Legendary is a breakthrough, a revolution as compared to Spark Unlimited’s previous shooter - Turning Point. This one has a story, better graphics, more frequent checkpoints and almost no slowdowns. However, it still can’t hold a candle to more serious competition.

According to Obsidian, Storm of Zehir is their way to show us what else can be squeezed from Electron Toolset. Well, as a technical demo this expansion is very impressive. As a game – not so much.

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.

As a racing game, Undercover is just mediocre. As a Need for Speed title, it's a failure of the century.

All the sore spots that we hated in Sacred Underworld have found a new home in the sequel. Take any modern MMORPG, and it will offer you all the same things as Sacred 2: rudimentary story, copy/pasted quests, constant grinding. And much more than that.

By changing the setting in Call of Duty 4, Infinity Ward saved the series from stagnation. World at War is a step back. WWII has been done to death, and even the Pacific campaign feels like a retread of Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault.

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.

Instead of breathing new life into the dying series, Double Helix created a piece of fan fiction. This Silent Hill is as authentic as chicory coffee or synthetic rubies.

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

I could give Resistance 2 complete absolution if it had truly spectacular gameplay. It's a pity it doesn’t. Insomniac simply built a scenic railway from point A to point B, put stunning CGI videos here and there, and rested.

The developers tried to recreate the familiar sets from the movie, but the result is not worth even a fleeting glance. It’s better to listen than watch – High School Musical 3 offers about 30 songs. Unfortunately, there are too many slow tracks, which is not a good fit for a dancing game.

Red Alert 3 is a typical EA product: well-crafted, but boring for experienced players. It's clearly better than C&C 3, but it can't hold a candle to Red Alert 2. Pick it up only if you like great music, B-movie style humor, and cooperative multiplayer.

Grim post-nuclear romanticism of Fallout 3 is going to be a huge revelation for console owners. Those who spent the last 11 years exploring the nuclear wastelands of America on the PC, will probably see this game as nothing more than Bethesda’s attempt to fix the mistakes of Oblivion.

Despite its shortcomings, Fable 2 is a worthy choice for those adventurers who don’t know what “RPG” stands for.

In 2007, Ubisoft sent to Africa a whole team of Far Cry 2 developers so they could record sounds, take pictures and soak in the spirit of "Heart of Darkness". Judging by the promotional videos, the guys had the time of their lives. It's a pity that the game fails to convey even the tiniest fracture of their emotions.

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.

A mute genderless creature named Chris stands before a huge mansion; he is lonely, stiff with cold and has no clue what to do. A note telling him to "feed the cat" does not count. The mansion is completely open to exploration. Walk around, look around. Be bored to death.

There is no connection between the actual investigation and actions of our zit-faced detectives. Horrendous dialogue, complete with the “American dream” philosophy, syrupy jokes about prepubescent love, and tear-jerking lectures of the characters, only widens this gap.

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.

The pace of this game is laid-back even by the standards of the 4X strategy genre. Most people will hate it for being obscure and boring, while orientalists and fans of leisurely 4X games will be playing it non-stop. In any case, it's hard to treat RotK XI with indifference.

Alcachofa Soft managed to produce only a half of a potentially great adventure. And I mean it literally - the two opening chapters are so different than the last two that you won’t believe your eyes.

Battlefield: Bad Company is the most enthralling online shooter for consoles to date, and a good role model for many of its PC brethren. While it’s hardly the best multiplayer offering in the Battlefield series, it will be remembered not for the weak single-player campaign or annoying details, but for destructive battles and great sense of humor.

Battlefield: Bad Company is the most enthralling online shooter for consoles to date, and a good role model for many of its PC brethren. While it’s hardly the best multiplayer offering in the Battlefield series, it will be remembered not for the weak single-player campaign or annoying details, but for destructive battles and great sense of humor.

Vampyre Story is truly a brainchild of professional artists, which is evident not only in excellent graphics at anachronistic resolution and quirky characters, but also in rather bland game design.

With two expansions under its belt, Sword of the Stars is finally catching up to its rivals. Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor is still light years ahead, but on the other hand, Lost Empire: Immortals and Space Empires 5 are now just a stone's throw from here.

A typical Activision Value product – and that says everything. This one doesn’t even have multiplayer. If you happen to pass it by in a store... well, pass it by.

Not giving a damn about sponsors and marketing, Pierre Gilhodes made Gobliiins 4 almost single-handedly. A classy, but ill-advised deed, because there was no one to tell him that horrible-looking 3D scares people even faster than pixelized sprites. That autosave-only policy is an insult to PC gamers. That even a puzzle game should have a coherent story.