When I started playing Super Mario 3D Land, I described it as a middle-ground between the simplicity and accessibility of New Super Mario Bros., and the deeper and more intricate levels and mechanics of Super Mario Galaxy -- and a fun experience, while it lasted, but ultimately not deep or varied enough to keep my attention. If only the power-ups were more engaging, the levels were more diverse, and the narrative backdrop was at least slightly entertaining. And if this hypothetical game was multiplayer to boot? well that would make up for the feeling of complacency in last year's New Super Mario Bros. U. Yeah, in case this wasn't clear already, Super Mario 3D World is this hypothetical game; and yeah, it is pretty damned awesome.

Admittedly, I haven't tried the game solo yet, and the multiplayer Marios for Wii and Wii U were a lot less exciting without friends. So I'll need to tackle this question at some point.

But even as a team, 3D World feels more like a good 3D Mario game. Being in three dimensions, you'll almost never find yourself fighting with other players just to move forward (unless you intend to); and the levels are littered with optional warp pipes, warp blocks, and green stars - though you will need some of these - which support a greater sense of variety and non-linearity than other recent Marios. It's a bit of a shame that, while you can run around the overworld map freely, there isn't anything to do except select levels; but, this is at least more fun than a regular menu.

The much-vaunted cat power-up shows up a lot, but manages to avoid wearing out its welcome: climbing walls feels like a genuinely transformative Mario move, and many levels are designed with verticality specifically for it. I haven't picked up as many Double Cherries as I'd like; rampaging around with an army of jumping clones is one of the best Mario powers yet, right up there with the Godzilla-sized Mega Mushroom (which also reappears in 3D World).

This is a great Mario game, and a great party game -- and the Wii U's best attempt yet at a serious killer-app.

Progress: Bowser's Funland

There is a ton of content in LEGO Marvel: more unlockable characters than ever before, bonus stages beyond the scope of the story, and a city dense with collectibles. But, the downside of this breadth of content is a relative lack of depth -- rote missions, a repetitive world map, and mechanics that get reused across much of the game's cast (Wolverine and Beast, for instance, are effectively identical).

The game does more right than it does wrong; it's certainly enjoyable to ride the story and bonus missions through to completion, and even to uncover the rest of the game's poorly-hidden secrets (if you're into it, which I definitely am). On its own, LEGO Marvel is pretty great. But in the shadows of LEGO City Undercover, which had more interesting writing and a wonderfully varied landscape, and LEGO The Lord of the Rings, which paid impeccable (if sometimes parodic) respect to its source material, this installment simply can't measure up. Everything just feels more samey than those previous LEGO adventures. (It doesn't help that almost all of the male NPCs are played by the same three dudes.)

Of course, it might just be because I'm not a Marvel superfan. If you've been waiting for a game that let you play as Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, Wolverine, Dr. Doom, and Mysterio - et al - this one's clearly for you.

Better than: LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (3DS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, WiiU, X360)
Not as good as: LEGO City Undercover, LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)
LEGO Deadpool doesn't do much: but LEGO Stan Lee can web-sling, laser, and hulk-out, so, yeah.

Progress: 100%

Somehow, this first half of Burial at Sea is at once ambitious and lazy; simultaneously ham-fisted and limp. If this DLC truly represents what Irrational can do in six months, within an existing framework and established mythoses (mythes?), I gotta say I'm disappointed.

From the outset, the episode is heavily evocative of Chinatown, as if to explicitly remind us that it's Ken Levine's favorite movie ever. Hey -- I loved it too. But a "homage" can only last so long before it becomes bitter and unwelcome. The script has this same problem with its "inside" references to BioShock Infinite, Elizabeth aloofly pounding references into the player's head. Somehow, fortunately, the backdrop of BioShock and Rapture is treated much more reasonably, with callbacks to Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine integrated organically into the plot.

A significant portion of the episode, the first 45 minutes or so, is spent in the thick of Rapture's thriving high-society; ladies and gents sip martinis and puff cigarettes as they wax philosophical on Randian ideals. But this setting really isn't executed with the will it deserves. Hardly any characters or events are interactive, or active at all -- only a small fraction of the NPCs even bother to have lines. This is especially disappointing when compared to Infinite's opening in Columbia, which had similar ideas, but was much fuller with theme-appropriate banter and events.

