Rockstar took a look at those demands, took a few core principles, and then gave us a Max Payne game worth talking about and absolutely worth playing with a ballsy willingness to not compromise on their own artistic direction.

It's a fun game that takes too long to get going anywhere, but its combat is so slick and refined that everything else around needs to step up to that level of quality. The universe of Diablo is most certainly destroyed, but the game is far from it.

It very much feels like Creative Assembly has peaked creatively.

The Darkness II is a decent shooter, but there is nothing in it that is amazing; it's respectable but mostly predictable.

BioWare captures the scale of the conflict well, but always focuses on the people involved in it. It's pretty amazing just how badly EA disregarded the heart of the game – the characters and the world – when they began their marking blitzkrieg, but don't worry, it's oh so definitely there – Day 1 DLC, controversial endings, and questionable use of resources be damned. This is a fine, lovingly crafted game with a clear vision despite the realities of corporations and damning business practices.

For all the things that don't work well, the exciting combat and deep world make KAR a very worthy game to play. It's a shame Electronic Arts is doing such a poor job of promoting it, as there is enough here to make the foundation of a very solid franchise.

The game just gets weirder and weirder, as you keep playing, and it's an all-in move from Remedy to just keep pushing its story to its absolute limit of insanity. It reaches its zenith of crazy by the last episode of the game, and it's just such a great culmination of everything that's happened before, that if there were such an award as Best One Hour of a Game, Alan Wake would take the prize.

Bottom line is that on paper, this is an incredibly deep and varied game, but time and again, the reach of the programmers vastly exceeds their grasp. Even months after release, there's so little in this game that's working as intended, that only the most desperate die-hard fan of the genre should even consider this game.

Serious Sam 3 might not be for everyone, but it's the type of game that made first-person shooters a genre all their own, and serious – at the risk of abusing the word – gamers should absolutely give this game, if not the whole series, a serious look.

For the explorer in all of the us, for the curious in all of us, for the adventurer in all of us, Skyrim is our game.

This kind of depth hurls Dungeon Defenders far past the typical tower defense game.

The basic fact is that Red Orchestra 2 spoils you. Playing any other shooter, especially one that claims to be realistic, after going through a few rounds in RO2 is bound to be a disappointment.

It's hard to tell how it'll pan out over the years, but right now, this is a great game burdened with new, confused players, technical problems, and a lack of information as to how to be effective on the field. It's a Battlefield game alright, but it's going to need some time and work before it becomes a worthy time sink.

If you're a Tropico nut, then the idea of a few new buildings and a lengthy, engrossing campaign probably has you interested already. The only ones who might want to stay back are those who felt like they'd had enough one, or two, or three Tropicos ago.

This is an easy recommendation to make and a far more satisfying experience than the previous Legacy DLC.

Red Faction: Armageddon to me is a good B movie.

One of the biggest differences in this game is that you exert a lot of control over your main character.

Even factoring in the (token) multiplayer, Rage is a brief game in a small world, with two small towns and not much else. Despite my criticisms, the fact that I really want more says that ultimately this is a pretty good game, just with much unrealized potential.

Human Revolution is the cure to the Fallout 3 fake-sequel disease.

Dead Island is absolutely a fun and very playable game and worth the money, even if it lacks the incredible detail and more serious challenge of Dead Rising 2. Dead Island may lack new ideas, but it makes up for it with simple playability, and often that's all anyone wants in a game.

When it comes to being Panzer General, Panzer Corps beats the pants off the competition.

Dungeons of Dredmor makes you respect death, where many games simply laugh in its face.

The graphics are nice, a well-built dungeon is a sight to behold, and there's a little bit of fun here, but ultimately you'll master everything you need to know in short order and be done with this game soon afterward.

If you're not already the kind of gamer who obsesses over making an extra 2% rate of return on investment, this game probably isn't for you, but for those that enjoy business simulation games and are willing to put the time into learning how Patrician IV works, this game delivers incredible value.

For ten dollars, I had enough content to enjoy myself and certainly liked it more than some of the other Fallout related DLC I have completed in the past.

Effects lacked much of a punch, and a lot of the creature designs had a really generic, evil look to them. There was no personality here, and I think the direction of a serious aesthetic didn't do it any favors.

For ten dollars this is a no-brainer; simple as that.

