For adventurers who prefer a stealthy approach, we have good news: the balance between shooting and taking enemies out with your fists is much better balanced this time round. Nearly every confrontation can be handled in various ways. [Nov 2011, p.58]

The RGP elements have been toned down considerably in favour of more action. For some this will sound like a bad thing, but trust us when we say that Bioware has thought this through. With the Reapers invading, it would be kind off silly to go on a shopping spree on the citadel. [April 2012, p.60]

It appears there is more to Pandora than just the monotone dried-out scrapyard we saw three years ago. Not only is there more scrapyard to be explored than ever before, it has also become much more varied. From green grassy meadows to rocky mountain villages and cold snowy fields. [October p.56]

At its core Persona 4: Golden seems little more than an adult version of Pokémon. The Persona you collect, are all based on myths, legends, religion or superstitious beliefs. No cute Squirtle or Piplup by your side, but cool looking creatures like Ares, Phoenix or Saturnus. [February 2013, p.84]

Explaining what makes this great is no easy matter. There simply hasn't been a game like this in our region before. Even though these games are immensely popular in Japan. The genre is called visual novel, or an interactive book if you will. [December 2012, p.84]

The gigantic NBA stadiums are a delight to behold. It's an amazing feeling when you finish a fastbreak with a devastating slam dunk. The crowd goes absolutely wild, even the players on the bench have a little party. [Nov 2011, p.78]

Naval combat is an exciting cat-and-mouse game in which you constantly have to manage not just the ever changing wind, but your opponents as well. Have a ship in your sights, but the cannons are still being reloaded? Better brace for impact. [November 2012, p.50]

It still plays like a Japanese fairy tale infused with intelligent Zelda-like gameplay and a riveting plot. It's a history lesson about Japanese culture and mythology. It has a fantastic soundtrack. It's Okami. It's in HD. Buy it. Now. [December 2012, p.94]

This year it isn't just about your basketball skills, it's also about how popular you can become. A Twitter feed will let you know what fans are saying about your last game and you can capture some hearts by showing up at charity events. [November 2012, p.74]

Even though 'saving the world' is like really important and good fun, you probably won't have time to actually save it. Reckoning's plains and villages are filled to the brink with humans, gnomes who all need your help. They are just side quests, but also the most fun we have had in Reckoning. [March 2012, p.92]

Street Fighter X Tekken is much more than just a fun party game. Even better, based on the number of unique mechanics, we would say this is Capcom's best fighter in a long time. Whereas Street Fighter IV and MvC 3 only had one unique feature, SFXT has dozens. [April 2012, p.74]

With losing the United States, we also lost our biggest source of incoming funds. And no funding equals no means to combat the enemy. XCOM is all about long term planning, which we found out the hard way. [November 2012, p.58]

People who fear that half of the missions will be things like 'pick this guy up', 'deliver that package', needn't worry. Ninety percent of the story consists of missions full of tension and over-the-top action. There is hardly any filler. [December 2011, p.46]

The nine multiplayer maps seem to be designed specifically to let players come up with their own creative strategies. Compared to COD, this gives the player a real sense of freedom. There is no such thing as a perfect strategy or a trotten path. [December 2011, p.74]

We were relieved to discover that FFXIII-2 had much more to offer than its sterile CGI-driven predecessor. Not only are there some great mini-games in the form of time paradox puzzles, there are also plenty of side quests. It goes to show that Square Enix truly listens to its fans. [February 2012, p.84]

Prolonged hugging sessions on the tatami, barbaric fist fighting marathons in the octagon: you will experience it all. We even won on points on time. And that was only the second round! Saving your energy for the next round isn't an unnecessary precaution. [March 2012, p.78]

Not Escape Plan, but Tales From Space is the indie hit on the PlayStation Vita we've all been waiting for. A strange concoction of Katamari and Loco Roco that could have used a little bit more time and money for its visuals, but still shines because of its magnificent and pure gameplay. [April 2012, p.101]

The Bio-Bomb turns your enemy into a ticking time bomb. While your victim explodes into a gory mess of tendrils, tearing his colleagues apart, Heller walks away as if nothing has happened. Because everyone knows: "cool guys don't look at explosions". [May 2012, p.105]

Rockstar proves it doesn't need bleak snowfalls, neon lights or long raincoats to conjure up a great film noir aesthetic. A darker game doesn't exist. The sinister atmosphere might be even a bit too depressing at times. [June 2012, p.72]

