Giant Bomb

Black Flag takes a sharp left turn from the series' traditional progression, but the ways in which it diverges are what make it one of the most purely entertaining games in the franchise.

The third outing of Capcom's other, more ridiculous zombie franchise ably walks the line between approachability and the series' trademark off-the-wall quirk.

Killer Instinct shows you the ropes quite well and has a combo system that's fun to execute, though slightly less fun to defend against.

There's a fantastic game hiding inside of Need for Speed Rivals, but there aren't enough systems in place to draw that greatness out where it belongs.

Ryse leans too heavily on its merely decent combat, but at least it looks really, really nice doing so.

2K Sports hits the reset button on its NBA franchise while still maintaining the level of quality fans of this series have come to expect.

All the features from the previous versions of Madden 25 make it into the next-gen, but the upgrades you get with this version aren't that significant.

Nintendo has knocked it out of the park once again, making its latest platformer a must play.

Knack is little more than a tedious slog.

The campaign is a real drag, but Shadow Fall's multiplayer props up the package with its fun, configurable action.

Resogun might be the best PlayStation 4 exclusive so far. It's certainly a must-download for new owners of the console.

The basic core of fast-action multiplayer shooting is largely intact on all platforms, but Call of Duty: Ghosts tries new things that don't make the game better while omitting features and modes that players have come to expect from the franchise.

WWE 2K14 traipses through Wrestlemania's storied history with expected, but nonetheless entertaining results.

Prodding at The Stanley Parable and seeing how it will react to your various actions makes for a great, brief experience.

It's guilty of both overbearing goofiness and unearned self-seriousness, yet Beyond: Two Souls is still easily Quantic Dream's most fully-realized game to date.

2K continues its tradition of eminently deep and thoroughly entertaining basketball simulations, albeit without many changes to its feature set.

Starbreeze's fairytale adventure is so finely crafted, you'd be hard pressed to find many better games this year.

Grand Theft Auto V's unique storytelling meshes well with standard GTA-style action, giving you multiple perspectives on some fantastic criminal activities.

The specter of NHL '94 looms large over EA's latest hockey game, which ultimately works both to its benefit and detriment.

Madden's silver anniversary offers little notable forward progress for the series.