While the list below isn't a rundown of all of the reviews that ran this year on Kotaku, it is a fairly strong sampling. Use it to help you decide what you should and shouldn't get.

Which games make your list for wishlist or gift list?

A Boy and His Blob

Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platformer
Subject Matter:A Boy and His Blob is a platform game in which the titular duo use their wits and the Blob's transformative powers to overcome obstacles as they try to save the planet from an evil alien overlord.
Value: Moderately lengthy for a platformer, A Boy and His Blob's main draw is it's combination of platforming and puzzle-solving, using the unique morphing blob mechanic to create ladders, holes, trampolines and more to help traverse increasingly hostile environments. The graphics are gorgeous and the presentation is charmingly bare. It's almost artistic.
Buy it for: fans of the original game and people with a strong bond to their pets
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Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Marble-shooting, creature-battling action game.
Subject Matter: Based on the wildly popular collectible toy game and cartoon series, Bakugan follows in the footsteps of Pokemon but adds transforming marbles to the mix. The game does a good job of capturing the essence of the franchise.
Value: With a relatively robust single-player campaign and ability to battle up to three friends on one television in a slew of interactive arenas, this game is a pretty good deal.
Buy it for:fans of Bakugan and maybe even curious fans of Pokemon.
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The Beatles: Rock Band
Price: The stand-alone game sells for $59.99, the Limited Edition Premium Bundle sell for $249.99, the Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar and the Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar sells for $99.99.
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm music game
Subject Matter: The Beatles: Rock Band is a musical journey through the history of one of the world's most popular bands.
Value: For those new to the Rock Band phenomenon and fans of The Beatles, this 45-track game is well worth a purchase because this is the only way you'll play The Beatles music in a Rock Band game. If you're not into the band, give this a pass.
Buy it for: huge Beatles fans.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Subject Matter: The Call of Duty series jumps from old school wars to modern combat in an edgy politically-charged tale of nuclear warfare.
Value: With Wii shooters few and far between, this is a must-have for FPS fans.
Buy it for: FPS fans who also happen to be Wii owners. Or your grandma, if you're trying to get un-invited to the family reunion.
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Contra ReBirth

Price: $10.00 (WiiWare)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A new entry in the Contra series in glorious, Super Nintendo-era 2D.
Value: It's short and hard, like a body-building elf. ReBirth takes the classic 2D run-and-gun gameplay of the Contra series and...doesn't do all that much with it. It's a new game with an old look.
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Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: Dynamic on-rails first-person shooter.
Subject Matter: Sci-fi horror prequel to 2008's Dead Space, featuring survivors on the run from alien horrors.
Value: A short Wii game, but one of the best-looking and most exciting ones in recent memory.
Buy it for: Fans of the Dead Space series and Wii gamers looking for a game targeted to an older crowd; this one's too profane for kids.
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DJ Hero
Price: $119.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: DJ Hero is a rhythm game featuring a replica DJ turntable so players can mix and scratch to the beat of original music mash-ups.
Value: DJ Hero features upwards fo 100 different DJ-driven mash-ups featuring songs from the 70's on up to present-day hits. Unlike the latest Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, however, it's only good for one or two players, so the party element just isn't there. The innovative turntable-based gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in the currently band-centric music genre, but it certainly isn't as social.
Buy it for: Fans of eclectic music mixes and lonely Guitar Hero fans.
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Excitebike: World Rally

Price: $10 (download only)
Genre: Arcade racer
Subject Matter: An update to the classic Nintendo racer Excitebike, with a few minor gameplay tweaks and a revised link.
Value: A touch pricey for what is essentially a modern day port of a classic racer, but I suppose nostalgia has no price.
Buy it for: fans of classic Nintendo games and pick up and play gaming.
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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Tower Defense
Subject Matter: In an twist on the genre, evil princess gets to stack one tower against invaders.
Value: Lots of levels, but the creators charge extra for a lot of the cooler items and features.
Buy it for: Tower defense fans who want a major change to the traditional formula
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Ju-on: The Grudge

