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

Dust is not only an excellent 2D-adventure for Fans of classic action-adventures like Metroid or Castlevania, but also an incredibly charming declaration of love to the whole genre. It plays great, looks damn fine and motivates you from start to finish.

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

Despite problems like the resolution limitation and the missing PC optimization this game is still excellent. Courageous heroes can delve into a mysterious and dangerous world where greed and impatience are bad companions.

It was a futile idea to release this on the PC. It just shows you the difference between an entertaining, but meaningless mobile spacetrip and a full-fledged space opera à la Elite. In this case almost everything is missing.

You like board games on your iPad? Then get this one. It is as simple as captivating and even though there are some usability flaws Le Havre is very well executed.

On the surface this is "just" another jump&run – one that wouldn't stand a chance against Mario & Co. But add imagery, unusual metaphors and a simple but very moving story you'll get a fairy tale that reminds me of ICO in its best moments.

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

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

The dynamic fights could have been more challenging but the bosses deliver and in the grand scheme the fighting is just a small part of the complex Darksiders mosaic. If you like exploration, puzzles, secrets, the hunt for the bigger better loot plus the occasional scythe wielding, this year it will probably not get much better than this.

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

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

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

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

Lost highlights are ever-the-same clashes of enormous fleet formations, during which tactical orders are either ignored or negated by mistakes in AI behavior. Lots of shortcomings as well as a number of bugs add to the frustration.

The charming art-design has been refined, surroundings appear more lively, the battles are more diverse, the difficulty level is more challenging, while new towers, units, rewards and unlockables offer increased tactical depth – an installment which clearly surpasses its predecessor.

Iron Galaxy knows how to make the most of Kinect as simple gestures make technical shortcomings of the motion detection hardware almost disappear. However, good controls don't constitute a good game: The deconstruction of too many similar castles does not translate into the same kind of ridiculous fun you get from Pain, Flatout and others.

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

Anyone on the lookout for technical problems might consider starting a list: Stuttering? Check. Tearing? Check. Pop-Ups? Check. Blurry textures? Check. Erroneous shadows? Check. Clipping? Check. Faulty collision detection? Check.

At its release Iron Front: Liberation 1944 is plagued by a number of bugs. Mission triggers don't work, the AI leaves a lot to desire and so does the story. The game works well in multiplayer though, where the scale of huge battlefields plays to the strengths of the complex military simulation at its heart.

Tequila Works show how to inject fresh ideas into a theme as worn-out as the zombie apocalypse. The mixture of puzzles and challenging fights works extraordinarily well to make Deadlight one of the most atmospheric XBLA games of the year.

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

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

If you got a weak spot for goofy slapstick comedy, you are in for a treat! A smooth interface complements the old-school approach, although puzzles should have been more of a challenge.

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

It starts as an idyllic walk of a dreamer, but soon becomes an occult ghost story with a touch of thriller. Albeit being a classic adventure at its core, Anna shows off a very dynamic orchestration of the supernatural.

Yes, taking care of your pokégotchis is superficial at best. And for ten years now Square is struggling with good camera positions in the fast-paced fights. But albeit all flaws this is a very entertaining action RPG with an engrossing and multilayered storyline. Oh yes: It looks great, too.

The core with linear exploration and fighting works surprisingly well. And even though you can notice slight visual improvements compared to the console versions, Ayumi is hindered by technical faults and lackluster design decisions.