HarmoKnight is one of those games that instantly charms you. The creators of Pokémon know their stuff, and among the things they know best is pure creative power, lively music and exciting creatures, all of whom are represented in this short, but sweet musical experience.

A ridiculously fun action platformer with Mexico as a colorful backdrop. This indie adventure in 2D may be simple, but it successfully combines an engaging combat system with some very entertaining platform challenges.

Toki Tori 2 looks like a cute, little puzzle adventure, but hidden underneath those pretty, yellow feathers is a monster of a platform puzzler. It can be frustrating at first, because the game doesn’t give away much information, but once you get used to the logic of the puzzles, that’s when Toki Tori 2 really shines.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is the most accessible Fire Emblem game to date, but still manages to stay true to its core. With a wealth of customization options, tons of characters to meet, pair up and develop, and a rock solid strategy RPG foundation, it is easily one of the best games on the 3DS today.

An engaging and addictive game that presents you with lots of challenging dilemmas and strategic choices. There are some bugs, unfortunately, and the UI can feel clunky at times.

Metro: Last Light is an impactful game, whose perfectly paced story, believable universe and good stealth mechanics come together to make a great, if not flawless, experience.

Alpha Protocol is an ambitious and entertaining action-based role-playing game, but suffers from several irritating flaws. It offers much freedom and an exciting story, but it's fresh setting of international intrigue only rarely touches on reality and is for the most part unoriginal.

A fun romp through space and various science-fiction cliches. There is also plenty of customization and stats for number-crunching RPG fans. Some archaic design decisions may test your patience though.

Rune Factory: Frontier is far from perfect. A lot of things could have been better, and especially the time management can become a nuisance. If you soldier on, this can still be an incredibly rewarding game. A sometimes fantastic experience marred by a myriad small issues.

Dead to Rights: Retribution is fun, fast and exhilarating. You go from shooting to cracking jaws with your fists in mere seconds, and the mechanics for doing so are rock solid. It slows down at times, but this is still a worthwhile ride.

Lost Planet 2 is both infuriating and exhilarating in mostly equal measures. It has a long list of annoying issues, but when push comes to shove, playing online with a trio of friends is some of the best fun to be had.

Red Steel 2 is a drastic improvement over the first game. The controls are tight, and they rarely cause any problems. At times the game still doesn't quite catch what you're doing, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

Not much has changed since the first game in 2006. Fortunately, the foundation is still very solid, with an entertaining and beautifully brutal combat system, a great sense of freedom between the missions and satisfying role-playing elements.

Games ten times the size can't offer half of the options Way of the Samurai 3 brings to the table. The game definitely has its notable and at times serious flaws, but if you dive into this enchanting world, you'll be greatly rewarded.

In spite of the variable AI quality and weapons feeling weak, this is a good first person shooter. The atmosphere is great and the game delivers an evocative and varied experience.

The Whispered World is an incredibly charming adventure game, with lots of quality humour, interesting characters and a story that's more exciting than it seems at first. A worthy buy, despite some weak and illogical puzzles.

Picross 3D adds up nicely with an entertaining game with lots of hard nuts to solve." It should have been "Picross 3D adds up nicely with an entertaining game with lots of difficult puzzles to solve.

2010 FIFA World Cup does very little new from the excellent FIFA 10, but it's still a solid soccer game with a natural focus on international teams. Guiding your own nation to the world's biggest tournament actually feels pretty good.

2010 FIFA World Cup does very little new from the excellent FIFA 10, but it's still a solid soccer game with a natural focus on international teams. Guiding your own nation to the world's biggest tournament actually feels pretty good.

Awakening is a great expansion. It delivers around 20 hours of role-playing goodness, which flows better and is more varied than what we got in the original game. We also get new and interesting characters and a bunch of new abilities and items to play with.

Scrap Metal is an excellent product if you have good memories of the old bird's eye racing games. It's not the most content-rich racer out there, but the hysterical setting filled with speed, dirt and destruction is still worth getting on with.

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom is a good comeback for a series who has been battered with mediocre releases for several years. It is compelling, fun and has expanded the depth of the original Settlers gameplay with its take on trade and technology.

Modnation Racers is an enjoyable arcade racer which will no doubt enjoy a long life due to the creation tools. With shorter loading times and less powerful or more skill-based weapons, it could have been a classic.

Ambitions delivers plenty of content and new features to The Sims 3, and is well worth a look despite some boring and repetitive new tasks.

Like its predecessor, No More Heroes 2 is a mixture of brilliant originality and dull mediocrity. It has funny writing, bizarre characters and wonderful retro mini games, but also loads of tedious and repetitive combat that goes on for way to long.

Quotation forthcoming.

The Penal Zone is a very enjoyable adventure game with fresh and interesting puzzles, great humour and good presentation. The lack of a good point & click interface lets it down somewhat, but it's still well worth buying.

A fun and colourful mix of platform and racing. It won't set your world on fire, but is a solid downloadable title well worth checking.

In this year's Pro Cycling Manager, the graphics engine has gotten a complete overhaul, giving us both very beautiful and realistic environments. The core gameplay stays the same, as you lead your team through exciting cycling triumphs. Though mostly a game for cycling fans, PCM Season 2010 can offer many hours of entertainment.

Hegemony: Philip of Macedon is a good strategy game which offers plenty of historical challenges. Play Philip, the father of Alexander, as you try and gather the city states of Greece under your banner. The strategic elements are entertaining and go deep, but tactical combat is underdeveloped and bland.

