Rockstar took a look at those demands, took a few core principles, and then gave us a Max Payne game worth talking about and absolutely worth playing with a ballsy willingness to not compromise on their own artistic direction.

It's a fun game that takes too long to get going anywhere, but its combat is so slick and refined that everything else around needs to step up to that level of quality. The universe of Diablo is most certainly destroyed, but the game is far from it.

It very much feels like Creative Assembly has peaked creatively.

The Darkness II is a decent shooter, but there is nothing in it that is amazing; it's respectable but mostly predictable.

BioWare captures the scale of the conflict well, but always focuses on the people involved in it. It's pretty amazing just how badly EA disregarded the heart of the game – the characters and the world – when they began their marking blitzkrieg, but don't worry, it's oh so definitely there – Day 1 DLC, controversial endings, and questionable use of resources be damned. This is a fine, lovingly crafted game with a clear vision despite the realities of corporations and damning business practices.

For all the things that don't work well, the exciting combat and deep world make KAR a very worthy game to play. It's a shame Electronic Arts is doing such a poor job of promoting it, as there is enough here to make the foundation of a very solid franchise.

The game just gets weirder and weirder, as you keep playing, and it's an all-in move from Remedy to just keep pushing its story to its absolute limit of insanity. It reaches its zenith of crazy by the last episode of the game, and it's just such a great culmination of everything that's happened before, that if there were such an award as Best One Hour of a Game, Alan Wake would take the prize.

Bottom line is that on paper, this is an incredibly deep and varied game, but time and again, the reach of the programmers vastly exceeds their grasp. Even months after release, there's so little in this game that's working as intended, that only the most desperate die-hard fan of the genre should even consider this game.

Serious Sam 3 might not be for everyone, but it's the type of game that made first-person shooters a genre all their own, and serious – at the risk of abusing the word – gamers should absolutely give this game, if not the whole series, a serious look.

For the explorer in all of the us, for the curious in all of us, for the adventurer in all of us, Skyrim is our game.

This kind of depth hurls Dungeon Defenders far past the typical tower defense game.

The basic fact is that Red Orchestra 2 spoils you. Playing any other shooter, especially one that claims to be realistic, after going through a few rounds in RO2 is bound to be a disappointment.

It's hard to tell how it'll pan out over the years, but right now, this is a great game burdened with new, confused players, technical problems, and a lack of information as to how to be effective on the field. It's a Battlefield game alright, but it's going to need some time and work before it becomes a worthy time sink.

If you're a Tropico nut, then the idea of a few new buildings and a lengthy, engrossing campaign probably has you interested already. The only ones who might want to stay back are those who felt like they'd had enough one, or two, or three Tropicos ago.

This is an easy recommendation to make and a far more satisfying experience than the previous Legacy DLC.

Red Faction: Armageddon to me is a good B movie.

One of the biggest differences in this game is that you exert a lot of control over your main character.

Even factoring in the (token) multiplayer, Rage is a brief game in a small world, with two small towns and not much else. Despite my criticisms, the fact that I really want more says that ultimately this is a pretty good game, just with much unrealized potential.

Human Revolution is the cure to the Fallout 3 fake-sequel disease.

Dead Island is absolutely a fun and very playable game and worth the money, even if it lacks the incredible detail and more serious challenge of Dead Rising 2. Dead Island may lack new ideas, but it makes up for it with simple playability, and often that's all anyone wants in a game.

When it comes to being Panzer General, Panzer Corps beats the pants off the competition.

Dungeons of Dredmor makes you respect death, where many games simply laugh in its face.

The graphics are nice, a well-built dungeon is a sight to behold, and there's a little bit of fun here, but ultimately you'll master everything you need to know in short order and be done with this game soon afterward.

If you're not already the kind of gamer who obsesses over making an extra 2% rate of return on investment, this game probably isn't for you, but for those that enjoy business simulation games and are willing to put the time into learning how Patrician IV works, this game delivers incredible value.

For ten dollars, I had enough content to enjoy myself and certainly liked it more than some of the other Fallout related DLC I have completed in the past.

Effects lacked much of a punch, and a lot of the creature designs had a really generic, evil look to them. There was no personality here, and I think the direction of a serious aesthetic didn't do it any favors.

For ten dollars this is a no-brainer; simple as that.

The content is in abundance, the gameplay is mostly solid, and the child-like humor is all there, but it just feels like something is missing to make the whole experience great.