You’re excused if you’ve last track of all the marquee video games that have hit shelves in the past several weeks. Just like Tim Tebow, game publishers hold back their best stuff for the end. Even those of us who play and read about games constantly have trouble keeping track of what’s out there.

In order to keep tabs on what’s out there, we rounded up a bunch of our game reviews. We’re really doing this just to torture ourselves and remind us of the games we’re neglecting as we focus on things like “work” and “family time.”

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3– If you don’t own this, all your friends spend their nights talking smack about what a loser you are as they blow one another’s heads off for hours on end. You know how dudes in the 80s had bars like Cheers to blow off steam? Modern Warfare 3 is our Cheers.

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Saints Row: The Third(Xbox 360, PS3) — Take control of a criminal organization armed with an endless arsenal of wacky weapons, including — but not limited to — rocket launchers, gunships and sex toys. Middle-school humor combined with breakneck set pieces make the game as funny as it is exciting.

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Need for Speed: The Run (Xbox 360, PS3) — Just like in Cannonball Run, your job is to race across the country and collect so much prize money that a Kardashian will want to marry you. This is more of a rental than a must-buy, but we love the way the game keeps tabs on your friends’ times and dares you to top them.

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Mario Kart 7(3DS) — This racing game gives us hand-cramps and the system’s 3D effects screw with our eyes, but we still play this sucker as much as possible. Pro tip: Keep the device in your pocket and try to squeeze in an entire four-course circuit during extended bathroom breaks at work.

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) — Tell your grandma or kid niece that you’re gonna need to borrow their Wiis for a few weeks, because this epic swords-and-sorcery saga is a must-play. Nintendo has been cranking out Zelda games for 25 years now, so if you’re like us, your relationship with the green-capped elfboy Link has lasted longer than any other friendship in your life.

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Asssassin’s Creed: Revelations (Xbox 360, PS3) — Don your cloak and hidden sleeve-shiv and take to the streets of 16th century Constantinople, where you’ll slaughter oblivious fools and piece together ancient mysteries. There’s also a sweet multiplayer mode that lets you leap out of bales of hay and stab your friends and neighbors.

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim(Xbox 360, PS3) — Finally, all that time you spent playing Dungeons & Dragons with the other spectacle-wearing virgins in high school are paying off. Well, no they’re not, but at least you get to geek out again while roaming around and smacking down dragons and wizards. There’s so much stuff to do in this game that you’ll be excused for taking an early retirement to make sure you accomplish all you need to.

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WWE ’12– TV wrestling doesn’t come on often enough, and our backyard wrestling matches always tend to end up in tears and 9-1-1 calls. So the next best thing is this game, which lets you design your own wrestler and let him romp through a season of oh-no-he-di-en’t drama. The online community in this game is much more dedicated than the group of misfits you shared Thanksgiving with.

Read Phil Villarreal’s blog at becauseitoldyouso.com and follow him on Twitter: @philvillarreal

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