Semper Fi is an expansion pack to the well received Hearts of Iron 3. It offers many improvements to the game's systems, such as the AI, the maps and the command structure. It brings great new options, but the expansion is very small and adds no new content.

An enjoyable season finale for Sam and Max, though it feels a bit too random and isn't quite up there with the rest of the season.

Samus is back for an intense ride through hectic battles and intriguing exploration. The combat system is phenomenal, but the controls are jarring at times. This is still a worthwhile trip to the Metroid-universe.

Although R.U.S.E. is clearly put together by quite standard RTS norms, it stands out as a strategy game with refreshing tactical elements. The singleplayer campaign, graphics and sound are a bit sloppy, but a well-built game mechanics and fun multiplayer makes it well worth playing for strategy enthusiasts as well as newcomers to the genre.

NHL Slapshot is a very different game from NHL 11, but it still manages to convey the fun of playing hockey. The bundeled stick doesn't offer a perfectly precise controll on the ice. Still, it feels unique to blast the puck in the back of the net with your own hands.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a fun game all the way, through awesome acrobatics and fantastic boss fights. It's a shame the rest of the game is so focused on endlessly fighting the same enemies over and over again.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a fun game all the way, through awesome acrobatics and fantastic boss fights. It's a shame the rest of the game is so focused on endlessly fighting the same enemies over and over again.

This game does most things right on the first attempt, and there's no significant quality difference between it and main rival UFC: Undisputed. This is a great choice if you want an MMA game that is accessible and rewarding.

This game does most things right on the first attempt, and there's no significant quality difference between it and main rival UFC: Undisputed. This is a great choice if you want an MMA game that is accessible and rewarding.

Gran Turismo 5 is in many ways a fantastic racing game, but it suffers from relatively severe deficiencies. The damage model is unforgivably weak, 800 of the 1000 cars are of low quality and the sound is too cheap. The handling is impeccable, however.

Puzzle Dimension is a challenging brain teaser with great presentation and plenty of varied and intelligent puzzles to solve. But it is perhaps a little too difficult for its own good, especially after the introduction of invisible blocks.

The Ball delivers an entertaining mix of puzzles and action, with a lot of variation despite the simple core concept. However, it is a bit of a slow starter, and saves the best stuff for last.

Dance Central is a lot of fun, and it'll make you appreciate dancing more, but the lack of worthwhile multiplayer is very disappointing.

Call of Duty: Black Ops has a solid and fun multiplayer, and the best story in a Call of Duty-game yet. Despite this, it has got issues with arbitrary and unnecessary design. It isn´t as tight as its predecessor, and unless you are either not a fan of singleplayer story, og just plain tired of the multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2, the latter is still the better game.

Though similar in title, Arcania: Gothic 4 bears little resemblance to its predecessors. It is a traditional action-based role-playing game, which lets you play as an adventurer in the battle against ancient evil forces. The story and graphics are among the game's strongpoints, while almost every other aspect is bland and unorigonal.

A fun and adventurous point & click game in the style of classics like Fate of Atlantis. The only downside is that the puzzles are often a bit too silly to fit with the story, but they're still quite entertaining.

Technically speaking, Killzone 3 is one of the best shooters regardless console with partly success on implementing both Move and 3D. On the other hand it lacks an X-factor, a good level-design, and struggles to stand out in the genre gameplay-wise.

The Dream Machine offers a genuinely interesting and thoughtful story, great «handmade» graphics and some devious puzzles. It's a little short on content, though, and having to be online to play a single player game is a disadvantage.

Despite its game mechanics being streamlined to cater the console-audience with a high tempo and a smaller set of statistics, Dragon Age II is still a massive role-playing adventure. With its immersive storyline and good class system, it its yet another Bioware game in the collection of great role-playing experiences.

Despite its game mechanics being streamlined to cater the console-audience with a high tempo and a smaller set of statistics, Dragon Age II is still a massive role-playing adventure. With its immersive storyline and good class system, it its yet another Bioware game in the collection of great role-playing experiences.

It's part UFO: Enemy Unknown and part Commandos. This military game of chess is not as deep as it could have been, but still one of the strongest launch titles on the 3DS.

Ridge Racer 3D does not bring anything new to the genre, except 3D. It does, however, follow a well-tested recipe; and it succeeds in doing so. All in all, this is a good racing game, and the added three-dimensional effect literally brings a new dimension to handheld racing.

Albeit initially bland, the game soon turns into a challenging and charming platform game. The 2D sequences cause nostalgia, and the game as a whole is thoroughly well designed. The few problems – especially the annoying music – are not enough to describe De Blob 2 as anything but a great game.

Gemini Rue is yet more proof that you don't need expensive budgets to make good games. This retro-styled adventure delivers a great story and fun point & click-based gameplay. It's probably not for everyone, but adventure fans will find plenty to like here.

Quotation forthcoming.

L.A. Noire does a lot of things right, and the fantastic facial animations alone make it worth a closer look. That being said, the game is not flawless, and there is quite a bit of work to do if there is to be a sequel.

The story is at times highly confusing, the the challenge is at times a bit too hard, but you'll still have fun jumping between bodies as you fight your way through nasty creatures from the great beyond.

The developers have done an admirable job at retelling this classic story. The twists to the Dynasty Warriors formula ensure the game is fun to play, although it could do with some more variation.