You can combine Corvos weapons and superpowers in an almost infinite of ways, which can result in some pretty satisfying outcomes. Throw a proximity mine, called a spring razor, on a rat. Then take possession of the rat and walk up to the nearest guard. Then watch the limbs fly. [November 2012, p.66]

Maybe the biggest revolution is the Memorizer, a feature that allows you to store and save data in your home made levels. In short it means that you can potentially create your own RPGs, complete with statistics and items. [November 2012, p.78]

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is everything but a simulation racer, but it still feels a lot less arcadey than Ridge Racer or the classic Burnout games. It makes takedowns a bit more risky, since you risk losing control over your car, but also more satisfying. [November 2012, p.86]

There's a ton of dialogue to be heard and choices to made and even though they won't impact the story all that much – it has a fixed ending – The Walking Dead's story shines and delivers one of the best game-endings we've ever seen. And that's all what matters here. [January 2013, p.96]

Arkham City is the best reflection of the Batman-comic books ever. Not because of the sheer amount of famous enemies that challenge our hero, but thanks to the amazing atmosphere that oozes from every pore of this remarkable action game. [Nov 2011, p.70]

Kojima-san spent most of his childhood in front of the television and always wanted to be a movie director. Even though he might not have made it to Hollywood, his genius and cinematic talent are what made this series and its characters so iconic. [March 2012, p.90]

No matter how much you oppose Call of Duty and its publisher (or even the FPS genre), you can't deny the powerhouse that Black Ops II is. Three humongous modes, each complementing the others perfectly. That's right: three whole modes.[December 2012, p.56]

If you never cared about the character Lara Croft, this game will change that. The way Camilla Luddington portrays her is very believable and you'd need to have a hart of stone not to flinch every time Lara gets a beating. [March 2013, p.62]

The freedom that Gravity Rush offers is simply unrivalled. Only titles like Infamous or Prototype can offer a bit of competition and even those don't allow you to rush from one end of the city to the other in just a matter of seconds. [June 2012, p.76]

If the big blockbusters like Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty seem a bit lacklustre to you on the Vita (and you would be right), there is still Sine Mora. Sure, this shoot-'em-up might be a bit short, but boasts excellent gameplay and a surprisingly riveting story. [January 2013, p.95]

The biggest positive about COD has nothing to do with gameplay or graphics. It's the all-inclusive social service Elite. Activision has learned a lot from the likes of Facebook and Twitter. You get loads of ways to connect to and interact with friends who are playing the game. [December 2011, p.54]

Do you scour the internet daily for new combos or strategies to use in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, then you should buy this update blindly. There is no doubt about it: this ultimate edition of Capcom's beat 'm up is in every way superior to its predecessor. [December 2011, p.72]

This is a bargain if you look at what you get. This shooter is long, challenging and has a great sense of humor thanks to cutscenes that remind us of Ratchet & Clank. Mega Man was also an inspiration: you get to use the weapons of every end boss you defeat. [January 2012, p.85]

Super Stardust Delta is one of the few Vita games that allows you to customize the controls to your liking. As a matter of fact it is the very first Vita-game ever to do that. Ideally for those among us who have been cursed not with clumsy hands, clawing away at the touch screen. [March 2012, p.60]

Online play will be the biggest difference maker for FIFA 13 and will directly affect even a simple game between two friends. Want to play a game of Man U against Man C, but both Van Persie and Balotelli were injured recently? Then the game will automatically limit your player selection. [October 2012, p.62]

Whereas characters in western RPG's tend to nag more than the average math teacher, the inhabitants of the beautiful world that is Ni no Kuni tend to have an intelligent sense of humour, rarely seen in games. [January 2013, p.62]

Ninja Theory deserves credit for not only delivering smooth combat and telling an entertaining story, but also for crafting detailed character models without lip-synch errors, who show real emotion and wear clothing that moves along with them. This is what a 2013-game should look like. [February 2013, p.72]

Raiden can't block, he can only parry by swinging the left stick in the direction of an enemy and pressing square. That's right, one of the attack buttons. Raiden's motto is very simple: The best offense is a good defense. [March 2013, p.72]

Ascension shows a warrior who is miles away from being the ultimate and flawless killing machine we all know and love. He is more like an unguided projectile here, trying to cope with all the injustice delivered unto him. [April 2013, p.62]

Multiple dimensions and a clever scenario with a surprise around every corner make it difficult for us to explain our enthusiasm without spoiling the story. Only the extended ghost chase (literally) halfway through the game drags on a bit too long. [April 2013, p.74]