After this initial distraction, it's back to business as usual, shooting and unleashing plasmids vigors plasmids on wacked-out splicers. I lamented Infinite's descent into more rote, simple gunplay when compared to its predecessors, and this DLC episode is no different (well, one weapon is different, but I wouldn't even consider it worthwhile). To its credit, the episode fosters a much more diligent play style by being more stingy with ammo than any previous BioShock. At the same time, though, there are more monster closets here than in any other game I can recall. Between these insufferable encounters, and some incredibly uninspired mission objectives, the gameplay experience on the whole is pretty dull.

To top it off, the ending is ... well, it's a few things, but none so much as baffling. There is a bit of resolution for the episode's story, but the bigger point is a cliffhanger for the next one. In its last moments, this dog of a DLC stands up on its hind legs, and barks out, "Stay tuned for more BioShock!" Of course, I will. But it's not leaving a great taste in my mouth.

Various outlets have quoted Burial at Sea - Episode 1 at a mere two hours; I managed to wring three out of it, using my tried-and-true take-forever-scouring-the-map-for-items tactic. There are some optional collectibles to scavenge up, particularly some audio logs that touch upon the connections between BioShock and Infinite. But I wouldn't call any of it surprising or compelling.

Ultimately, whether this first episode of Burial at Sea is worthwhile will depend on what the second episode does to tie everything together. For now, call me ... apprehensive.

Better than: BioShock 2: Minerva's Den ... maybe.
Not as good as: BioShock Infinite
When you listen to Booker and Elizabeth back-and-forth like they're in an old movie: You, too, might begin to wonder why Ken Levine isn't just writing a screenplay already.

Progress: Complete.

Right off the bat, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a little disappointing for its vocal presentation. Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, even Jeremy Renner -- all absent. The only voices you're going to recognize from recent Marvel media outings are Agent Coulson, and (of course) Stan Lee. In light of the incredible attachment LEGO The Lord of the Rings made with its source material - granted, using direct recordings from the movies - LEGO Marvel's comparatively-dim personalities are a bit of a letdown.

But it's pretty easy to get over, because -- look, the recent LEGO games have established a pretty solid open-world formula, with vehicles, character-specific puzzles, and a fuckton of collectibles. And LEGO Marvel cranks all of that way up. How way up? There are 150 fucking characters in this game. Jesus! Each one represents a combination of abilities, like, Wolverine can regenerate health and has claws, Beast has claws and can use computers, Jean Gray can use computers and has telekinesis, Sue Storm has telekinesis and can turn invisible, Black Widow can turn invisible and does acrobatics ... it's just outlandish. And a bunch of the characters can fly, like, fly around Manhattan. Yes! It's incredible.

The game's technical infidelity does put a slight damper on the experience, with crashes and hangs, loading lag, worse-than-expected performance, and tons of cutscene scripting errors. And, as ever, the bulk of the game's collectibles are effectively locked until the campaign is complete, and I can select arbitrary characters at will. But I can see them; I can see the collectibles. Taunting me. Waiting for me.

Yeah. One hundred and fifty characters.

Progress: 11.8%, 11/15 missions complete.

As I encroached upon the game's conclusion, some difficult realities began to sink in, filling in the blanks of my decade-old nostalgia. The Wind Waker doesn't just have a problem with its number of dungeons -- the dungeons themselves are generally underwhelming, with only a handful of really memorable designs. As wide as the game's ocean is, it isn't very dense, padding many simple tasks with tedious travel time. Many parts of the quest, like the hunt for the Ghost Ship, are downright obtuse; even half-remembering them leaves plenty of room for confusion.

The ending, though. Man. Ganon's menacing monologue; the rain-soaked, epic showdown; the King's bittersweet farewell. This is still some of the best narrative direction in games. (And the final battle is, obviously, still a high bar for the Zelda series.)

In retrospect, there are really two reasons why I have such fond memories for the Wind Waker: that ending, and the beautiful, liberating freedom of the Great Sea. More than just one of Zelda's finest overworlds, it's the closest the series has come to true open-world design. Granted, it isn't nearly as full of activity as a Saints Row, or as spontaneously entertaining as a Grand Theft Auto. But there's a certain charm, a je ne sais quoi to sailing the open ocean, spotting land on the horizon.