The developers have done an admirable job at retelling this classic story. The twists to the Dynasty Warriors formula ensure the game is fun to play, although it could do with some more variation.

If you have a gang of friends to play with regularily, Brink is fantastic. Proper communication makes solving the different tasks a wonder, and at times, this is one of the best games I have played in the genre. However, you never truly know what you get with Brink, due to the rubbish bots and uncertain online team composition. As a game it is simply too unpredictable.

Cheap production values and somewhat odd controls aside, this is one of the better Telltale releases of recent times. Loads of funny jokes and enjoyable puzzles, and there's quite a lot of content for an episodic release as well.

The Sims: Medieval is not very deep, and extremely easy, but offers a pleasant and fresh diversion from the main series. The core «sims»-concept has loads of untapped potential, and Medieval might be the first step on the way towards realizing this.

Dirt 3 is a good mixture of traditional rally and modern car sports like gymkhana. A distinct and good driving experience combined with great graphics and music, overshadows the lack of inspiration in the single player campaign, and make Dirt 3 a driving game petrolheads surely will enjoy.

Dirt 3 is a good mixture of traditional rally and modern car sports like gymkhana. A distinct and good driving experience combined with great graphics and music, overshadows the lack of inspiration in the single player campaign, and make Dirt 3 a driving game petrolheads surely will enjoy.

World of Tanks is an exciting and great game for tank enthusiasts. It is essentially a shooter where you take command and control a variety of tanks against human controlled opponents. In addition to having a entertaining game mechanic, it also offers good depth with its in-built experience and economical systems.

Despite beeing one of the gameplay-wise most compelling open-world games out there, inFamous 2 struggles with its ability to let the player immerse into the storyline. With great graphics, physics and truly fin abilities, it is fun to ravage around New Marais, but the component which are suppose to glue everything together, is partially missing.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River manages to establish the franchise between the traditional adrenaline-based Call of Duties and the simulation-based gameplay from the Armed Assault series. It´s at its best as a co-op tactical shooter, and could have gained even more ground on its rivals with better visuals, a slightly improved AI and more variation in the level design.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River manages to establish the franchise between the traditional adrenaline-based Call of Duties and the simulation-based gameplay from the Armed Assault series. It´s at its best as a co-op tactical shooter, and could have gained even more ground on its rivals with better visuals, a slightly improved AI and more variation in the level design.

Even though Hamilton's Great Adventure suffers from a story full of cliches and some shortcomings in gameplay, it's also very entertaining. Levels are well designed, and you need to plan ahead, unless you're after winding up stuck on a lonely, wooden platform in the middle of nowhere. This game really demonstrates how saving time can be very time consuming.

Glorious insanity. This is one of the weirdest games you'll ever play. It's by no means perfect, but if you're at all interested in experiencing something truly unique, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

A game that in many ways is the 2D equivalent of Minecraft. However, although crafting is a vital point of the game, the exploring and adventure of the game experience is just as central. Terraria therefore offers a different and compelling experience which is best served in multiplayer.

With Trenched Double Fine continues their legacy of making small games with a couple of irritating elements. However, the game is good fun from start to finish – especially if you've got a couple of friends who are willing to join you on the battlefield.

With the introduction of the new and entertaining game mechanic called Mythic Poker, Runespell: Overture becomes quite an interesting little game. You fight your way through medieval England and battle both Vikings and powerful creatures from mythology.

This highly polished new version of Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers, is a treat to play. It does not offer great depth or much freedom, but gives you a good and balanced taste of what a great game Magic can truly be.

Contre Jour ends up being -- despite some small flaws -- a good physics based iOS game. A well thought out game mechanic revolving around manipulating the terrain lies as a solid foundation, and every level completed feels like a small triumph.

Driving in Cars 2 feels fantastic, and the somewhat original mechanics offer an experience you'll not find elsewhere. It's definitely more engaging in multiplayer however, and I'd recommend you play it with at least one other person.

Driving in Cars 2 feels fantastic, and the somewhat original mechanics offer an experience you'll not find elsewhere. It's definitely more engaging in multiplayer however, and I'd recommend you play it with at least one other person.

Pocket RPG does not mark the first time Action RPGs have been tried on iOS, but it is by far the most successful attempt yet. While Pocket RPG feels unfinished at points, it is a well-designed and fun action game that might become a classic with future upgrades, and should be considered a must-have in the interim.

The second episode of this point & click adventure series is just as enjoyable as the first one, with challenging puzzles and lots of funny jokes. Though after two very similar episodes, I hope the third one will shake things up a bit.

This is definitely a great mystery, with a variety of puzzles, challenges and laid-back gameplay. I wouldn't hesitate to increase this game's score if some minor problems were rectified.

Madden NFL 12 is a two-edged sword. On one hand it offers new players, post-trade rosters and some new features. On the other hand it is essentially very similar to the Madden games released over the last years, but if you are a fan, you will probably not be disappointed.

This is a very enjoyable shooter with lots of action, amazing graphics and a wonderfully authentic cyberpunk-atmosphere, but it's somewhat let down by an erratic difficulty and a relatively short campaign.

Rise of Nightmares is the first proper core game for Kinect. What the game lacks in the story- and graphics-department, it more than compansates for with innovative and intuitive gameplay. This bodes well for Xbox 360s motion sensor.

If you strip the game's uninspired visuals and interface and manage to come past its bugs and glitches, Red Orchestra 2 takes no prisoners with its realistic mechanics and physics. It is a game for a hardcore PC audience who thrive on this type of games with its relatively slow-paced tempo yet high intensity.