The game only really opens up for those who are true fans of the sport: those who rejoice in delving through a mountain of statistics and tactics. Baseball can be spectacular, but not every game is. And MLB captures that feeling perfectly. [April 2013, p.92]

You've never player BlazBlue before? Then you are in for a shock. The action is fast and furious and the screen seems to contain more meters and gauges than a physics laboratory. Luckily, the game contains one of the best tutorials we've ever seen in a fighting game. [January 2012, p.83]

Not only does feel great just to hack away at your enemies with your knives, the finishers look absolutely fantastic. They look so good in fact that you'll want to try them out with every weapon and counter in the game. [March 2012, p.100]

Journey isn't a game, it's an experience. An awe inspiring experience that will give goose bumps at every other turn. You will notice soon enough when you flying through the bright blue sky accompanied by creatures that look like the love child of an octopus and a flying carpet. [April 2012, p.98]

The game is a little bit more accessible than the franchise is known for, but that's not a bad thing. Future Soldier offers more variety than any of its predecessors and won't bore you a single second, since every time you get tired of sneaking, the game gives you an excuse to bring out the big guns. [June 2012, p.78]

The biggest disappointment is the absence of Peace Walker, the only handheld game from the PS3 HD Collection. "Because you can download the original PSP version from the PS Store and the Vita upscales the game pretty well, we could reduce our production costs tremendously", Konami explains. [July 2012, p.90]

Old hats like us don't need convenient tips & tricks when faced with a seemingly unbeatable boss. Figuring out how to beat one of these gigantic culprits is half the fun and luckily Vigil Games understands this. [September p.66]

Some games are brilliant because of their simplicity. Take Sound Shapes for example, a game in which you roll a ball through colourful, minimalistic environments that vary from grey office buildings to beautiful sceneries of nature. [October 2012, p.78]

In this top-down twin-stick shooter everything, from tanks to trains, has to be destroyed. And you know what? As simple as that may sound, it is a lot of fun. [Nov 2011, p.96]

The rush you feel when striking down an opponent with a perfectly timed swing from your mighty sword remains one of the best and unique experiences in the entire beat 'm up-genre. SoulCalibur still can't compete with the likes of Capcom's fighting games, but it's getting close. [February 2012, p.90]

Deploying a series of a deadly mines and hearing that soft, distant bang behind you when your opponents run into them is still as satisfying as ever. The same goes for taking the top spot in the final seconds of a race thanks to a conveniently placed speed pad. [March 2012, p.48]

When it comes to action, Team Ninja pulls out all the stops. One moment you're jumping out of a C-130, ripping apart Apache helicopters, pile driving K9 bloodhounds into the concrete. The other, you're escaping an exploding lab, being chased by a T-Rex. [April 2012, p.68]

Split screen multiplayer is an absolute blast with four friends and contains more explosions than a toilet at a Mexican 'All you can eat' restaurant. Once you get used to the frantic gameplay, Twisted Metal offers an incredibly accessible multiplayer. [April 2012, p.82]

Instead of playing it safe after successfully replacing Crash Bandicoot with Jak and Daxter in The Precursor Legacy (and creating another fun, colorful platformer) Naughty Dog decided to throw everything overboard with Jak II and III. Even today we're still amazed by the radical changes. [April 2012, p.88]

MotorStorm Artic Edge was a decent PSP game, but failed to capture the awe inspiring violence the franchise is known for. So making MotorStorm RC a top-down racer was an incredibly smart move. Especially since everything else still feels like MotorStorm: the music, the menus, ... [April 2012, p.93]

The characters support a little less detail, but when the body parts start flying you'll hardly have time to notice. The game runs smoothly at sixty frames per second and everyone who has already spilled gallons of blood on the PS3 will feel right at home. [June 2012, p.98]

The Dreamcast classic returns. In HD! The soundtrack is still brilliant. Depending on who you ask, the gameplay might not have aged as well. But for any true nostalgic fan, Jet Set Radio is still the best rollerblading game around. [November 2012, p.92]

Even simple objectives in Far Cry 3, like clearing out a watch post filled with pirates, still offer a plethora of choices, possibilities and tactics. Sure it's tempting to charge in with your AK-47, but scouting out the place first is crucial to surviving.[December 2012, p.52]

Should things get a bit stale, there are activities during the World Tours which luckily aren't just about racing. There's Pursuit, where you have to chase a tank while dodging the bombs it's dropping or Traffic Attack, where you have to dodge traffic on an increasingly busier road [December 2012, p.82]

