It doesn't really reach its full potential until halfway through the game, but if you stick it out, you'll find a brilliant, if short-lived, gem.

It's far from a perfect package, but whether you're a veteran who remembers the series' heyday back on the Sega Genesis or a newbie looking to dip your feet into the series, you won't be disappointed with Sonic Rush Adventure.

The no-frills adventure portion of the title offers a twist on the exciting fighting formula, although the unpolished reliance on platforming might turn off players who are looking simply to crack some skulls as the orange-clad Hokage hopeful.

Despite some flaws, I really enjoyed MLB '09: The Show on the PSP.

Looking sharp and controlling well, the XBLA version of Bejeweled 3 is easily on par with its PC brethren.

If you're into challenging action platformer games, Blasphemous is as good as the next. It isn't perfect or revolutionary, but it doesn't have to be. Its lore and visual direction are disturbingly beautiful and craft an interesting and distinct world. Great boss fights and an enjoyable and challenging combat system ensures that fans of the genre will have enough to sink their teeth into and enjoy.

Although it's on a handheld system, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 is a massive game and a real improvement over the previous titles for the PSP. The graphics are stunning.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a fun RPG, but compared to other Persona titles, it's rather unexceptional.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game is a very interesting title. On one hand, the Story mode tries its best to deviate from the movie for a bit, and while it works, it barely raises the game beyond a decent rating. On the other hand, the open-world nature of the Toy Box feels so refreshing and fun that one wishes it were the entire focus of the game.

After almost 30 years, Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster still holds up. The story is fine, with a general Star Wars vibe and overall clean presentation. The level design and action are good, and the objectives remain novel when compared to its contemporaries. Compared to later games in the series, Dark Forces Remaster is simpler and more enjoyable. Those looking to return to the game with this version will be pleased.

The way Silent Hill Origins is presented is revolutionary for a handheld, but unfortunately, fans of the series may find that it doesn't bring much innovation to the table.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a charming, fun and well-made game with plenty of humor and excellent gameplay. It's an example of how you can expand on a tried-and-true formula in a way that makes it distinctive and exciting. The only thing that drags it down are some bugs and occasional difficulty spikes that feel more frustrating than fun. If you're a fan of XCOM-style games but want a new approach, you should absolutely try MYZ, which is one of the best surprises of the year.

With Kinect and the new wave of full-body motion-tracking exercise games, EA Sports Active 2 is starting to feel a bit left behind in the fitness genre.

As the second part of a trilogy, Chaos on Deponia does exactly what it needs to do, and it does it well enough. There's some story progression here, as well as character advancement to help flesh things out. It's too bad that the advancement comes very late into the game, leaving the player with a somewhat alternate take on the original tale instead. The presentation holds up very well, and the adventure is humorously entertaining.

A sleeper hit because of the simplicity of the gameplay and the intricacy of the strategy.

At the very least, who wouldn’t want to own one of the most beautiful videogame boxes ever to release?

Forgive the lack of variety and sometimes-baffling storyline, and Condemned is a brilliant undertaking.

This game will leave you hoping to celebrate the next Anniversary with Miss Croft in another 10 years.

It's not perfect, and the chrome finish is marred by a few pacing and polish quibbles, but successfully taking Hiryu's seemingly anachronistic style into the 21st century has only proven how much he has improved with time.

In the end, OlliOlli is quite good. It's familiar enough for genre fans to be able to pick up quickly, yet it's different enough that it feels fresh.

I enjoyed a lot of my time with The Foundation, but I'm left wondering how much of a lasting impact it'll have on the Control universe as a whole. It felt more like an entertaining distraction than a large step forward, but I had no problem eating up all the lore, info and strange encounters I could find. If you're a fan of the game and thought it was one of the best games of 2019, you'll see that poking around in the underbelly of the Oldest House is well worth the time.

If you can get past the initial hour, Riders Republic becomes a very strong title. The world is a joy to explore thanks to the many biomes and landscape types you see. Compared to the rest of Ubisoft's open-world games, each pip on the map serves a much higher purpose than providing something to keep you busy. The instantaneous fast-travel, and the races pull off many adrenaline-pumping moments that you'll want to revisit. The title still has some issues, like some odd collision during the exploration and the unnecessary presence of microtransactions. Fans of racing will love what the various Ubisoft studios have pulled off with Riders Republic.

Clan O'Conall and the Crown of the Stag is a fine title. It isn't a very long experience, and it doesn't feature multiple difficulties, but the balance between combat and puzzle-solving is well done, and it helps that both elements are quite good on their own. If you don't mind the lack of multiplayer and you wanted an experience like the classic Trine offerings, give this one a spin.

Soda Crisis succeeds in providing action in small doses. Even if you forget half of the possible moves, you have more than enough to become a formidable action hero who's capable of taking down everyone in a torrent of bullets. The brevity of each stage makes it perfect for bite-sized gaming sessions, and the presentation keeps the high-octane action vibe going. It's a fine outing if you love run-and-gun platformers, but make sure to bring a good pair of glasses or sit very close to the screen if you want to read any text in the game.

The Wonderful 101 is a top-notch game from a top-notch developer. It isn't flawless, but the flaws don't detract from the whole.

Not only did Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders come out of nowhere, but Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes also came from the exact same direction and still remains an excellent title to have a great deal of fun with while using one's strategy bone.

A quality title that doesn't necessarily stray from the proven groundwork laid down by its predecessors, but still manages to give you a good scare.

Whether it was the desire to stay one step ahead of TNA Impact or just the realization that things were getting stale, THQ and Yuke's really stepped up this year and delivered a terrific wrestling game in WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw '09. The new Road to Wrestlemania mode finally builds a viable vehicle to tell the types of stories that one only finds in professional wrestling, with a smart eye toward rivalries and character dispositions rather than the slapped-together garbage that seems to plague every other game dealing with similar subject matter.