In theory, every new idea introduced in Hitman: Absolution is a good one and, technically, should make a Hitman game more enjoyable. But the reality is that when combined, Absolution's overbearing story, "Instinct", over-reliance on scripted events and a weird checkpoint system take a lot of fun away.

Point Lookout is a miniature copy of Fallout 3. Alas, just like the original game, the wrapping is much better than the contents, but even this result is a great achievement for Bethesda Softworks. Not only they managed to produce a decent expansion, but finally added their own ideas to the legendary post-apocalyptic universe instead of ripping off stories about supermutants and The Brotherhood of Steel.

An art connoisseur will be in raptures over the perfect, highly stylized look of The Path. A gamer will walk about the forest for 10 minutes and uninstall it. And both will be right in their own way.

PopCap had two and a half years to develop ideas of the original game (it wouldn’t have hurt to up the resolution to at least 1280x720) while keeping the spirit and style. Nevertheless, despite its lack of imagination, Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 is a welcome relief in an endless crowd of “hidden objects” and “match-3” games.

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.

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

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.

Outdated visuals, sloppy innovations, dead multiplayer… no, that’s not the way to continue a great series.

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.

An original, unconventional arcade that caters to the visceral needs of a modern gamer. Yes, it lets you go with ease, but every show has an ending, right?

Absolute Power is made for those who loves the original Tropico 3. The developers didn't want to shake foundations, but it doesn't mean that this expansion is not worth its $19.99.

It’s an instant classic, not less.

Pretty graphics, solid gameplay, a well-developed setting – Neocore Games hit a bull's-eye. Despite some rough edges and a tacked-on multiplayer, King Arthur is much more interesting than Neocore's previous effort and head-and-shoulders above Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

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.

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.

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.

If Rage were a human being, it would be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. Level design, racing sequences, "open" world, story, quests, characters, dialogue, visuals… id wanted to take a bite from each of these pies, but spread itself too thin, turning everything into mediocrity.

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.

This incarnation of Pets is mostly retread of what was introduced in animal-themed expansions for The Sims 1 and 2. The developers simply expanded on some ideas and trimmed a few annoying shortcomings.

It may not be the most good-looking or exciting action game ever, but few games convey the feel of a dying city which is at the mercy of a single creature.

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

Chivalry is, hands down, the best online slasher set in the Middle Ages out there right now.

The original game allowed us to be a selfless do-gooder; now our actions are determined by purely financial reasons. What is better: kill or enslave villagers? Your fingers itch to roll some heads, but anger is hardly profitable. Kill a person, and you’ll get a soul, a bag of gold and, if you’re lucky, an accessory for your minions. Brainwashed citizens produce resources forever. Forget about looking for gold chests and farming sheep for souls – a thoughtful Overlord 2.0 gets everything on a plate.

Dark Meadow is the least milk-and-water clone of Infinity Blade that popped up in 2011.

The biggest problem of F.E.A.R. 2 is the triteness of its gameplay rather than dumbed down enemies. Four years ago, F.E.A.R. stood out in a crowd with its then-novel slo-mo effects and bold AI. Nowadays you can find all this even in value-priced shooters from Poland.

Despite a few nagging shortcomings, The Settlers 7 is the best game in the series so far. It is good-looking, well-made, complex and accessible at the same time.

LEGO Star Wars was an inspired experiment of a talented team. LEGO Harry Potter is a mediocre product of seasoned craftsmen, complete with old mistakes but not a single spark.

A compelling cooperative mode instead of a brainless mayhem is what Madballs needs. But even in the current form, it is way ahead of its rivals.