It's impossible to take Anomaly: Warzone Earth seriously. It's a distraction for a couple of evenings at best, and I wish it had more emphasis on interesting gameplay modes than superfluous radio chatter. Alas, as soon you move on to skirmish battles, the game quickly loses its sparkle.

Crytek's motto is "Maximum Game". Alas, Crysis 2 is anything but. Well, it happens when you activate the "Maximum Profit" mode instead of "Maximum Creativity".

Compared to other Sims spin-offs, The Sims Medieval is a bold game. But once you complete your first playthrough, you will hardly crave for a second helping.

Even though it is clearly still a work in progress, Shogun 2 is a beautiful, deep, incredibly stylish, enthralling game.

Shift 2 is Need for Speed: Shift with some welcome upgrades and old issues. The overall experience is not as fresh and intense second time around, but multiplayer races are a blast if you play with friends.

While Lair of Shadow Broker is a brilliant example of a properly made DLC, Arrival will be appreciated by only the most devout fans. If you want a completely tricked out save file for Mass Effect 3, then please pay $6.99.

Too little, too thin, too derivative.

GLaDOS sang it best back in 2007: "I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction". Huge success indeed.

A meditative, unworldly, overly formulaic shoot 'em up. It won't keep you occupied for hours, but it's nice enough to help you kill time until Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet arrives.

The only drawback of Darkest Hour is that it has only two starting points – 1914 and 1936. If you are completely new to the Hearts of Iron series, this is game you need.

Dead Space for iOS is a game with a simple design born on a Procrustean bed of budgetary and technical constraints, although its creators did their best to recreate the atmosphere of the big console brethren.

Infinity Blade as it stands now is simply an intriguing test of a very promising technology. I'm not sure that you'll get your $6 of fun from Infinity Blade, but if you want to impress your friends, this is the app to buy.

Lost Horizon is like a good summer blockbuster. Analyze it under the microscope, and you will see a myriad of small flaws, but the action is explosive and gripping until the very end.

A surprisingly well-made platformer, albeit simple and extremely short.

The new playable race and nifty multiplayer additions compensate for the disappointingly short, boring campaigns.

If you love Monopoly, but couldn't care less about online play, get a 2008 version. It makes no sense to pay extra for pretty much the only new feature.

If you love Monopoly, but couldn't care less about online play, get a 2008 version. It makes no sense to pay extra for pretty much the only new feature.

THQ should have made a deal with MGM to turn Homefront into a tie-in for the upcoming Red Dawn remake. That game would have been way better than what we have now.

THQ should have made a deal with MGM to turn Homefront into a tie-in for the upcoming Red Dawn remake. That game would have been way better than what we have now.

Despite some interesting ideas and huge ambitions of its creators, APOX is just another low-budget RTS.

1.5 Gbytes of data. 10 US dollars. 45 minutes of gameplay. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new winner for the title of the shortest commercially available first-person shooter. You've seen the bad movie – now play a crappy game.

Severed is not bad for a $6 DLC, but I can't shake the feeling that this (severed) piece is just to whet our appetite for bigger things to come.

Severed is not bad for a $6 DLC, but I can't shake the feeling that this (severed) piece is just to whet our appetite for bigger things to come.

Fate of the World offers not only good entertainment but also food for thought about our way of life.

The smaller scope, a different skill system, lightning-fast battles should, by all expectations, frighten and ward off any fan of the original Dragon Age, but don't trust your initial impression. This is a great RPG, one of BioWare's finest.

TDU 2, like its predecessor, is a very self-absorbed and meditative game. It doesn't force you to dash through all the championships, to fly to the final race... But there comes an inevitable moment when you start pondering what to do next. All tasks have been completed, all cars have been tested, and you're the best in your club... And that's it?

The adventures in the lifeless town are long and at times boring, but you will get your $10 worth of entertainment.

Teotl Studios had the concept and the tools they needed to make The Ball a great game; they only lacked patience and experience.