After opening thousands of treasure chests in Borderlands 2, you'd think Gearbox would have figured out by now that we are really good at it. But who are we to complain, just look at all that new loot. It's so beautiful. It's so precious. It's ours! [December 2012, p.93]

In this DLC, a certain Mr. Torgue hosts an explosive tournament, trying to find Pandora's biggest bad-ass. Sounds like an excuse for a boring chain of arena battles, but thanks some cool quests and a terrific sense of humour, this is not the case. [January 2013, p.94]

After what seems ages, PS3 gamers can now finally get their hands on some downloadable content for Skyrim. And even if you missed Bethesda's sweet half priced deal, Dragonborn is still worth the purchase. [March 2013, p.88]

The latest and greatest DLC for Mass Effect 3. BioWare clearly put a lot of love and care into this small bit of fan service. It takes itself less serious than the main game and that is what makes it so special. BioWare couldn't have said goodbye in a better way. [April 2013, p.89]

Good news for the pyromaniacs: this On Fire Edition of NBA Jam is a lot better than the Wii-port that was released a while back. This remake offers great value and is a great tribute to the 16 bit-classic. [Nov 2011, p.98]

The old Ezio has a few new tricks up his sleeves: he plays around with a wide array of explosives and makes use of a brand new gadget, the Hookblade, to travel around town much more quickly. The only downside to all of this is that it doesn't add much to the gameplay. [December 2011, p.58]

We had the most fun playing the game with just one other player. Four players on screen is too hectic, two is just right and a lot more fun than taking on the enemies on your own. The only thing we miss is online co-op for when you don't have a friend handy. [December 2011, p.94]

Neverdead is a strange, but fascinating creature. Originality is hard to find nowadays, but Neverdead has plenty of it. Many of the game's puzzles require you to deliberately grab hold of an electric conductor until your body explodes into a flaming spark. [February 2012, p.94]

We had to wait nearly seven years for this former Xbox-exclusive to return and even after all this time the strange mix between third person platforming and first person shooting still works fine. You'd have to be crazy not to download this title after such a long wait. [February 2012, p.100]

Quad wielding is The Darkness II biggest selling point. Nothing is more fun than shooting two enemies off a balcony with your Uzi's, while one of your tentacles grabs another of their buddies by the leg and the second one tears him apart. [March 2012, p.86]

The D-pad on the Vita is ideal to play this kind of game. And that's a good thing too, because we're not too fond of the touch controls. You can program certain button combinations on the rear touchpad, but it's so sensitive that you'll constantly be executing the wrong moves during a match. [April 2012, p.95]

It's clear that Insomniac was light years ahead of its peers. The combination of jumping, strafing and shooting incredibly fun guns is as addictive as ever. The graphics have also been beautifully upgraded. It's one of the best looking HD collections we've seen so far. [July 2012, p.78]

Not that we have ever experienced it ourselves, but everything you get to see in the PS3 exclusive Dyad has to be similar to how the world looks when you are under the influence of certain "enlightening" chemicals. [September 2012, p.86]

F1 2012 is a beast. The feeling you get when you're racing neck to neck against twenty other great drivers, in what you could describe as a rocket on wheels, is simply amazing. Every take over, every crash sends the adrenaline flying through your veins. [October 2012, p.72]

When the AI fails, the world loses its credibility and that's a shame. Because this is a world so beautiful you'll want to believe in it. Thanks to the Glacier 2 engine, you'll be drooling all over your controller when you're standing in the middle of a gorgeous desert plain. [December 2012, p.48]

After the DLC debacle of the console versions, Capcom had to make things right. And they did with the Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken. The twelve DLC character are included for free, just like the first batch of alternative costumes. [December 2012, p.76]

The game's appearance remains unaltered, which sounds good, but unfortunately it isn't. The game doesn't look bad, but it certainly looks dated. From a cinematic standpoint everything's fine, but the numerous lip-sync errors bothered us immensely. [February 2013, p.80]

“Every song ends but that's no reason not to enjoy the music” is probably the best way to describe this final DLC for one the biggest shooters in history. Just like every extra content before, we enjoyed End Game a lot. [April 2013, p.88]

You run, sneak and drive around an island that is so beautiful that you would gladly trade in your weapons for swimming trunks and have the rest of the day off for some sunbathing. [Nov 2011, p.98]

Protagonist Vincent faces the same dilemma as loads of men around the age of 30: play it safe, marry and have kids or go down the path of adventure with a new and dangerous woman who loves to play games, both in and out of bed. [January 2012, p.70]

