The ruleset has been completely revamped. You still need quite a bit of luck when it comes to the dice, but tactics and a hint of strategy have been added. Mario's get-together has never been better.

Hobby admirals can expect ambitious strategy with authentic naval and aerial warfare on a large scale.

The journey through Capcom's dragon infested world has left its mark on me. You'll encounter interesting situations, intense fights and motivating goals. On the other hand the scenery is fragile, a lot of quests are monotonous. Yes, it could have been better on a few levels. But even with its rough edges it is worth your time to dive into the world of Dragon's Dogma.

Precipe of Darkness 3 is not only a brilliant Final Fantasy spoof, but an astonishingly well working 16Bit-RPG. The combat system with its wicked classes is well-though-out. Unfortunately the game is rather short.

If you like point&click-adventures, this might be a decent addition to your library. But be aware that the puzzles embedded in the mystery story are fairly easy to solve.

You want to explore space, push your crew to the limit and improve your vessel. From sector to sector you find new challenges, although none is bigger than the save system. You die, you have to start over.

This is a fascinating experiment with great ideas. Unfortunately story and game get lost in a superficial void.

This is like a visit to your favorite burger joint: Once you start, it is hard to stop. But unfortunately the shark rampage doesn't last too long, leaving you hungry for more.

Precipice of Darkness 3 is not only a brilliant Final Fantasy spoof, but an astonishingly well working 16Bit-RPG. The combat system with its wicked classes is well-though-out. Unfortunately the game is rather short.

It should have been the same experience as on other consoles. But technical issues, mainly the pop-up distance and frame rate issues hold this assassin back. Not to mention the underutilized GamePad.

Even though the capabilities of the new system are underutilized, this is still a well executed physics puzzler that relies too often on trial & error.

If you like your adventure loaded with puzzles, this might not be your cup of tea. But if you like unusual characters and stories, you should join Horatio and Crispin on their pixelated retro-journey.

Dead Space 3 is a roller coaster ride. In Space you’ll find interesting missions, a nightmarish atmosphere and a brilliant sound design. But as soon as you land on the ice planet, not only do the temperatures drop, but also the motivation. The further you progress the more irrelevant and run-of-the-mill the game design gets.

Even though the sisters show some technical shortcomings compared to the PC counterpart, this still is a charming jump & run.

If you like your horror spiced up with action, this is for you. But if you're looking for suspense and mystery you should look for different tale.

The presentation is definitely not the strong point, but Unit 13 offers well designed infiltration missions and a very entertaining coop mode.

If you like your races rough and tough and are not afraid to put scratches and dents onto the paint, this one is definitely for you. But be aware that this showdown is some sort of recycling machine where DiRt 3 players will recognize Gymkhana and the majority of the locations.

This is a huge Lego adventure with quite a few changes and improvements. But amidst all this gain it lost some of the charm.

German developers Yager put the horror of war on the screen – brutal, ruthless and depressing at times. In its' quiet moments it generates a fantastic atmosphere set in the Dubai desert. But this is still a shooter and regarding action and especially AI it falls short.

A slick interface allows you to easily govern an entire empire and to direct its people like a crafty strategist would move chess pieces. The game misses tactical and diplomatic depth, but this is what an excellent spreadsheet program might look like!

Its over-the-top presentation as well as the sardonic smirk after dozens of enemies died in a well-constructed labyrinth of traps make most tower defense contenders look bland. However while an update of maps, tracks, weapons and game modes is a welcome addition to the original, the sequel offers too little to be considered a full-fledged successor.

On Vita Puddle is as much a thrill as it is on consoles, featuring an abundance of clever twists around gooey liquids. Some stages you might solve in an instant, others may take a number of attempts – while unfortunately you will recognize many traps only when it's too late.

The experience on the track is more refined and better than ever. But why am I restricted in a lot of areas, e.g. game modes? Why can't I just take Michael Schumacher and go for the eighth championships? If you don't need the up-to-date license you might as well go back for last years' version.

When the moving light sources break through the darkness, you'll get drawn into a fascinating puzzle world filled with abstract brain teasers. But compared to the likes of Braid it lacks good storytelling.

It takes a while to notice that behind all absurdity and craziness hides an interesting fight for survival.

All the new ingredients like the team dynamics sound interesting, but are not integrated well, thus interrupting the flow. But take them away and you have hardly anything left but a slightly updated version of last years' iteration, which you can get for less than half price.

