God of War 3 not only easily overshadows all of its rivals, but casts new light on the abilities of Sony's platform. Don't think that this is a quality product for the connoisseurs of the genre; God of War 3 is an achievement for the whole industry.

The best Paradox Interactive game to date. No game has ever explored feudalism so deeply.

The already excellent Crusader Kings 2 just got a second wind – now with a spicy Middle-Eastern flavor!

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.

Every fan of tactical strategy genre will be happy to spend at least 30 hours with such a smart, captivating game as Valkyria Chronicles.

Human Revolution is not a perfect game, but its atmosphere, the intoxicating feeling of freedom, and a tightly-wound story make it as close to the original Deus Ex as possible. We couldn't have asked for more.

You don’t need a thousand words to make you fall in love with Dragon Age: Origins. It has everything that is sought by the most jaded fans of the genre: at least 60 hours of adventuring, colorful, lively characters, flexible combat system, complex situations and quests, dialogues that are pleasant to read and even more pleasant to listen to… Dragon Age, like a good storyteller, captivates within minutes. It doesn’t rush the story, relishes in small details, goes into ornate lyrical digressions, and maintains the intrigue, keeping you at the edge of your seat.

The best single-player shooter in the history of Epic Games. If it is going to become a Hollywood movie, it should be directed by no other than Michael Bay.

Mutant Blobs Attack is just as enjoyable as its console predecessor, the PS3-exclusive Tales from Space: About a Blob. Absent cooperative multiplayer aside, the game is still amazing.

Bad Company 2 is an excellent game and the best modern warfare shooter to date. Despite the cookie-cutter campaign, it beats Modern Warfare 2 in both single-player and multiplayer.

This game is not unlike Arkham City – easy to get in, almost impossible to get out.

In my mind, I do understand that Endless Space is not without its flaws. But the mere sight of such a coherent space strategy game is mesmerizing.

Blue whale is one of the largest animals on Earth. It is also one of the closest to extinction. Empire: Total War is one of the last blue whales in the ocean of brainless multi-platform clones, and second-rate RTS rabble.

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.

For every flaw of XCOM, there is a dozen virtues.

Even the "New Game Plus" mode with its full arsenal of potions and gods is not enough to quench the Bastion thirst. Oh, how I wish it had randomly-generated maps, an expansive loot system, RPG stats, and dozens of quests... But that would have been a completely different game. Bastion, first and foremost, is a beautiful story with a beginning, a climax and ending(s). "A proper story", as the old man Rucks would say.

Static images can't convey the splendour of colors or the intoxicating feeling of flight, they can't thaw icy shards of winter in the heart. Whether you're cynic or romantic, give Flower a try.

New enemies and ordeals, a bunch of killer abilities, fat loot and a couple of well-fed dragons – what else can a level 20 character wish for?

Uncharted 2 is a blockbuster made with passion. The best ten hours you'll spend sitting in front of the TV in 2009.

Is it possible to tell a deep, touching story about a bunch of emo teens? Yes, and the 30-hour campaign of The World Ends with You is the proof.

Corvo Attano and Agent 47 couldn't possibly have expected that a platformer from the creators of Shank would stab them in the backs and claim the title of this year's best stealth game.

This is what Doom 3 could have been if it were developed by creative designers - a stylish, relentless mix of nightmares, drama and visceral action. Wait until the sundown, turn up your speakers and turn off the lights. You will be impressed.

L4D’s Versus mode is on par with Call of Duty 4 in terms of drama and tension. Every battle is a Hollywood blockbuster, an endless well of war stories about bravery, team spirit, betrayal, and cunning tricks.

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.

Gears of War 3 is a bit thin in the story department, but it's a great shooter nonetheless.

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

Heavy Rain is fast, violent and very emotional. Every now and then the story stumbles over a tired cliché or a “No-o-o-o!” scene, but you try hard to ignore them, because you want to believe the heroes, to accept them with all their maladies and inner turmoil.

The third expansion introduces so many new facets to Europa Universalis 3 that it’s now truly an embarrassment of riches. Those hardcore players who like to delve into the smallest of details will have a blast.

Dark atmosphere, unprecedented drama for an App Store game, amazing finale. Finally, the iOS platform has discovered its own thatgamecompany.

Plants vs. Zombies is not as complex as classic titles of this genre, GemCraft and Protector, but then again, it doesn't want to be hardcore. Its graphics are nice despite the minuscule 800x600 resolution, voice-overs make you smile, and there are many ways to entertain yourself (even more than in Space Rangers 2).

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

It’s an instant classic, not less.

Victoria 2 proves that "games for brainiacs" can be accessible and fun. It doesn't have enough strength to steal spotlight from Civilization V, but you won't get a better game this year if you prefer more serious entertainment.