Some other studio could have used Greed Corp's concept to create a big, serious game that would have eclipsed Massive Assault. W!Games turned this idea into a decent casual product - it looks nice, plays well, and costs only $10.

It's fresh, colorful, and funny as hell; a true successor to Painkiller, a worthy rival of Serious Sam and, perhaps, a better Duke than Mr. Nukem.

If clichés that permeate Killzone 3's story and gameplay do not turn you off, than, by all means, plan your trip to Helgan today. Its denizens sorely lack in originality and intelligence, but they still manage to entertain.

An idea, no matter how fresh and original, doesn't worth squat without a good implementation. Doc Clock is a prime example of that. The construction mechanics are too awkward, and the game does nothing to encourage our creative thinking.

Theatre of War 3: Korea brings a welcome change of scenery to the series, but the boring strategic mode is a poor replacement for the traditional single-player campaign.

It's a pity that Monday Night Combat is not good enough to serve as an alternative to Team Fortress 2.

Glitches can be fixed, but no patch can make Breach a deeper game. It takes a day or two to study it inside out, and come to a realization that you have wasted 15 dollars.

The single-player campaign is poorly balanced and very short, but, since Castle Crashers never materialized on PC, Magicka is the next best alternative. It is fun enough to last a couple of evenings, but doesn't have a lasting appeal.

If Gusto Games focused their attention on production values, licenses and gameplay modes with the same, ahem, gusto as they tried to promote the fading golf star, ProStroke Golf would have become a decent game.

Alternativa is devoid of soul, emotions and, let's be honest, meaning. It doesn't take much time to beat this game, but why bother?

Assasssin's Creed: Brotherhood has great atmosphere, beautiful visuals, and overall excellent craftsmanship… Just don't expect anything new beyond the multiplayer.

Assasssin's Creed: Brotherhood has great atmosphere, beautiful visuals, and overall excellent craftsmanship… Just don't expect anything new beyond the multiplayer.

Propaganda Games failed to create anything that even remotely resembles the brilliant TRON 2.0.

Divine Wind is the expansion for the oldest fans of the franchise. The changes it introduces are really nice, but they aren't as exciting as Heir to the Throne and In Nomine.

Gray Matter makes the most of its small scale. There are no mad supervillains, and no one here wants to plunge the world in the eternal darkness. This is a convincing, emotionally mature story about grief, estrangement, and longing to be with a beloved person.

Dead Space 2 is a loud, spectacular action horror that shuns fresh ideas while enjoying a bigger budget and refined gameplay. So far, the old formula of Dead Space has been working perfectly, but something will have to change in the inevitable third installment.

Dead Space 2 is a loud, spectacular action horror that shuns fresh ideas while enjoying a bigger budget and refined gameplay. So far, the old formula of Dead Space has been working perfectly, but something will have to change in the inevitable third installment.

Monster Kingdom is too uninspired and weak to entice the veterans of the original Majesty, and it will definitely won't attract any new fans.

It doesn't matter how well-polished Winter Sports 2011 is; this game has zero depth.

Darkstar made me feel like a time traveler. It is as if at the end of the last century, fearing the "2K error" apocalypse, someone put this game in a capsule, and only now a team of archaeologists has unearthed these artifact CDs.

«Meanwhile, you'd better spend your money on something better» - we usually reserve verdicts like this for amateur-made games. It's hard to believe that this empty shell of a game was made by a team of industry veterans.

Super Meat Boy is one of the trickiest, difficult but incredibly interesting games of 2010. But you'd have to be a real geek to enjoy it.

Last Stand Arnhem is a big step forward compared to the previous Close Combat remakes.

Lionhead carefully preserved everything that made Fable 2 so good. Though it's a pity that the "king simulator" concept is totally wasted here.

As a freeware game, Star Sentinel Tactics would have earned the approval of a rare retro-maniac, but these guys are actually charging for it.

Instead of building upon ideas introduced in Bad Company 2, Vietnam rolls everything back to the decade-old Battlefield 1942.

