Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment may not be innovative, but it is a decent turn-based RPG, pleasing both the fans as the newcomers to the genre.

Dark Void, despite its few fun and innovative perks, is a mediocre game. Particularly the story and the mission building makes it ...well… average. Fans of third person shooters may have some evenings of fun, but it lacks in length and multiplayer. That’ll probably make it fade into obscurity rather fast. Maybe it serves as a good basis for a better, more developed sequel? As a budget game and for the fans it’s a “yes”. For everyone else: there’s better out there.

Some fans may be disappointed with the lack of weapons at first, but the developers have managed to create an excellent alternative. The loneliness and the nightmares create a sensation of fright, increased by the game toying with you psychologically. It does so by using information you give it, whether consciously or not. Combining that with a strong storyline, wonderful graphics and entertaining puzzles, makes this game come highly recommended for every horror-survival fan looking for a change.

Army of Two: The 40th Day beautifully follows the footsteps of the first game, with quite a lot of innovation and improvement. Nicely created characters, varied gameplay and supporting soundtrack drag you through the story from start to finish. You need to get used to the camera stance, but quickly, you’ll appreciate its benefits when covering. Certain graphics could’ve been better, but all in all, it’s a decent action-packed game.

The total package is tasty, but not entirely satisfactory, after completing all the missions. The motion sensitive controls are perhaps not the best option, but they are the most fun. A bit of imagination gets you far, but the execution of the spectacular moves are handled by the game itself. If you want a decent flight sim on Wii - despite it arcade-ish feel - don't hesitate to buy this one.

Matt Hazzard is back and its impressive. The game is a very decent sidescrolling shooter and has humour to boot. It will probably get a bit much every now and then, but eventually, you will grab that controller again just because it’s so fun and addictive. It’s hard to find fault with the game, and entirely impossible to let it weigh down the final judgment. A top game for the virtual arcade halls.

Darksiders is surprising on every front. The right balance between story, a solid fighting system and challenging puzzles will make you want to finish this game. Add the unique graphical style and Darksiders is the first must-own of the year.

Bayonetta manages to (handily) surpass the high expectations from fans. The action is fluent and over-the-top, the images you see are very nicely done and sound-wise, the game is up there with the best. Combining a comical story with visually interesting settings and competitive online leaderboards will give you a game that every action fanatic should at least have tried. Highly recommended.

It was a long wait for Divinity II but it was worth it. It's a solid RPG in a wonderfully constructed world. It's alive and bustling; fighting is well-designed and novelties like 'mindread' are actually a surplus instead of some gimmick. Flying around like a dragon, spewing fire is the icing on the cake.

The Crystal Bearers has turned out to be a good game, doing graphically excellent on the Wii. Averaging 20 hours, it’s not too long and it provides plenty of variation with the min-games. The camera is a downside though. Despite it all, it is a good game for every RPG-lover who also owns a Wii.

This game isn’t worth a full release. The best Van Halen songs could’ve been offered as DLC. The whole game feels old and unpolished. It feels like a quick buck for Activision, without a deserving game for the fans in return. Compare this to Rock Band: The Beatles or even Guitar Hero: Metallica and you can’t deny it’s an inferior product. Only for fans who truly can’t wait. Everyone else, wait for the budget version.

Buzz! Quiz World tries to offer an alternative for the console version. Unfortunately this game doesn’t really succeed in bringing forth a real quiz feel, especially because of the limitations of the PSP. Its short lifespan – with all modes – will make you put down this game relatively fast.

To give Alien Breed Evolution a sscore isn’t easy. It has impressive graphics, atmoshere and brainless action. On the other hand, the gameplay is weak. When you get annoyed by it, there’s something wrong. It has a boring story, the controls are restrictive and after half an hour, you’ll have seen it all. Unfortunately, the strong graphics can’t cover this up. It had potential, but it hasn’t turned out to be a game of extraterrestrial heights.

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH isn’t aimed at every gamer. It’s mainly for the puzzle fan who wants to prove that he can tackle that darned cube very fast. It’s mainly for the seventy puzzles you’ll want to buy this, because it’s more satisfying to complete the cube with your own two hands.

Q-Games has succeeded in bringing a classic game genre back to life for the fourth time in a row, this time with a very innovative PixelJunk Shooter. Puzzling with water, lava and ice – while shooting enemies and saving miners – is surprisingly fluent and offers quite some challenge without getting frustrating. This game comes highly recommended. We look forward to PixelJunk Shooter: Encore.

