It's disappointing that the three sides -- the USA, the USSR, and NATO -- are the same except for their accents and artwork. Also, there's a lot of nuance among the tactical powers that will be overwhelming to new players.

Judged against its peers, Burnout Revenge sets the standard for breakneck speed and destruction in the action racing arena. Anyone new to the series should rush out and add this to their collection.

A great experience, although it suffers from a lack of innovation. Gameplay is all too familiar, and the new additions feel quite superficial. Having the best part hidden away as an unlockable doesn't help matters.

Every brilliant little detail of N4 serves to remind you, over and over again, that this is a sim of real class.

The sequel is a better game in every way, but the original was so successful at combining extreme sports stunts with real basketball that there was little room left for improvement.

Outstanding graphically and sonically, Far Cry's gameplay doesn't quite match up to its looks. That said, the AI and imaginative set pieces make it easily the best single-player first-person shooter of the last few months.

The maturation of a genre. More "Civilization" in scope, feel, and satisfaction than even the popular "Age of Empires" series, Rise of Nations is the world's first 4X RTS.

No other racing game on any platform simulates the NASCAR experience this accurately. Graphics have been improved for this year's update, but lack the arcade pop on the consoles.

The game not only rocks in single-player, but is also up among the best multiplayer experiences, and plays well over the Internet.

Fans of the first two games will either love or hate the new plot-based objectives, although combat remains the beautiful, almost artful experience it always has been.

Complete in nearly every way and is a good bet for casual fans who just want to slap a few balls out of the infield and diehards who will settle for nothing less than a full career simulation.

The most exhilarating mix of simulation, realism, arcade fun, destructive firepower, strategy and action available for your PC.

It's a shortish ride, and dark -- pitch black, if you like -- but a great one.

It may be short on innovation, which is surprising with close challengers like Konami's "Enthusia" and Microsoft's "Forza" in the pipeline, but racing enthusiasts won't be disappointed.

Advance Wars 2 doesn't take any hard turns from the formula established in the original... and this is one of those rare cases where an overall lack of innovation is probably a good thing in the end.

Original, addictive, and mesmerizing, Lumines is good enough to make a case for the PSP all by itself.

Online play is an easy oversight to overlook, though. The single-player game is as tight as any platformer around, and the presentation is so far beyond what we've seen before that you simply can't afford to pass it up. The future is bright, indeed.

The new additions -- in particular the power-ups -- struggle to justify their inclusion, but they also keep the game from feeling like too much of a retread. It's unlikely that anyone will put this at the top of his or her list of favorite Mario games.

It's scary, beautifully imaginative and just when you think it's got as mad and twisted as it possibly could you're treated to a stranger puzzle, harder opponent to beat or even just a deeply twisted environment to explore.

It's just so damned hard to find any area in which Made In Wario could have done better. If you have a Game Boy Advance and you enjoy playing it, you NEED this game.

It successfully marries open-world shenanigans with a great story, a “Witcher”-sized challenge, and keeps it humming with smart, addictive combat against a tide of brilliant enemies. Our species might lack good judgment from time to time, but “Horizon” proves we’re still worth saving.

Okay, so it owes a fair amount to Midway's classic "NBA Jam" series, but it also takes the concept to a whole new dimension, building new depth into the quick-fire action.

An engrossing game. It's strength lies in its portrayal of a cut-throat business environment, with the "train set" element of the game playing second fiddle, albeit a gloriously rendered second fiddle.

A tight-feeling and great-looking game.

Treyarch has done a masterful job with this game, satisfying the needs of serious hockey fans without losing sight of the fact that a sports game has to be fun.

Offering a perfectly balanced mix of features, gameplay, and style, Wipeout Pure is one of those rare gems that fires on all cylinders.

It’s massive and compelling and at times boneheaded, but usually brilliant. Stylish, deep, story-driven, tactical, action-packed: Few if any games manage to be so many things at once, and despite some hiccups, Fallout 4 turns the end of the world into a real blast.

Best of all, AI plays the game well and playing as different kingdoms and religions makes for a different game each time you load it up.

Easily the best and most important flight simulator available. FS2004 fulfils the expectations of even the most curmudgeonly sim fanatic. For 20 years, we've been waiting for hardware that can deliver a flight simulator this good. Now Microsoft has given us the software.

Tiger Woods 2005 is a birdie to "2004's" eagle, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best sports games out there.

With all the attention given over to the performance and presentation, it's a shame that V3 features such lame audio.

Happens to have a fantastic storyline backing it up, mixed with what's proving to be some of the most enjoyable gameplay to be seen this year.

It's not just its uncompromising realism or its emotive theme, it's the whole package -- great looks, fantastic sound, and a gameplay and plot structure that promotes bonding with the men under your command. Wrap that up with a slick control method and, for once, some tactical depth, and you're left with a very special recipe.

Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.

It's something that is planned in development to the last incoming grenade and Frontline is pretty much perfect in terms of dragging you into the action and delivering nail-biting, hair-pulling gameplay.

