In short, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo is a good, but not great, brawling platformer.

flOw is still a good game, but its presence means different things, depending on the platform you're playing it on.

It's refreshing to play Every Extend Extra because it doesn't rely on a convoluted storyline, talking heads, and so on, and I want more of this sort of thing, but blowing yourself up and making chains isn't enough to stand on its own. Even the new boss fights, which flaunt wildly imaginative designs, don't make up for the lacking experience.

In short, fans of casual sports games will find plenty to love about this title, which manages to be just as good as the home console version.

It's worth checking out if you're already a fan, but if you've never tried an adventure game before, this is a pretty solid entry point.

With tons of cameos from classic Marvel characters like the Black Widow, dialogue penned by Punisher writer Garth Ennis, and the sort of loving attention to detail that could please the most finicky of Comic Book Guys, the Punisher is practically a textbook example of how to do a good media-to-game conversion.

Ultimately, Dungeon Siege III is an easy-to-play popcorn journey into the classic action-RPG genre, hitting every checkbox. There is little innovation here, but it offers plenty of examples of how good design and development practices can make a derivative game enjoyable - and how a pretty severely console-designed game can be adjusted to feel largely right on a PC.

Although brief, Galacide executes its idea well. Unless you're playing at the higher difficulty levels, the puzzles and shooting don't conflict, and the pacing of each element is done well.

Its crazy camera makes running and gunning difficult, and being stealthy is too much work and takes too much time. Had the game stuck with its unique, brainy moments, it would have been a much better experience.

Even though it only looks slightly better than its PSP counterparts, the game is still fun, and the core game will keep strategy RPG fans busy for a long, long time. For those who've already gone through the PS3 incarnation, there isn't enough of a reason to get this one unless you never invested in the DLC. For everyone else who are fans of the genre, this is a worthy enough purchase.

In the end, Spellspire is a fun game that's best played in short sessions. The focus on speed is exciting, and the RPG elements make it so that you're forced to put some thought into each of your fights. It can feel rather repetitive since you're always stuck with 10 letters and the monster roster per stage doesn't change. Having said that, it's perfect for the Vita and is a complementary title for those who've already played Letter Quest Remastered.

Gimmicks aside, G-Force is an enjoyable game. The controls are solid, the graphics are quite good and the sound is better than expected.

In short, there are a lot of moving parts that take time to master. The fast-paced nature of the campaign leaves little room to take a breath when in the middle of a mission. While this is a little overwhelming for new players, it certainly offers an awful lot of excitement and replay value.

The story stuff isn't important, but the gameplay is really solid and well worth checking out.

Skullgirls is definitely worth a look, even if you're feeling a bit burned out by the fighting game revival.

While I'm glad to get five games for a price that's typically less than the cost of a new title, I also have to admit that some of the titles in King of the Fighters: The Orochi Saga are a bit redundant.

At its core, Mario Kart Wii is a simple, accessible title that lends itself to fun-filled evenings with friends on the couch or online games with racers halfway around the world.

It's a solid, fun little title that'll definitely entertain the young ones for quite a few hours, and manages to be a little educational as well.

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo is a surprisingly good game. The title is designed to be difficult and played in short bursts, but along with the challenges and unlockables, it has addictive qualities that beg for just one more round to be played. The versus modes are nice, but the co-op option in every mode makes this attractive for a system that's seemingly designed for two players. While by no means a presentation powerhouse, the gameplay in SMSBST is solid enough to be worth a look, especially at its normal low price of $4.99.

Them's Fightin' Herds is a very enjoyable game with more than a few caveats. The fighting is fun and has plenty of depth, but the tiny roster can feel very limiting. Online play is smooth and there are a number of things to do and options to work with, but it also means that experiencing defeat at the hands of a small but skilled player population will be done without any lag. Story mode is filled with plenty of awesome ideas and humorous moments, but the platforming will drive you up the wall, even in the story's incomplete state. Hardcore fighting game fans will love it, but more casual fans will need to temper expectations.

SD Gundam Battle Alliance does some things that I really enjoy and some things that I really don't. If you're a fan of the franchise, the crossovers will tickle your fancy. The chance to take some of your favorite machines into battle against one another will hold some appeal, but the overall grindy nature of the game can drag down the fan service elements. It's a fun enough game for die-hard fans of Gundam, but without that love to carry you, it's unlikely this title will catch your interest.

With a gripping, well-paced story that isn't afraid to delve into the realm of surreal and weird, Call of the Sea is an adventure title that's sure to please fans of the genre. You won't feel like the next Einstein when completing its puzzles, and the love story won't bring you to tears, but there's something charming about it for that very reason. It's a concise, seven-hour journey that progresses at a steady rate without ever overstaying its welcome.

