Destructoid

It may lack some of the community niceties, beloved maps (Assault, anyone?), and little features of past games, but Global Offensive delivers on the promise of a faithful, polished, and better looking Counter-Strike for whoever wants it. Even if the community doesn't meet the golden standard of 1.6 and Source, CS:GO will remain a multiplayer classic for those willing to put in the time to learn the maps and weapons

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron has a lot of what made the original game so great, but it suffers from generation loss, relinquishing a portion of its quality in the cloning process. The decision to give players more of the same is made less palatable by the fact that its story is nowhere near as engaging and the multiplayer has not expanded in any way -- and even been scaled back in the case of Escalation.

Sound Shapes doesn't quite reach its potential. There are some truly great level designs here (some with the occasional ship to pilot, avoiding hazards in space or water) but there's not enough of them, and before you know it, you've finished the main campaign. In fact, the majority of the level designs are more of a chore to grind through than the occasional visual and auditory delights. There are only three Beck levels, and of those, truly only two are worth playing, as they're the best levels in the game.

By the end of the game, I truly felt attached to the characters and was excited to see what would happen next. The rhythm games here are too hit and miss to recommend on their merits alone, but if you've been waiting for Sega to return to its Dreamcast roots, then grab Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure before it disappears.

Darksiders II takes the best elements from many games and blends them into a seamless, wholly satisfying package. With a unique protagonist, killer art style, savvy level design, and ferocious combat, there's little left for an action fan to want, while the role-playing elements have been enhanced to such a degree that the overall experience feels deeper and more compelling than before.

Sleeping Dogs is what happens when every part is the good part. ...Between its fantastic combat, shooting, presentation, storytelling, and RPG elements, Sleeping Dogs has just raised the demands for what it'd take for GTAV to get the throne back. Good luck, Rockstar.

Dust: An Elysian Tail took a long time to reach us, but the wait has most certainly paid off. Few Xbox Live Arcade games are superior, and most of them pale in comparison. At times it can get a touch repetitive, and there are a handful of exasperating moments, but this is nonetheless an arresting game that offers more than the average XBLA title. Yes, it's full of anthropomorphic rabbits and foxes, but if that stops you from playing, that'll be your loss.

It's not a ground-breaking title, but it definitely offers a cool twist on the shooter genre. While I wasn't completely sold on the cover-only gameplay, after a few matches, I found myself really enjoying the time I had put into the game. Hybrid is certainly not what I expected, but with the right mindset, players can get a different experience than most shooters provide nowadays.

All in all, the multiplayer portion of Starhawk is not bad. The disappointment stems from the notion that it could have been truly great, but a few design decisions and strange lag keep it from achieving that. As a single-player experience, Starhawk exceeds expectations, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it for those who prefer to play alone, if only to try out the undeniably cool Build-and-Battle system.

Everyone wins with Persona 4 Arena. This dream collaboration between Atlus and Arc System Works brings us a game that will easily stand out even in the crowded fighting game segment. It's also sure to serve as a gateway drug for both RPG and fighting game fans to cross to the other side. Really, there's nothing else quite like this.