Nothing is prettier, nothing plays as deeply, and nothing is so chock-full of value with additional material. The new characters rock, the levels are compelling, and Namco even included a classic to play while it loads.

While it can't touch the haunting potency of survival-horror classics like "Silent Hill" or "Resident Evil" (thanks to the scare-dispelling power of a semi-automatic shotgun and a belt-full of grenades), it makes up with more adrenaline-pumping moments of sheer destructive glee than anything else on the market.

Weird, funny, immensely playable, and has that nigh-unclassifiable thing we can only call charm.

This is one fantastically exciting shooter with a richly detailed game environment and varied gameplay.

With a good selection of single-player game styles, simple yet deep gameplay, and eye-watering speed, it's easily the best puzzler on the DS. It's addictive, well presented, and perfectly suited to portable play.

Dishonored 2 puts its money in the right places, offering finely-tuned gameplay that’s as challenging as it is thrilling. For a game all about choice, the decision to add this sneaky genius to your collection is a no-brainer.

The development team deserves special praise for once again for guns with a sense of heft and kick. The weapon models look great, and they're particularly impressive in action. With immersive effects for iron sights and muzzle flash, and with hearty Hollywood gunshot sounds, there's a powerful you-are-there feeling.

The icing on the whole big RTS cake is a set of new battle.net options for clan support and ladder tournaments. It's hard to imagine how anyone who plays Warcraft III online can get by without having Frozen Throne.

You get a fun, instantly appealing, easy to play-hard to master real-time strategy, with character and an endless amount of playability.

Tiger Woods 2005 is a birdie to "2004's" eagle, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best sports games out there.

Simply beautiful, with finely tuned play and as fine a presentation as we've seen in sport. The new details make the game feel much more real, and every step Konami takes towards full global licensing is a boon for fans.

With the introduction of clinching, the innovative punch system, the deep tournament and career options, the graphics and realism, the improved presentation, and most of all, the obvious love of boxing infused into the game, Fight Night Round 2 is the best representation of the "sweet science" that gaming has ever seen.

Sure, it would have been nice to see a little work on the on-rails AI or the same-old single-player, but as an online racer and a graphical showcase for Microsoft's new machine, PGR3 dazzles.

It’s hard to come up with nice new things to say about this series every year, so I’ll just say that yes, they’ve done it again, and yes, it’s worth a buy. Just be ready to put in the time if you want to turn pro.

It’s clear that XCOM 2 is an ambitious effort, with just about every mechanic from Enemy Unknown going under the knife in some way. Most of the changes are for the best, leading to another genuinely fun, tense romp through an embattled world desperate for your strategic brilliance. It stumbles a bit, however, and a handful of issues make the experience clumsy and overcomplicated, forcing players to pay an exorbitant price for their own ignorance. But hey, isn’t saving the human race worth a little saving and reloading?

Nothing riotously new, but as any gear-head can tell you: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It may just blow your mind!

EA Sports has nailed everything fans love about the college football experience, making it equal to their flagship "Madden."

A stunning game. Graphics, sound and online play benefit the most from the treatment, but there isn't an aspect of gameplay that hasn't received attention, making this the most comprehensive slapshot sim available.

At the end of the day, though, it's the same meal you've eaten before -- albeit with lots of garnish, a prettier server, and some extra helpings of dessert. Those are all great things if you're hungry, but don't do a whole lot of good if you're already feeling a bit full from Ninja Gaiden's cooking.

One slight drawback is that without a light for your GBA some of the levels are quite dark and the action further down the line can be somewhat repetitive even with the new challenges the game dishes out for you.

It's worth mentioning that WarioWare: Twisted is best on the original Game Boy Advance because of its one-piece architecture, but you won't be disappointed regardless of which Nintendo handheld you play it on.

Where the multiplayer side is concerned, RCTW's instant appeal and immensely addicting gameplay is one of the best team-based FPS games to release this year.

The new Gamecube-only version improves on the experience with much better graphics, although the same underlying gameplay remains relatively unchanged.

Liberty City Stories stands out on the PlayStation Portable like an elephant in a henhouse, and puts almost every other PSP game -- especially console ports -- to shame.

Although there's little more than 20 hours lurking under the cover, that time is packed with some of the best gameplay we've seen in the genre for some time, and more story than most platformers have in their entire franchise.

Doom 3 won't win prizes for originality, but for low-key storytelling combined with all-out action and immense atmosphere, it's deserving of any shooter fan's time.

The artificial intelligence of the drivers is brilliant. Your computer-controlled opposing numbers are absolutely cutthroat at their best, burying you whenever an opportunity presents itself. But what's most impressive about the computer drivers is their restraint.

Crams in all the elements you loved from the original and even adds an all-new single player mode. However, it's the multiplayer link-up mode that really makes this an essential purchase.

EA Sports has nailed everything fans love about the college football experience, making it equal to their flagship "Madden." So quit waiting -- it's time to hit the field.

There's no fighter on the system that even vaguely competes. Sure, "Street Fighter" was nice to have, but this feels like it belongs on the PSP, while Capcom's game never escaped the feeling of "port."