Samurai Warriors 3 is strictly for hardcore fans who already know what they're getting, or the newcomer who has yet to experience the series. It's definitely friendly for new players, but it's not going to deter the people who hate these games from bashing it on their forum of choice.

Clean up some of the camera issues, add some length, and this could have been the PSP launch title to own, but as it is, the title is worth a weekend rental.

Even with its shortcomings, I enjoyed Neopets Puzzle Adventure quite a bit, and while I think that a better game could have been developed with these ideas, it's still a title that I'd suggest to DS owners, and something that shouldn't be overlooked simply because of the license attached to it.

PopCap Hits! Volume 1 is a great compilation of games for casual gamers who love puzzle titles. The conversion of both titles is good, and the saving system, especially for AstroPop, is more forgiving for gamers who found these titles a little more daunting that usual.

Although the terraforming can become a bit tedious at times, the campaign missions are engaging and challenging.

The game barely clocks in at five hours, and there's not much to do after that.

It's fast, it's fun, it has a comprehensible plot and it manages to go through an entire game with no Shadow.

With a little more foresight into the viewpoint, things could have become infinitely more playable and turned out to be a far more rewarding experience.

The changes are plentiful, but there's nothing ludicrously revolutionary here.

The gameplay is fun enough, but so agonizingly slow that the enjoyment of combat is seriously marred. For the most part, the story line is average and clichéd, and the dramatic moments don't entirely make up for that.

Despite the control issues that can crop up, WarioWare: Move It! remains a fun title for those who love the speedy and random nature of the series. The sheer ridiculousness of the microgame themes combined with the equally silly motion control poses make for a hilarious time, and the game works best in short bursts at gatherings than compared to the longer sessions you'll need to spend with a Mario Party title. It might not rank highly when compared to the rest of the series, but it proves that the formula is still fun enough to check out.

At its core, Escape Plan is a mostly good puzzle game.

The Council: Episode 4 - Burning Bridges is the penultimate episode of the game, and it does a good job of making things interesting again, but it does so with quite a number of flaws intact. The unrealistic reactions to big events are the episode's biggest flaw, as all of those shocking things lose their impact when everyone else fails to make a big deal out of it. At the same time, those new revelations open up things just enough to make the final episode more intriguing. Here's hoping that the finale makes the journey worthwhile.

Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls maintains the status quo of the RPG entries in the series. The lighthearted story is a great contrast to the other serious RPGs on the system, though the lengthy visual novel scenes can grate on your nerves if you aren't already on board with the oddball tale. It's a shame that a large swath of the game is taken wholly from older titles with minimal changes, but the improvements in the combat and skill systems make up for that transgression.

By no means a stand out in the genre, SWON does a decent job of providing a fun WWII shooter that is easily accessible to all.

If you're looking for just one NBA title to satisfy your sports itch this year, I'd honestly have to suggest NBA 2K9 over NBA Live '09 this time out. While the latter has the better presentation and better roster update system, 2K9 was just more fun to play.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a solid and enjoyable RPG that plays it very safe. If you enjoy Dragon Quest gameplay, then there's a lot to like, and the monster customization and fusing systems allow you to create some truly ridiculous monsters. Overall, it's a nice and breezy RPG. It doesn't break any molds, and it may not engage players who don't already enjoy Dragon Quest-style gameplay, but it knows exactly what it is and goes for it. Some technical issues hold it back and can drag down the experience, but Dragon Quest fans should be able to overlook that with ease.

Deluded Mind is good and entertaining, but it had so much potential. It had an asylum, random giggles, and a little emotional turmoil, but it always just missed the mark. I love a good asylum thriller, and this game had me guessing at nearly every turn. If you like a good thrill, try it out but use a notepad because there are several clues to keep track of. Word of advice: Never underestimate a good jump-scare. They will happen, and they will be random, and you will jump.

Dokapon Kingdom is a great party game, especially for RPG fanatics. Closer to competitive card games like Munchkins than what gamers generally think of as a party game, it offers a surprising amount of fun and depth for such a simple-looking package.

If you don't run afoul of the game's technical and server-related issues, you'll find Diablo II: Resurrected to be a good version of the classic action RPG. For those who have played with the 2000 PC classic countless times, this is a like-for-like copy of that title, only with a few more accessibility options and a new lick of paint so it blends in with modern releases. For those who are new to the game or are more familiar with Diablo III, keyboard and mouse players will feel limited, while the lack of modern quality-of-life amenities can dampen the excitement for the title. Either way, once everything clears up, Diablo II can become a great addition to any ARPG library, and if you're one who pays attention to the review score, you can bump up the number when the fixes roll in.