The content is in abundance, the gameplay is mostly solid, and the child-like humor is all there, but it just feels like something is missing to make the whole experience great.

Overall, Brink is a game which could have been a genre favourite at launch, but due to some developer oversights, such as the lack of an extensive beta, the unfinished nature of the initial release have turned many potential fans away.

The Witcher is very definition of a new and improved sequel.

I concede I played more than I should, enjoying the guilty pleasure.

The Next Big Thing however is not half decent; it's only the best adventure game I've played in the past few years.

Portal 2 is fantastic. Its single-player provides ample amounts of genuinely funny and compelling narrative and some great puzzles, while the co-op takes the game's mechanics and pushes them to their absolute, playable limit. You're only getting around 10-12 hours after delving into both halves of the game, but it's a concentrated thrill, where its weakest moments are still standards that most developers can barely reach in the first place.

This is an AAA title, a big gun; it goes up against recent hits like Rift and holds its own.

The rich, luscious colors somehow make the world a lot more believable than games like Crysis 2 could ever be.

It's an interesting game. It lacks deeper mechanics and intricacies that could've given the game more layers, but it'd sap much of what makes Fate of the World such a unique product. You don't have that kind of control, because in reality, you wouldn't have it. It's hard to really knock it down for that, but at least know that this the best 7.5 game ever.

By far one of the shortest campaign experiences that I have played in some time.

It is refined, lean, smartly designed, and still an epic, where tales of your conquests can be so exciting that that alone could warrant a purchase.

The total effect of the expansion pack is still positive (multiplayer is still fun; even the single-player has its uses) but there are a few worrying signs – the introduction of hero units and special abilities and the inward-looking nature of the entire game (SP as preparation for MP).

Rift is a good game but also a perfect example of this problem – and here's to hoping that it either grows into an answer to that plight or a marker for the end of an era.

For a rushed product that is still battling bugs, the currently offered product still provides 40 hours of challenging and engaging gameplay. This combines to provide a good, but not great gaming experience.

Gameplay is pedestrian, ultimately annoying and not as replayable as a Sims title should be.

The game is really little more than a glorified browser game for which you have to shell out $6.

Bulletstorm is a real looker through and through.

If you're looking for the one expansion pack to play for Majesty 2, then this is it. But if you're tired of Majesty 2 already, picking this up isn't going to make you love it again.

3D is very helpful for squeezing metro stops in between buildings and examining your spaghetti mess of underground metro tunnels.

It's addicting and it might make it well worth the $60 if you're trying to justify a purchase by calculating overall playtime. You think about that, but I'm telling you, Dead Space 2 is pretty damn good.

Five new maps, thirteen new weapons, and a setting that gives those 200+ hours Bad Company 2 addicts something new, Vietnam is just about one of the safest purchases you could make.

Obsidian has made an outstanding game and someday, they'll crank out a product that isn't barely holding itself together, but until that day, New Vegas has so much of what makes RPGs so great – influencing the events and people around you, the joy of discovery and playing a role in a world that matters.

So what you are left with is a harder (more grindy) retread of something you may have played twice already before.

Visually I was left with the impression of an old engine updated with a few modern tricks in an attempt to bring it back to life.

Quotation forthcoming.

While that may be one thousand words of criticism, overall I would recommend Mafia II. It's hard to deeply explain the positives because I'd hate to give away some of the more jaw-dropping ain't-that-cool aspects to the game.

Saying that it stands head-and-shoulders above all of the scant competition for grand-strategy kingship almost goes without saying.

Despite some graphical setbacks, Singularity overcomes its inadequacies to present a solid and worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven gaming.

From the beginning of the game, till the ending, I was relatively pleased with how important and impactful the decisions I made were.

If you’re a fan of the series and are able to swallow Ubisoft’s fulsome addition to Blue Byte’s game, I’d definitely recommend The Settlers 7.

Still, when distilled down to its core, I did enjoy Awakening a little bit more than I did Origins.

For all the thrills the single-player might provide, it’s nothing compared to what’s in the game, when you go online. It’s always thrilling, memorable and a joy to be part of the fight, a fight where your contributions matter for the entire team in big ways, even if it’s not always immediately apparent.

Even with its smaller scope and its similarities to its year-old predecessor, Napoleon is a better, more polished game.