The two greenskins going to war to end the human tyranny are good for some entertaining hours, but you have to have a soft spot for uncommon heroes and situations.

Lunacy, anarchy, drastic violence and stealth tactics wrapped in absurd amounts of pixelblood and psychedelic electro. You can love this game. You can damn it into the deepest hell. But you can't ignore it.

The dynamic battles are well executed, the 3D-effects strike you with immense feeling of depth. But Mercury Steam can’t get a grip on the spirit of past mobile Castlevanias. This plays more like a two-dimensional God of War than a modern variation of the cult vampire saga.

A strong narrative clashes with superficial gameplay mechanics.

This is a charming puzzler with a unique setting and varied tasks. But is also rather short and a little too easy, while the iPad controls could be more accurate.

For the first time since Bionicle Heroes Traveller’s Tales didn’t have to stick to an external license, but could let their fantasy run wild in an open world. The result is a little shallow in terms of mechanics, but makes up for it with bucket loads of humor in the tradition of the early Zucker/Abrahams spoofs.

After the disgraceful neo-western The Cartel, Techland goes back to its Call of Juarez-roots with Gunslinger. And while the arcade mechanics rarely go beyond average, the imaginative narrative and the visual style draw you deep into the alternative history of Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Silas Greaves.

The incredible presentation sums up all known UFO-stereotypes and is a treasure trove for trash fans. The game itself is far less spectacular albeit showing some interesting ideas. Plants vs. Zombies still reigns supreme, but Unstoppable Gorg delivers an exciting new look on the genre.

An interesting story and intelligent puzzles help to transform this adventure into a good thriller. This is an enchanting retro trip with clever ideas.

The story is not noteworthy and visually the Wii heritage shines through. But nonetheless the mix of conquering uncharted territory, collecting rare materials, finding treasure, recruiting monster comrades and taking care of your property is motivating.

On consoles you won't have the opportunity to challenge your friends online, but otherwise you'll get a straightforward port of a well-crafted PC-strategy with focus on economy.

I like the open character development where I don't have to wear a class straitjacket as well as the quiet discovery of mysterious dangers. But more often that it wants to, The Secret World is "just" an ordinary MMO.

Pid summons a bizarre scenario full of weird characters and situations. The art design is simple, but very unique, the direction is plain but mysterious.

When it comes to two-stick action this is as good (or bad) as any. But with its comic style and the sheer amount of enemies it reminds me positively of an isometric Serious Sam.

It is astonishing what impact small ideas can have on a genre that you thought had nothing left to offer. A little character development here, a real-time component there and all of a sudden this match-3-variation keeps you glued to the screen with the infamous "one more run"-symptom. Unfortunately the closer you get to the goal, the less surprises you will encounter.

Yes, the swinging system was tuned, the online mechanics were enhanced. But still there is no real progress, neither in terms of content nor visually.

If you can do without endgame item grind, you can get quite a bit out of this dungeon crawler. You’ll encounter dozens of enemies, collect hundreds of items of loot – you’ll even get a very interesting sidekick that is more than just the inventory donkey or fight support and a tower defense variation.

More Need for Speed, less FlatOut, more racing, less drifting. And it is simply one of the best looking racers in the AppStore. Unfortunately there is no local multiplayer while online play is still contaminated with lags.

Solid expansion to the strategic journey into the Victorian era with rather superficial content.

You meet old friends and you feel at home on the Normandy. But this is the weakest and most monotonous episode of a futuristic adventure that went the wrong way over time. The action is not varied enough, relies too heavily on surviving wave after wave and rarely equals the tension of shooters like Killzone or Gears of War. On all levels I missed variety and challenge. If you started this odyssey with Shepherd a few years ago, you'll want to end this nonetheless – and you won't be disappointed. But after the credits I didn't think about a possible sequel but the missing headshot statistics.

The game consists of six repeatable boss fights with atmospheric pictures and sounds, while a world and story around it is sorely missed. Nonetheless you get a good amount of entertainment for a fair price.

This is one of the best trading-card games in the AppStore. But you're forced to buy new cards via microtransactions much too early – you can't even finish the campaign without some additional booster packs.

The surprisingly high share of puzzles and the appeal of exploring the open city and unlocking its' secrets gives you 20+ hours of entertaining horror. And even though the combat system is superficial and the engine shows some frustrating framerate issues this playable nightmare shows a lot of facets between creepy moments and pure terror.

They could have called this one "Mashed+". Handling, track design, weapons, malicious joy: This feels like the eight year old predecessor. But it still works – unless you're alone on the track.