As a whole, Munin is fun. The gimmick of world manipulation is done well, and each level uses the mechanic to its full potential with some clever puzzles.

It doesn't perfectly replicate the poker experience enough to immerse you in the game, but if you are a poker fan, WCP2 should definitely be a title to consider, with its 14 different variants, online capability, and decent replay value.

ME3 was a mixed bag for me. In some ways, it comes off as a television or anime series that everyone likes but is forced to put up with the filler episodes for the moments that matter. It offers a confusing conundrum of powerful story elements with an impact that can only be measured against the investment a player has made into the first two games. At the same time, it wraps much of it within uninspired mechanics and an ending that is satisfying on one level while coming up short everywhere else.

In the end, Styx: Shards of Darkness is a solid stealth title. The lack of real combat puts your ability to go undetected to the test, and the breadth of each level means that your solutions to each problem are wide open, giving you some flexibility to your approach. While your abilities are fun to use, it would've been nice to see them make a difference, especially since the game reuses some environments instead of going for new ones. Shards of Darkness is an improvement over the first game, and it's worth checking out if you're a stealth fan.

The fighting is solid both online and offline, and it's easy enough for players of all skill levels to enjoy. It really is the DLC plan that's a big decision point for players. With no timetable about when all of the fighters will be released, the smart move for the more casual set would be to wait until everything is out first and see if the company will release a more complete version later on. Otherwise, if you can't wait, you're in for a solid fighting experience.

Your assessment of Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection is going to depend on what kind of player you are. If you're the ultra-competitive type who wants more than local fights, you'll be disappointed. The splintering of online play and lack of lobbies means that trying to find a game is needlessly painful, and with lobbies still in a beta state as of the time of this writing, it'll take longer than expected to get a PC-only community going for this compilation. If you're a more casual player or prefer local play, then the recent fixes to controller latency make this a very enjoyable experience all around. The solo campaign still feels grueling due to an unflinching difficulty level. The historical content and game library make this a great pick-up for those who love game history. If you just want to play the games offline, you'll greatly enjoy this experience.

If you like the music, DanceMasters is a great companion game to Dance Central.

If you liked the original coin-op game or are a fan of scrolling shooters, Joint Strike should definitely be in your collection.

The loving attention to historical detail comes at a cost of a truly arcane complexity level and rather plodding pace. However, in the right mindset, both quirks can be wonderful things, especially when the complexity also reveals just how deep and varied the mechanics can be.

It can be argued that Tropico 4 is more of a mission pack than a full game. Priced at $40 while the DLC-loaded edition of Tropico 3 goes for $15, the expense may be hard to rationalize for largely similar gameplay. The new options are quite nice, but may not be enough to justify the game for casual fans of the series. Genre aficionados will lap up the new missions and new tweaks, and casual fans who are looking for a fun twist on the SimCity tradition will find Tropico 4 to be a solid, worthy experience that will last a while.

Compared to past entries, keep in mind that Black Ops III falls squarely in the middle of the series in terms of overall quality.

Remote Life is a mix of old and modern sensibilities in a package that works rather well. The twin-stick shooting blends in nicely with tight controls and enemies that are fun to fight if you're not stuck with a terrible weapon. The level design mixes in traditional scrolling with a few adventure levels, all of which have some great design for the genre. If you can live with the translation errors and ignore some of the technical issues, you'll find Remote Life to be an engaging shooter for those who don't crave millions of bullets on the screen.

Folklore, presenting a tale of legends, aspires itself to the status of a legendary game. Alas, the title is flawed by various shortcomings and poor design decisions, placing such grandeur beyond its grasp. But, however lofty its unfulfilled ambitions, Folklore is certainly not a bad game; indeed, it's a reasonably good game.

Like its previous offshoots, MySims SkyHeroes feels like a "lite" version of other, stronger games. In this case, players feel like they're playing a watered-down version of Crimson Skies for the original Xbox.

With its plethora of options and playability, this is a stellar buy for the younger crowd.

Kujlevka is a fascinating game. The alien invasion setup may be well-worn territory, but the setup and outcome make it worthwhile, since it plays out so differently than expected. The "slice of life" story contrasts well with the off-the-wall dream sequences, and the result is a game with a very interesting story and multiple outcomes. It may not be a stunning game to look at, and the outcome variety isn't that vast, but the experience is compelling enough that you'd want to give it a spin at least once — if not multiple times.