Rage is a beautiful game set in a vivid and believable world. The old-school id-polish is present, and the weapons and items at your disposal make for a solid shooter. Sadly, the experience is somewhat thwarted by a severely crippled story arc, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of innovation and lasting multiplayer.

Might & Magic: Heroes VI is a turn-based strategy game that hails traditionalism and old design values. It is true to its predecessors, and fans won`t be disappointed despite the fact that it in many ways lacks evolution in gameplay and core mechanics.

This unconventional real-time strategy game has both great strengths and clear weaknesses. It offers unique opportunities for intrigue during peacetime, but unimaginative and simplistic combat during wartime. Its long campaign is a true treat for fans of the TV series and books, and contains many hours of great strategy.

PES 2012 does nothing revolutionary to the series, but the new Off the Ball control and slightly improved gameplay raises the overall experience. Still behind it's EA Sports competition, who offers a more fine tuned approach to the sport, Konami at least takes one solid step forward this season.

Modern Warfare 3 doesn't reinvent gunpowder, but sticks to the recipe of the previous games in the series. With a decent story and good multiplayer it's a game worth playing, but the lack of willingness to add improvements in gameplay show a laziness often found in a complacent game series.

Modern Warfare 3 doesn't reinvent gunpowder, but sticks to the recipe of the previous games in the series. With a decent story and good multiplayer it's a game worth playing, but the lack of willingness to add improvements in gameplay show a laziness often found in a complacent game series.

This cozy little gem has more to offer than the sum of its parts, which are a repetitive combat system, physics challenges that are easily bruteforced and ill balanced characters. You can thank the amazing atmosphere and a great co-op campaign for that.

Tekken Hybrid is a combo package of game, demo and film. The revamp of Tekken Tag Tournament HD looks good and feels relevant compared to modern fighters. Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Prologue gives a nice taste of what's to come, but a few more characters to try out would have been better. The film lacks a good story, but looks amazing. This package is an oddity that might confuse newcomers to the games, but will please the fans.

At it's best, Serious Sam 3 is almost like a first person shooter-version of Geometry Wars: An intense dance with the enemy hordes. But it takes a while to get to this point, and towards the end the whole experience gets a bit samey.

Unless you are a big Mario Kart-fan, this game might not be worthbuying. By all means, it's fun the way only Mario Kart can be, itlooks more stunning than ever before and if you need new tracks it caneasily offer hours of entertainment. But Nintendo must have made this game on autopilot.

There are lots of little flaws with this game, and fans will no doubt be upset about the change from turn-based to real-time with pause. But the truth is that it's still a quite satisfying and tactical experience, and every time I sit down with it I end up playing for much longer than I planned.

Unstoppable Gorg provides a new and exciting take on tower defense. It's a much more "active" game than most tower defense games, because you constantly have to work to keep the turrets in optimal positions, and it can be really really tough at times too. But it is highly addictive, and the presentation is lovely.

Looking past the glorious environments and solid four play co-op, Syndicate is mostly a technically competent shooter lacking the edge to truly stand out in the homogenous climate of its genre.

Gotham City Impostors is a fun and different first-person shooter with a lot of ambition. It stands out from the crowd, and has enjoyable and casual gameplay. There are some issues with matchmaking that made the experience a bit tedious, but I'm sure these will be sorted out soon.

Resident Evil: Revelations shows the potential that lies in Nintendos new handheld console. The story itself is masterfully told inepisodes, and the game has the best sound I've experienced on a 3DS sofar. The controls, however, seem a bit too stiff, but in a way thatalso enhanced the general claustrophobic atmosphere in the game.

Hero Academy wants a piece of the emerging asynchronous market, and offers a compelling turn based strategy game. After some matches you begin to discover patterns and strategies, and before you know it you're completely hooked.

While not living entirely up to its genre peers, Off the Leash still manages to be a entertaining game of the endless-runner type. The clear and holistic visuals and playful charm helps this title from being simply average.

Competing is not the goal in this finger-twisting game for couples. The first minute feels a bit awkward, but after a while you'll laugh over the absurd nature of seemingly impossible finger exercises.

Hank Hazard is good at unveiling its elements through the many good levels, and the general visuals bears comparison to many a cartoon mascot. The game does not try to invent the genre anew but is an enjoyable experience anyway.

The whole game is over far too quickly, and the whole feels too fragmented and superficial to stand among the best. Aesthetically, the game is exceedingly interesting, but the interactions are somewhat trite. Still, its conceptual uniqueness makes it a game worth playing.

What really shines in Jazz: Trump's Journey is the visuals and the audio. If you dig a bit deeper you'll find a good but somewhat unfair platform game with a passable time stopping mechanic.

Binary Domain has a respectable mechanical foundation and a feel that allows it to mingle with the mammoths of third-person shooting. However, it does not manage to surpass any of them. The campaign offers a engaging ride through Neo-Tokyo, but the multiplayer is so uninteresting that the product as a whole would not suffer if it was removed.

FIFA Street is a complete reboot of the series. Unlike its predecessors it offers a more realistic approach to street football. Still, it's all about having fun while performing acrobatic tricks. Even though the game tends to be extremely frustrating playing with egocentric teammates in netplay, it's quite fun when controlling the team completely by yourself. All in all the nice career mode and plenty of variety make this a solid step forward.

