It could have been a modern version of Hothouse Creations’ Gangsters 2 mixed with XCOM. But what you get is rather superficial in every aspect. The turn based battles suffer from an inconsequent and sometimes broken cover system, while the business aspects don’t offer any challenge at all.

This is a nifty little arcade shooter that obviously took the classic Paradroid as an inspiration. It lacks variety though.

Antichamber reminds me, why I love games: Because they can still surprise me. This surreal labyrinth doesn’t bend to convention, it questions it with every move. The puzzles ooze creativity and variety.

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.

Razor’s Edge delivers more content and more gore compared to the original, but nonetheless the fearless Ryu Hayabusa is still miles away from his former self.

The battlefields in this turn-based tactics gem are as numerous as they are varied. This is tactical entertainment at its best.

In theory this theme park could be the source of never-ending fun. But in the end it is rather never-ending grind. Nonetheless you can experience some entertaining half hours or so if you have friends on standby for your support.

The War Z might use the same elements that make DayZ an enthralling experience. But it puts them together so halfheartedly that you have to turn away in disbelief.

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

The presentation is minimal, there are no hires visuals nor multitouch. There is no tutorial and no campaign. There are no scenarios, but instead you get a cheating AI. But if you play online against human opponents the magic you associate with the board game, is almost there.

What a charming adventure. The beautiful backdrops bear the inimitable hand writing of Studio Ghibli's artists. The wonderful story carries big emotions without pathos. And the role-playing game opens the doors to a wide land full of fantasy and danger.

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.

If you played games like Alien Breed or Dead Nation you know what to expect. But be aware that even though the lighting and sound effects are nice, virtually everything else is below par.

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.

Retro City Rampage is not really a good game. It is nice and entertaining, but also very shallow. But it is an darn good compilation of reminders what was cool and hip in the 80s and 90, it is a declaration of love to the era of big pixels and plastic pop.

The stupid battles, in which you strike over the touchpad like a lobotomized baboon until you are forced to a break, serve only one purpose: To make as much money over in-app-purchases as possible.

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

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.

This is exactly how a conversion from consoles to touch pad should look: You won't find any virtual buttons or triggers, the controls are fine-tuned and custom made for gestures, while the content is as huge as on its console brethren. The mobile Joe delivers on a large scale.

Characters, puzzles, humor: The Cave bears the distinctive handwriting of its creator Ron Gilbert. But while this creative beauty was awakened after a 20-year-long slumber, it shows some facets that are not as pretty. The puzzles could be more elaborate, the level design more varied and the engine more fluent.

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.

There is no doubt: On Wii U 2K13 celebrates the same magnificent basketball as on 360 or PlayStation 3. But be aware that the engine is not as fluent as on other systems and that the new features for the Wii U GamePad are either unnecessary or well conceived but implemented halfheartedly.

Ninja Theory had big boots to fill. But they mastered the reboot of the iconic stylish action series. The fighting system manages the balance between traditional dynamics and contemporary combo madness. The art design is close to perfect. The narrative though is sometimes losing focus and refuses to give the characters room to grow for most of the time. Nonetheless this is the first big action highlight of the year.

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

Rejoice, hobby generals: Battle of the Bulge is the first strategy highlight of the year. Alongside Ravenmark this is the best you can get in turn based strategy for your iPad.

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.

Under the goo-goo eyes and the rather clumsily animated characters hides a challenging old school role-playing experience that punishes every little mistake you might make in your battle strategy. But more importantly: The magic of an era long forgotten is still there.

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.