The most salient fact about BioShock is that it's different. If it doesn't sell well, perhaps it's time to abandon hope and resign ourselves to the eternal recurrence of space dungeons and World War II. Games like BioShock are what we need. They are what we deserve.

Who'd have thought such an unassuming little guy would be the star of one of the best Nintendo DS titles available, and easily one of the most innovative platformers you'll ever play?

Enthralling and beautiful, Jade Empire melds adrenaline-inducing combat with a compelling RPG structure perfectly. Here's an RPG that anyone can enjoy -- Jade Empire is sheer pleasure.

These animations are gorgeous to look at, from Reggie Bush doing his trademark summersault for six, or a Chad Johnson river dance after a score. This is because the game runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second...Madden 08 is simply superb. If you could only own one next-gen football, this is it.

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.

Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined it to be so damn addictive!

A truly unique and innovative game which breathes new life into the wargaming and real-time genres and provides one of the best multi-player experiences ever devised in computer gaming. What's more, it is enormously fun and challenging to play.

With Breath of the Wild, Nintendo has built a living, breathing world that you never want to leave. If you’re a newcomer to the series, a longtime fan or just want to see what all the hype is about, you won’t be disappointed.

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.

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.

This isn't merely an evolution of the franchise -- this is Unreal with the dial turned up to 11.

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.

Not only will you be glued to the game right up to the end, you'll go right back and play it through again just to see what consequences different choices will produce. Fallout 3 is a technical triumph, but more importantly, it's a beautiful piece of design, exploring the well-trodden video game ground of good vs. evil better than any other game to date.

While many courses here are modeled from past runs, most are barely recognizable, at best. They're like the ugly kid from high school who turns out to be a model ten years later.

God of War is that rare game that manages to reinvent itself while still maintaining what made its predecessors such delights to play...A triumph, and well worth your time. Now grab your axe and get chopping.

A noticeable step forward in the evolution of the genre. "Virtua Fighter 4" might hold the top spot among hand-to-hand fighters, but when it comes to weapons-based combat, Soul Calibur II is the undisputed champion.

Arguably the best GBA game ever released. It's addictive, ingenious, and makes no mistakes.

BOOM BLOX is so simple and its appeal so universal that we're hard pressed to think of another Wii game that can so effectively bring a room together... [it's] one of the most gratifying jump-in-and-play games you can get on the Nintendo Wii.

With incredible communication tools, top-notch visuals, and a fantastic balance of vehicles and classes, EA has won the battle and the war of online team-based shooters.

It's the fluid and perfectly measured pace of Sonic Team's new game that makes it so good...Absolutely superb stuff.

Considering how much content you get before you ever even go online, this is easily one of the most generous, gratifying, and fun games you can get for the Nintendo Wii. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is nothing short of a smashing success.

Few games deserve the high praise we're willing to lavish on F-Zero GX. Finely tuned, tightly balanced and exceedingly fun, it is a step above and beyond any similar games that have come before.

The game manages to achieve near perfection on every level, from technical to story to gameplay, and presents the player with an enticing world that is impossible to ignore. Even after completing the adventure, you'll be drawn back if only to take in the world.

Despite only having six main stages, THPS 3 is a game that will last for a surprisingly long time.

Enchanting, entertaining, inventive, elegant, rewarding and captivating from start to "finish."

Even without a massive collection of exclusive content, this is an improvement (if a slight one) over the five-star PS2 original, which is all 360 owners need to know.

Its longevity is a wonderful thing, since a sequel is still some time away, and this is one game that you really don't want to stop playing. Even after you've gotten tired of the carnage, it's fun to load it up and just cruise around Vice City listening to the radio.

Although the joy of unfettered choice is already familiar to Grand Theft Auto players, GTA IV's realistic, wide-open world offers unprecedented opportunities for delightful mayhem, and a level of polish, detail and quality that's genuinely groundbreaking. What more could you want from the next generation?