EA's game may be slightly deeper from a control perspective, but it's not as much of a blast to play. Between the classic ice and addictive battle mode games, we're more than willing to substitute this game for the real thing, if need be.

For all its frustrations, though, Civilization VI remains incredibly addictive.

DICE has done a praiseworthy job giving The War to End All Wars and the soldiers who bravely fought in it the kind of respect they deserve, while also delivering an amazing multiplayer game. If you’re a fan of shooters, or games in general, you’ll want to enlist.

Loading times are near-absent, the interface and controls have few flaws, and you're always kept clear on where to go next. Compelling, imaginative, and rewarding.

If Rise is a game you still play, suffice it to say Thrones and Patriots makes the experience much richer and more satisfying.

Won't appeal to everyone, but if you're nostalgic for the original or like unstructured and open-ended games, this booty is well worth seeking. Yarrr!

Needs to add depth and variety to almost every facet to make it a great game, but it's very good now, it's worth playing now, and it's better than the competition when all of the elements are combined, if not outstanding in most individual areas.

I just can't help thinking that the "Final Chapter" should have had a little more to it.

Arguments of depth aside, it can't be denied that Crimson Skies strikes a great balance between required skill and the effortless "feel" of being a swashbuckling air-hero, all backed up by swelling production values.

We'd have liked some more multiplayer and customization options, but the highly exaggerated drifts combined with responsive controls make the game exceptional fun.

With the introduction of clinching, the innovative punch system, the deep tournament and career options, the graphics and realism, the improved presentation, and most of all, the obvious love of boxing infused into the game, Fight Night Round 2 is the best representation of the "sweet science" that gaming has ever seen.

A fantastic game.

Tiger Woods 2005 is a birdie to "2004's" eagle, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best sports games out there.

So perfectly constructed, so deliciously immersive and downright elegant, that demands for more seem crass. It might not be the very best shooter out there, but it's the more visually stunning and successfully atmospheric than any game we've had the pleasure to play.

And at least until Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite steps into the fight, you’ll want to come back to Injustice 2. It’s the complete package — beautiful, nuanced, and inviting — and though it trips up a little with its short, uninspired Story, it more than makes up for it with the most rewarding superhero power fantasy this side of Batkid.

The single-player game represents as solid a shooter as has graced the PS2, while the online game captures the gaming spirit that so many PC enthusiasts claimed would never reach a console. Updated graphics make use of more detailed character models and environmental effects, completing a package that can't be rivaled on PS2.

Too often while playing The Witness, I realized that there were a lot of other things I’d rather be doing than playing The Witness. I respect it; I admire it. I just didn’t enjoy it all that much.

Aside from the damage, Rallisport 2's physics are impeccable, and a definite improvement over the first game.

My current favorite for top strategy game of the year. It's more playable than the original and there is a wealth of new options that increases replayability by a factor of ten.

Set in a rich and charming world with a host of great characters, it's beautifully paced and challenging enough to make you want more, yet simple in both its control interface and concept.

While Pandora Tomorrow doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, it maintains and often exceeds its predecessor's exceptionally high standards in playability, atmosphere, level design, and visuals.

Pokémon Sun and Moon are the best “Pokémon” games in years. “Alpha Sapphire” and “Omega Ruby” were great entries in the series, but they were largely re-skinned versions of “X” and “Y.” For the first time in ages (or at last since I uninstalled “Pokémon Go”), “Pokémon” feels like a new, exciting experience. If you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to love “Sun” and “Moon,” and if you’ve been gone for a while, you’ll be happy to come home.

Not only is it accessible enough to recommend to the casual RTS player, it's got more than enough depth to please even the most propeller-headed of strategy nerds.

If you're more interested in multiplayer mech action and a not quite as brilliant single player game, then you should give Mechwarrior 4 a look.

The most impressive aspect of Thief 2 is its massive and varied levels. The levels are truly huge and require hours to fully explore.

Perhaps the perfect sequel. It fixes the main problem the original had -- its uninspiring single-player game -- and capitalises on the things the first title did so well, namely its array of party games.

With its abundance of new features, LoD offers countless additional hours of delightful gameplay.

Episode One is the work of a team at the top of its game, and its level design, pace, visual style, and audio are practically beyond reproach.

That sense of design pervades Dark Mirror, making it the best shooter yet released for the PSP. Don't be put off by the learning curve, which demands a bit more effort at the front than most action titles. Once Syphon Filter's rhythms are familiar, you'll find depth and replayability in spades.

There's never really been a console game like this one – it's an oddity, and most people would be well advised to investigate its possibilities further before picking it up...Morrowind isn't for everyone, but those it grabs will be hooked for good.

Clearer, brighter visual presentation is the biggest difference between Harmony of Dissonance and "Circle of the Moon." Although the graphical quality is pretty much the same, Konami made everything bigger and went with a brighter colour palette.

Once you get past the graphics, though, everything else is virtually unchanged. As mentioned above, there's really not much new here.