The best-darned platformer you'll play all year.

Far Cry 3 manages more than a shift on your view of its wisecracking protagonist. It's the sort of game that makes the genre's best look absolutely ordinary-which, in a story this beset by twists, turns, and turmoil, may just be the biggest mindf*** of them all.

In nearly everything that Atlus has tried to accomplish in breathing new life into their much-beloved PS2 RPG Persona 4, they've accomplished masterfully on the Vita in Persona 4 Golden-and if there's ever to be a Japanese RPG that can convince you of what the genre can be in its finest hours, it'll be this one.

To the casual observer, BioShock Infinite may look like just another game starring a scowling, testosterone-infused hero cocking a shotgun at onrushing enemy hordes. But just like Irrational’s 2007 trip through an undersea Objectivist paradise gone mad, this is far more than a simple first-person shooter; the experience will make players think, inspire them to explore, and leave them emotionally spent by the time it’s all over. With BioShock Infinite, Ken Levine cements his status as one of gaming’s elite creative minds.

Grand Theft Auto V expertly blends the best aspects of the last two major releases in the series, GTA IV and San Andreas, to set a new standard in open-world action. In a year already packed with titles that have pushed aging console hardware to new extremes, GTA V might stand as the crowning technical and design accomplishment.

The game is mighty abstract, but it's through this abstraction that it finds it greatest power. I feel very strongly that game designers don't latch on to enough mystery and narrative obliqueness; Journey is out there; its expression is magnificently visual and deceptively interactive.

Fans of the original Trials will love the steps the series has taken to move forward while being more open for newcomers to jump right in and have fun with it. It can be a bit frustrating at times though, as the game almost has an old-school platformer feel to it being easy to learn, but very difficult to master.

Gravity Rush isn't just the best game to grace the Vita-it's also one of the best games I've played in some time, no matter the system. In so many ways, it shines with a beauty that so many games can never achieve, and it's an experience you'll absolutely not want to miss.

Easily the best Lego game yet, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes' expansive world, original story, and bevy of unlockables should please fans of all ages.

Sleeping Dogs represents a marked step forward for open-world action games, offering surprisingly deep gameplay and an almost meticulous attention to detail.

Damned impressive, standing head and shoulders above the original and other games in the genre as the most addictive, engrossing co-operative FPS game of this generation. A bona fide game-of-the-year candidate.

Dark, difficult, and deliberately ambiguous, Dishonored asks you to forget much of what you know about the modern blockbuster, tossing flashy gameplay sequences and heavily scripted moments to the wayside in favor of exploration, tension, and eventual triumph over foes who genuinely deserve a knife to the neck.

To say that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a phenomenal remake would be selling Firaxis' monumental accomplishment short. The developer hasn't just managed to capture the spirit of the original; they've also tweaked, trimmed, and innovated enough to deliver the freshest, most engaging strategy game in recent memory, if not ever.

From new game play elements like the naval battles, the expansive frontier, new multiplayer modes, and the smoothest combat to date, any fan of the franchise will not be able to put this down and newcomers will be awe-inspired by the world laid out before them.

DmC is everything a reboot should be-confident, thoughtful, and brazenly unafraid to sacrifice a few sacred cows along the way. For all the backlash they've had to face, developer Ninja Theory has delivered the most polished, refreshing, and memorable hack-and-slash experience in recent memory.

One of the best all-around fighting experiences you’re likely to find—and fans of both DC Comics and Mortal Kombat-style fighters will be blown away by this high-quality brawler of epic proportions.

It’s easy to initially expect The Last of Us to be a game about killing zombies, surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, and exploring for supplies. Instead, it’s a game about two people, and the bond that forms between them—and that journey is far more exciting than any amount of infected monsters or food scavenging could ever provide.

The perfect bridge between Season One and Two of The Walking Dead, 400 Days expertly sets up new characters in fun, interesting bite-sized chunks that will do nothing but get fans more hyped for Season Two.

The controls are caught in a weird, nebulous void between being optimized for the Wii and Wii U, but the expansive miniature landscapes, excellent pacing, and varied Pikmin powers combine to overcome any technical issues or limitations.

One of the best hockey sims to date. A couple of minor adjustments are always needed, but this is as close as its going to get for you short of lacing up skates and donning pads yourself.

One of the strongest offerings on the 3DS. Despite the familiarity of its overall design, the old racer's still got plenty of juice left.

Some control improvements and fleshed out game play modes highlight the deepest WWE videogame experience yet.

A solid, polished product that's a bit rough around the edges on occasion, but not so much that it takes away from the core experience, which is boosted by a solid storyline and robust array of online options that makes it one of my favorite entries in the series to date. If you're looking for an arcade racer with a lot of flash and the speed to match, give The Run a spin. It's great ride.

Ezio's tale wraps up beautifully in this final chapter of his trilogy, but elements like a tower-defense minigame seem out of place.

I was really pleasantly surprised at the tremendous amount of content I was able to get for such a small price and even more pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had with it. If you're looking for something to workout your mental muscles and don't want a plot driven game, then I can't more highly recommend Quarrel.

Better A.I. and combat mechanics than the first Darkness, gorgeously painted environments, and the same ol' omnipotent snake-headed dark force makes for one heck of a game play combination.

Best of all, the game is undeniably a BioWare production. The story progression for each class-eight in all-would make a respectable standalone game. Put together in this massive shell, it's a revelation.

Rhythm Heaven Fever is fun, it's quirky, it's lovable, it's charming-and it's a perfect example of the care and consideration Nintendo puts into all of their gaming projects, big and small.