Drox Operative has a solid base and an incredibly advanced AI at its heart. It basically ticks all the boxes for the genre, but the later level grinding will suck your soul dry, leaving all but the most hardcore of players wanting something more.

Game Freak returns to the non-Pokémon world with HarmoKnight, a music-infused platformer that will be a light-hearted romp for casual fans of the genre—but which might not be memorable enough for more dedicated rhythm-game devotees.

If you play Assassin’s Creed primarily for the single-player experience, The Tyranny of King Washington is definitely worth it. Think of it in terms of Marvel’s alternate-storyline What If comics: It’s fun for what it is, but it doesn’t surpass the original in terms of enjoyment.

If you can look past the fact that it's essentially ModNation Racers with a Sackboy-colored coat of paint, LittleBigPlanet Karting is an enjoyable enough vehicular romp. Still, it's hard to shake the sense that United Front has already made this game once-and they did it better the first time.

The last of the “Operation Rainfall Three,” Pandora’s Tower borrows heavily from Shadow of the Colossus—young lad must rescue his beloved from a gruesome fate by felling massive beasts—but you can’t help but think you’ve played a far better version of this game before. Hardcore Japanese RPG fans might forgive some of the glaring flaws here, but Pandora’s Tower certainly won’t have the mass appeal of Team Ico’s 2005 PS2 classic.

By eliminating class and level systems, the game allows players to take a more free-form approach to character development, effectively allowing a single character to fulfill multiple roles, depending on what the situation calls for. Add in a deep story, diverse quest structure, and some amazingly dark and horrific environs, and the end result is one of the biggest surprises in recent years. Once Funcom squashes all of the bugs-and assuming they continue to support it with new content-The Secret World could become the hit it deserves to be.

The concept might seem a bit gimmicky at first glance, but Baller Beats is a well made, respectable peripheral-driven rhythm game in the tradition of Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero. Some technical limitations keep the game from outright greatness, but there's a lot of fun-and real world benefits-to be had here.

5th Cell does some remarkable things with the still-evolving cover-based shooting mechanic, but Hybrid is ultimately hindered by lingering matchmaking issues, dumb AI companions, and limited multiplayer depth.

These challenges fall into four different mission types: stealth, combat, mobility, and puzzle. Some are a lot of fun, but some are just time-wasters. For $5, the value is here, but this isn't the Dishonored DLC that fans really wanted.

Though a few flaws do mar the overall experience, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is an extremely enjoyable mix of retro beat-em-up design and modern fighting-game-inspired combat depth that offers far more satisfaction than its $10 price tag might initially suggest.

This inventive and unique puzzler is so much fun for the price that a few irksome late game flaws can be forgiven.

One of those games you'll either love or hate. Some folks will be able to look past the gameplay flaws and appreciate the Platinum-y goodness, but more serious fighting fans will probably wish for a more defined, discernible battlefield. I tend to side more with the latter, but I managed to have some occasional fun despite my frustrations.

Excessive button-mashing, constant quick-time events, drawn-out battles, an awkward balance between offering exploration while also being linear—those are elements that need some real rethinking and reworking if they’re to exist in upcoming portable chapters of Castlevania, or they’re elements that need to simply not exist at all.

Pid feels like the indie game equivalent of paint-by-numbers. While it does an admirable job aping the style and atmosphere of titles like Braid, Limbo, and Machinarium, the entire experience winds up hollow, overlong, and ultimately forgettable thanks to awkward pacing and a gameplay gimmick that isn't quite as versatile as it needs to be.

The concepts and challenges of NiGHTS into Dreams HD make it a game that not everybody will be able to appreciate-but for those that do, this is a great way to once again experience one of Sega's most curious yet creative moments in game development.

It may be hard for some to fully appreciate the three games that make up Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World, but for those who can, you'll find a wonderful world of retro adventure awaiting.

The daring, deeply personal story is more than enough reason to give Papo & Yo a shot, but don't expect to be wowed by the underlying puzzle platformer gameplay.

Book of Spells is a decent proof of concept for the Wonderbook's augmented reality technology, but the rest of the experience fails to deliver anything memorable or worthwhile, quickly collapsing into an endless parade of gimmicks and dull, overly simplistic minigames.

Harley Quinn's Revenge is limited in scope compared to the main campaign, but fans of Arkham City should still jump at the chance to play this DLC, which adds two to three hours of original gameplay in Rocksteady's gorgeously gothic world.

If the bulk of Borderlands 2 had you laughing till it hurt, then this DLC will certainly continue that trend. A couple of balancing issues with the new enemies introduced, however, will cause some headaches and encourage you to race through more daunting areas.

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

Some hit detection problems can't hide the fact that Neon's an awesome tribute to a bygone era-and it'll bring a smile to the face of anyone who grew up playing beat-em-ups in the '80s and '90s.

While not fantastic in terms of gameplay, Corpse Party shines as a journey in surviving a world of disturbing horror.

Easily as deep and addicting a MOBA as you'd find on the PC, Guardians of Middle-Earth should appeal to newcomers and veterans of the genre alike. Add in the Lord of the Rings flair and this should be money well spent for most gamers.

Gotham City Impostors looks and feels great and adds just enough personality to differentiate it from the crowd of similar online multiplayer games.

The alchemy-infused RPG known as Atelier Ayesha is much like its titular character: unpolished and at times awkward, yet also unquestionably charming and endearing.

The strong core of the Assassin's Creed franchise remains mostly intact here, but the truncated story makes Aveline's character development feel rushed and the twists much more predictable here. Liberation is solid game if you're on the go a lot, but it can't hold a candle to Desmond and his ancestors.

The graphics are sharp, with that distinctive Double Fine cartoony look, and both the soundtrack and voice work are top notch. The Cave and other voiced characters are funny as well, and while it's possible Gilbert either enlisted his friends to do the parts or picked hobos at random, they all do a great job.