The new Naruto is more Clash of Ninja and less Ultimate Ninja. It is rather an entertaining martial arts snack than a main course.

Tera is all about active fighting. The battles feel more dynamic than in any other MMORPG and the design of enemies and the exotic world is praiseworthy. But if you look behind all that, you'll find monotonous quests and an almost non-existent story.

The change from motion gesturing to classic pad controls helps Joy Ride: More control, more fun. The matchmaking needs improvement, though.

The rules from one of the best tactical fantasy board games have been faithfully translated onto PS3, online play adds depth and replay value. However missing challenges and a lack of story keep it from being a complete package.

Fall of Cybertron didn't manage to surpass Melbourne House's eight year old action-adventure on the PlayStation 2 as my favorite Transformers game. Nonetheless High Moon Studios' interpretation of the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons is definitely worth a look.

After the hectic prologue I wanted to give up, but I am happy I hung in there. Erica's supernatural abilities are the highlight of the puzzle design. It feels fresh to "summon" old evidence or victims to get new information. The start to this series is far from perfect but it definitely sparked my curiosity.

Improved controls, believable driving physics and a lot of other improvements make this the best freight vehicle simulator.

Why is there no release of the complete trilogy for the launch of a new console? That would have been added value. Nonetheless this is basically the same game that you can get on other systems, give or take some interesting additions as well as nagging faults: An entertaining and sometimes tragic ending to a space shooter that doesn't live up to its potential.

This jump & puzzle-adventure doesn't deliver the variety or charm of Fly'n or Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams, but in its own (quite small) microcosm the puzzles work well.

What starts as a classic point-and-click adventure soon becomes a surreal reading-trip for friends of the paradox.

At its core Assault Horizon offers insane aerial combat action. But too often I get distracted by rail-gun sequences or helicopter missions that don't fit in well. On top of that the PC version suffers from technical problems not evident for console pilots.

Lara matured from sex symbol to a person with character and feels more authentic as an archaeologist. But unfortunately Crystal Dynamics wasn’t courageous enough to incorporate real survival with hunger, lack of ammunition and desperation. They let you dive into a colorful, varied adventure filled with action, though. In the end with this Lara Croft not another “Survivor” is born, but rather another “Soldier”.

Pendulo is on the right track. The conspiracy thriller with its’ complex story keeps you on your edge, while the puzzles are mostly conservative, but are nicely tailored to the narrative.

Switch Galaxy isn’t a beauty to look at, but the simple mechanics keep you motivated. Too bad that the experience is very short-lived.

The mechanics will keep you hooked with a fresh mix of strategic planning and real time action. Unfortunately the presentation can’t keep up.

Shootmania Storm proves everybody wrong who thought that there are no innovations possible in multiplayer shooters. But with the focus on competition, the potent editor as well as gameplay, the visuals suffer tremendously.

The good news: Sanctum 2 is better than its predecessor in almost every aspect. But in the end there is quite some margin to other tower defense hybrids like Orcs must Die or Iron Brigade.

The motion recognition works well, the levels based on five of Pixar's iconic feature films look great and playing with your personalized character is a sure hit with the younger players. Unfortunately with merely 15 short levels the adventure falls a bit on the short side, although the hunt for the highscore might draw you back into the park.

Mad Riders is all about adrenaline, lightning fast quads and huge huge jumps. The vehicles are not as difficult to control as in nail'd and the stunt system has improved. But still AI and visuals are not up to standards.

You get more of everything: More content, more story, more abilities. But that doesn't necessarily mean more fun – unfortunately.

This game is killing me. After a few days with Spelunky everywhere I look I see arrow traps and giant spiders. But why does it have to be so damn hard? One wrong step and there it is again: Game Over!

This is by far the best rally game by Milestone yet, offering a solid experience with challenging track design. But even though it is vastly improved, visually it still is not up to challenge the likes of DiRT, Gran Turismo 5 or Forza.

Right now military shooters share the problem of the WWII action games from about five years ago: Eventually you have seen everything and played everything, over and over, again and again. Sure, the campaign has its moments, but nonetheless Black Ops 2 would love to be Modern Warfare – and that is a five-year-old game. And so it is once again the established multiplayer with its plethora of modes and personalization option (all of which are basically known) that comes to the rescue of this run-of-the-mill shooter.

This is an interesting arena brawler with lots of action and a Sony celebrity cast. It can get quite chaotic though. Thanks to the tighter controls on the dual-shock controller the PlayStation 3 version trumps the Vita counterpart.