Fall of the Samurai is a good expansion pack for one of the best strategy games of 2011. It gives a great history lesson about en epoch in japanese history the western hemisphere tend to forget. Furthermore, it is the first time the Total War franchise shows the staggering effect the industrial revolution had on military warfare - evolve or die.

Mixes Dance Dance Revolution, a ressurected Napoleon Bonaparte and parisian tourist information in a way that sounds absurd, but actually works very well. The game is visually beautiful, and the varied rhythm-based minigames utilizes everything the 3DS has to offer. However, you will have a hard time beating this game if you can't keep a beat.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is a good racing experience, being fast-paced, slick-looking and explosive. At the same time we have learned to expect «bigger and better» from each new racing title over the years, and it's here Unbounded fails dramatically, only rehashing ideas from older, and ultimately better racing games.

An exciting mix of third person shooting, dog-fighting action and some twisted twist on the good old tower defense genre, which all work well, both within the lackluster campaign and the rich, open multiplayer. The latter still never quite manages to lose it's sense of mindless chaos, with every player fooling around on the battlefield, and the massively overpowered vehicles constantly raining on your parade.

With a renewed focus on high speed racing and crazy car destruction, DiRT: Showdown is a fun and exciting new direction for the DiRT series. With less emphasis on realism, the game comes with a lowered level of entry allowing new players in, but also welcomes more experienced players with some decent challenges on the higher difficulties. Cumbersome menus and a lack of variety does hamper the experience somewhat.

A very pleasant adventure with an unique style and plenty of fun moments. If you're looking for a good way to pass an evening you can do a lot worse than spending it with The Journey Down.

Warlock is a combat-focused empire builder that can be quite addictive and enjoyable. It doesn't quite have the depth that would give it the kind of replayability we get from classics such as the Civilization-games, but it's fun while it lasts.

The puzzling part of Quantum Conundrum is highly enjoyable and satisfying. Unfortunately, there are a number of frustrating parts where you really need superhuman reflexes to succeed, and the overall experience suffers a bit as a result.

Ubisoft gives us streamlined solutions for most of the problems any third-person shooter would encounter. But a nonsensical storyline, monotonous missions, daft tactics, and a dozen other unpolished edges together makes Future Soldier a not all too impressive package.

Spec Ops: The Line is a game that tries to be different, and succeeds somewhat at doing this. It's enticing story and great design only goes so far though, and gameplay-wise the game is hampered by clunky controls, thus feeling very much like your average third-person shooter.

Game Freak delivers yet another solid game. It doesn't bring a lot of new stuff to the table, but the small changes and refinements are for the better. It might be time to change things up a bit though.

Big orcs and tiny goblins make for unlikely and enjoyable heroes. The juvenile language may dampen the story at times, but the interesting setting and challenging combat make up for it.

A varied and challenging game that continues the series' evolution into action territory. IT can be incredibly frustrating at times, but also very rewarding when you finally overcome the many challenges it puts you through.

Outside of the cute graphics hardly anything has changed since the original Wii game. Although it's a very enjoyable game at its core, not fixing some of the obvious issues is a missed opportunity.

The characters are dreadful and the story is not much more than passable, but the combat system and character building is the best yet for the series. If you don't mind annoying characters, you'll have a blast.

Even years later the game still holds up well. It's a pretty, entertaining and at times challenging trip through dark forests and brutal fights. Still, it would have been nice if they had fixed the glaring sound issues.

Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise is a bundle of joy that requires a basic sense of rhythm, a good muscle memory and tolerance for its childlike, eastern stile. The entire game coasts on its charm and aesthetics, as the game basically consists of hitting one or two buttons at the right time.

Forza Horizon is a fresh branch on the Forza tree. It is truly a pleasure to drive the beautiful cars pedal to the metal through the magnificent scenery, but Forza Horizon feels a little bit inconsistent at times.

This physics based puzzle game is gorgeous to look at, with the Unreal Engine providing some spooky visuals that blur the line between the mechanical and organic matter. Unfortunately the experience is over too quickly for you to really enjoy the experience.

Driving around in virtual Europe while listening to the radio or a good podcast is a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing experience. An acquired taste, perhaps, but still a good game.

The most open ended series on the planet returns. You are free to carve your own path, make allies and disrupt or keep the peace. It can be confusing and slow at times, but leaving your story is great fun.

LittleBigPlanet Karting offers great fun for the creative and those who love karting games. It can at times feel a little empty, the characters a little flat, but the driving experience is good, albeit a bit chaotic. As always, the online community has great potential and will decide the success of the title.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II doesn't offer a huge amount of surprises and fits rather neatly in with the rest of the series' later releases. The small changes to the formula ensure that the game is among the more interesting Call of Duty releases in a while. The robust multiplayer is among the best of the best, and will quench trigger-happy gamers' thirst for a while.

Hitman: Absolution provides a varied and sometimes stellar experience. The joy of creating brilliant accidents is hard to match, but the game can also be very frustrating. Using disguises can be a frustrating experience, and at times you feel very limited in the choices you can make.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale pits some of the most iconic PlayStation heroes against each other in a sprawling title fight where the overall feel of the game and its battle system are excellent. It's only too bad the game's lackluster variety options and tedious single player keep it from reaching its full potential.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask does not upend the series' tried and true formula. It's still a delightful puzzle game embalmed in an engaging adventure, filled with eccentric characters in an exciting world. But it would be lovely to see something new added to the core.

