There’s a reason Electronic Arts dropped a billion or so dollars into PopCap Games when they acquired them last year.  This development team single-handedly makes some of the most addictive games on the planet, ranging from the ball-dropping Peggle to the gem-switching Bejeweled to the shooting madness of Heavy Weapon.  There’s literally something for everyone.  Even Plants vs. Zombies, a game that sounds incredibly farfetched in concept, works oh so well, no matter what platform it’s on.  And this logic holds true to the PlayStation Vita version, which is as fun as any of the others.

Two of Blizzard Entertainment’s most popular games are coming home in a new form. USAOPOLY, under license by Hasbro, Inc, used the 109th annual New York International Toy Fair to announce a partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to release fresh takes on two classic board games. MONOPOLY: World of Warcraft and RISK: StarCraft combine tried-and-true foundations with new designs and gameplay elements inspired by Blizzard’s popular gaming universes. Those who dare to engage will discover a new chance to claim supremacy, both over their friends and over the battle-torn lands of Azeroth and the Koprulu Sector.

Know what's great?  When an independent game darling gets its time to shine in the spotlight thanks to a generous publisher.  We're seeing a lot more of these hit the gaming scene, and personally, I love it, though a little more advertising for said product wouldn't be a bad thing.  This time around, Konami has published Puddle, a 2010 Independent Gaming Award darling made by Neko Entertainment.  Just in playing it for a few minutes, you see where its appeal lies.  Unfortunately, it doesn't really let on how tough the journey gets until you really get into it.

Consoles and PC's have had a slow month interms of new AAA quality games arriving for your respected platform. While January got off to a slow start, it quickly recovered to bring us high quality tittles through digital distribution. Plenty of great downloadable arcade tittles were made available through XBLA, PSN and Steam, giving us many hidden gems on the digital marketplace. Let's look back at the games we reviewed over the past month.  

One of the first genre’s I ever got addicted to was tower defense games, but for awhile now tower defense games have long been stale. For a long time now, the genre hasn’t seen any dramatic changes, but still provided quality games for its fans. Recently, the genre has escalated to new heights thanks to advancements in smart phone technology and the integration of app marketplace. Developed by Futuremark Games Studio, Unstoppable Gorg attempts to reinvent the genre, but costly design choices ruin a potential hit.

Ever since it was released in 2005, Lumines has remained one of Q Entertainment's popular games.  A puzzle/strategy game that combines addictive gameplay with a refreshing presentation (involving some rather creative musical choices), Lumines has gone on to success on a number of platforms, including as a downloadable game through Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, and on the mobile front.  Now the series is making a return in its biggest game to date, scheduled to arrive next month as part of the PlayStation Vita's launch line-up.

2K Games is bringing back the XCOM franchise in a big way. After showcasing a first-person shooter XCOM game from 2K Marin at E3 last year, now the game publisher has revealed a second game. Firaxis Games, the creative team behind the iconic Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise, is developing XCOM: Enemy Unknown for 2012. The action strategy title should be instantly recognizable to fans of the original X-COM, while breaking new ground in strategy games for today’s console and Windows PC gamers. With equal emphasis on deep strategy and intense tactical combat, XCOM: Enemy Unknown will place players in control of a secret paramilitary organization called XCOM. As the XCOM commander, players will defend against a terrifying global alien invasion by managing resources, advancing technologies, and overseeing combat strategies and individual unit tactics. The game will feature a variety of alien enemy types as well as a new base setup.