'Portal 2,' 'Skyrim' top thrilling year in games

Fortunately, smaller studios are picking up the slack, delivering fresh ideas to the PC market, the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Apple's App Store.

[...] the creators of some of this year's blockbusters, including "Uncharted 3" and "Gears of War 3," have announced entirely original franchises for the new year and beyond.

"Portal 2" (Valve, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC): It's based on a simple game mechanic: blasting holes and jumping through them.

Human Revolution (Square Enix, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC): The Eidos Montreal studio revives a beloved, long-dormant series with this cyberpunkish tale of corporate intrigue.

"Bastion" (Supergiant Games, for the Xbox 360): The setup is nothing new: A boy hacks and slashes his way through a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Arkham City (Warner, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC): The Dark Knight returns, along with just about every criminal mastermind in the DC Comics universe.

"InFamous 2" (Sony, for the PlayStation 3): Once-reluctant superhero (or is it supervillain?) Cole McGrath has developed quite the skill set:

"Dead Space 2" (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC): Monsters lurk around every corner of an abandoned outer-space facility.