Ubisoft has finally realized its darling dream by creating a world where substance and style go together. Virtual tours of Florence, Venice and Tuscany are as captivating as the main story. For once in a way, “open-ended” doesn’t translate to “boring”, “lifeless” or “empty”. The height takes your breath away every time Ezio scales a tall building; the excellent animation makes up for annoying bugs and quirky gameplay conventions. Yes, the final boss fight is borderline silly, but it’s just a smudged line on a last page of a thrilling novel.

After having created the toughest armor deep down in Hell, you will realize that you've seen and done everything that Terraria has to offer. But it'll take you about 30 hours to get to that point, plus, free expansions are already on their way.

Ubisoft has finally realized its darling dream by creating a world where substance and style go together. Virtual tours of Florence, Venice and Tuscany are as captivating as the main story. For once in a way, “open-ended” doesn’t translate to “boring”, “lifeless” or “empty”. The height takes your breath away every time Ezio scales a tall building; the excellent animation makes up for annoying bugs and quirky gameplay conventions. Yes, the final boss fight is borderline silly, but it’s just a smudged line on a last page of a thrilling novel.

It's not easy to create a worthy sequel to a great game, but Robot Entertainment managed to go around the now-familiar gameplay formula by adding new ways to develop the characters and a very addictive coop mode.

The Sims 3 is not so much a game as a rich field for experiments; a blank notepad that will soon be filled with hundreds of wild ideas.

Even if this game had nothing but this graveyard of creaking, moaning, almost talking ships, it would have still made a lasting impression. The developers created something more than an all-new location or the floating “prison” concept – an exciting feeling of initiation in a big, dangerous secret.

Hearts of Iron 3 treats die-hard “armchair generals” with depth and attention to detail while easing things up for newcomers. Its shortcomings, namely bugs and poor optimization, pale in comparison with its many virtues.

The execution is flawless as usual. Backgrounds, animation, lighting, music, sound, visual effects are breathtaking, well-directed cinematics are peppered with snarky dialogue. It's a bona-fide Hollywood blockbuster.

Red Dead Redemption is much easier to describe than the complex predicament of its principal character. "Grand Theft Auto 4 meets Wild West" – and this is it.

It's basically a remake of GTA 3 with a bigger budget, a new cast of characters and solid storytelling. And it's still incredibly captivating.

Upon premiering on Xbox 360, Braid immediately joined Aquaria, Darwinia, Samorost, and World of Goo in the gold reserve of indie games. Its indie roots show through outdated, but stylish graphics, great music, and original ideas. Braid challenges your gray matter, but it does so in such a subtle and elegant ways that you can’t help but fall in love with it.

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.

Trine 2 is amazing from the opening sequence to the melody that plays over the closing credits.

Journey can be a commentary on human life, a story of redemption, a parable on futility of all efforts, or, quite the contrary, perseverance in the face of obstacles – even if you're not into waxing philosophical, you will still discover your own meaning of this three-hour journey.

A nice reincarnation of The Lost Vikings. But, as opposed to the “lost” runner Erik, archer Baleog, and sturdy Olaf, the three heroes of Trine are imprisoned in one body.

Judging by the collection of excellent works published at the ModNation Racers website, this fun, half-childish, half-grownup arcade is destined for success.

Red Dead Redemption is much easier to describe than the complex predicament of its principal character. "Grand Theft Auto 4 meets Wild West" – and this is it.

Looking back at Left 4 Dead 2’s offerings, it’s hard to call it “just a $50 expansion pack.” All worries and boycotts were in vain; you can’t go back to the original Left 4 Dead after playing this one.

Instead of cloning Puzzle Quest, Capybara Games took the concept and elevated it to a new level.

Instead of cloning Puzzle Quest, Capybara Games took the concept and elevated it to a new level.

Finishing a trilogy is always difficult. Tying off dozens of story threads which had been woven by players into many different tapestries is a daunting task. Mass Effect 3 is the first game that succeeded at this colossal undertaking.

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is not without its flaws: the tracks will bore you sooner or later, some vehicles behave too similarly, the upgrades are purely cosmetic, objectives and modes are few and far between. But BigBig succeeded in conveying the excitement of an extreme snow race, while maintaining nice visuals and the freedom of MotorStorm.

2K's NBA is still the best sports simulator out there.

Ghost Trick is a story about loneliness that leads to unnecessary aggression and stirs the appetite for revenge. It's a touching tale of kindness, loyalty, and redemption. Only after experiencing a shocking number of secrets at the very end, you will realize how many metaphors are hidden within this game. And it's enough to forgive Ghost Trick for its stringent linearity, unskippable cutscenes, and a penchant for overly chatty dialogue.

