A fine and very playable horror game, and while the relatively linear story line and straightforwardness of the battles don’t combine to offer much replay value, it’s still worth the price of admission.

Clocking in at around 10 hours, Hell’s Highway provides tons of drama but brings with it some new gameplay elements that don’t mesh with the series philosophy.

Multiwinia is, in a two words, chaotically fun.

The interplay between mounted and dismounted soldiers, archers, knights, and the wide array of possible troops and equipment means that Mount & Blade has some of the coolest, most engrossing combat of any RPG ever.

When it comes down to it, it’s Spore's technology that’s more impressive than the game itself. How it integrates user-creations into the game is remarkable. Remarkably, Spore also provokes thought.

The series is greater than the sum of its parts. So, consider Requiem as not a full-fledged Penumbra game but rather a small add-on that should keep you busy and humbled for a weekend.

A perfect example of a game I would recommend only to adventure fans. It is not polished enough, and it’s too formulaic to take someone away from their favorite genre to spend some time in the abbey looking for a murderer. However the likable characters, the great voice work and the unique atmosphere will no doubt be sufficient reasons for many to pick this one up.

It’s fun, addicting, and satisfying, but nothing about 2008 Edition makes it a substantial update or upgrade.

It is when it tries to do something else other than combat that the game stumbles.

The biggest problem with this game is that there is simply way too much crap in it.

However long your initial play-through is, Mass Effect will only impress with its cinematic dialogue sequences, intense combat, and addicting exploration aspect.

In Nomine is really jam-packed with new stuff to obsess over.

A fairly satisfying game for the genre, and the solo campaign wraps up in an afternoon or two of play – really about all an arcade game of this type needs.

The game weaves a great yarn, full of mystery, surprises, and developments that will keep you drawn to the monitor.

It was a fairly fun game for about the first three to four missions.

Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis has its share of faults, but overall it’s a solid game in the adventure genre. The characters and setting are very believable, the story of the hunt for Lupin is compelling, and the puzzles are challenging.

The presentation of AC may feature some of the best graphics and sound effects seen in a PC game in some time.

The game merits a very qualified recommendation, at least for those gamers that have the patience to deal with the growing pains one often sees with an MMO. These pains are exponentially worse here, due to it being an MMO in two relatively new genres, RTS and collectible.

It properly addresses criticisms from Overture and ties up the story arc rather well.

The problem with Sins isn't that it begs, borrows and steals; it's that it combines everything improperly and streamlines it so much that it whittles away its own soul.

Despite the many warts, Eschalon is not without charm, as this game would have been an award-winning achievement in 1986 or so. Everything is done well, for that era, but, much like steam locomotives, I’m just not convinced this style really works nowadays.

All in all, Survivor is not big step forward, actually it’s hardly even a step, but it’s more Shadowgrounds, which is enough of a reason to go and get it. I don’t know of any other top-down shooters for the PC which are done as well, or look as good or cost $20.

Crysis contains some amazing sound effects and graphics, the kind that sells hardware to gamers like yours truly.

An addicting strategy game that I enjoyed playing once I found the cheat codes.

This is an amazingly strong start to the second season.

The intensity is there right at the beginning.

It's easily the best single-player campaign in the series.

A surprisingly solid product, and gamers that have waited long for a decent sci-fi MMO should check it out. If you’re already into another MMO, however, I don’t see this pulling you away from it unless you’re a big Garriott fan (Ultima fans will find nothing here of interest). On the other hand, there is no harm in spending at least a month or two in the world of Tabula Rasa because this game will likely influence others for years to come.

If you’re looking for a RPG that has most of the same components as other games but with a deep and intriguing storyline, then I would highly recommend this game to you.

A fun and challenging game that is good to play for maybe a half an hour at a time. It’s an extremely intense game that provides several hours of entertainment.

Overall, Agatha Christie: Evil under the Sun is definitely an improvement over the previous title in the series, albeit a slight one.

I was completely impressed with Portal. It’s a great game that’s innovative, fun, and contains a humorous storyline. My only real complaint was that it was too short, and I want more.

