Unless you're absolutely sick of Shin Megami Tensei's core mechanics or can't push past a few tutorial-heavy opening hours, Strange Journey's a fantastic RPG - portable or not.

Fans of the series will find more to love in the third installment. For newcomers, this is the most accessible and fun skateboarding game there is.

I can't say playing through Wei Shin's story in Sleeping Dogs is a pleasant experience. It's gritty, dirty, filled with curse words and exquisite torture, but also utterly enjoyable if you're a fan of those kinds of stories and don't mind a romantic interlude or two.

Natural Selection 2 is a fantastic-looking FPS/RTS hybrid that's an in-depth and involved experience for those who enjoy cooperative and team-based games, although it does come with a steep learning curve that'll turn some players off to the strategic side of the game.

Over three years after the Wii hit store shelves, Red Steel 2 finally delivers the motion-controlled swordplay we expected from the original Red Steel, and it more than makes up for any niggling flaws in the level design.

As a sequel, Last Light approaches perfection. It improves on its predecessor in just about every way, but may leave newcomers scratching their heads.

The best Fable yet. It's mature and thought provoking, with a final act that will genuinely surprise and confound you. It could've been a masterpiece, but its many technical problems bring it down.

Simply put, LEGO City Undercover is a blast to play. It's funny, challenging, and features tons of extra content that'll keep you busy for hours. Sure, it's got a few minor quibbles here and there but it's hard to dwell on them when everything else is so enjoyable.

Dead Rising 2 is at its best when you're goofing off, finding new combo weapons and exploring the Fortune City Strip - and that works so well that you're almost inclined to forgive it its faults, like irritating boss battles and a cumbersome save system.

A nice experiment with some genuinely fun moments, and a great showcase for what Kinect can accomplish, but unless you have young kids or like to play with simple toys, Happy Action Theater won't do much for you.

The Last Story isn't perfect, but its engaging characters and strong gameplay are more than enough to carry it through any rough patches.

Reckoning surprised me with its energetic combat, rich story, and dazzling visual style. The weight of all its parts threatens to pull it down, but the rigid skeleton holds strong.

A whimsical, imaginative take on World War I that has you fighting for freedom and for fun. The missions get repetitive, and there are only three types of planes with different skins, but the combat itself is entertaining, the weapons are cool, the multiplayer is a ton of fun - and it's jam-packed with lovable charm.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is, for the most part, a carbon copy of Duels 2012. The Encounters and Planechase mode are welcome additions, but the lack of diversity in the deck options seems like a bit of a step backwards in an otherwise static continuation of the series.

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony's core mechanics may be more than a decade old, but thanks to redone graphics, voice acting, and dialogue, this one still has plenty of spring in its step. And while frequent load times and some pacing issues mar the overall experience, it's still an enjoyable RPG that never takes itself too seriously.

It would be easy to write Metroid Other M off on the basis of the few things it gets wrong but the combat and exploration elements are strong enough to overcome these limitations. The combat is intense, if a bit uneven in terms of the overall challenge, and the exploration elements are enjoyable.

Regardless of which thief you prefer to use, or if you'd rather tackle the game solo or with other players, you're going to need a great deal of patience, luck and skill in order to handle Monaco's complex missions.

Whether you know all five Combaticons that form Bruticus by name, or have never seen a robot change into a car outside of a Shia LaBeouf movie, it's hard not to love this fun action shooter from High Moon Studios.

Despite the predictable narrative, it's a smarter game than the genre usually delivers with a satisfying focus on teamwork and technology.

A must-play for any PlayStation owner, The Unfinished Swan is a short but brilliant exercise in broadening perception, and utilizing simplicity.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is beautiful and packed with tons of tiny details that will keep you interested even when you've run into your umpteenth random battle. It misses a few opportunities and at times bogs down with its story, but overall provides a satisfying adventure.

It's fun, light-hearted, great to play with a pal, and based on a wonderfully rich and vibrant fictional world.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn has plenty of great spells, enjoyable environmental puzzles, and enemies whose heads desperately need caving in. The magical djinn are its only remarkable feature, but unfortunately turn the combat into child's play. Dark Dawn is a perfectly serviceable JRPG, and fans of the two previous Golden Sun titles will undoubtedly enjoy it. But it could be far, far better.

The advancements in RPG mechanics would be enough to set it apart, but the real achievement of Dragon Age II is in the story-telling. I could point out the improved combat and graphics till there's blood covering my face, but BioWare is one of the few companies that uses the advanced computing power available to modern game designers to let you actually play a role.

The missions are decent, but the multiplayer is the real reason to play this game.

Judgment is gorgeous in its destruction and the gunplay is simply unmatched, as has been the case with every Gears title since its inception. The fact that the game doesn't offer anything significantly new is definitely a point against it, but it remains undeniably fun to play.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is much better to play on the pitch itself than its chief competitor, while the lack of important football licenses and a unimpressive menu interface keep it from being a full package.

You fight lots of pallet-swapped enemies over and over again, rinse and repeat. Fun to play with a friend and a huge nostalgia rush, but not much to hold your interest for long.