Not changing a damn thing about your initial game formula in over seven year means you are either an extremely lazy designer or that the formula is so genius it doesn't need to be changed. Luckily designer Mizuguchi is anything but lazy and Lumines is still a winner. [March 2012, p.58]

Except for a few missing background animations, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the Vita is an exact copy of its bigger brother on the PS3. A technical marvel if you ask us, since Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 isn't known for its static gameplay. [March 2012, p.59]

SSX may not be the same party game it used to be, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. The first time you jump out of a helicopter, you feel butterflies in your stomach, like only SSX can give you. It feels a bit like coming home. [March 2012, p.72]

Without a doubt the best and most expansive BlazBlue out there, but we still expected a little bit more content. If you already have dowloaded all the DLC for Blazblue's previous outing, there's only one extra character two new modes. [April 2012, p.94]

Tiger Challenge is a remarkably addictive mode. For the first time in years we found ourselves guilty of trying just "one more time". And another one, until we got it right. Just so we could get started on the next challenge and repeat the same process all over again. [April 2012, p.96]

Good or evil doesn't really exist in The Line, most of the time you have to choose between doing something bad or doing something very bad. Just don't expect any branching story paths, because The Line is about as linear as it gets. [July 2012, p.82]

Mad Riders' set-up is as old as the ATV itself, a throwback to the classic over-the-top racing, but succeeds in giving it all a refreshing new coat of paint. And the best part is that can get all of this fun for the price of a single pizza. [July 2012, p.92]

It's a pity that your enemies can't transform themselves and the game only gets going when it puts you behind the wheel (pun intended) of the sneaky Cliffjumper in a level that feels like a tribute to Uncharted. It even has the same voice actor. [October 2012, p.68]

There is not a lot of leveling or depth to be found in Rage, but you can have some fun with building your own weapons and toying around with several gadgets. We particularly liked the remote controlled cars that can be equipped with explosives. [Nov 2011, p.82]

Don't expect complicated controls or a deep, engrossing storyline, but 2D arenas that look like they have been puked on by someone who ate too many Smarties, a boatload of upgradeable weapons and two teams of three mercenaries trying to destroy each other's base. [May 2012, p.88]

Tekken Tag 2 is just as much a party game as it is a competitive beat'em up, judging by the dozens of crazy customizations for each character. Everything from butterfly wings to waist doughnuts and an alien to put on top of your head. [September 2012, p.104]

The reason why we go into so much detail about the fighting system is because we've never seen such deep and expansive mechanics in an open world game. You will fight until your knuckles are covered in blood and still won't have had enough of it. [September 2012, p.72]

After several claustrophobic months of playing Close Quarters, Armored Kill is a relief. In Armored Kill you'll violently explore open fields, including the Bandar Desert, the largest Battlefield map ever. The Tank Superiority mode is an absolute blast too. [October 2012, p.78]

Aftermath takes place during the aftermath (duh!) of an earthquake and it shows. The four new maps are all fine, but our absolute favorite has to be Epicenter. Even the new Scavenge Mode is pretty good. [January 2013, p.94]

Dawnguard has got it all. Including a storyline that is way more interesting than anything Twilight or The Vampire Diaries have ever done. Especially the young - at least when compared to her fellow kind - Serana enthralled us with her tragic family disputes. [April 2013, p.90]

This is the kind of game that you play for only short periods of time. Partly because of the repetitive nature of the gameplay, but also because of the physical pain it can cause you. Play this for a few hours on end and you will definitely suffer the morning after. [December 2011, p.84]

This SEGA-classic is considered by many to be the best Sonic-game ever made. Sonic goes so fast in this iteration that he can even travel through time, making the pimped out DeLorean from Back to the Future seem like a pushover. [February 2012, p.101]

You can mix and match potions, which is very addictive, but also makes you look like a 5-year-old as you're using the Move controller like a spoon to stir. Luckily these potions are really helpful and sometimes even necessary, thanks to the pretty tough boss battles. [June 2012, p.90]

So let`s summarize: zombies, a cheerleader and a horny beheaded boyfriend rotting in front of the school gates. And let`s not forget that the 18+ rating isn't just because of a few rampaging zombies. There's a reason why Juliet just turned 18 at the start of the game. [July p.72]

In FIFA you can just as well give up when you're two goals behind. 0-2 means nothing in PES. In the majority of the games we played, Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 offered more spectacle than FIFA 13. Which could be a big advantage for PES. [October 2012, p.70]