The story is as confusing as the characters are interesting. But then, who needs a story, when you can have well executed old-school brawling fun? The multiplayer keeps things interesting, but be warned: Your frustration threshold will be put to the test before you start to enjoy the hectic, sometimes chaotic but always entertaining mayhem.

Crysis 3 gives you incredibly detailed, beautiful locations. But the core design is not as modern or progressive as the engine and the AI is far away from standards set by Crytek with their first Far Cry.

At its' core this is a great simulation. But aside from the believable analogue swing it is also an uninspired sequel.

If you're looking for an interesting tactic/roleplaying mix, this might be it. But be aware that Confrontation offers little to no challenge for hardcore tacticians.

With over 120 characters to choose from to form your fighting trio and a plethora of weapons Koei gives you a solid tactical foundation for the mass brawling. If you avoided the Warriors games so far, Orochi 3 could be the one to change your mind.

After years of modern and futuristic warfare the WWII-scenario feels fresh again. Although nothing is really new, Rebellion manages to conjure up interesting tactical sniping action.

The fights, the gun battles and all the little tasks are quite entertaining, but they all lack depth and finesse and often feel separated from the main story and its emotional impact. This is a solid but very conventional open world action.

The conspiracy story is interesting, the detective work is very entertaining. Unfortunately the designers decided to lengthen the experience with frustrating moments and a changing difficulty level.

You’ll encounter fascinating puzzles in “impossible” labyrinths. Unfortunately most of the time trial-and-error will win over logic.

A charming, wacky 2D adventure that keeps you motivated even though the tasks you’ll encounter could be more varied.

The learning curve is steep and if you’re easily frustrated you might consider going back to the predecessor. But if you’re willing to invest time and a lot of trial&error in this mass transit simulator, behind all the glitches and the useless tutorial you’ll find a motivating diamond in the rough that shows a lot of potential and keeps you awake longer than you’d like to admit.

This is an entertaining puzzler, but in terms of finesse or cleverly constructed thought experiment this is as far away from games like Starseed Pilgrim as it is from Portal or Antichamber.

Everybody's Golf always was and still is a challenging, very charming delight with a lot of content. But on Vita it lacks new ideas while the physics system doesn't seem to be up to date.

The stylish art design and the story are convincing while the gaming experience falls short.

Whenever the authors finally get the chance to tell their story it evolves further than "Gears of Blade Runner". Nonetheless Binary Domain gets stuck somewhere in the middle between the eastern excellence of bossfights and the western school of modern shooter action.

Colourful and entertaining minigames with retro feeling.

It's loud, it's explosive, enemies swarm you from every corner. But the mission design is rather uninspired. Prototype 2 is solid, but not exceptional fun in an open world.

Whenever the authors finally get the chance to tell their story it evolves further than "Gears of Blade Runner". Nonetheless Binary Domain gets stuck in the middle between the eastern excellence of bossfights and the western school of modern shooter action. Unfortunately the PC version suffers from sluggish and not fully customizable controls.

This is an entertaining but very superficial outing on the centre court. Camelot is far away from what made their GameCube tennis an instant classic.

Akai Katana doesn't give you the creative absurdity of Deathsmiles, the overkill of Dodonpachi Resurrection or the sheer beauty of Sine Mora. If you're a bullet hell fan, you'll get solid, but short lived entertainment.

Blitz proves that rhythm games can work without additional hardware, but even though it reminds sometimes of Harmonix' early masterpieces Frequency and Amplitude it lacks substance as a stand-alone-game. But throw the cross-compatibility with the instrument based brethren in the mix and you get more than 20 new songs to play for a fair price.

I expected more from Symphony. Compared with colorful spectacles like Child of Eden or Gridrunner Revolution this music shooter seems blend. It's nice to see the action develop to your personal soundtrack though…

It looks great, it plays surprisingly well, but there is still quite some distance to the likes of Infinity Blade 2, which simply offers more of everything.

This is an interesting arena brawler with lots of action and Sony celebrity cast. It can get quite chaotic though.

The relentless difficulty level hides some potential for frustration. But nonetheless the handling is surprisingly simple, the level design is interesting.

You won't find any innovation here – somewhere between Bust-A-Move and Zuma this is just another "Match-3"-variation. But the idea of throwing people around is so ridiculously wacky that you have to play it to believe it.

The extraterrestrial arachnid follows the tradition of easy to pick up, but difficult to master games like Angry Birds or The Splatters. With more accurate controls it would even be able to give them a serious run for their money.

