War on American soil isn’t a foreign concept for first-person shooters, but few do it with the grim dedication of Homefront. Its chilling vision of life in occupied America is vividly illustrated through lengthy scenes that depict the brutality of military subjugation and the desperation of its victims. This thoroughly developed setting is one of the most engaging the genre has seen in a while, making the campaign worthwhile despite its run-of-the-mill action and unsatisfying length. There is some longevity, however, to be found in Homefront’s competitive online multiplayer. Though the paltry few modes are little more than a pastiche of gameplay mechanics you’ve seen before, that little more tips the scales just enough to create a hectic and enjoyable combat arena. Much of what Homefront offers feels overly familiar, but the dramatic setting and good multiplayer recipe make it a worthy stop on any shooter fan’s tour of duty.

There’s something strangely familiar about Inversion and its topsy-turvy, postapocalyptic world. It’s not so much that it takes inspiration from the greats of the shooter world as that it rips them off entirely. Trying to find an original idea in this cover-based shooter is as hard as trying to find depth in its ludicrously over-the-top tale of planetary invasion, or in its painfully generic multiplayer offerings–there simply isn’t any. For all the bombastic set pieces and gravity-based blood and guts it throws at you, you’re left with nothing but a feeling of deja vu: you’ve jumped from these exploding buildings, splattered these heads with a sniper rifle, and guided this meatheaded protagonist to victory many a time before.

Sacrifice. It’s Mass Effect 3’s major theme, and rightly so. After all, the reapers were coming–it was only a matter of time. And now, those sentient space vessels are here, and with them, a galaxy’s worth of destruction. Mass Effect 3 brings the sound and the fury, but these aren’t meaningless shows of laser fire and alien devastation. The series has earned its right to showcase such destruction by drawing us close to its characters and teaching us of its universe.

Max Payne’s home has always been on the PC. The original 2001 game and its sequel debuted on the PC, and though they received console versions–some of which captured the excellence of their PC counterparts and some of which didn’t–it was on PC that he first made his mark. Times have changed for Max, and his latest outing hit consoles first and PC second, which may raise concerns about whether, this time around, it’s the PC version that feels secondary and the console versions that feel definitive. As it turns out, such concerns are unfounded. Max Payne 3 is just as gorgeous and intense on PC as it is on consoles, and the pinpoint precision offered by a mouse makes the PC version the best way to enjoy this brutal and haunting shooter.

What does it take to survive as an undercover cop who infiltrates one of Hong Kong’s most ruthless criminal organizations? If Sleeping Dogs is any indication, it takes martial arts prowess, good marksmanship, driving skill, a reckless willingness to leap from one speeding vehicle to another, and the confidence to sing karaoke. None of the individual elements in Sleeping Dogs are best-in-class, but they’re all thoroughly enjoyable, and the structured story missions have you switching from one type of action to another frequently enough that you’re never tired of what you’re doing at any given moment. Additionally, the fictionalized version of Hong Kong where Sleeping Dogs takes place is an exotic and atmospheric setting for this tale of conflicting loyalties; you probably wouldn’t want to live amid the ruthless criminals who populate the game’s cast, but this world sure is a nice place to visit.

Based on Paramount Pictures’ classic film, Top Gun: Hard Lock is set in the present day with a brand new story line and new wave of elite naval aviators fresh out of the Top Gun academy. Gamers fly right back into the danger zone for a jet propelled flight combat adventure with all the flair of a modern day action blockbuster.

Fall of the Samurai, the first stand-alone expansion for Total War: Shogun 2, is set during Japan’s Boshin War of the 1860s, a civil war that began as an ideological struggle over the shogunate’s pro-Western policies. Clans opposed to these policies fought to overthrow the shogunate and return power to the emperor, and over the course of the war, both sides were compelled to embrace armaments like Armstrong guns and ironclads. The result is a unique setting: a maelstrom of sword-wielding samurai, Gatling guns, railroads, and ancient Buddhist temples. That setting also adds some new dimensions to the series with naval bombardments, railroads, and the ability to take direct control over artillery units. If you wanted to see the Total War series cover more recent conflicts, then Fall of the Samurai is a major step in the right direction.

The Transformers may be more than meets the eye, but Transformers: Fall of Cybertron has an obvious goal: to let you control numerous Autobots and Decepticons while filling the screen with as much fire and brimstone as possible. Developer High Moon strives for metal-on-metal sensory assault, which is both a strength and a weakness. When the game thinks big, your eyes and ears are treated to larger-than-life spectacles; gargantuan robots sprawl across your view, and you annihilate mechanical monstrosities with the touch of a button. But Fall of Cybertron’s most exciting moments are those you watch, not those you play. It can be a lot of fun, but the visual thrills don’t consistently translate into stimulating gameplay.

In The Amazing Spider-Man, the webslinger dispenses quick wit almost as fast as he dispenses justice. More importantly, he gets room to show off his high-flying acrobatics with a freedom his last two outings were lacking. This time, Spidey has the whole of Manhattan as his playground. As you fling yourself above the city, swinging past skyscrapers and vaulting from towers, you get a dizzying sense of what it would be like to slip into the famous red and blue costume.

Football Manager veterans know that the series is all about evolution, not revolution. It has been evolving steadily for almost two decades now to become so vast and complex that it’s not really an entry-level game anymore. Even experienced players who have missed a few iterations are likely to find the sheer depth and number of options daunting. Everything is in here–from dealing with agents and mollycoddling egotistical star players to fending off scoop-hunting journalists–as you try to mold your team of virtual hit-and-hopers into a trophy-harvesting machine. This year’s introduction of a much-needed tutorial mode helps to steer newcomers through the labyrinthine options and is a great addition