In some grand, twisted irony, the multiplayer integrates itself into the fiction in a much better way than the singleplayer does.

Mass Effect 2 is a great shooter loaded with involving dialogue. The way it addresses some of the other issues varies in success, but it’s still an extremely entertaining product and a great way to kick off 2010’s amazing first-quarter barrage.

The existence of a big-budget, very traditional computer role-playing game (CRPG) alone makes Dragon Age: Origins a huge accomplishment.

It improves on a great formula, and the only areas it is lacking in are areas in which no other grand strategy game has ever excelled.

Left 4 Dead 2 is better and bigger than Left 4 Dead. It’s a sequel that builds on its incredibly stern and ludicrously fun foundations, expanding in all the right places and scrubbing out all the little problems that existed in the original.

Modern Warfare 2 is a great game, and if it weren’t for all the PC-defining features that were stripped out of the game, it’d doubtlessly be superior to its predecessor. What we have here, though, is a game that’s lost a lot in its transition to the PC, and whether that’s something you can tolerate, well… you know.

What the game does – a single-player campaign – it does very well, and if you enjoyed the rich scenarios of previous games in the series you probably own this game already. If you don't, and if you're looking for an entry point into the phenomenon, this is as stellar a place to start as any.

This is a game that does hack and slash real justice and it’s a the perfect choice for those eagerly waiting the release of Diablo 3.

Borderlands has more weaknesses than strengths, but the few strengths it has absolutely overwhelm most of the problems the game has.

Tropico 3 is not only a faithful adaptation of a classic idea, it’s also the best game Haemimont has ever made.

OpFlash 2 actually tries realism and gets the basics right.

The move to vibrant, fully-realized 3D hasn’t altered the formula at all.

Guerrilla is fun, until you make a terrible discovery: it’s pretty easy.

A remarkable achievement. I need to stress just how thoughtful and smart its progression is. The way you make your way around Arkham is executed so well, and everything about the game is polished to an almost offensive sheen.

The single-player and co-op intertwine really well.

I want to recommend CrimeCraft, I really do. However, with the frustrating gameplay, graphics that seem overly dated, and the game trying to do too much without doing anything well, I seriously wonder if I wouldn't have had more fun lighting cigars with the same two twenty-dollar bills I used to pay for this game.

Graphics are easily the standout element in Trine.

The game can be fun and the game can be maddening.

Anno 1404 is the best Anno yet and one of the best strategy games in a long time. Tons of games are addictive, very few of them for the right reasons – but this game is both.

The Sims 3 has immense potential as upcoming expansions start rolling into high gear. And that’s what you’re really buying: A game of potential.

Puzzles slay the sense of urgency and tension as quickly as the killer does people.

The combat is in the game is extremely gratifying.

Long-term value is one of the many deciding factors in purchasing this game. It’s already receiving more content, it’s cheap, and it’s really good about killing stuff. Buying Killing Floor is easily one of the best purchasing decisions you can make this year.

The bottom line is that if this game is parody, then it's a great concept executed in a somewhat middling way, and if it's intended to be fun on its own merits then it's just a bad game. A terrible one actually.

You really need a lot of practice in order to be good at it (multiplayer).

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena has a lot of content to shuffle through, especially if you’ve never played Escape, so it’s totally worth getting.

Half the fun of this game is building an effective, focused force piece by piece using artifacts and levels-up, as well as shrewd tactical choices.

It’s a game that’s springing leaks in every conceivable layer of its design, but it somehow sails on.

Awesomely detailed graphics.

Graphically, F.E.A.R. 2 looks leaps and bounds better than its predecessor.

Mirror’s Edge delightfully tickled my auditory senses.

One of the finest-looking games this year.

Overall, I’m simply disappointed with Rockstar when it comes to Grand Theft Auto IV. PC gamers already get shafted with the slow GTA releases compared to the consoles. To have all the bugs at launch that it did makes me wonder what happened during the testing period. It’s also missing a lot of great features that were included in San Andreas.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, I used the word “boring” 7 times throughout this review.

At its best, it can compete with the best, offering gorgeous vistas and jaw-dropping scenery.

Left 4 Dead is simply spectacular.

Buy it for the multiplayer.

It’s the multiplayer portion that is worth your money.