Mickey is back to save The Wasteland and this time he's accompanied with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The game is filled with nostalgia, Disney magic, great voice acting and song, but is also colored by it's slow pace, tricky camera and level confusion. Still, The Power of 2 is a solid platformer, even with its frustrations.

New Super Mario Bros U is a Mario game – through and through. In some ways, this is the best game in the "New"-series thus far, with well designed levels, a lengthy campaign, and a plethora of hidden secrets around every twist and turn. The game offers plenty. It's also pretty much the same game we played in 2009, with some small changes, and can at times seem superfluous.

Nintendo Land's defining quality is how it teaches the Wii U system to the player without making it complicated. This unfortunately also means depth is sacrificed.

In his second attempt at conquering the gokart genre, Sonic somewhat manages to capture the essence of greatness. The characters and stages picked from Sega's vast library are nice, and the driving (on solid ground) feels great as well. It's only a shame that neither the flying or boating are particularly smooth, and that playing solo wears out once you've seen each level once.

The single player mode suffers from a lack of variation, but the competitive and team based multiplayer is a fantastic addition to both the Ratchet & Clank universe and the Tower Defense genre as a whole.

As a Wii U launch title, Black Ops II strives to innovate upon the well-known Call of Duty-formula, and to some extent it also manages to do so. While it still is very much the same game previously released on Sony's and Microsoft's consoles, it is the ability to play the game single-handed through the game pad that should be Nintendo's selling point.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star's pop-up book, papercraft visuals retain the series' classic charm and allows the developers to play around with the construction and development of their game world. While using stickers in combat and puzzle solving is a neat idea, players will usually end up hoarding their stickers for fear of needing them later on. This makes overall gameplay feel a bit slow and uninspired, but Sticker Star is a fun game to play regardless.

Guardians of Middle-earth is the first game to bring the immensely popular MOBA -genre to consoles. Thankfully it does it well. Small, but clever changes makes controlling heroes easy, and the fights are both engaging and fun.

While The Cave doesn't succeed as a pure platformer, it certainly makes up for that with charm and humor The character specific areas are great and somewhat manages to undermine the fact that the main tasks have to be repeated three times for you to see everything the game has to offer.

Antichamber teaches you to expect the unexpected, and while some of its later tasks may prove ridiculously difficult, the initial half of the game never seizes to amaze, nor surprise. It may fool you into thinking you have some kind of clue about what’s going on or how to break the mold, but trust me, you don’t.

Crysis 3 is a stunningly beautiful game, which also manages to stand out from your regular shooter thanks to a few tricks up it's sleeve. The nanosuit is truly empowering and the bow is a great addition to the formula, but the game’s stealth elements and AI are simply lackluster, and with such a cliche-filled story there is simply too much to be desired.

While it will certainly satisfy fans of the series, Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate certainly isn't for everyone. The cycle of gathering resources and completing quests can become a little stale and monotonous. Thankfully, a robust multiplayer mode makes the overall experience more rewarding and fun to play.

Cities in Motion 2 is deep and full of possibilities, and really addictive once you get going. But the user interface can be a struggle to work with at times.

Luigi's Mansion 2 does exactly what a good sequel should do and builds upon he solid foundation of its predecessor whilst also bringing fresh new elements to the table. Our frightened protagonist is as charming as ever, and the game's mission based structure is a welcome addition over the open world setting of the original game.

Taking control over the fictitious banana republic Tropico is still very entertaining. The changes from Tropico 3 are not overwhelming, but for new players the learning curve is a bit steep. However Tropico 4 is an addictive title and a safe alternative to Theme - and Sim -games.

While Slender: The Arrival is by no means a perfect game, it excels in inspiring the creeping sensation that danger is lurking around every corner, that something is out to get you. It succeeds in making me afraid to check what’s behind me, but also afraid not to check what’s behind me. That’s the mark of a good horror game.

Lego City Undercover borrows heavily from Grand Theft Auto IV, and mixes it with the fun gameplay we know from other Lego games. It's great fun to explore Lego City and the plot has some really clever twists that will keep you interested throughout the game. It's time for Traveller's Tales Games to come up with some new puzzles, though.

This parodic game takes the player back to the 80's in style. The game itself has some issues, but the hilarious story, the excellent voice acting and the extreme level of detail makes this an excellent source of entertainment for an evening or two.

Phantasy Star Zero is a nice game that adds little new. It's easy to get a feeling that the whole product is quite old. All thought it works quite well, it prevents the game from being memorable.

Rig'n'Roll is a lot more enjoyable than the subject matter might indicate, but after nearly a decade in production, it's still not completely finished. Bugs and flaws makes the experience less fun than it should have been.

This is a lightweight of an expansion pack if you primarily play alone. The big news here is to finally compete and cooperate with other players.

This is the best Mario Kart experience one can get without owning a Wii, with party graphics and clever courses. Entertaining for console gamers of all ages.

This is the best Mario Kart experience one can get without owning a Wii, with party graphics and clever courses. Entertaining for console gamers of all ages.

An atmospheric action-adventure set in a post apocalyptic wonderland. Fragile Drams is both sweet and scary, but is unfortunately hampered by a uneven script and some tedious gameplay segments.

A wonderful Tower Defense concept in a disappointing package. There's a lot of strategic potential here, but the levels often end when you are getting the grip on things.