Despite the few minor flaws in The Saboteur, this game is worth its money. If you want to give depressed Paris its colour back and in the meantime go mental on anything smelling of Nazis, then The Saboteur happily obliges. It keeps you coming back to your console for more. A wonderful final act for Pandemic Studios.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has turned out a re-imaging of the original, more than a regular remake. The story has remained largely the same, but a deep experience it is nonetheless. Gameplay-wise there have been a number of additions. Fighting is no longer possible and running is sometimes all you can do. Mostly you’ll be doing puzzles with the Wii Remote, thusly unraveling the mysteries of Silent Hill. The changes in gameplay, from reconnaissance and talking to the psychiatrist, to the start of a nightmare give variation and a good pace. It can however become tedious. Nightmares in itself could’ve been done better too. Now it’s sometimes annoying and the overview is lacking, even though that doesn’t become too much of a burden.

Codemasters has delivered another racing gem with Dirt 2. If you’re into exciting multiplayer races, a varied and extensive single-player campaign and racing in beautiful environments, then this game is definitely worth it. For every fan of any type of racing, this is a must-have. If you look well enough, you’ll even be able to get this game rather cheap.

For me, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks definitely belongs in the world of Hyrule. It fits in perfectly with the other adventures of cell-shaded Link and that makes it a tad easy. Zelda-fanatics don’t need to worry, because there’s plenty of challenge to keep you occupied for a bit. Unfortunately, that means digressing from the storyline, something you’ll automatically do in a Zelda-tale. This lengthens the life of Spirit Tracks, but nevertheless it’s a short (but powerful) adventure.

Pop Island is a very simple game that revolves entirely around Capture The Flag. Because the game can be shared with seven other friends, that makes it a wonderful multiplayer-game. The matches are short, but pretty intense and chaotic. Odenis Studios has not forgotten those who fly solo, and also offers them a nice experience for only 500 DSi Points.

I think I know which game created those mad Raving Rabbids. Those poor creatures must have played Stop Stress: A Day of Fury and gone bonkers. Seeing how the gameplay creates chaos and frustration, playing this game doesn’t only increase your stress, but it gives you a sore shoulder to boot. Concept-wise, it was fine, but the execution is very disappointing.

Avatar: The Game hasn’t managed to avoid the movie-tie-in curse. Gameplay is repetitive and uninspired. Controls are lacking and the story isn’t deep enough. Audiovisually, the game definitely looks good, but graphics alone don’t make a game interesting. Avatar: The Game is a missed opportunity that could offer a nice little diversion for those who are waiting for the movie.

James Cameron's Avatar: The Game for Wii is mostly a teaser for the movie or an extra for after you’ve seen that movie. It’s not a great game, but doesn’t disappoint either. The atmosphere on Pandora and the rage against the intruders carry this title. If you don’t mind a rather low pace in your game, then you might as well ignore the repetition in the Wii Remote-swinging.

Despite the large offer of game types, off-road vehicles and race tracks, MX vs ATV Reflex doesn’t manage to kick up a lot of dust. The new Reflex system looks promising on paper, but in practice is a bit too unstable to guarantee an intuitive control system. Add the faulty graphics and the sometimes annoying sound effects and you’ve got a game that even fans of the genre will find hard to enjoy.

Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes offers a totally new battle concept for turn-based rpg’s. The puzzle-styled confrontations require patience and tactical guile, but despite the ingenuity, it remains accessible, challenging and varied. Recommended for rpg-fans and puzzle-lovers.

We delve into the archives of Resident Evil once again and reach part Zero. Capcom has ported the Camecube straight into a Wii-version and offers those who have missed to play it. Know that it’s a very challenging survival horror game, one that can even make you sweat at the lowest difficulty. Aside from that, the gameplay is dated and you will be cursing and searching at first.

Also on the PSP, Tekken 6 has turned out wonderfully. This fighting game doesn’t have to admit defeat to its bigger console-brother at all. Graphics and sound are of a high level, controls are perfect and the forty fighters – with their own moves – won’t quickly bore you. Too bad there’s no online multiplayer, a contemporary must of this genre.

Gravity Crash contains a fun diversity in planets and levels. The game is challenging and pushes the player to keep doing better. The graphics and the soundtrack finish it off. If you’re still not bitten by the retro-virus, this developer (Just Add Water) might give you the final push with Gravity Crash.