Since 1986, the action-adventure Castlevania games have featured the Belmont clan battling a stable of classic horror creatures - from skeletons, vampires, and werewolves to iconic characters such as the Grim Reaper and Frankenstein's monster, all under the lord of the night, Dracula. While the series thrived as a two-dimensional side-scroller, it has for almost 10 years suffered from substandard attempts at 3D gameplay, resulting in poor combat and platforming.

The new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes a big step in the right direction. Borrowing heavily from the play style of God of War with a great presentation is one thing, but the story is a powerful light that repels the darkness of doubt.

Halo might be the most important franchise for the Xbox. The 2001 original defined console first-person shooters with its groundbreaking precision controls, keeping Xbox system sales alive during its early years and setting the standard for nearly every modern shooter to date.

What the truly hardcore fans realize, though, is that the original game's popularity skyrocketed with prequel novels that dug deeper into the tale of humanity's desperate battle for survival against the aliens known as The Covenant. The key book in all of this was 2001's Halo: The Fall of Reach. That novel comes to life in the final game in the franchise, Halo: Reach, and developer Bungie has crafted one of the best stories in video games today while adding even more to its trademark multiplayer in what is truly the defining version of Halo.

Appealing to both hardcore gamers (with the franchises they love) and casual gamers (with ease of use), Nintendo's Wii has been a powerhouse in the video-game market. This success has led Nintendo's main competitors, Microsoft with Xbox 360 and Sony with PlayStation 3, to develop their own motion-control schemes -- which will be hitting the market in the next few months.

2007's Super Mario Galaxy followed the tradition of Mario games moving platforming in a new direction. The consistently changing gravity combined with the series' top-tier movement controls delivered an experience that felt familiar but different at the same time. While it was a fun gameplay experience, the story was too bland to hold my interest against competing titles such as Mass Effect. Two and a half years later, the Wii exclusive Super Mario Galaxy 2 offers dozens of new levels to explore and power-ups to abuse. The game is just as gratifying as its predecessor, but it once again leaves a bitter taste in my mouth with its retread plot.