This is a weak game, and that’s all there is to it. Anyone looking to create their own Diablo-clone should take a peek just to see how to do things wrong, but most everyone else can safely pursue their hobby of being a gamer and still avoid this forgettable toy.

Queen's Gambit is a mixed bag. The new campaigns are solid and well-worth the effort despite their obvious flaws, but the vanishingly small number of new features, weapons, and vehicles make it difficult to recommend.

Any fan of the genre will be surprised at just how much Depths of Peril has to offer.

What Irrational has achieved with the narrative is, quite simply, incredible.

The new mods alone, including space-based and mythological scenarios, are enough to keep a dedicated player occupied for days, and the new civilizations and systems introduce so many new layers to the gameplay that Civilization IV is practically a new game entirely.

As MMO launches go, this one was pretty smooth. Yes, there are bugs and crashes and little twitchy things that can be annoying, but for the most part everything runs well enough to enjoy.

The soundtrack for Halo 2 is absolutely a work of art.

Aside from mission parameters and available equipment, you really can do anything you want in ArmA.

For the most part, I’d say that the weak points overpower the few positives in Alpha Prime and because there isn’t anything that’s really new or unique and the sound ruins the intensity, I find it fairly boring. You shoot enemies, watch a cut scene, shoot some more, interact with something, repeat.

Everything seemed a bit too familiar.

It’s a solid and even polished game, and while it’s quite possible the small world and limited scope of the quests won’t give it much staying power, the strength of Tolkien’s world should keep a steady stream of players coming in, to at least spend four months or so enjoying this version of Middle Earth.

Overture is very short at 5-6 hours. The benefit of that is that the middle stretch isn't terribly long by any means, so in a way, Overture benefits from its short runtime.

Reality 2.0 is easily the best of the episodes released to date.

This expansion is a must-have, plain and simple. A gamer on a budget could wait a bit for the price to come down before buying this addition to the game, as exhausting all possible adventures in Oblivion can take a year of real time, but anyone ready for some different-flavored action won’t be disappointed by this worthy addition to the Elder Scrolls series.

It doesn’t have that cardboard feeling you get in certain games.

It’s a good game that has many bugs and doesn’t seem to be appropriately optimized.

The main quest is challenging and contains a great deal of replay value, not to mention original gameplay that actually works.

When I first started playing, I was impressed with the game, as it seemed the first real advancement since the "Diablo" genre was created years ago. After one play-through, though, I’m done with it.

The contrast between the good times and the bad works well.

Fast-paced as it may be, the fighting in Empire is not exactly cerebral.

I do have to admit that this episode appeared more focused, better paced, and almost felt like it had a bit more of a challenge/content level than the previous episodes.

I would only recommend it to the most dedicated of adventure game fans, particularly those familiar with the previous games in the series.

I don’t need to play the same game three times.

Situation Comedy seems to suffer from the "more of the same" syndrome.

I would only recommend this game to adventure fans that are into the Agatha Christie series of novels. However, they should prepare to be faced with repetitive and secretarial tasks.

This, to me, is the pinnacle of arcade racing on the PC, and I honestly don’t have the interest or will to play anything else, and I doubt I can find a finer product. I think Nadeo have done what they could with the series, and other developers should take note: this is how you make a game.

The environments are perfect.

Any fan of the series, already dedicated to playing the game at least a few hours a week, will find this well worth the investment.

I was pleased to find that SME1 contains all of the humor, atmosphere, and genuine fun of the previous game.

My only issue with it, honestly, is that DICE hasn’t really made an effort to change anything substantial about the game in five years.

Despite the repetitiveness and other issues I think the game is probably well suited for its younger target audience. If you’re planning on purchasing this game, though, I would highly recommend either using a gamepad or simply buying the console version instead.

For me, a game needs to be well-made first, original later and Introversion have proven before that they can easily fit both in the same package. DEFCON is no exception.

Company of Heroes delivers on its promise of excellence. But it’s not without its downsides that I hope to make you aware of before you buy this game.

Game mechanics such as physics and cover make the multiplayer matches very addicting.