Like its previous offshoots, MySims SkyHeroes feels like a "lite" version of other, stronger games. In this case, players feel like they're playing a watered-down version of Crimson Skies for the original Xbox.

If you can look past the mediocre graphics and lousy sound, Dreamlords really has a lot to offer. Multiple play styles, an extremely friendly community, and the constant forward progression of the game make for an overall enjoyable experience.

Vanguard is flawed but has exceptional potential to offer a satisfying long-term experience.

Given the lack of fighting games on the Wii console and the $30 price tag on King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga, you should definitely pick up the title.

Overall, de Blob 2 is worth checking out, but it wasn't as great as it should have been. If you missed the original title for any reason, de Blob 2 is a very unique platformer with some great design sense.

Phantasy Star Portable is a very interesting entry to the PSP RPG library due to the heavier focus on action. In this regard, it's more like the Monster Hunter series, since the emphasis is on raiding and multiplayer.

Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is a few steps short of being an all-around must-have roguelike shooter. The camera is zoomed in enough and just jerky enough that some enemies can be easily hidden from view. There's also the character unlocking process, which is only valuable if you plan on taking multiple successful runs through the game. With that said, the action is excellent, and the flaws aren't enough to stop the title from having that sort of magic that beckons you for one more run. Despite not being the first choice for a roguelike shooter, Hellmut is ultimately a good choice.

Sims 4 would've been a really good game if it'd had another six months of production time, and I thinkit has the potential to be great after a few expansions fill in the holes.

Since the presentation matches the source material quite well, One Piece fans will be pleased enough with this game as they continue with one of the longest manga stories ever told.

The driving theme behind Band Hero seems to be an attempt to make it more marketable and friendly to a younger audience. This doesn't necessarily make it a worse game, but it does make it feel extremely different.

In spite of some omissions and technical issues, Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour remains a classic. The original game design is tough, fun and interactive. For those who weren't around when this was first released, the engine change is less jarring than the old design and the new episode is quite good. At its current asking price of $20, it is tough to recommend no matter how big of a fan you are, and those who missed out on the Megaton Edition on PS3 and Vita or those who simply want it on PS4 would be better served waiting for a sale.

Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning adheres to the qualities of its forebears, so this still isn't a game that would enjoy a mass audience. This'll be fine for series fans who will be more than pleased to see the game open up in other categories. The graphical overhaul and increased customization are plusses, as is the presence of an overall quest outside of farm maintenance. For fans, this is a perfect entry to pick up. For newcomers, this isn't a bad place to start, as you'll definitely feel like you've gotten your money's worth. If you can stand the first slow month, you'll be happy with what's in store.

At the end of the day, though, the collision detection is enough of a problem to dock it a few points.

The mediocre graphics bring the quality of the game down somewhat, and, while the need for frantic strategies will probably keep you playing, the lack of any sort of selection of different game modes may reduce Battlegrounds to being a rental, at best.

While the Professor Layton series comes highly recommended if you're in the market for a puzzle adventure game, don't pass up this one.

Fans of the franchise and many gamers of a certain age, especially those who have a next-gen console in the hopper, will still find enough to like in Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War. I personally still replay the mission with the arcade shootout just to get a little '80s cheeseball energy going, but I think the strategy of overwhelming people with as much content and as many shooter modes as possible might be starting to wear thin. We're not there quite yet, but I'm hoping the next Black Ops might have just a bit more than poking at my childhood memories of a culturally iconic president.

Overall, God of War: Sons of Sparta is a fun Metroidvania. It captures the feel of God of War, if in a somewhat more lighthearted way than usual. As a Metroidvania title, there's not much — either good or bad — that makes it stand apart from the pack. If you're a fan of the franchise and don't mind a look at the younger days of the Ghost of Sparta, then it's absolutely worth a shot, but the price tag might make it a heavy ask for more casual Metroidvania fans.

Gameplay is paramount, and I would say that PSU is a better game than the original, but not necessarily up to the same level of quality.

Depth, and oddly enough, simplicity, have been sacrificed for portability, making this a mixed bag when all is said and done.

Without any multiplayer, exploration, or any other significant points of interest, Rain is a short, easy ride you'd be hard-pressed to venture into more than once.

Feels both overpriced and unnecessary in the modern marketplace.

The arcane unlock requirements will put off people who aren't already sold on the idea of playing dance games, and may even frustrate less die-hard fans. Still, if this sounds like your kind of game, it's worth the money.