As for the HD update: as much as I'll harp on about soft lighting ruining the aesthetic in some scenes, for the most part, this game is absolutely gorgeous. I'm still slightly concerned about the occasional framerate drops, though fortunately these only come up during a few, particularly hectic moments. The new features are great and all, and the Game Pad second-screen inventory and map are a definite improvement, but there are other aspects of the controls (awkward targeting, first-person aiming) that could have done with more work.

Your mileage may vary, depending on your sense of nostalgia, or if you haven't played Wind Waker before, how much you're willing to accept its sometimes-archaic habits. But I think there's something great in Wind Waker HD for pretty much everyone.

Better than: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Not as good as: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
And don't forget, there are a ton of extras and sidequests: if you aren't already tied up with carjacking or vigilantism or superheroism or shooting dudes or, whatever.

Progress: Defeated Ganon.

Well, the good news is that the bloom lighting isn't as pervasive and offensive as it previously appeared. The bad news is that, instead, soft lighting gets in the way of Wind Waker's signature look; when flickering torches cast realistically-graded shadows on Link's cap, it just doesn't look like a cartoon anymore. It's a shame that this otherwise-admirable technology detracts from the game's aesthetic.

But the better news is that this game is still, very much, The Wind Waker. The intuitive mechanics, the expressive characters, and the childlike sense of wonder are all still here. There are so many moments in this game that have been strongly etched into my memory; I can't wait to visit the rest of them.

Progress: Just landed on Dragon Roost Island.

So, you've got Grand Theft Auto, a franchise explicitly about crime (and implicitly about anti-social behavior in general); and you've got the online video game community, possibly the most wretched hive of scum and villainy there is. What do you get when you shove these two forces together? A surprising amount of entertainment, although not without frustrations.

Technical quibbles aside - and, at least in its first few days, there were plenty to set aside - Grand Theft Auto Online works about as well as the GTAV single-player does. Driving and shooting are great fun, particularly in the service of a particular mission, despite (or sometimes because of) the elite special forces of the San Andreas Police Department. There's of course a wide array of sandbox activity to engage in, and playing with friends dramatically amplifies the enjoyment of any of these hijinks.

Unfortunately, Rockstar's strength in mission design is largely squandered in the Online game. Missions with a semblance of "story" are incredibly few and far-between; day-to-day missions tend to draw from a limited number of templates, e.g. vehicle hijackings or rip-and-runs, while the vast majority of available missions are merely multiplayer races and deathmatches. This situation should get a lot better once heists are added in, but in the meantime, I'm counting on the social aspects of playing with my friends to wring the fun out of the game.

Naturally, GTA Online being what it is, griefing is a major concern. Rockstar has done an admirable job of developing systems to mitigate unwelcome player behavior, but loopholes in these systems leave plenty of opportunity for trolling. You can turn on a "passive mode" to avoid getting in firefights with other players, but you can still be killed by vehicular manslaughter. There is a "bad sport" mechanic which sequesters players with a pattern of bad behavior, but repeatedly killing players who don't (or even can't) fight back, apparently doesn't count as "bad." Thankfully, since the game's introduction, the cash penalty for being killed has been drastically reduced; but there is still an intrinsic annoyance in being assassinated when you're just trying to get something done.

And though there's a bit of a hurdle in the game's economy - requiring quite a bit of cash-grinding to save up for nice apartments and vehicles - the bigger hurdle is the experience level curve, which keeps certain weapons, mission types, and even features locked until you meet specific level requirements. The game is at least intelligent enough to prevent this from becoming unfair (for instance, you can't place a bounty on a player unless they're a high enough level to place bounties themselves), but the grind required to reach meaningful milestones, coupled with the lack of mission variety, is something of a demotivator.

But the silver lining of GTA Online's current issues is that Rockstar is continuing to rebalance the experience, and has short- and long-term plans for adding content and features. Already, in its relative infancy, balance changes have made the game friendlier and more exciting. I've got faith that Rockstar's polish will continue to improve the service over time.

Aw, man. This is so close.

Warlock was a fun trip, but my interest in it waned in the face of balance issues and technical stumbles. If the upcoming sequel is going to hold my attention for more than a few days, it'll need some polish; but in the meantime, Paradox's great sense of trailer-humor at least has me curious.

I would absolutely love for Black Flag to be a game about pirates, and throw all that Assassin/Templar crap away. So I hope Ubisoft isn't just teasing me with this promo attitude. Will this finally be it? The Assassin's Creed game that finally cuts out the modern-day story completely? Here's hoping.