Price: $29.99
Rating: M
Genre: Horror, Action
Subject Matter: Relive the eeriness of the Japanese horror sensation in this "haunted house simulator."
Value: With a second Wii Remote, you can randomly inflict scary "haunting" moments on the person playing the game by mashing A.
Buy it for: Japanese horror film fans and anybody you secretly hate but don't dare give lumps of coal to.
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LEGO Rock Band

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: It's the family version of Rock Band, with adorable LEGO characters.
Value:The value in LEGO Rock Band comes mainly from knowing your children won't be exposed to any suggestive lyrics or imagery, so if you're the type of parent/aunt/uncle that actually worries about such things, then there you are. Otherwise, you get somewhere around 44 songs that will just be released as downloadable content for the main game anyway.
Buy it for: Younger fans of good music who already have access to Rock Band instruments.
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Little King's Story

Price: $49.99
Rating: T
Genre: Role-playing game mixed with empire-building
Subject Matter: A fairy-tale-style king at odds with increasingly clever and culturally-interesting enemies tribes and kings.
Value: High. Lengthy, imaginative single-player quest.
Buy it for: Wii owners who want a game that will last; fans of quirky, more artsy video games.
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LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias

Price: 1000 Wii Points
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platform
Subject Matter: It's the sequel to 2008's LostWinds with the new ability to switch between seasons (winter and summer).
Value: Small touches, like the character being realistically refracted when standing behind ice, made us forget this is not a packaged retail release. The graphics and music are both deliver — as does the Wii Remote gameplay.
Buy it for: Gamers looking for a breezy and cute platformer.
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Marvel Super Hero Squad
Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: A standard tale of good versus evil told with tiny, superdeformed Marvel characters
Value: While the adventure mode will only last a couple of hours, Marvel Super Hero Squad features a Battle Mode that lets your kids fight against each other using iconic Marvel Comics characters, so there is some lasting value there, if only for the youngins'.
Buy it for: kids old enough to enjoy Marvel Characters but not old enough to handle Captain America getting shot and killed
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Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Price: $49.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action RPG
Subject Matter: A highly Japanese hack and slash RPG with very striking 2D visuals.
Value:A gorgeous single-player action RPG, Muramasa has a great deal of gameplay but very little in the way of story development. Lots of over-the-top action and some very impressive boss fights make up for the overall lack of depth.
Buy it for: Japanese RPG and anime fans.
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MySims Agents

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Action/Adventure
Subject Matter: Make your MySim into the ultimate secret agent by unraveling a huge mystery.
Value: Lots of customizable costumes and outfits, plus a secret alternate ending and bonus puzzles lend the game replay value.
Buy it for: Your kids and play it when they aren't looking.
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Side-scrolling, nostalgia-tugging platformer
Subject Matter: New Super Mario Bros. Wii doesn't explore any new narratives, you're still Mario who is still trying to save the princess, but this time around you can play with three friends, and the game is there to help you when you get stuck.
Value: New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like two games in one, and there are several mulitplayer modes to add to the fun after you've beaten the game.
Buy it for: Anyone with a Wii, anyone considering a Wii.
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Rabbids Go Home
Price: $49.99
Rating: E10+
Genre: Comedy platformer
Subject Matter: Three manic rabbit-like creatures and their shopping cart put to task to rob humanity of its junk in order to build a pile and pathway to the moon. Plus, the Rabbids can and must yell the clothes off ridiculous people.
Value: A pleasant and funny adventure that will last a weekend, but longer for those who want to collect 100%.
Buy it for: Gamers who want a game that makes them laugh out loud; fans of platforming looking for a Mario alternative; people looking for the Rabbids to finally star in something that isn't a mini-game compilation.
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Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: On-rails shooter, Resident Evil retrospective
Subject Matter: Single-player or co-op light gun shooter takes on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, wrapped up in a short, new pre-Resident-Evil-4 campaign, all presented with RE's mix of horror and cheese (though this one isn't scary).
Value: Light gun games are usually very short, but this one has three campaigns and enough unlockables to offer at least nine hours of first-time play.
Buy it for: Resident Evil fans; people looking for a less innovative Wii light gun game than Dead Space Extraction and a less outrageous one than House of the Dead: Overkill, but, of the three, the one with the most content. A solid game.
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Spyborgs