Shank may sound like the best game in the world, but in reality all its virtues are undermined by a fatal flaw – it's way too simple.

Amnesia offers an experience so rich that we're willing to forgive its weak ending, imperfections of the engine, and low-bugdet production values.

If you're still itching to waste a few hours on Vanquish, here's some advice: wait until the inevitable price reduction.

If you're still itching to waste a few hours on Vanquish, here's some advice: wait until the inevitable price reduction.

DeathSpank has stylish "paper cut-outs" as characters and scenery (which are especially impressive at a full HD resolution on PC), sharp dialogue, and nice music – it only needs thought-out gameplay to succeed. The game is hardly worth a second playthrough, and that's a death warrant for any aspiring Diablo clone.

DeathSpank has stylish "paper cut-outs" as characters and scenery (which are especially impressive at a full HD resolution on PC), sharp dialogue, and nice music – it only needs thought-out gameplay to succeed. The game is hardly worth a second playthrough, and that's a death warrant for any aspiring Diablo clone.

DeathSpank has stylish "paper cut-outs" as characters and scenery (which are especially impressive at a full HD resolution on PC), sharp dialogue, and nice music – it only needs thought-out gameplay to succeed. The game is hardly worth a second playthrough, and that's a death warrant for any aspiring Diablo clone.

Lost Planet 2 is a disjointed mess without style or substance. The developers don't bother themselves with well-designed levels, clever triggers and challenging AI. They just throw you into a hostile crowd, hoping that you'll have fun.

Don't miss this game if you're into Combat Mission: Shock Force or the Afghan Civil War time period. Combat Mission: Afghanistan makes up for its flaws with engaging gameplay and unique approach.

Annoying bugs, shoddy graphics and horrible code optimization are not the worst crimes of this game. Instead of building upon its predecessor, Patrician 4 squandered all the hallmarks of the series and devolved into a Tortuga-style drab.

Besides the handy automap and the journal, the only other positive thing about Arcania is that it's at least better than Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods.

Valkyria Chronicles' transition to a handheld platform went surprisingly smooth. The developers preserved everything that made the original game so great, and added many nice little touches. The gameplay and even the key maps are the same as before, so fans of the series will feel right at home.

This update of the FIFA series on PC is far what it was promised to be. It's not the soccer that we see in life and on TV, but a tedious arcade wrapped in boring gameplay modes and half-baked engine. Only the online features save FIFA 11 from utter mediocrity.

Halo: Reach is not a breakthrough, yet it's a clear showcase of Bungie's creative growth. The game is hardly a "must buy" – its single-player campaign is way too short and uneven in quality, while multiplayer has very little room for expansion besides map packs and useless character decorations. But with that said, Reach is worthy of your attention for a couple of evenings.

Medal of Honor doesn't become the current image of Electronic Arts – probably the most "humane" of all videogame corporations. Danger Close Games' debut reminds of a time when EA was a gloomy assembly line churning out soulless yearly sequels and movie tie-ins.

Medal of Honor doesn't become the current image of Electronic Arts – probably the most "humane" of all videogame corporations. Danger Close Games' debut reminds of a time when EA was a gloomy assembly line churning out soulless yearly sequels and movie tie-ins.

Medal of Honor doesn't become the current image of Electronic Arts – probably the most "humane" of all videogame corporations. Danger Close Games' debut reminds of a time when EA was a gloomy assembly line churning out soulless yearly sequels and movie tie-ins.

If you're still not tired of WWII-themed RTS games, give R.U.S.E. a chance. It's a nice alternative to Order of War, but don't expect it to dethrone Company of Heroes.

The Dragon Knight Saga is a rare game that received massive fixes not from desperate fans, but from the developers themselves. The decent expansion pack improves things as well.

This NFS/Burnout hybrid reminds me of Split/Second – it is simple, fast, spectacular, and lasts a week at best.

