Wow. That’s all I can say after completing Child of Eden last night. Just, wow. Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Q? Games have delivered an experience that’s stunningly gorgeous and completely unparalleled. I’m struggling to find the words to describe the experience I had, but it was something completely unique and personal. For me, it was emotional, immersive, and moving, conjuring up memories and thoughts from throughout my life.

Let’s hop right into it – rather than bestow upon you some longwinded story about the timeline of Duke Nukem Forever, I’ll start with a bold statement about the finished product. It’s a complete mess. After well over a decade of development, the game shows the absolute turmoil it lived in for a great many years. Rooted in old shooter design, but grafted to a modern shooter system, Duke Nukem Forever feels like the worst of both, with a hefty dose of potty humor thrown in that so often falls flat. Duke Nukem Forever has already been a joke for years, and even now that it’s finally released, a joke it will remain.

Bangai-O is one of those series that would normally be completely unknown to most players, but given the release and critically acclaimed sequel Bangai-O Spirits on the DS, the series has gained some notoriety. Originally released on the N64 and later ported worldwide to the Dreamcast, Bangai-O offers a unique blend of gameplay that pairs bullet hell shoot-‘em-up mechanics with puzzle solving techniques. Its niche status wasn’t exactly unwarranted - like many of the titles Treasure creates, it was made for a small audience of truly hardcore players looking for intense challenge. That being said, it’s unlikely that the HD remake of the original game will connect with most players.

I really wanted to like Brink. A sci-fi game set in a dystopian future with guns, parkour-like movement and over-the-top characters? Where do I sign?! But sadly, it seems that Splash Damage was unable to make their game live up to the hype. Twice.

Often referred to as “Castlevania 64” to distinguish it from the NES game, Castlevania is the first 3D entry in the long-running series. Many of the series' staple enemies and weapons are present, as well as some new twists brought on from the transition. I don't have much experience with the Castlevania series myself, but what's here is a decent adventure with a sometimes chilling atmosphere that provides enough excitement to be worthwhile.

I can't tell you any of Thor Wii's characters, plot, goal, bad guy, or setting. None of it made sense (and I played it all the way through)! While it certainly isn't for those unfamiliar with the movie or comic books, it's at least passable as a beat-em-up/brawler.

Here’s a little shocker for you: my first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time. I didn’t get into Nintendo’s other big franchise until Zelda made the jump to the Nintendo 64 in 1998. After experiencing Link’s first adventure in 3-D, I wanted more Zelda. I learned about the previous Zelda titles in the franchise, thanks in part to the awesome player’s guide Nintendo put out, and my need for more Zelda was quickly fixed with the arrival of Link’s Awakening DX. The “DX” part standing for “Deluxe”.

When Portal released back in 2007, it broke the standard conventions of puzzle gaming and revolutionized the genre. With its unrivaled puzzle gameplay and unexpected thrilling story-based foundation, Portal was more than deserving of critical acclaim. So, with all the hype that surrounded Portal, does Portal 2 live up to those same standards and expectations? Absolutely. In every gameplay, story, and environmental aspect, Portal 2 blows its predecessor out of the water. The puzzles are more intricate, the story is gripping, the environments are intriguing, GLaDOS is better than ever, and the co-op quest is one of the best, if not the best, for any game on any system.

There is no game out right now that is exactly like L.A. Noire. From the moment players dip into the crime infested 1940’s Los Angeles, they are greeted with an aura that sets this game apart from most. As a game, L.A. Noire isn’t without its problems, however its gripping narrative, compelling characters, and fantastic animations make it a must play, and one of the best titles to come out this year.

I have been an avid fan of the Fight Night series since it was released back on the Xbox seven years ago. Fight Night Champion is the latest in the long running series and it without question lived up to my expectations, acting as a successful follow up to Fight Night Round 4.

Rush’N Attack: Ex Patriot is the latest in a string of updates/sequels of old Arcade/NES games, some of which have been phenomenal, like Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Unfortunately for Konami, that same success isn’t manifesting in their sequel to Rush’N Attack. This is thanks in large part to some uninspired levels, finicky jump mechanics, and one-dimensional gameplay. The gameplay does occasionally give off a Metroid vibe, but it’s clear the developers didn’t know how to really capitalize on that concept, resulting in a ho-hum experience.

For all two of you reading this who have no idea who Lara Croft is, let’s get this out of the way real quick. A curvy British noble, she scoffs at tea parties and aristocratic protocol, preferring to spend her days raiding tombs and finding treasures. She has been flipping around ruins and wearing tiny shorts since the olden days of the original Playstation. Also she shoots dinosaurs, but it’s not a big deal.

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: Rayman 3D is a cheap cash-in port of the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2. No, the game has not been enhanced in any meaningful way other than the addition of stereoscopic 3D - and no, it doesn’t in any way actually enhance the gameplay. Yes, at times, I even encountered a few instances where the game completely froze up, thus forcing me to hard reset my 3DS. All of this aside, Rayman 3D is still an enjoyable experience - one that has lost some of its luster over time. Thanks to the circle pad on the 3DS, the game controls like a dream, and the 3D, while nothing significant, adds some nice visual flair, giving the game a bit of extra charm. All things considered, this release of Rayman 2 is the definitive one.