An entertaining thriller adventure with supernatural puzzles that is overshadowed by technical flaws.

In terms of storytelling, atmosphere and visuals Metro is up there with the heavyweights like BioShock Infinite. But the action is rather ordinary and held back by the appalling AI.

Compared to masterful strategy like Total War the medieval realtime battles lack detail, challenge and tactical depth. But King Arthur is saved by its atmospheric roleplaying part that reflects the darkness, insecurity and quest for meaning in the post-roman era.

Its biggest downfall is lack of useful content. With just five maps and three modes it's not enough to keep you playing for a longer period – even though the frantic action is quite entertaining. With better matchmaking and less focus on DLC the impostors would have a bigger survival chance.

Quotation forthcoming.

Is this the gold medal for Sega's Olympic venture? Not really, but it is definitely better than the Beijing predecessor.

This is pure skating, without façade climbing, without jackass, without useless cars or non-functioning skate hardware. At its core the mechanics are outdated, though.

Even though enemy waves are being generated from mp3 music, they hardly reflect its rhythm and sound. Co-operative play is a plus, while unlocking and combining an abundance of specials will keep you playing.

Alien Breed was and still is very challenging dual-stick-action. Unfortunately the virtual sticks are not as accurate as needed to survive the tough enemies. Nonetheless even over 20 years after its debut Alien Breed is still cool.

I rather would have loved to experience a mellow action-adventure than this sequel that wants to surpass its predecessor in all areas – but fails to do so. Although there are a lot of interesting features and ideas, all of them just add small mistakes that add to the frustration.

Controls are easy to pick up, the rank and reward system is motivating, the choice of playable characters is surprisingly large. But when it comes to maps and modes, the content falls short.

This is an interesting twist on real time strategy that soon showcases its unique dynamics. But it is rather short and gets repetitive too soon.

It's difficult not to draw parallels to Portal. You are a test subject in a unique environment interacting with your surroundings in a creative way. But here you are alone: There is no humor, no cynicsm, no cake lie, only partially frustrating puzzles thanks to the imprecise controls – nothing else.

I wish I could love Kid Icarus more. Because in theory it has everything: A top-notch presentation, loads of minigames and stuff on the side that is almost more interesting than the campaign, a brilliant soundtrack. But there is one thing that overshadows everything: The frustrating controls!

You don't have to be a Star Wars fan to have fun with the lightsaber battles for Kinect – but it helps tremendously so one can ignore little faults like the bad storytelling in the campaign. Even with the mostly entertaining minigames the game rarely taps its full potential.

Headstrong Games catapults you right into the action: Rocket after rocket, hard-lock-mode, barellroll, Immelmann, BOOM! But if you're looking for a challenge, find other skies to conquer.

If you label a game Max Payne you should put Max Payne in it. I loved Max, because he had style and character – like a good whiskey. But this tastes like a colorful cocktail and plays like an explosive military shooter with Latinas in their stringtangas dancing to the bullet-staccato. Nonetheless you'll get solid entertainment with cynical comments, convincing digital actors and the occasional bullet in the head.

At one point Max mumbles almost like Sylvester Stallone. And that's when I thought "Killing is as easy but also as boring as breathing". What once was a stylistic masterpiece with rough edges now becomes mass compatible mainstream action for the Call of Duty generation.

Depending on the collection of Skylander figures that you already own, the number of areas that can just be opened by your wallet will vary – and so will the fun you will have with the Giants. That aside the new adventure in the Skylands shows improvements on almost every level.

Even though Sony obviously took a good look at Wii Sports to get some inspiration for this sequel, it is fun to play, mainly thanks to the tight Move controls. But why are just six disciplines on display?

It's as good (or bad) as it always was. The motion recognition is not just faulty but can also be cheated. Nonetheless the song selection is good and with a few friends there is a lot of fun to be found. The Wii U gamepad is totally underutilized though.

Depending on the collection of Skylander figures that you already own, the number of areas that can just be opened by your wallet will vary - and so will the fun you will have with the Giants. That aside the new adventure in the Skylanders shows improvements on almost every level. Unfortunately the use of the Wii U GamePad is quite superficial.

The difficulty level goes way beyond what you usually describe as "challenging, but fair" – this is do-or-die-retro-feeling. This illegitimate spawn of Ghosts'n Goblins and the humour of Monty Python doesn't disappoint when it comes to the audiovisual design. Unfortunately the mechanics are not near as creative.