The best way to describe Kaptain Brawe would have been "Monkey Island in space" if only these two games weren't hundred light years apart quality-wise.

The most shocking surprise in Black Ops is a full version of the classic text adventure Zork: The Great Underground Empire, hidden deep in the CIA computer. The game that 30 years ago created an entire genre and stood at the very frontier of electronic entertainment, is now embedded in a derivative, formulaic, overwhelmingly linear shooter. I imagine that this irony is lost on Treyarch.

A small step forward for Activision's value titles, a huge setback for Bond video games. At this point, I simply wish they'd ported GoldenEye to modern (Wii notwithstanding) consoles.

Mildly realistic combat and addictive RPG elements put Lionheart above Crusaders and XIII Century. Unfortunately, the lack of a strategic mode and technical glitches are serious turn-offs that won't stop only the hardened fans of the Crusades epoch.

Technically, New Vegas is a spin-off, but in fact, it is the real third game in the Fallout series.

If you are really, really longing for a 2D adventure with lovely hand-drawn graphics, then you'll enjoy The Whispered World for a couple of days. But chances are you'll quickly stop playing and immerse in a much more exciting activity – rummaging through the game's data folder in search of beautiful backgrounds for your desktop.

This Lara Croft is an exciting, nice-looking game. It's a pity that some of its nagging shortcomings weren't fixed before the release.

You'd have to be a very indiscriminate person to willingly step into this… game.

"Brilliant" is the best word that sums up NBA 2K11.

The Russian subtitle of this game is "At Twilight", and it gives a pretty clear idea of where EA was going with Late Night. If you're not into vampires and are not in a hurry to leave the suburbs, you won't miss this expansion at all.

Even the so-called "hardcore" games should be fun to play, but Geo-Political Simulator 2 is too stodgy to let you have any.

Lesta Studio created a decent RTS game, but, alas, Elements of War is far from the major league. Pure enthusiasm is not enough to take on World in Conflict; you'd also need exceptional talent and a serious budget.

WRC feels like an unfinished game, and many of its ideas, whether they're good or bad, are poorly fleshed out.

Refined visuals, almost bug-free code, and pleasant music are pretty much the only things that make Two Worlds 2 better than the original game.

Konami still haven't figured out how serious and realistic they wanted their game to be, and made some silly mistakes. PES 2011 has occasional strokes of genius, and they really push the series forward… But it's not worthy of a gold medal yet.

It’s an instant classic, not less.

Despite the picturesque sights of the fictional Venice, Venetica is bleak and mediocre in everything, from two-bit quests and meager weapon selection to tiresome combat. Don't expect proper character development, because there are only four stats, two of which are health and mana. Don't expect colorful characters, because the entire city went through a copier two or three times. Don't expect brain-teasing puzzles, because there is only one variety: "Push four buttons in a correct order".

Outdated visuals and a few necessary simplifications can't take away the joy of playing this original, amazingly solid game.

You walk about dark rooms, straining your eyes to discern doors from walls, rotate valves, kill hordes of zombies, mercenaries, robots… and pray that this level will be the last.

All in all, Grotesque Tactics is a shoddy low-budget game.

Despite a few problems, Civilization 5 is a great game and a worthy sequel with a very bright future.

Once again, the excellent idea was killed by ambitions. If Stardock's risky bet had paid out, Elemental would have been a masterpiece, but to make one is not as easy as cramming a bunch of "new" features together. You actually need to glue them with a rock-solid concept. And, in violation of the second clause of its own The Gamer's Bill of Rights, Stardock had released a game as buggy and unfinished as Disciples 3.

Mafia 2 doesn't even try to be interesting, even though an action game with a linear 10-hour campaign should be going for broke in order to entertain players. Vito Scaletta's misadventures are jam-packed with everyday trivialities, pre-historic clichés, and tiresome moralisms.

If Blind Mind Studios continues to release new patches and more content, Star Ruler will one day become a great game in the 4X genre. But today it's just a $25 preform.