Back nearly four years ago, if you had asked me about Portal, I would have merely shrugged. It wasn’t that the game concept didn’t seem interesting, it was really the fact that I had two generations worth of games to catch up on and, more importantly, it was on the computer.

So. Chrono Trigger. It’s kind of famous. The game has been released on the SNES, PS1, DS, and now the Wii Virtual Console. I’ve never even heard of someone who’s played this game and doesn’t love it.

Utter mediocrity. There’s no better way to describe High Voltage’s second Conduit title. It’s almost unfortunate for the team, really. Had this been a year ago, mediocrity of this sort could’ve crushed something like Red Steel 2, given the complete dearth of competent Wii shooters. However, after the release of GoldenEye and Black Ops, Conduit 2 doesn’t shine so brightly. Things get even worse when you start pitting it against shooters on other consoles, like the recently released Killzone 3. In any case, Conduit 2 feels very much like an imitator of modern shooters – an imitator that doesn’t really grasp what makes all of those other shooters so great. Though a valiant effort, the end result is somewhat akin to Valve’s Half Life 2, without the big thrills, surprises, and competent enemies.

After taking a hiatus from the wildly successful Sims series, I was fairly excited to jump back in with The Sims 3. Knowing fully well that the handheld 3DS experience would most likely trim back the offerings found in the PC version, I wanted to keep an open mind. Unfortunately, no amount of willingness to give the game a chance could have prepared me for the boring, sloppy mess I was about to encounter.

TimeGate studios decided to release Section 8: Prejudice, their sequel to Section 8, as a downloadable game instead of a full retail offering and it feels like a wise choice.

Tactics Ogre is what you might call a “Tactics RPG.” This means that it’s like an RPG in every way except that battles occur on a pseudo-3D grid. If you’ve ever played Final Fantasy Tactics you’ll know what to expect. I’ve even seen an ad for Tactics Ogre that explicitly said “from the creators of Final Fantasy Tactics.” It’s practically a sequel. Right off the bat I can tell you that if you like that game, you’re definitely going to like this one.

Imagine a world filled with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs with issues. Social hierarchies. Cliques, even. In this world, everything is awesome for all the dinosaurs involved. There's balance. The big, top-of-the-food chain dinosaurs, the scavengers and hunters, the plated dinos, those with armor on their back, and even the dinosaurs with horns are all awesome friends. One day, though, the Arkosaurus shows up. Meteors fall from the sky! Everyone gets cranky, and so it's time for a leader: one (or more) from each of the main dinosaur families fights his (or her?) way through the jungle and desert, taming their former friends for the chance to take on the Arkosaurus bully and bring peace back to some sort of misshapen globe.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D.

Dissidia 012, as you probably already know, is an RPG/fighting hybrid which pits characters from various Final Fantasy titles against each other. The deities Cosmos and Chaos have summoned all the greatest heroes and villains from the series to fight as their own personal armies, and the characters’ memories have been erased, so they don’t remember anything about their origins. It’s kind of depressing, actually.

I am just going to say this right now: don’t ever expect Okamiden to outdo its predecessor. The original, directed by Hideki Kamiya and developed by the beloved Clover Studio, was a fantastic take on mixing Zelda gameplay elements and Japanese mythology. While many wanted a sequel (myself included), Capcom closed up Clover and the staff behind Okami left to form Platinum Games. Now we have a sequel in our hands, Kamiya-less and developed by a completely different team, on an inferior piece of hardware too.

While I often don’t think the term “mixed bag” says much about a game, I think it speaks to the core of Asphalt 3D quite well. There’s a very even mix of good and bad, offering players what could’ve been a solid racing experience if it weren’t dragged down by some poor AI, technical issues, and cell phone game design. Players will find some solid racing mechanics underneath all the mess, fun tracks complete with shortcuts, as well as an assortment of challenges providing some necessary variety.

Brotherhood chronicles the continued adventures of Italian renaissance assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his battle against the Knights Templar over the future of the human race. As a fan of the series I was a tad disappointed that we wouldn’t be moving on to a new time period, but thankfully my doubts were demolished as Ubisoft delivered a fresh experience, continuing to refine its formula in impressive ways.

Marking their second downloadable title for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, Double Fine’s Stacking provides a one-of-kind, full-fledged experience. Similar in some ways to Take Two’s Space Station Silicon Valley on the N64, players take on the quest of a Matroyshka doll that can stack into other dolls of increasing size. Through this unique mechanic, players can explore the landscape, solve puzzles in a variety of ways, and complete a menagerie of other tasks. This unique gameplay makes for one of the best titles in Double Fine’s catalog and a solid purchase for anyone looking for something unique.