The team at EA has taken a chance on new features and a rather risky adjustment to the core gameplay that has paid off in nearly every regard. More realistic pacing, in-depth controls both on and off the ball, enhanced online and offline experiences, and the ability to constantly share your passion for all things soccer combine to make FIFA 12 the complete package.

Arkham City feels like a logical extension of its predecessor, wholly embracing and expanding upon all the elements that made it great. It most certainly is the definitive Batman game, but to leave it there would be to damn it with faint praise. Simply put, if you admire painstakingly-realized worlds rich with secrets and game mechanics that never cease to surprise you, then you it to yourself to experience Arkham City. Your interest in the source material is irrelevant.

If you're looking for a lot of ways to kill and be killed, Modern Warfare 3 is exhaustive. With almost 20 modes available there's something for just about everyone.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is extremely ambitious, and at its core, extremely successful. While overreaches in certain areas, it has much to offer in terms of freedom and volume of content. When you look back on the experience, it's not the rough spots that'll stand out, but the broad, heroic feeling of being the powerful and change-affecting center of a richly constructed world.

There's been a lot of talk lately about how Japanese RPGs are fading into irrelevancy with their increasingly linear designs, but Xenoblade delivers a world where you're free to explore at your own pace that frequently entices you to indulge in its many extracurricular activities. This is easily one of the best games on the Wii.

The Xbox 360 version has some rough edges, but these annoyances aren't significant enough to sully the experience. The Witcher 2 is a beauty to behold with a rich, involving fiction framing strategic and challenging combat. Most of all, its mature implementation of morality, choice, and consequence is a step forward that more games would be wise to follow.

No Time Left ventures into masterpiece territory, particularly when considered in relation to the episodes that came before.

If you have any sort of appreciation for a great RPG, look no further than Ni no Kuni.

Every haunted room seems to breathe with an inventive charm and delicate attention to detail that make this game one of the best reasons to own a 3DS. Catching ghosts is a rewarding occupation, and the vast amount of hidden collectables could have you fighting to exorcise your inner completionist. With the addition an unexpectedly inventive and enjoyable multiplayer experience, 3DS owners will be hard-pressed not to cut Luigi just a little more respect.

The learning curve is steep and the squad AI could stand a few classes, but the truth is you won't find a more realistic, feature-filled shooter. Toss in a nice bump in visuals and you'll get your money's worth and then some.

A rare breed. Despite being a veritable grandfather of console RPGs, a galvanized retranslation and timeless gameplay make for a feline that simply refuses to age. If you missed it the first time, don’t miss it again.

While Killzone 2 is not re-imagining the genre, it’s solid, beautiful, and challenging, with excellent multiplayer that makes it well worth the 60 bones. It falls short of legendary, but it’s sure to offer anyone who takes the plunge a visceral, tactical treat for the thumbs and eyes. It may be tough to get into, but once it gets its hooks in it won’t let go.

If you’ve got that 70 collecting dust, now is a good time to unfreeze that account. The king is back.

The Wii controls aren’t perfect for celestial paintbrush techniques, but they certainly don’t detract from the overall experience. With widescreen support, and improved visual fidelity, you’ll find very little to complain about.

Reborn, the DS version remains surprisingly faithful while bringing the game into the modern era. The few additional mechanics are somewhat disposable, but the core gameplay remains engaging so many years later.

Rock Band 2 will be disappointing if you’re looking for drastic changes. Most of the upgrades are subtle, and you’re basically getting a ton of downloadable content at a great price. For our time and money, it’s worth every penny.

Fighting games have long been out of the spotlight, and Street Fighter IV basically carries the future of the entire genre. It refuses to make itself accessible, doling out tough love in place of true tutorials or simplified control schemes, but by proving to be deep and fundamentally enjoyable, the series has once again proven itself worthy of attention.

Fighting games have long been out of the spotlight, and Street Fighter IV basically carries the future of the entire genre. It refuses to make itself accessible, doling out tough love in place of true tutorials or simplified control schemes, but by proving to be deep and fundamentally enjoyable, the series has once again proven itself worthy of attention.

One of the most robust pieces of downloadable content we’ve ever seen. We’re used to getting a handful of hours, but we were surprised again and again that the missions just kept on coming. There’s a certain level of déjà vu involved and more mission variety would be appreciated, but the new multiplayer options are practically worth the price of admission alone.

Assassin’s Creed II has plenty of fixes and additions, but the story can drag, and the sense of awe that the parkour provided two years ago is muted. Yet new mission types, freedom from a linear quest, added depth, and a stronger historical bent fortify the overall experience. There’s still no other game quite like it, and whether you dismissed the first game or absolutely loved it, this is one creed worth taking.

Assassin’s Creed II has plenty of fixes and additions, but the story can drag, and the sense of awe that the parkour provided two years ago is muted. Yet new mission types, freedom from a linear quest, added depth, and a stronger historical bent fortify the overall experience. There’s still no other game quite like it, and whether you dismissed the first game or absolutely loved it, this is one creed worth taking.

It doesn't so much reinvent Liberty City as it does re-skin it, but for a truly enjoyable way to end the GTA IV party right, The Ballad of Gay Tony fires on all cylinders.

Forza Motorsport 3 features a wide breadth of content and truly excels with its fantastic creative tools and community structure. Some limits on the rewind feature would be nice, but the ability to shape the experience to your skill level insures that it will satisfy anyone looking for a realistic racing experience without too many headaches.

It's incredibly familiar and a bit brief, but God of War III still stands as a herculean achievement. A lot of TLC went into its creation and it comes shining through at every turn. The tweaks to the gameplay are minimal and the lack of titan interaction feels like a missed opportunity, but when Kratos is swinging his hypnotizing blades it's easy to forget that the rest of the world even exists.

More than in years past, NHL 11's enhancements will be noticed by a select clientele. It's a product of fan feedback and number crunching, but for that core group of fans, most of the cheese has been cut, making for a rewarding game that's greater than the sum of its updates.

More than in years past, NHL 11's enhancements will be noticed by a select clientele. It's a product of fan feedback and number crunching, but for that core group of fans, most of the cheese has been cut, making for a rewarding game that's greater than the sum of its updates.

NBA 2K11 is easily the most impressive version of the series since 2K7, offering just the right amount of improvements and additions to make it king of the court.

Though it doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor when it comes to sheer breadth, Dragon Age II has quite a bit more soul.