A rare tower defense game is addictive enough to suck you into playing it for days on end. Orcs Must Die is one of them.

Street Fighter 4 is definitely the best fighting game on PC since Guilty Gear #XX Reload. (Which is kind of ironic, because other offerings on this platform are shareware titles and certified trash.) However, the stagnation in the genre does not depreciate Capcom’s merits. Street Fighter 4 is a fast, beautiful game with an intricate combat system and a great soundtrack.

The best racing blockbuster on PC since Burnout Paradise.

Get hooked up on Legend of Grimrock, and it will not let you go until the end.

Fall of the Samurai is what every expansion pack should be. There is nothing that will make you gasp with awe, but every one of the new features fits the game perfectly. Evolution at its finest.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a stylish farce. Its sheer originality and incredibly low price are enough to overlook clumsy gameplay balance and poor code optimization.

Deponia is a refined adventure game – beautifully drawn, creative, incredibly funny and so close to the classic definition of the genre that it takes your breath away.

With a lot of previous mistakes corrected by the mini-expansion, Europa Universalis: Rome got its second wind. Vae Victis is worth a look even for those grand strategy fans who dismissed the original game.

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

Unity of Command is a looker. Its minimalistic, but stylish visual design is sure to please the fanciful "iPhone generation" of gamers. The map is clean and accurate, and the interface is a picture of user-friendliness. Beyond this delightful façade, there is a wargame that's deep enough for experienced armchair generals and welcoming for newcomers.

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

While BattleForge is quite costly to play and has some shortcomings, it is one of the most thought-out and engaging multiplayer RTS of the last few years. And it is definitely the most original one.

Rocksteady and Paul Dini created a game which is open for both fans and those who never heard of Batman. Arkham Asylum is the middle between animated series and Chris Nolan's movies. But don't let the "Teen" rating push you away: the gloomy hospital/prison where criminals are literally monsters and doctors are crazier than their patients, is more atmospheric than some "horror" flicks.

It's fun to freely explore the gloomy city now that Amanita Design got rid of their bite-sized locations. This is a full-fledged, mature adventure game. Hang around just for a minute, and you'll take a liking to this odd-looking world.

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.

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.

Shatter’s Story Mode is really just an appetizer. Additional modes are the most addictive things in this game.

Despite a few questionable ideas, Dungeon Defenders is an entertaining, fresh, vivid (and I mean literally vivid) game. It lacks the ingenious simplicity of Orcs Must Die, but if you prefer to play with friends, then this is what you want.

UFC Undisputed 2010 is definitely a step above its predecessor.

Warp is a unique example of a stealth-based arcade game.

Battlefield 3 is the most spectacular shooter of this fall, and I doubt that anyone will come even close.

Only the most hardcore fans will appreciate all the changes and improvements that Arsenal of Democracy brings to Hearts of Iron 2.

Those who unlocked all roads in Test Drive Unlimited will appreciate the scope of Burnout Paradise. Just like on Oahu, you just want to aimlessly drive around the city, poking your nose everywhere, set local records from time to time, and enjoy incredibly diverse soundtrack. If only I could see this world from inside of my car!

Developers of family games often do hackwork and resort to oversimplification. IO Interactive didn’t succumb to temptation and made a game that stands head and shoulders above its rivals.

Everything here is so Monkey Island, so classic LucasArts. Telltale not only resurrected an old series, but also proved that none of the recent imitators will ever become Monkey Island.

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

Global Offensive is a decent modern online shooter as far as convenience goes, but in terms of content, it's Counter-Strike v1.6 with slight improvements.

The makers of Tropico 3 managed to update the original game while preserving its spirit.

A short campaign is the only downside of this otherwise amazing platformer.

Napoleon is a great gift to fans of the genre. If only at least some of its innovative ideas would seep into Empire.

For a game that was made without financial infusions from top-tier publishers, The Witcher 2 looks much, much better than all recent role-playing blockbusters combined.

Bend Studio brought not only Uncharted's familiar gameplay mechanics, but also its rich atmosphere to Vita's 5-inch screen.

Warband is not just a great expansion pack that makes this medieval "sandbox" even more enticing. By adding multiplayer, the developers cemented the game's cult status.

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.

Duels of the Planeswalkers (which bears the same title as the 11-year old expansion to MicroProse’s adaptation of M:TG) is a neat, albeit simplified, adaptation of the classic game.

This is an honest DLC – 4-5 hours of joy for 10 bucks guaranteed!

The biggest merit of Undisputed as a simulator - you can’t beat it using the “arcade” approach. To win a serious match, you will have to use tactics that place your opponent at a disadvantage.

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

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.

Limbo is a beautiful, intense experience.