Destructoid

What Piranha Bytes has developed could have been a thoroughly supreme game, one that could have gone toe to toe with the heavyweights of action role-playing. Due to a number of highly questionable design decisions, however, a lot of that potential has withered away. With so much lost, it's perhaps a testament to how talented the team secretly is that Risen 2 is still packed with fun in the face of truly inhibiting setbacks.

Trials Evolution feels fresh and makes its predecessor look dated while simultaneously keeping the core gameplay the same. This type of skill-heavy experience will infuriate some people who struggle to pick up on its subtleties, but the end result of clearing a particularly challenging track is remarkably satisfying. Multiplayer is a fine addition, as is the new focus on providing genuinely creative, diverse level designs.

This is not only a great example of a professional and credible free-to-play game, but it's also one of the best first-person shooters I've played. I am quite serious when I say that, too. This game is a serious FPS contender, and its freemium status should not diminish your expectations. I wholeheartedly recommend you jump in and give it a try. It'll cost only your time to give it a whirl, and I am certain that it'll be time well spent.

To top it all off, the game looks like garbage as well. There are a few nice FMV sequences, but the on-screen chicanery is a joke. When the cursed diary "comes to life," players get to see superimposed images appear on the page, desperately trying to look authentic but coming across as embarrassing B-movie green screen effects. Characters are simplistic and poorly animated, and the 3D effects will likely need to be switched off, given all the moving around that the 3DS needs to do.

This reboot takes itself too seriously -- every texture is spit-shined and gleaming, every animation wrought with care -- without the self-awareness to sacrifice technical sophistication for ease of use. FIFA Street is enjoyable only under the best circumstances, before the engine and the sheer density of barely distinguishable, locked-out moves take over.

FEZ may not look quite so unique these days, but once you start playing it, you'll notice how its quality, ingenious level design, and lovable personality keeps it in the upper echelons of indie gaming. Its minimalist approach hides just how much thought and care went into the overall package, and I cannot begin to wrap my head around how Polytron designed some of those levels.

The level design, enemy placement, and especially the puzzles are all, by and large, wonderfully crafted. There are a few instances where the "traps" seem more unfair than clever, but that hardly tarnishes what is otherwise a terrific experience. You'll be hard-pressed to find a modern game like Legend of Grimrock any time soon, but with a game of this quality, you won't need one.

Whether you are exploring the corners of DMC’s castle or surfing on a rocket in DMC3, there are a lot of great moments in this collection that will make veterans nostalgic and turn newcomers into fans of the series’ unique charm. Bayonetta may have outgunned Dante and Kratos may have outclassed him, but the combat, exploration, and scenarios of the DMC series still offer a thrill to this day.

Tropico 4: Modern Times gives the core game a much needed content injection, and turns Tropico 4 into a better game. Some additions have a larger impact on Tropican economic planning than others, but Modern Times is well worth checking out for any fan of Tropico.

Anomaly Warzone Earth is the same excellent game for same price on a new platform, with an extra mode to boot. If you've already played the PC or Mac version, the Tactical Trials alone are not necessarily worth repurchasing the game for -- although you can unlock a Commander Avatar outfit if you like those kinds of things. In case you don't have a computer to play games on, this XBLA version of Anomaly Warzone Earth is just as good the original, and one less reason to avoid putting off playing this game.