Phoenix Online manages to produce another entertaining adventure thriller with the same mystical puzzle atmosphere as the predecessor.

This is still a solid puzzle game, but 5th cell smoothed out too many edges that made the other Scribblenauts so special.

The mechanics are as mediocre as they were on the other systems, but additionally the Wii U version suffers from a stuttering framerate and superficial usage of the Wii U gamepad.

While solid as a brawler in the tradition of Guardian Heroes with added roleplaying elements Code of Princess shines when it comes to the absurd, funny and sometimes plain silly characters and story.

Leviathan combines real time strategy with turn based elements and confronts me with fleet combination and ship specialization. Unfortunately the campaign is too short and suffers from weak presentation. The multiplayer skirmishes are actually quite good though.

Realtime strategy on a global scale with very entertaining multiplayer skirmishes but disappointing campaign.

The imaginative artdesign with its paperfolding antics feels fresh. Unfortunately you can't say the same for Paper Monsters' core mechanics with its simple jump-&-run gameplay that you've seen a million times.

Overall you'll get a solid and entertaining beat-em-up experience, but if you plan to challenge your friends online, look somewhere else.

This minigame collection serves as a good example for the potential of the various control options the Vita has to offer.

The granddaddy of shoot-em-ups gets an interesting touch remake, but fails to motivate in the long run.

You can look forward to beautiful vistas and loads of quests, but the pirate fun is spoiled by engine problems, a lot of inconsequences and a truly terrible fighting system.

Sorcery is a charming adventure. But in the end you'll remember too much hectic destruction and too little mysterious magic.

At its core this still is a challenging and beautifully crazy old school platform adventure. But technical faults like framerate problems and the low quality soundtrack make it difficult to love Rayman in 3D.

In the long run the storm of rarely changing enemies gets monotonus. But if you're into dualstick action you can give this a shot – especially since the controls are surprisingly accurate.

Especially when it comes to combat it is evident, that Spidey tried to copy a page out of Batman's Arkham travel guides – and failed. It is fun to swing thru the beautifully designed Manhattan though.

The gesture recognition works well, the pacing of the fights in this fantasy rail shooter is well executed. The coach riding as well as looking after your horse lacks variety though. In its best moments, this journey delivers a solid experience, in its worst it is just boring.

If you dissect Warfighter, every little aspect is better than in its predecessor, which in the end only means minimal progress. As a whole it is nothing more than an average shooter that has problems in leaving its mark.

Mike Bithell fills the most simple geometrical figures with tremendous life. While the storytelling is absolutely charming the mechanics in this puzzler stay too simple most of the time.

The mission design is almost excellent, the action is ridiculously cool and together with the trashy dialogue a cornerstone of this hellride. Unfortunately the story is as bland as the visuals or the challenge level you encounter.

Does Dynasty Warriors Next deliver a new gaming experience? Not at all. But with all the added Vita-elements the arcade character of the infamous mass brawler reaches new heights, which might just be what this franchise needs.

Even though Marvelous relies heavy on recycling once again, The Tale of Two Towns entertained me more than its' predecessors.

The arcade dogfights deliver quite a punch, the mission design is simple, but effective. It reminds me a little of Crimson Skies, although it never even remotely reaches its brilliance.

The action is explosive, the direction of the story sequences is intense at times, but still I can't really feel at home on these islands. Far Cry 3 is the ultimate open sandbox: The player can do what he wants, where he wants it, when he wants it. But the credibility of the world suffers – and with it my motivation.

When it comes to content, this is the most comprehensive version of Warriors Orochi 3 – especially the Duel mode is an interesting addition. But with framerate problems as well as less detailed textures than on 360 or PS3 it is hard to wholeheartedly recommend this game.

This is a solid shooter reliving in the tradition of Descent or Forsaken that lacks variety in the long run.

This is not as fascinating as the last bullet hell shmups like Sine Mora or Akai Katana, but nonetheless with the HD remake of one of the final games of the late Dreamcast you’ll get an intense, but rather short arcade shooter.

It looks good and delivers short-term fun – but controls and dynamics need improvement.

Remember Me is a game of discrepancies. You’ll encounter incredibly atmospheric scenes just to be followed by weak or boring moments. The art design is exquisite, but the linear levels hardly make you want to look around. The most interesting part, the memory manipulation falls short and is overshadowed by incoherent fighting. What could have been extraordinary, is something you won’t remember in a few weeks.