Price: $19.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: Spyborgs is a simple arcade-style beat-em up with cartoon tendencies.
Buy it for: Young children and early teens who've yet to develop discerning tastes.
Value: $19.99 could very well translate into keeping your kids quiet (or at least only yelling at each other) for a few hours, or some quality parent-child bonding time. It's not particularly exciting, but it'll do in a pinch.
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Sword & Soldiers

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Side-scrolling real-time-strategy game.
Subject Matter: Vikings vs. ninjas vs. Aztecs
Value: High, given the amount of levels, the gleefully violent cartoon visuals and the creative campaign.
Buy it for: Fans looking for cartoon violence on the Wii and fans of Patapon the only game remotely like this.
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Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station

Price: $49.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter:An induction panel that charges up to four remotes at a time.
Value: With four rechargeable battery packs included with the induction panel, this seems like a fairly good deal.
Buy it for:Wii owners sick of burning through batteries and people who have their console set up in a place where space is at a premium.
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Wii Fit Plus

Price: $19.99 (game only), $99.99 (with Balance Board)
Rating: E
Genre: Fitness, Sports
Subject Matter: A slew of next mini-games and a handful of new exercises round out Nintendo's home fitness tool.
Value: With a new multiplayer function and the ability to weigh your cat, baby or dog, Wii Fit Plus pushes its fun on the whole family.
Buy it for: Yourself because you're too lazy to go to the gym, your grandparents who need help getting over last year's hip surgery, or your brother-in-law who should really be watching his weight.
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Wii Sports Resort

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Casual sports
Subject Matter: Wii Sports Resort drops you on an island with a dozen sports to attempt using the Wii's new, more accurate MotionPlus device.
Value: Packed with a MotionPlus remote add-on and a hefty collection of sports, this is a must have for Wii owners.
Buy it for: Fans of Wii Sports, casual gamers, anyone looking for some family time on their Wii.
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In Marvel Super Hero Squad, tiny cartoon versions of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains race to collect Infinity Fragments in order to either forge them into the Infinity Sword and take over the world, or prevent that very occurrence from happening. The storyline is ripped directly from The Super Hero Squad Show on Cartoon Network, itself based on Hasbro's line of superdeformed action figures. Once you finish story mode, the game also features a Battle Mode that allows up to four players to step into the boots, shoes, spandex, or bare feet of their favorite Marvel characters and beat the living daylights out of each other.

As enticing as that all sounds, Marvel Super Hero Squad is still a game aimed at children. Does that mean that only children will enjoy it? Read on, true believer.

Loved
Strange Tales: Marvel Super Hero Squad is a kiddy game, but the plot and the way missions are split up is very reminiscent of the way multi-character team-up events were once traditionally treated by Marvel Comics. An Infinity Crystal is shattered in the initial chapter, and then subsequent chapters feature individual heroes - Hulk, Wolverine, Falcon, Iron Man, Thor, and Silver Surfer - as they fight through countless enemies in order to retrieve the fragments before Dr. Doom and his henchmen do. Each chapter is distinct and tailored to the hero involved - Thor fights his brother Loki in Asgard; the Silver Surfer is transported through alternate dimensions; Falcon has to do a lot of flying; and the Hulk just wants ice cream. Okay, maybe the last one was a stretch.

The Squadron Supreme: They may be tiny, but there sure are a lot of them. Between the story mode and the battle mode, Marvel Super Hero Squad features a nice selection of the best and worst that Marvel has to offer. You've got your core hero group, with Ms. Marvel barking orders from behind her S.H.I.E.L.D. desk; a motley cast of villains including Dr. Doom, Mole Man, MODOK, Loki, Crimson Dynamo, and Sabretooth; and then you've got supporting characters like Storm, Invisible Woman, and The Thing. If you were looking for a game with tiny little Marvel characters running about, hitting things, then this is your game.

Secret Wars: Once you unlock all of the playable characters and finish story mod, you're left with quite a passable little brawler for 1-4 players. It's a watered-down Super Smash Bros. with 3D movement, a nice selection of tiny Marvel characters and arenas, and the ability to fight in free-for-all or squad-based battles. It isn't perfect, but there are far worse things you could do with four friends and four Wii remotes.