A great game idea and an interesting story and scenario are not all that is required to make a fun game, yet that’s mostly what Bad Day LA has going for it. While McGee is absolutely worthy of the praise people heap upon him, he has allowed a game which fails to impress on nearly all levels to be released with his name on it.

My greatest issue with the expansion: there’s very little added in the way of quests and dungeons, and not that much effort was put into making them distinctive.

Story Background: Written during somebody’s 5 minute smoke break.

The bottom line is Rome loses its fun sometime around the ten-hour mark of the campaign.

Prey is a good game, but I think it will underwhelm people’s expectations because those expectations were astronomically high.

The needs system may very well be the make-or-break point for several players.

Boasting over 30 hours of play time, multiple difficulty levels and an online component, Titan Quest offers enough gameplay content to make it worth a look.

Why degrade the virtual Eastern Front of WW II into less than a mediocre experience?

Half-Life 2: Episode One is a more than worthy successor to Half-Life 2, as it kept all of the latter’s strengths, and even added some more, such as HDR and far improved character interaction and plot density. The problem is, it hasn’t nearly the same bang for the buck – lacking length and new multiplayer features.

There’s very little luck to the missions, and a skilled hit man can beat any level efficiently on the very first try. Anyone up to that challenge should get this game.

Movement and controls seem so crisp and fluid that it just makes for an extremely enjoyable experience.

It has morphed from a wide-open, somewhat abstract tactical simulation to a linear action game with squad elements tacked on. It's a sad symptom of a franchise that used to be focused on providing entertaining white-knuckle tactical shooters and is now focused on providing whatever sells best.

Even a child not old enough to read can still play this, as the most crucial instructions are given verbally (with text reminders onscreen). The game is legitimately fun, gives real animal knowledge (unlike say, the pseudo-animal knowledge of Pokemon), there’s plenty to like, and absolutely nothing objectionable, and very few games fit that bill today.

A good example that games with forgettable stories and acting are still worth playing. Rich storytelling is always welcome and I’d love to see more of it, but these are games after all and playability is a lot more important.

The episode should clock in somewhere around four hours depending on how often you use the hint system. I think people of all ages could really enjoy The Great Cow Race, especially the fans of the comics.

A fun game with a very high level of polish but not a great deal of depth. It’ll cast its spell on you early with its beautiful visuals and agile main character, and it’s a fantastic experience while it lasts, which isn’t nearly long enough.

I think Keepsake can be appreciated by a small percentage of adventure genre lovers if players pace themselves.

This game has many serious design flaws that prevent this reviewer, in good conscious, from recommending its purchase by others.

What they gave us is not just Baldur’s Gate in space; the core gameplay and thus subsequent gameplay elements are very different – making Space Rangers a unique experience.

This game does nothing to besmirch the Godfather’s impressive legacy – in fact, its use of the license is arguably its greatest strength.

The story might have a flicker of potential but everything else causes the game to fall flat on its face.

Truly what makes the game great is the world itself, which is just so much fun to explore.

I absolutely love the attention Tripwire has given to the small details in the game.

While Open for Business adds new places and new objects, its true value is in adding another huge gameplay element to an already outstanding title. As an expansion pack, it includes more new content and better gameplay than several other stand-alone games.

Graphically, Tycoon City is gorgeous.

It left me feeling frustrated and many times I found myself ranting away after quitting. The major things in need of improvement are the means by which you earn money, the levels of food consumption and production (which run low very easily), the dated graphics, and, probably the biggest thing, your people’s satisfaction.

Probably the best soundtrack ever produced for a game.

The learning curve gets steep rather quickly and some of the levels will require ridiculously good timing in order to advance. In fact, the difficulty swings back and forth so often that it almost feels like two separate games.

The Movies is an all-around first-class effort. It is easy to learn, fun and addictive to play.

The bottom line is that Gun could have, and probably should have, been great. It's got some very good ideas, a good storyline, and excellent voice acting and characterizations. The gameplay and level design is miserable.

Much of the game will simply be roaming the entire island, area by area, until you trigger some new event which will move the plot along.

You get a real sense of claustrophobia in the middle of the mess trying to figure out which direction to go and who to shoot in the haze.