Combining little blocks was never more stylish than with Lumines. Unfortunately this rendition is a mere shadow of its former PSP-self.

This realtime tactic is as inviting as an Ukrainian dugout. But strangely enough, if you finally got yourself immersed in the partially unfair skirmishes, all of a sudden you want to continue.

Power of Illusion could be a fantastic jump & run, the foundation for a dignified successor to Castle of Illusion (one of my all-time favorites) is there. But the constant change between digipad and stylus for the sake of redundant drawings is disappointing.

The presentation is cute beyond believe, the music is great, the fighting system is as simple as varied – it sure sounds like a winner. But at its core there are too many weaknesses on display, most notably the absence of RPG elements, which makes the fights too monotonous in the long run.

Gateways is imaginative, no doubt. But to become a '2D-Portal' it needs more challenge and more diversity.

It’s better and more focused in the sniping core mechanics than its predecessor. If you can ignore the irrelevant story and the minimalistic multiplayer you might discover a decent shooting experience.

If you can look beyond the narrative shortcomings you’ll get a solid adventure set in a captivating fairy tale world.

Apart from the experimental weapons you wouldn’t guess that this game is from Insomniac. Even though this quartet of mercenaries gives Army of Two the boot, it still lacks the passion that you got to know from the Ratchet & Clank or Resistance series.

EA's try to reboot the Syndicate franchise didn't succeed. Although the shooter offers some interesting ideas they are overshadowed by a feeble story and lackluster mechanics.

In the end Nintendo Land can't fascinate as Wii Sports did when Wii launched. From time to time it shows what the new touchpad controls have to offer, but most of the time it is more reminiscent of WiiPlay. And if you don't have friends to support you in the few minigames that are actually fun, the entertainment is short lived.

Haunt is a surprisingly solid Kinect spook, which uses the hardware in a clever and accurate way to pilot the player through a haunted mansion. Fights, puzzles and story deliver, although more of everything would be desirable.

Game set and match EA? Not really. Loads of official licences are not enough to replace the lack of a decent challenge on the court. It's still better than Virtua Tennis 4 though.

The campaign is sterile, the presentation mediocre and in the long run the battles don't reach genre standards. A lot of good ideas are sabotaged by annoying flaws.

The name says it all. You definitely have many robots to shoot. Unfortunately dozens of enemies on the screen can't save this title from long-term boredom, especially if you're hunting the metal beasts alone.

If you look hard enough, you'll find the fun in Fable Heroes – especially with friends. But in the long run the lack of variety and more so the lack of content will keep you from going back to Albion.

This dungeon crawler offers conventional hack & slay-action for up to four hunters. But be aware: The loot system can be unfair and compared to other hack&slays this is a rather short experience.

The semi-automatic rush from cover to cover gives this arena shooter a unique rhythm while clever drone deployment leads to tense moments. Unfortunately the battle arenas are as conventional and predictable as the weapons or the game modes.

When it comes to the technical side, Sega did a good job with lifting the Dreamcast classic into the HD era. But the fascination is gone nowadays while the problems with the controls and the camera move more into focus.

If you can look behind the flaws, you will spend a lot of time with Agarest. The fighting system and party management offer a lot of freedom, while the vivid anime style goes beyond voyeuristic effects.

Even with improved visuals and enhanced physics this is Worms as you know and love (or hate) it.

The concept with its mix of well-proven action and exploration on one side and tower defense on the other is interesting. But especially when it comes to everything associated with the latter the QForce leaves much to be desired.

On the surface Impire shows some promising ideas. But the deeper you dig the more you realize that almost everything stays superficial and offers hardly any challenge.

It as a solid Trials Evolution clone through and through – minus the editor and the excellent level design.

The small challenges are entertaining, the confused concept is not. The hidden shortcuts that need to be discovered and the lack of clues make it hard for me to appreciate this charming puzzler.

Yes, engine and presentation are old-fashioned. But the mixture of exploration, hunting, gathering and fighting still works. The turn based battle system was tweaked here and there and is more attractive than ever.

The audiovisual presentation with its retro flair is charming and thanks to the constant challenge the motivation starts on a high level. It is replaced by frustration though, because challenge quickly becomes routine, which in turn made me go back to more classic jump&runs.

It is atmospheric, it is intense and mysterious. But it is also too simple and too linear. A solid adventure for 3D-detectives.

While the content is reduced compared to its’ DS-brethren, the series’ 3DS premiere shines when it comes to visual presentation. Pikachu and friends look cuter than ever.