This is pretty much a low-budget version of Gears of War, but enjoyable enough for what it is. Only buy if you can play in coop mode with real human beings, though, because the AI of your squad mates is just dreadful.

It's a fun game, but it never reaches the heights of the original. There is no real structure to the game, and the variation in what you get to do is minimal. Chasing orbs is only fun for so long.

Fans of Akira Toriyama's celebrated manga series are sure to be pleased by beautifully stylized graphics, an above-average fighting system and a whimsical storyline pulled out of the manga. Anyone else however, is likely to find Goku's adventure lacking the variation needed to truly stand out among the handheld console's many comparable releases.

HAWX 2 delivers intense aerial combat and some spectacular views, but gets repetitive after a while and can be very frustrating in single-player mode. Make sure you can play coop before you buy.

HAWX 2 delivers intense aerial combat and some spectacular views, but gets repetitive after a while and can be very frustrating in single-player mode. Make sure you can play coop before you buy.

Despite the poor presentation, WRC manages to be a pretty entertaining rally game, refreshingly free from offroad segments and extreme sports nonsense. In the long run, however, it suffers from repetitive tracks and an unexiting campaign.

Medal of Honor represents a decent comeback for the series, with the somewhat special backdrop of an ongoing conflict. The story is thin and we've seen most of the gameplay in similar titles before. In other words, nothing new or groungbreaking from EA Games.

Medal of Honor represents a decent comeback for the series, with the somewhat special backdrop of an ongoing conflict. The story is thin and we've seen most of the gameplay in similar titles before. In other words, nothing new or groungbreaking from EA Games.

The same old issues like awkward ball physics, unnatural interaction between players, sloppy animations and a ridiculous menu system makes most changes irrelevant. Pro Evolution Soccer is in dire need of a round with the defibrillator before next year.

Another decent expansion, but it could have been much better. It turns out that virtual celebrities are much less interesting than their real world counterparts. Fortunately the pack contains a lot of extra content as well.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is extremely ambitious, but has suffered from an almost continuous flow of multiplayer related problems. While promising if Atari can get their servers working properly, the singleplayer content simply isn't convincing enough to warrant a purchase on its own.

Although its story and world with its dark and gloomy industrial setting is interesting, its puzzle-solving and platforming elements are to easy. The game might be great for casual gamers and those who are new to the genre, but those who expected Schaefers old lunacy and absurdities, will probably be disappointed.

Alltough it's lacking in depth, Pilotwings Resort is cute and lofty and a good demonstration of how 3D really works on the 3DS.

Finally a portable football game that stands on it's own to feet. The 3D effect is excellent, and this game gives you hours of footballing fun on the 3DS.

Get Tannen is a fairly enjoyable experience thanks to lots of funny situations and humor and some pretty good acting, but doesn't offer much as an actual game. The puzzles are too simple to be satisfying, and the episode feels a bit too short as well.

Torchlight does very little wrong, and is probably the most streamlined game in the genre. The problem is rather that the genre is getting more and more irrelevant itself. The game lacks DeathSpank's humor and Diablo's mystical universe, and is sadly reduced to a decent single player MMO.

Beyond Good & Evil HD is a visually lovely update to what many consider an ignored classic. There is much to be admired about how the heroine Jade is presented and how the game mixes a plethora of genres with some success, but the nonexistent difficulty curve and simplistic mechanics make it hard to recommend for fans of action-rpgs.

Swarm's cartoony violence is both charming and fun, but the game ends up being repetitive and mediocre. The game has got a good basic idea that unfortunately never reaches its full potential.

Somewhat better than Episode 3, with a bit more variation and more challenging puzzles. It delivers a few hours of easily forgettable entertainment, for one of those rainy days where there's nothing else to do.

Despite having a compelling and entertaining multiplayer aspect, Dungeon Siege III falls a bit flat with its traditional, old and uninspired gameplay. A rather boring storyline and bad voice acting makes this game just another one in the bunch of failed challengers to the Diablo throne.

With Fire and Sword is an expansion that adds very little to the Mount&Blade experience. It's still a solid game, but one would expect more innovation. Still, the hectic battles on horseback leave the player with a brutal appreciation for medieval combat.

This game is neither a classic nor a complete failure. What ultimately makes it worth playing is the variety. The different parts don't all work quite as well as they should, but there's always something fresh around the next corner.

Although Red Faction: Armageddon offers one of the coolest weapons of the year, a good weapon mechanic and destructible environments, the game falls flat with an uninspiring single-player campaign and a short-lived multiplayer segment.

Although Red Faction: Armageddon offers one of the coolest weapons of the year, a good weapon mechanic and destructible environments, the game falls a bit flat with an uninspiring single-player campaign and a short-lived multiplayer segment.

The weapons feel great, it's fun to navigate the levels, and some of the boss fights are pretty fun. Shadows of the Damned has a comfortable base level, it just lacks the peaks to make it great.

Puzzle Agent 2 does nothing to differentiate itself from what it's predecessor did a year ago. It offers the same structure, the same length and the same types of puzzles. Unfortunately, it ends up seeming more like the second half of a complete work than a whole new adventure.

This years edition of PCM contains the bare minimum of innovation. Still entertaining for fans of the series, but hardly enough improvements to warrant a warm reccomendation.

There are traces of a good game in Julius Styles: The International, but they vanish in a sea of failed attempts. The developers clearly set their sights beyond the mediocre, integrating puzzles, combat and a complex dialog system lifted from big-budget titles like Alpha Protocol. Unfortunately, the developers possess neither the budget nor the know-how to implement these ideas properly, and they end up turning what would otherwise be a merely mediocre title, into a truly terrible one.