Funny Pages: While the majority of the humor in Marvel Super Hero Squad is aimed at the much younger set, it does have its fair share of funny moments. The characters are versions of their grown-up counterparts with their flaws exaggerated to humorous effect. Take the Silver Surfer, for instance. He's long been one of Marvel's most long-winded, introspective characters, which in the MSHS universe translates into a Keanu Reeves-sounding surfer dude who thinks really deep thoughts. Some of the dialogue is rather witty as well, such as when Magneto quips, "You interrupted me while I was erasing hard drives just for fun." That's what I would do if I was Magneto.

Hated
The Vile Voice Acting: I realize the game is based off a cartoon which in turn is based on a toy line for toddlers, but even a toddler would wince at some of the voice acting in Marvel Super Hero Squad. It starts with Mole Man and MODOK sharing the same high-pitched squeaky voice and then goes downhill from there. When Stan Lee is one of the most dynamic voice actors in the game, you know something isn't quite right.

The Chaotic Camera: The camera in Marvel Super Hero Squad does grant a certain amount of control to the player, but it isn't quite enough to keep from getting hung up on scenery or stuck behind your character at times when that isn't a good place for it to be. It's also a very large pain during some of the more delicate platforming moments in the game, when you can't quite tell where you'll need to jump to avoid being plunged into molten lava.

The Enigmatic Easiness: Once again, Marvel super Hero Squad is a kid's game, so don't expect any real challenge here. Even when you uncheck Easy Mode, which seems to be checked by default before each mission, you can easily breeze through the game's story mode in a few hours. If you are a small child, it's probably perfect. If you are reading Kotaku, chances are you are not a small child, or your parents are really irresponsible.

The key thing to remember about this review is that I am a 36-year-old man, and therefor not the target demographic for Marvel Super Hero Squad. This is not a game that was developed with the 36-year-old man in mind. I am also a gigantic comic book geek, however, so I can still appreciate the title as a method for introducing a younger audience to the heroes that helped make me the slightly twisted individual I am today, and while some of the things Marvel has done to cater to the younger audience border on blasphemy in my eyes, I'm confident that those younger Marvel fans will eventually graduate to grown-up superheroes (really?), looking back on their time with Marvel Super Hero Squad and thinking how stupid they were back then.

Until that day, Marvel Super Hero Squad serves as a fine entry into the world of comic book heroes for the younger set, but once you get past the point when you start adding "teen" to the end of your age it's probably time for something meatier.

Marvel Super Hero Squad was developed by Blue Tongue and published by THQ for the Wii on October 20th. Retails for $39.99 USD. Additional versions exist for the PSP, PS2, and Nintendo DS. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through story mode and played through multiple fights in battle mode.

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Not to be confused with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the Marvel action-RPG coming this fall from Activision, Marvel Super-Hero Squad was shown in New York to be a lighter-weight more cheerful title. The new Ultimate Alliance is an all-platforms, tons-of-characters game based on the anguished events of Marvel's Civil War comic. Super-Hero Squad is a Wii/PS2/portable game based on a cartoon featuring short versions of Wolverine and friends.

That doesn't mean Super-Hero Squad isn't worth a look.

What Is It?
Marvel Super-Hero Squad is a co-op brawler that pits any paired combo of Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Falcon or the Silver Surfer in a beat-em-up story that has them punching, kicking and throwing star-spangled shields at bad guys in order to save the fate of Super-Hero City, the place where these heroes hang out. It also features a battle mode that can involve up to four players using heroes and villains to bash each other silly.

What We Saw
We played about five minutes of a co-op adventure mission set in a military base, trading off control of Wolverine and Captain America with a THQ rep. Controls were simple with a couple of buttons on the Wii remote for jump and attacks, a shake for a special move. Then we battled that rep on a platform somewhere up in Asgard, pitting Wolverine against the Hulk. Regardless of who controlled Wolverine, the Hulk was toast. He's just too big, too dumb and too slow.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is set for an October 20 release, which puts the game pretty far along. We played off a debug version.

