A brilliant little game, Orcs Must Die! lives up to its name with gusto. At 1,200 MSP ($15 USD) for 24 levels of highly polished, Orc-killing fun, Orcs Must Die! offers up a satisfying balance of challenge, personality and strategy.

FIFA Soccer 12 is rich with fathoms of deep features, and the well-designed improvements to both presentation and gameplay make it a worthy upgrade for owners of last year's edition.

FIFA Soccer 12 is rich with fathoms of deep features, and the well-designed improvements to both presentation and gameplay make it a worthy upgrade for owners of last year's edition.

Dark Souls is easily one of the best RPGs on the market and manages to even eclipse Demon's Souls, its predecessor. The gameplay is slow and methodical, but never in a way that feels boring. The game is hard, but almost always in a fair way.

Dark Souls is easily one of the best RPGs on the market and manages to even eclipse Demon's Souls, its predecessor. The gameplay is slow and methodical, but never in a way that feels boring. The game is hard, but almost always in a fair way.

Unless you've got a strong hankering for the 3-D world, you'd be better served with either Worms or Worms 2 in all their 2-D glory.

Crimson Alliance is a simple but entertaining and deceptively addictive hack-and-slash title. It's very light on the RPG elements but makes up for it with a very satisfying combat system.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine takes solid third-person concepts and uses them to create an atmospheric piece of WH40K that boasts the same care and meticulous attention to detail that Relic has bestowed upon its RTS titles. The third-person shooter setup is more satisfying than RTSes because you get to step through the bodies of Ork foes on the ground rather than gazing down at your troops from above.

Forza Motorsport 4 feels like a proper sequel for the series instead of a glorified car roster update; it's not quite so easy given how much you could do and experience in the previous game.

F1 2011 is a good game built on a solid foundation that is only improving with each annual installment. Still, Formula One racing is not every gamer's cup of tea. It's strangely addictive, but it doesn't have the pick-up-and-play nature of a Burnout game. Dirt and Grid are more down to earth than Burnout, but F1 makes them look a lot like OutRun.

F1 2011 is a good game built on a solid foundation that is only improving with each annual installment. Still, Formula One racing is not every gamer's cup of tea. It's strangely addictive, but it doesn't have the pick-up-and-play nature of a Burnout game. Dirt and Grid are more down to earth than Burnout, but F1 makes them look a lot like OutRun.

Aside from these issues, I really enjoyed NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. It is certainly reminiscent of old-school NBA Jam, which is what I'm looking for.

Aside from these issues, I really enjoyed NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. It is certainly reminiscent of old-school NBA Jam, which is what I'm looking for.

Hole in the Wall is both fun and short. It's initially amusing to see players try to go through ridiculous shapes, but it is a novelty that wears off quickly if you plan to play it for long periods of time (instead of in the advised short bursts).

If Kirby Mass Attack is really going to be the last Kirby title on the Nintendo DS, then it's ended its run on a very high note. The mechanic of controlling 10 Kirbys at once works like a charm thanks to great level design and good controls.

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.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X is a must-have game, but only if you fall under certain requirements. You have to be fine with more puzzles and obscure item hunts than combat. There must be a comfort level with the various odd camera angles that the game seems to love. The fact that some of the dialogue is off and that some of the voices are laughable shouldn't pose much of a problem to you. You also have to be fine with the graphical improvements being good but not mind-blowing. If you can live with all of this, then you'll certainly enjoy this classic entry in the series because of the story and action. If any of the aforementioned aspects bother you, then stick with the franchise games from Resident Evil 4 onward.

Burnout Crash! is an odd entry in the Burnout franchise. On the one hand, it makes for an enjoyable casual title and is sure to be appeal to the non-core gamer crowd because of its pick-up-and-play nature. On the other hand, core fans of the franchise are likely to be disappointed because it's not the Burnout game they were expecting. With that said, if you can leave your preconceptions at the door, Burnout Crash! just might end up as your go-to title for quick gaming sessions.

X-Men: Destiny feels like a demo for a bigger game that never was. Little of the excitement that could have followed in the booted footsteps of X-Men Legends or Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is buried within its too-short campaign and thin smattering of gameplay. It's Dynasty Warriors for mutants; it can be fun at the outset, even with all the button-mashing, but the boxed-in world is not enough to distract from the hollow feeling of this particular destiny.

X-Men: Destiny feels like a demo for a bigger game that never was. Little of the excitement that could have followed in the booted footsteps of X-Men Legends or Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is buried within its too-short campaign and thin smattering of gameplay. It's Dynasty Warriors for mutants; it can be fun at the outset, even with all the button-mashing, but the boxed-in world is not enough to distract from the hollow feeling of this particular destiny.

In the end, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 feels very similar to the original game, mostly setting itself apart with new monsters and a small handful of new mechanics.

Rock of Ages is the rare game that manages to stand completely on its own and also deliver a memorable experience.

Unless you absolutely despise the genre, Radiant Silvergun is a game that needs to be in your collection. It's just as much a landmark in game design as it is a joy to play.

If you own a PS3, you must purchase The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection.

An extremely polished twin-stick shooter, Renegade Ops offers up expansive levels, lush visuals and just the right amount of challenge.

Persona fans should certainly check it out, and anyone with the patience for a slow and somewhat grindy JRPG will find a gem in the rough.

TwistedPixel's impassioned effort succeeds because they overlooked few details in production, properly balanced gameplay even though it means you won't see much of The Gunstringer at Major League Gaming events, and, most importantly, kept their ambitions for the game within the scope of Kinect's limitations.

With freeform gameplay and an enchanting visual style, From Dust is well worth the asking price of $15.