The A.I. is the most intelligent opposition I have ever seen in a strategy title, and the tech tree is vast enough to offer a plethora of various strategies to employ. The lack of multiplayer is ameliorated by the fact that there are so many options and ways to play the single-player portions.

The only thing holding back this game from being a must-own for everyone is the confusing plot, but even then, players should be able to enjoy this title for its fantastic gameplay and amazing music.

In terms of sound, NBA Live 2004 does a great job of presenting an authentic aural presentation with ripped-from-the-court sound effects of player's shoes squeaking on the wood floor, the undeniable swish of the ball slapping into pure net, and dynamic crowd reactions.

Even though some features were missing from Max Payne 2, the audio attribute of the game is superb.

A small issue I had with the game is the replayability; while you can go back and clear out all areas, there is no real payoff for doing so. Even with these minor issues, Psychonauts definitely comes strongly recommended.

The ability to play through the game in the first person viewpoint really does kick up the immersion and suspense factor, as you lose the vision of your sides and immediately behind you that you have in third person view.

Puzzle Quest is truly a masterpiece.

No game has ever captured the feel of its movie counterpart so well. If EA ever realizes how much they are missing out on by passing up Live they could have a masterpiece on their hands.

Death Stranding is a remarkable experience. Full stop. It's the first game I've played where everything from the story to the gameplay work together as a truly cohesive product. The social online system is intriguing and works well, and I'm curious to see if this idea will be explored further in future games. Everything about Death Stranding feels organically interwoven, which makes the experience all the more impressive and enriching. That also means that not all parts of it are excellent. The delivery gameplay is good and occasionally great, but given its pacing and setup, it doesn't always serve the game well, especially given the low difficulty level. Setting aside those minor gripes, Death Stranding is a new and brave direction for a game, and it pays off in many ways. This may not be for everyone, but everyone should try it out if they have the chance.

Bottom line: If you are or have ever been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog during the series' two-decade history, then this is your game.

Bottom line: If you are or have ever been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog during the series' two-decade history, then this is your game.

The most complete 2D Castlevania game to date. Gorgeous graphics and compelling music combine with exciting exploration and combat to form a great action experience on the Nintendo DS.

Dark Resurrection is simply is the best portable fighting game ever made, hands down.

The combat system is not only intuitive and very fluid but is chock-full of "Did you see that?!" moments, and not only takes the hardcore feel of the original title but expands upon it with additional weapons, attacks, and techniques.

Whether it is chainsawing or curb-stomping kids online, GoW is a fun game in all respects. I just wish Epic distributed their efforts more evenly because that would have pushed GoW that extra little bit to make it an all-time favorite.

The basic gameplay hasn't changed, but it's been refined to near perfection, and now that they have that out of the way, they're starting to focus on telling stories within that framework, which is something I greatly approve of.

Saros has become one of my favorite shooters of the past few years, honestly since Returnal. I appreciate Housemarque for giving both the more hardcore and the less hardcore among us the chance to see the world it's crafted in its entirely. My hands hurt a little, and I'll probably need a new controller sometimes soon, but it's a cycle I'm willing to be stuck in for a bit longer.

A much better game than the original. The single player, while still weak compared to multiplayer, is longer and more engrossing.

Superb. The AI is decent enough, the combat is great fun, and it's imaginative, varied, and hilarious.

It's a conscious decision on Larian's part to resurrect tried-and-true threads that run deep into the bones of the CRPG genre. It's a culmination of those efforts and an unapologetic celebration of battle-tested concepts backed by solid co-op. Most of all, it comes together as a grand adventure that hearkens back to sleepless nights buoyed by the roll of a die and a pad of grid paper shared between fellow dungeon crawlers.

It's easy to be a little jaded about the fact that Call of Duty is going back to the Modern Warfare well. This latest entry into the franchise seems to be a significant improvement over previous entries, and it's closer to the type of game that the developers have been perfecting for years. The campaign is done well, the cooperative multiplayer is challenging, and the adversarial multiplayer is arguably better than it has ever been. Perhaps most importantly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare appeals to long-standing fans and new players alike. It might even draw in those who have fallen out of the Call of Duty fold and are looking for a way back.

Far Cry: Instincts on the Xbox is a much more balanced and fun game than the PC version.

It, in fact, accomplishes roughly 95% of what it set out to do, and with style besides. If you've ever liked Dragon Ball Z, even just as a kid growing up, then this game should automatically be added to your collection.

There are no areas where How to Survive really stumbles, and there are plenty of areas where it shines. The combat flows well, though ranged seems to be a better idea than melee, and the enemy variety keeps things from becoming stale.

No other baseball game so far as been able to fully capture the feel of pitching, fielding and batting like MVP has. The pitching and fielding interfaces are unmatched and are down right groundbreaking, yet extremely simple to pick up on and use.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and would recommend it to anyone who is remotely a fan of the Star Wars universe, whether they're getting exposed to it for the first time or are of a certain age and have loved it since they heard Luke Skywalker whine about power converters decades ago. Respawn is onto something here, and I've low-key been waiting — wishing — for Cal Kestis to show up in one of the upcoming shows or movies. These games have made that kind of impact, and I'm looking forward to where the story goes next.

No matter how many first-person shooters the Xbox 360 has, there's always room for one of the quality of Unreal Tournament 3.

Realistically, if you own Wings of Liberty and enjoyed it, you should pick up Heart of the Swarm — not because it is more of the same, but because it's not.