What Needs Improvement?
Camera: The game is different from the Lego games in two key ways. One, it doesn't have Lego pieces, and thus has far fewer collectibles. Two, it's not played from a fixed and mostly side-scrolling camera angle. Marvel is played with the camera trailing one of its heroes in more of a traditional third-person action perspective. That's fine for one player, but when we tried co-op, the camera did not zoom back and Captain America kept getting lost off-camera – only to have him awkwardly re-spawn into the battle. This is crucial. A bad camera breaks this game. A better one would make this a viable parent-and-kid co-op alternative to Lego.

The Hulk: Seriously. This guy needs to find a way to beat Wolverine. In head-to-head battle mode, that clawed mutant could run circles around him, slice him up (no blood, of course), and knock him off an Asgardian platform with ease. The Hulk needs help.

What Should Stay The Same?
Spartan, Solid Design: Lego games are littered with pick-ups and power-ups. By accident or design, Super-Hero Squad appears to benefit from less of that distraction, encouraging attention to remain on the basic brawling.

Cartoon Graphics: What we saw on the Wii was clean and colorful. Nothing too complex, but engagingly chunky versions of Marvel's heroes look right to us.

Final Thoughts
Marvel Super-Hero Squad doesn't appear to be a deep game. And it's not for people who take super-heroes very seriously. But as light fare that presents its license with joy, it looks like a promising amusement for Marvel-loving kids and the parents who dare game with them.

The game is set for October 20 release on the Wii, PS2, PSP and DS.

"Marvel is one of the true crown jewels in the entertainment industry and we are thrilled at the prospect of both building the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand and further developing our relationship with Marvel," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO, THQ."

THQ and Marvel Enter into Exclusive Licensing Agreement for Video Games Based on Marvel's Super Hero Squad

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) announced today that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to create video games based on the burgeoning, kid-friendly Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise. Pursuant to the multi-year agreement, THQ has obtained the exclusive, worldwide rights to publish content for all current and next-generation consoles, handheld systems, as well as Windows PC. The initial Marvel Super Hero Squad game is scheduled for release in fall 2009.

The agreement fits perfectly in both THQ's and Marvel's growth strategies. For THQ, the addition of the Marvel brand further strengthens its position as the pre-eminent creator and publisher of kids video games. For Marvel, the relationship with THQ provides a premier interactive entertainment partner for its important Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise, which is designed to be an engaging introduction into the Marvel Universe for young kids.

"Marvel is one of the true crown jewels in the entertainment industry and we are thrilled at the prospect of both building the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand and further developing our relationship with Marvel," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO, THQ. "We are dedicated to expanding our unmatched success story in the kids space and this agreement with Marvel is an excellent complement to our portfolio."

Simon Phillips, President, Marvel International and Head of Worldwide Animation and Video Games, added, "Licensing of the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand is a priority for Marvel, as we see it as a great entry point for kids to experience our renowned characters. We are making a strong commitment to the brand across toys, television and other media and consumer product channels and developing Marvel Super Hero Squad as a video game will play an important role in the development of this brand. The platform is an incredibly powerful medium that enables kids to experience the excitement of our franchises, as well as extend our characters and storylines. With THQ, we are confident we have a partner with a best in class pedigree of building and extending licensed kid-friendly brands in the interactive space."

An all-new Marvel brand, Marvel Super Hero Squad features an exciting, super-stylized look of the greatest Marvel Super Heroes, serving to expand the traditional Marvel audience to a core 4-10 year-old audience. Fun and humor are waiting around every corner in Marvel Super Hero Squad where popular characters including Iron-Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Thor, The Fantastic Four, and many more are thrust into adventures in a single caricatured Super Hero City. Along the way, they will have to thwart the plans of popular Marvel villains Doctor Doom, Magneto, Iron Monger, Loki, the Abomination and countless other infamous baddies.

Marvel is launching a major multi-media campaign for the brand. Marvel Animation is currently in production on an animated television series that is expected to debut on air in 2009. Additionally, Marvel Comics is now featuring Marvel Super Hero Squad comic strips within several of its all ages books and will be introducing a dedicated Marvel Super Hero Squad comic book series in fall 2008. Marvel has already secured deals with Hasbro as master toy partner, Disguise/Cesar for dress-up and Mega Bloks for construction toys and continues to seek deals with industry leading partners to develop merchandise based on the unique look of the Marvel Super Hero Squad property.