Stellar Impact is a great example for the run-of-the-mill online multiplayer strategy formula. On one hand you'll always be able to find players, but in the end you don't rely much on tactics but on sheer firepower.

Although it is a little lackluster, the mayhem and destruction are quite entertaining. Unfortunately you'll get tired of the tracks quite soon.

Even though this is a standalone expansion, there is hardly anything that makes it special – it would have been better off as DLC.

On Vita this is an almost heartless and technically questionable conversion of what once was a very interesting mix of tactical battles and a kingdom builder.

The classic concept motivates, but Shin'en stays safe. With more content, more diversity and only a few fresh ideas this could have been a download gem in the early life of Wii U.

As far as Karaoke games go, at its core SiNG Party is as good as any: The recognition works well, the tracklist is as big as varied. Unfortunately you won't see any original videos and the lyrics of some songs have been edited to become family friendly. On top of that I miss the community features that the competition on other platforms introduced.

As good as the concept was three years ago and as entertaining a successful coop session may be, in the end this is little more than an interesting design study.

This homage to Micro Machines works surprisingly well – until you hit the in-app-purchases wall.

Thankfully the shaky framerate and the meager content with focus on DLC and track recycling are not exemplary for Vita games. Ridge Racer disappoints on the new platform, although soundtrack and car handling are top notch.

Jolty driving physics, a rudimentary online mode – everything reminds of the iOS roots. But in the end Asphalt still is the mediocre arcade racer it always was.

Almost seven years passed since Dead or Alive 4 – a long time in which beat'em ups progressed quite a bit. This progressed seems to have passed by Team Ninja. A little more action, a little less counter attack. The unique fighting system still is tremendously motivating and delivers. But that aside this T & A show doesn't have much too offer.

Don’t expect anything fancy. This is a run-of-the-mill arcade style action with no frills and a cool soundtrack.

The levels are small but challenging, the hunt for carrots surprisingly motivating. But what looked charming in the beginning, soon became redundant.

You won't have much fun with this remake – unless you're an oldschool arcade aficionado. The basic core with its semi-tactical rescues stands the test of time, but the design is too simple and too frustrating to keep you occupied.

Especially online I had quite some fun with this strategy that not even remotely tries to hide that it is a StarCraft clone. And to be honest – there isn't much more to it. Somewhat entertaining.

The tactical implications of saving people while keeping an eye on the fuel gauge are interesting. But you'll lose interest sooner rather than later, thanks to the frustrating design.

A typical run-of-the-mill online shooter that doesn’t offer anything special with the exception of the fresh map voting.

It starts as an ambitious roleplaying game drawing me in with its’ opening sequence and fresh scenario. The battle system works well, so does the crafting. But too soon the plot loses its grip, the characters get stale and overall the visuals seem outdated.

Amy impressively showcases how underdeveloped gaming generally is on an emotional level. But unfortunately the moments of frustration about the controls, the lengthy storytelling, frustrating AI and too much trial and error prevail.

The tale of the immortal demon hunter is far from fresh and presented mostly uninspired, but the dismemberment concept works remarkably well, although it just scratches on the surface of its potential - a problem shared by almost every aspect of the game. And how Rebellion managed to mess up the shooting mechanics is beyond me.

If you can look beyond the technical issues you'll get a tolerable funracer with an interesting editor.

The Vita version of this PSN hack'n-slay, which in return is based on a mobile phone franchise, offers solid entertainment with a hefty price tag.

Good old Max shares his problems with the mobile version of GTA 3: It just doesn't suit the platform.

The uninspired mission design is not the only problem that Exodus is confronted with. After the short campaign you hardly find any reasons to blast into space. But not everything is bad: Controls are spot on, the upgrade system works well and the plot delivers some well executed cynicism.

The Climax production is a virtual slaughterhouse filled with buckets of blood and even more gore effects. But behind the extreme violence there is hardly any substance.

Like its predecessors, this is a charming, but very unspectacular Anime-RPG. But even though veterans may notice some progess in terms of presentation, combat system or level design, you'll still miss freedom, variety and depth.

Nihilistic proves that ego-action finally can work rather well on mobile platforms – in theory. But as part of the Resistance franchise Burning Skies is rather disappointing. The formula has been boiled down to run of the mill action with unbelievable characters in rather bland surroundings and forced touch controls that will distract you more than they will help.

Don't get me wrong: This was and still is a solid action adventure. But the decision to split the Japanese original into two separate games leaves a sour taste in my mouth.