Kairosoft games are some of the most charming titles you'll ever experience on mobile platforms, but the touch interface struggles to hold up when the games' complexity increases. With Pocket Academy, the interface gets in the way for a game whose intricacies are as fascinating as its quirky farm-school hybrids.

Alice: Madness Returns is interesting, visually stunning and inviting. Some of the gameplay elements excites in its pure form, but combat does seem ridgid and sometimes random. It's close, but not quite the cigar for Mr. McGee.

Though this is a solid finale for an enjoyable trilogy of adventure games, it does feel a bit like playing through the final five hours of a good game that is exactly five hours too long. The freshness that the series initially offered is gone, replaced with predictability and a certain staleness.

Cities XL 2012 is an enjoyable and addictive city builder, but the lack of depth that makes it instantly accessible to newcomers also makes it less interesting to play in the long run. It is also disappointing that there's so few improvements and new features in this year's edition.

While suffering from a lackluster plot, repetitive fights and, at times, confusing controls, there are also bright spots. The boss fights are challenging and entertaining, as are several of the puzzles. Spider-Man can't compete with Batman this time, but he may still be worth checking out if you're a fan.

While suffering from a lackluster plot, repetitive fights and, at times, confusing controls, there are also bright spots. The boss fights are challenging and entertaining, as are several of the puzzles. Spider-Man can't compete with Batman this time, but he may still be worth checking out if you're a fan.

Building on the foundation of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Revelations had a fantastic opportunity. Sadly it is wasted on annoying mini games and uninspired escort missions.

Building on the foundation of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Revelations had a fantastic opportunity. Sadly it is wasted on annoying mini games and uninspired escort missions.

A more dynamic and engaging game than the first zombie killer, Never Die Alone upgrades the cooperative aspect and makes sure you enjoy it's disappointingly short duration.

The War of the Worlds offers an interesting take on the old sci-fi classic. Great voice work and wonderful music combines perfectly with the 50's look to create a beautiful presentation. The game's mechanics however are very inaccurate and as the game is pretty difficult and unforgiving, what could be a great experience is ultimately ruined by frustration.

Sonic Generations marks the 20th birthday of Segas beloved mascot, and it also shows us why he deserves to be celebrated. Even though the 3D platforming part of the game carries with it most of the problems from other later installments in the franchise, the 2D levels stand up as one of the best Sonic experiences in many years. It's a two sided experience, but definitely worth a closer look.

The final chapters in LEGOs Harry Potter adventure deliver a charming adaption of the last four movies in the franchise. The game features everything you would expect from a Traveller's Tales game, but introduces nothing new to the series. A Repetitive gameplay and somewhat easy riddles decreases the challenge. Still, fans will appreciate the humoristic and enthusiastic retelling of the story, not to forget the huge amount of unlockable content.

Saint's Row: The Third sets out with a great ambition of giving the player freedom and an arsenal of fun elements to play with. Unfortunately, though, the game still falls a bit short with a somewhat childish sense of humour and quirky game mechanics.

The concept is still the same, gather your friends for a friendly battle of speed and luck inhilarious mini games. However, new mini games and creative, lively worlds aside, Mario Party 9 is pretty much exactly the same as before. Some may love this, others can't help but feel a bit disappointed at the lack of innovation from Nintendo.

Twisted Metal is a mixed experience; while playing alone gives more frustration than enjoyment, it is a totally different take when joining up with friends or strangers online. The gameplay is tight and quite fun, but the general unpolished feeling of the game hold it back from being anything but an average vehicular combat game.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is EA Sports' attempt to dominate yet another sports genre, but the title faces hard rivalry in the existing Virtua Tennis and Top Spin series. The game features a nice selection of official stadiums and competitions, but does not really present anything new of interest that has not already been done by the competition. Still, the implementation of Move functionality is promising, and together with a solid online service it should lead to some interest from fans of the genre.

With Run Roo Run 5th Cell continues its position as a developer with an eye for interesting aesthetic. Despite its extremely easy initial levels, the last part of the game offers some small amount of platforming fun.

Downpour doesn't do much to evolve neither it's genre nor the Silent Hill series, but rather sticks to its dim recepie of dead children and blood on the walls to create a game that is just above average, and not much more.

The overall impression is of a thoroughly mediocre arena-shooter that never quite manages to deliver. On a crowded online market Nexuiz is reduced to a short term affair without much longevity. As this is a game that relies solely on an active multiplayer community, it's hard to tell how long Illfonic can manage to keep this going. Unfortunately, Nexuiz is not the game to revive the arena-shooter.

Yesterday is a solid point-and-click adventure that harkens back to the games of old. The narrative is painfully short, but the interesting tone, clever puzzles and fantastic atmosphere does make up for it somewhat.

Piranha Bytes takes the Risen series into a new direction with the Pirate-themed sequel Dark Waters. The game is more streamlined than its predecessors, but despite some efforts to modernize the combat and the character development system feels hopelessly outdated. In such it fails to fulfil its own potential.

Even in their thirteenth outing in the Lego world, Traveller's Tales have managed to craft a humerous and charming platformer with enough in-jokes and references to satisfy the most discerning comic book fan. Unfortunately the experience is ruined by a severe lack of challenge, idiotic AI and slipshod platforming.