Destructoid

I’m reluctant to use a “if X, then Y” construction, but I’ll leave you with this summary: the lack of a viable “Be A Pro”-esque mode is noticeable -- especially in light of the cheaper FIFA 10’s robust single-player -- but World Cup’s core game and online modes are top notch, a few missteps notwithstanding. EA Canada’s FIFA foundation is rock solid, so it’s hard to imagine a world where World Cup could ever be bad; whether or not it’s worth $60 is between you, God, and Daniel Agger who, let me remind you, was recently kicked in the face.

Any Street Fighter fans, even those who quit playing the original and moved on, should be picking up Super. If you missed out on Street Fighter IV but are interested in fighting games, Super is an excellent purchase for you as well. Personally, I consider Street Fighter IV to be one of the best fighting games we've seen in a long time, and Super Street Fighter IV does nothing but improve on it. Buy this game.

Ultimately, Resonance of Fate stands as a great option for JRPG fans who feel like games have been getting a little bit too streamlined, unwilling to force their players to actually learn to play. It leverages both the JRPG penchant for absurd spectacle and its obsession with arcane mechanics to create an experience that feels both conservative and progressive, hitting nearly all the desired bullet points (no pun intended) while still keeping things fresh.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is a thoroughly great game, and should definitely be purchased by stealth and action fans alike. Gratifying predatory battles, a unique visual exhibition, and a variety of engrossing game modes make Conviction an absolutely solid experience that nobody should feel disappointed in. Splinter Cell is most definitely back, and I sincerely hope that this latest installment represents the future of the franchise.

Risen would be slow even under the best circumstances -- which doesn't necessarily bother me -- but it's impossible to know which quests are important and which are peripheral, so you'll spend a lot of time lost and dying, accomplishing nothing, feeling frustrated by the combat. Without any narrative momentum to push you roughshod through the game's busted mechanics, Risen feels that much more alienating.

It's really too bad -- there's clear potential in this game, and it attempted some fairly unique stuff. With some very serious polishing, tweaking, and rebalancing, I think this game could have been quite enjoyable. As it stands, it's a waste of time, far too frustrating, and absolutely not worth $49.99.

While MLB 10 The Show remains the best baseball videogame money can buy, it’s no longer light-years ahead of 2K Sports’ effort. Is it better than MLB 09? Definitely, but not by a wide margin. I’d certainly still easily recommend it to PS3 owners, since they have a choice between it and MLB 2K10, but if MLB 11 doesn’t vastly improve upon this year’s regrettable online offering, we may very well have a competition on our hands in 2011.

Every now and then its fights can approach satisfying, but mostly this is a dull, dreary affair that is too busy licking its own arse to look up and notice that everybody around it has fallen asleep. Written with all the skill of a three-year-old and paced with the eagerness of a virgin in heat, Final Fantasy XIII isn't just bad by Final Fantasy standards, it's pretty damn poor for the genre itself.

Without question, God of War III sets the new gold standard for action games, clearing and then raising the near-impossible bar that was set by its previous installments. For many years to come, this will be the game by which all others in the genre are compared, and I suspect we won't see anything like it for quite some time. If God of War III was the reason you bought a PS3, your purchase has been justified and then some.

Whether the game is worth purchasing entirely depends on how interested you are in owning another online first-person shooter. Bad Company 2 is undeniably going to contain the next big multiplayer scene for some time to come. If you are interested, even slightly, absolutely buy this game. Stop reading this review right this second and go get it; don't even look at the score. Everyone else, especially those of you who are strictly into gaming by yourself, it's simply not right for you.