Adding to this the possibility to choose from 23 heroes, each one with his individual abilities and powers, and also the challenge mode besides the campaign, comic-book fans will certainly spend more time in single-player.

The experience of the Crystal Dynamics designers and their investment to start this spin-off series on the right foot are certainly visible in every aspect of the game, and I can't help but be thrilled by the new way in which we'll be able to hunt ancient relics with lady Croft.

The big difference between this and "Midnight Club 2" is that the second one stunned me while I expected more from such a fine producer like EA.

Ultimately, Dragon Age II will be judged depending on the player camp: RPG veterans will throw it away, while casual gamers will find themselves at home in this simplified world. Because Dragon Age isn't necessarily a bad game, it just fell victim to the money grab started by the success of Origins, with all the negative things that come with it.

Despite its shortcomings, STALKER is definitely one of the “must play” titles of 2007, whether you’re a FPS fan or not, even though you might do it just for the single-player part, with it’s incredible atmosphere and unique game experience.

One of the best arcade racing games ever. The quantity and quality of the options available to you, the level design and the freedom of movement, the cars and their handling through traffic, the details, all these make NFS: U2 a winner.

And taking into account that dungeon-crawlers were considered dead and buried, Legend of Grimrock does a very good job of reminding new RPG players why the genre was so popular in the Golden Age.

In the end, Bulletstorm will make you smile and also grin with an almost maniacal satisfaction. It's true that the colorful language gets annoying, the action is in the end repetitive and only the wish to unlock new Skillshots keeps you playing through the story, but you mustn't expect anything other than a first-person Gears of War with a touch of Serious Sam's humor and a little of Duke Nukem's personality.

As Myst IV is concerned, I'll always be sad when thinking about it as the only impossible quest in my life. In fact, I'll give it a try from time to time as there is an old proverb saying practice makes perfect.

Barring some gamers’ repulsion towards graphics, many of the series’ fans should be content – the spirit is the same, the story got a couple of pretty interesting new chapters (with some of the most surreal twists, aside from funny clichés) and the multiplayer (be it the cooperative mode or the bloodbaths on the online ladder) ensure at least enough substance until StarCraft 2 is launched.

The tactical game mode also boasts a series of improvements.

All of these things only take me to one conclusion: the stream of conceptual smoothness from the Sands of Time trilogy is gone, replaced by a lot of glossy plastic that can be seen by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Replays are stunning with all the cameras and visual effects and the game comes with a built-in track editor which lets you import, modify and create tracks. What more do you want?!?!?

The overall result is excellent and probably this game together with "Rome: Total War" and "Warhammer 40k" represent the best of the RTS genre these days. Unfortunately, the system requirements proved too high sometimes, the AI had its bugs despite its quality, and this is why Battle for Middle Earth will not be one of the greatest RTS games in computer games history.

The best Hitman game I’ve ever played. If you add the surprising ending to the mix, then you’ll be in for quite a treat.

A must have for Need for Speed fans. For the rest, it’s an interesting arcade racing game, thanks to its spectacular police car chasses and outstanding graphics.

Judged on its own, Flames of Vengeance isn't that tempting, although the price is decent for an expansion pack. But the Dragon Knight Saga is a very good package, especially for those who didn't play the original in the first place.

From a technical standpoint, Quake 4 exceeds all expectations, especially in multiplayer. Considering the game’s excellent performance on even the most modest rigs, cumulated with the traditional gameplay and countless modding options, I have no doubt that Quake 4 is here to stay.

But what prevents The Witcher from entering the gallery of truly great titles is what pretty much plagues other diamonds in the rough: lots of crashes, long and frequent loading times as well as an artificially limited freedom of movement.

But now, two years after its initial release, it’s only a good game with a phenomenal atmosphere but one which ultimately shows its age.

So if you are patient enough to overcome the technical issues, Metro 2033 will truly suffocate you with darkness, blood, claustrophobia and nearly suicidal missions.

And yes, Blur is probably less spectacular in graphical terms, even if there’s enough detail on the cars, at least. But it comes with a simple enough control scheme (that you can’t change) to be arcade and a tactical enough gameplay to attract even those who usually prefer simulators.

Ultimately, whether you like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning or not depends on what you want from an RPG: a special story and endless hours of reading or spectacular action, tons of items and great hero customization, but at the expense of the narrative.

What I have to admit, in the end, is that Borderlands doesn’t have too many technical obstacles or annoying bugs, and compared to the other (few as they are) representatives of the so-called First Person Roleplaying Game genre, it’s a clear winner.

But if you’re willing to accept them, along with the awful AI and the linearity – the most controversial two aspects of NTW – then you’ll probably accept this game as a sequel worthy of the series’ reputation and a proper mise-en-scene for France’s closest call when it came to winning wars.

If I wasn’t clear until now, Overlord is a great game. Even though it has a few quirks, it has something that most titles today lack: originality.

Adding everything up, Black Ops has to be taken with a pinch of salt, as a list of improvements on Modern Warfare 2's hit skeleton: lean, dedicated servers (but only for rent), as well as everything we bullied the last Call of Duty for, along with a campaign that can basically be described as a tram ride and a level of optimization that made our editor-in-chief wonder why he handed me the game without a solid upgrade coupon in the first place.

Being quite simple and with a short learning curve, it's mainly focused on players who are new to the strategy genre. Micromanagement can scare off a fresh gamer, but it can really make the difference when it comes to hardcore strategy fans.