Those of you who have grown accustomed to the bonus features and covet the additional accoutrements that EA has been delivering for years will be sorely discouraged by the stripped-down feeling you will get from playing through this title's limited modes.

Game of Thrones: Episode 5 - A Nest of Vipers reinforces the idea that happiness doesn't last. All of your victories in the previous episode — and the much smaller ones here — are easily reversed, and you get the feeling that the final episode will end in a Pyrrhic victory.

Like all of the HD remakes that have come out in the past few years, Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection is meant to capitalize on the nostalgia from older players who want their favorites on a current system, with the appropriate care taken during the transition. In a way, it works.

InFamous: Second Son is good but unmemorable — essentially the diner food of video games.

The deep tuning component and the long career mode make the drag racing complex and enjoyable, even for someone like me, who finds drag racing to be a fairly boring sport.

I had a lot of fun with the Career mode in Need for Speed: Undercover, and the easy-to-grasp controls really make this an accessible and fun title in the Need for Speed franchise. Don't expect a lot of innovation or new ideas, as a lot of the things that were implemented seem to be pulled from previous NFS releases, but I think race fans will be able to have some fun with this title.

If you've always craved for a bit more strategy in your Dynasty Warriors game, Kessen III may fit the bill.

Although you'll find very little that you haven't already experienced in a multitude of other platform games, Ratatouille provides a visually pleasing gaming experience with a single-player campaign of decent length and a respectable rewards system.

While the story is certainly on the light side and the sound is kind of weak, the gameplay and the puzzles more than make up for it.

IL2-Sturmovik: Birds of Prey isn't for everyone, especially not players who expect this to be the next Crimson Skies or to fill in for the next Ace Combat. Its emphasis on traditional dogfighting without frills, along with its low-key presentation, may seem a little dry alongside Jeremy Soule's stirring soundtrack, but the realistic bent of its flight mechanics and gameplay will find an audience among flight sim enthusiasts and would-be WWII pilots who want a reason to plug a flightstick into their console.

The drawing is spot-on, and if they could clean up the platforming, make a more intricate plot and present us with characters we care about, they could have a true classic on their hands.

If you can accept the studio's adventure game formula and the fairly large deviations to the canon, then Batman: The Telltale Series is a good game. The story remains gripping, and the additions to the gameplay formula make this feel more refined over the studio's previous efforts. The lack of further technical polish, however, is unfortunate; fixing those issues would've placed this game in the upper echelon of the studio's offerings. As it stands, Batman fans will certainly want to check out this title.

As stated before, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is the best way to experience what is otherwise an average platformer. The game isn't challenging, but it remains a solidly constructed platformer with improvements and changes in the right places. The game looks and sounds as great as it plays, and while it is fairly short by today's standards, that doesn't detract from the overall fun factor. For genre fans, this is a good addition to the library, even if you already have the original iteration from a few console generations ago.

Overall, Bannerman feels fresh in the way it looks and plays, and we wouldn't be too far off the mark in describing it as a 2-D Dark Souls. Fans of skill-based combat who are interested in the masterfully created retro visuals will get a short but intense journey through the gritty side of war in medieval times.

Escape From Duckov is a pleasant surprise provided you have the patience for it. The focus on solo play for an extraction shooter relieves the game of any obvious griefing from overly ambitious players. The slow progression may irk those looking for constant action, but it also will please those players who appreciate being surprised by tense standoffs that start and end quickly. Even if the concept may have started out as a joke, the game shows that it can take itself seriously and provide an enjoyable experience. Unless you absolutely need native controller support, Escape from Duckov is a game worth checking out if you've always been interested in the extraction shooter concept but want to do so without real people constantly hunting you down.

Xanadu Next is the kind of throwback action-RPG that we don't see much of anymore. It lets the story trickle out slowly while all of the needed mechanics are presented early, leaving the player without a guide much sooner than contemporary JRPGs. It helps that the gameplay is strong, and the difficulty can be appreciated more now that the public seems to dig games that punish the player. It's not a game for everyone, and some won't like the older presentation, but genre fans will appreciate that this title has an official translation and can play on more modern machines.

The $50 price tag might seem somewhat high for a game that takes one idea, tweaks it a bit, and calls it a whole new play function. However, when one takes into consideration the extensive replay value that the multiplayer functionality brings to the table, that price point seems less intimidating.

Armored Core 4 delivers more of what the series is known for: fast-paced, arcade-style mech action with highly customizable robots in which to fight. It does this with some very nice visuals to boot, although it fails to be really great with the extremely short campaign, forgettable missions/story, and a clunky user interface for the garage and shop.