me, you've wandered away from the tower-defending fold, this might be just the thing to bring you back.

No continues or saves, no level selection, weapons aren't balanced.

At some point, you realize that looking back at each of Viking's qualities, it's hard to really put your finger on anything that's truly standout -- and yet it's compelling.

You won't find endless fun here, but you can play around for many hours before feeling like you've mastered the game.

Deadlight isn't a poor game, just average. Mediocre. Inoffensive. If Deadlight developers Tequila Works developed another game with some more original ideas, I'd like to play it.

The other side of this coin is that Nier bites off more than it can chew: It wants to be Final Fantasy, God of War, Zelda, Monster Hunter and FarmVille all at once. And the problem with trying so many things is that every new feature you add is a new opportunity to screw the pooch.

I wouldn't recommend that version of Sega Superstars Tennis to anyone who isn't a massive fan of the company. I had high hopes, but with so many simple yet crucial issues here, it looks like we're going to have to wait for the inevitable sequel before truly enjoying our trip down memory lane.

A game centered on replay. With five characters and six chapters, the game counts on players to visit and revisit the castle to improve their scores and find new treasures. Dismaying as the rate of reward may be, I'm excited to tear this incarnation of Dracula's Castle wide open. Repeatedly.

Two Worlds II is just a pale shadow of the games it attempts to imitate. While exceptional open-world RPGs like Oblivion and Fallout: New Vegas encourage exploration by hiding pieces of narrative and flavor in every little corner of the map, the massive fields of Two Worlds II are lifeless and empty.

I wouldn't recommend that version of Sega Superstars Tennis to anyone who isn't a massive fan of the company. I had high hopes, but with so many simple yet crucial issues here, it looks like we're going to have to wait for the inevitable sequel before truly enjoying our trip down memory lane.

In short, I was left wanting to know more. The fact that you can start a new campaign with your character and continue to level him up didn't really entice me back into Too Human -- I want more story. To that end, I'm looking forward to the promised release of "Too Human 2."

Better break-time puzzle rounds and a story that's not throwaway filler would make a truly excellent game; this is merely a fun diversion.

At some point, you realize that looking back at each of Viking's qualities, it's hard to really put your finger on anything that's truly standout -- and yet it's compelling.

The enhanced interface and new skill system make this 3DS version more than the sum of its borrowed parts. Given the choice between Mercenaries and Resident Evil 5's Mercenaries mode, I prefer the handheld version to its high-res but lumbering ancestor.

Yes, it is quite a bit more fun to run down Federation Force‘s hallways and headshot its Space Pirates when you have a group. But a lot of that, it seems to me, is because the game is designed to be much easier when you have a team and very challenging, even inhospitable, to a solo player.

Magikarp Jump, as a result, takes what could be a mean joke about one of Pokémon Company’s sillier creations and turns it into a pleasant, engaging little game about companionship and raising a school of beautiful baby fish. When your first Magikarp reaches maturity, you gain experience as a trainer and can catch another Magikarp that grows even larger and jumpier. Let them swim around your pond, feed them, and train them with a variety of exercises to help them reach their full (albeit limited) potential. As with most mobile games, you can pay for bonuses that help your Magikarp grow up faster, but they’re unobtrusive and don’t break the game.

Wii Music is Wii's "Nintendogs." It's not a traditional videogame with challenges and goals, it's an interactive playground. While some gamers will "get it" and have some fun with it, they'll likely abandon it after a little while. Most hard-core gamers will stay far away.

But even the best programming can't save this game from the flaws in its design. There's nothing horribly wrong with it, but it also fails to bring anything remotely new or original to the genre.

Even though some stages (like the penultimate aerial battle) felt like they lasted forever and ever, Dark Void is a pretty short game with an anticlimactic ending that does little more than set up a sequel.

If you're a Pokemon superfan, you'll undoubtedly enjoy chilling with the very creatures you've spent so much time trying to catch.

Gameplay is pure repetition; fun in short bursts but little lasting attraction.

Even though some stages (like the penultimate aerial battle) felt like they lasted forever and ever, Dark Void is a pretty short game with an anticlimactic ending that does little more than set up a sequel.

If you're a Pokemon superfan, you'll undoubtedly enjoy chilling with the very creatures you've spent so much time trying to catch.

The best thing I can say about Overdrive is that it feels just like Blaster Master, with a few great new improvements and a few small new flaws.

Sea Life Safari is just plain short. After 3 hours of play, I had access to all of the levels, had captured every species of fish in my log book, and had unlocked every Achievement except the one for finding all of the golden shells in the game.

Even with the slightly below-average graphics, even with the blatantly swiped mechanics, even with the simplistic punch-kick-repeat gameplay, I still want to recommend Tokyo Beat Down. As with Operation Darkness, the title's story and writing are so different and original that I couldn't help but enjoy the game.

The story is silly, the sound effects are like Chinese water torture (special to Gameloft: The sound of another human being swallowing is not a sound normal people like to hear over and over) and the only thing resembling challenge is when it decides to kill you with half-baked action sequences.

Amidst these odd, singular moments lies a nexus of something fascinating and powerful, a new almost dadaist landscape emerging from the confluence of bad aesthetic decisions and largely pointless gameplay conceits. I could imagine another game that takes advantage of the distinctive strangeness the developers have created here, that harbors it and shores it up into something worth spending time with. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that. We got The Tomorrow Children instead.

The game requires very little in the way of strategy or timing -- just mashing on the attack buttons is more than enough to get you through half the game. At that point, more and more enemies start piling on you, and getting cheap-shotted in the back is an excellent way to die (and be booted out to a long loading screen while you wait for the exact same level you were just in to be reloaded).

In attempting to create a sprawling action game that lets you play swordsmen and archers and wizards and scouts and trolls and Ents and Sauron, the developers failed to make any of those experiences much fun. Conquest might be worth killing a weekend with, and will probably find its niche with Battlefront fans, but it is lackluster at every turn.

Anyone who's been waiting for Peter Molyneux's latest epic will no doubt spend hours in front of Pub Games trying to earn cash, whether they like it or not. But on its own, it doesn't offer nearly enough entertainment.

I'd like to encourage The Adventure Company to bring more point-and-clicks to Wii, but please, please make them better than this.

It's just a bland set of predictable first-person shooting levels, not much to look at and not engaging to play.

I can't imagine a good reason to purchase Zoids Assault.

Fuzzy skateboard controls are more frustrating than fun.

So while it falls short of greatness, Operation Darkness can content itself with being merely a fun game with an amazing premise.

Prospekt doesn’t quite match the brilliance of the official games.

Do yourself a favor: Steer clear of Myst DS and keep your memories pure.

If you enjoy Hell’s Kitchen or Master Chef, having Ramsay’s constant banter in the game really does enhance the experience.