Exhilarating in its opening sequence, The Darkness 2 quickly loses steam and turns into a 5-hour run through a long corridor.

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.

It's a pity that Hamilton's Great Adventure never got its 15 minutes of Internet fame, because it has tons of charm and it's very fun to play.

Duels is the still the best gateway drug to collectable card games out there.

If the recent overabundance of WWII-themed RTS games and the lack of multiplayer do not bother you, pick up this game. A good single-player campaign is a rarity these days.

Singularity feels almost like 2009's Wolfenstein: the same dull corridors, anemic shootouts with simple-minded AI, and feeble attempts at creating dramatic tension.

A solid, but all in all cookie-cutter adventure game.

A solid expansion pack, although it is not as game-changing as Victoria: Revolutions was.

Changes to the formula are so light that one can’t help but wonder what prevented PopCap Games from making a patch for the original game. The answer to this question is on the price tag.

Dragon Rising has enough silly conventions and simplifications to drive mad any die-hard fan of ArmA and the original Operation Flashpoint. On the other hand, its boring missions and poor multiplayer are a turn-off for those who just wants to shoot things. Releasing this game between ArmA 2 and Modern Warfare 2 is like spitting upwind.

MAG is a multiplayer game to the core. It doesn’t have a single-player campaign, scripted sequences or AI-controlled bots – only online battles and nothing mode. In the times, when Battlefield and Unreal Tournament feature storylines, cinematics and dialogue, Zipper’s creation feels like the last of the Mohicans. But the lack of a story is not what killed MAG. The concept, the release time frame and the rivals did.

Remove the original premise and beautiful sand-swept skyscrapers of Dubai, and all that remains is a humdrum TPS with Marcus Fenix's DNA at its core.

Unlike Operation: Anchorage, brief, dullish adventures in Pittsburgh are actually worth $10. It seems Bethesda has finally found the right formula for Fallout 3 expansions, although it’s far from being perfect.

Five years ago, The Saboteur would have been lauded for its fresh ideas. Today, the only praiseworthy thing is its out-of-time soundtrack.

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.

There are some nice things to be done in the HD version of The Second Encounter: set new high scores in the endless Survival mode, take part in two-team matches or play cooperatively with four or five cutthroats like yourself. But as for the single-player campaign, it's better to set it aside… forever.

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.

Despite a few old-fashioned quirks, Red Orchestra 2 is fun to play. Clean up the bugs, and it will become a nice middle ground for those who are tired of Battlefield, but couldn't fall in love with ArmA.

By blindly copying the first game, Radical killed most of its original ideas and made a lot of mistakes. Prototype 2 is a derivative tale of a stupid superhuman who walks in a city made of shoeboxes.

Payday is already better than other low-budget multiplayer shooters (Lead and Gold, Killing Floor). It serves as a nice distraction after a hard day's work.

Right now Demigod is a source of constant annoyance. In multiplayer, one normal session is usually followed by three horrible ones. In skirmish, stupid bots are boring to tears. Even if Gas Powered Games and Stardock eventually manage to revive Demigod, it won’t erase our memories of this involuntary beta testing.

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.

It's a pity that thechineseroom opted not to include anything resembling gameplay – an interaction between the player and the creators that is the foundation of an up-and-coming art called "videogames". On the other hand, the story is very touching.

Amazing Alex is not as brilliant as Armadillo Run, or charming like Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Harvey's New Eyes is ridiculously easy to beat, but fun, not quite beautiful, but very stylish, never gets boring, but goes out with a whimper.

Only those who never saw previous games in the Prince of Persia series, will find The Forgotten Sands interesting. By ripping off their 2008 Prince of Persia in everything except for backdrops, the developers failed to keep their promise and didn't even try to fill in the blanks between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within. Ah well, who cares about some old plot holes when there is a Hollywood blockbuster to milk?

The fatal flaws of Dante’s Inferno are not even its dated graphics or depressing lack of originality. It’s monotony and endless repetition that will drive you nuts.

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.