Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force continues the Star Wars pinball saga that Zen Studios set out to create with the first game. Available either as an expansion to that, or the core Pinball platform, this expansion delivers three imaginative tables. All three feel solid, different and in their own ways - challenging. Filled to the brim with Star Wars fan service, it's hard not to like it, but there's already a hint that Zen is starting to run out of ideas.

Pokémon X/Y is a marvelous refinement of a tried and true concept, both larger and better than its predecessors. Despite this, it is unmistakenly a repetition of that old concept, one which may be past its prime in the presence of contemporary iterations on the concept, such as Skylanders or Ni No Kuni.

Pokémon X/Y is a marvelous refinement of a tried and true concept, both larger and better than its predecessors. Despite this, it is unmistakenly a repetition of that old concept, one which may be past its prime in the presence of contemporary iterations on the concept, such as Skylanders or Ni No Kuni.

Arma 3 is as much a tool as it is a game, and it is by far the best tool Bohemia has created so far. Its not perfect though, and it's still a product for a very specific audience. I wish a few compromises had been made to make it more accessible and fun.

Inazuma Eleven 3 has its fair share of highs and lows. The game will punish you for making mistakes, but at the same time it motivates you to trying again.

Inazuma Eleven 3 has its fair share of highs and lows. The game will punish you for making mistakes, but at the same time it motivates you to trying again.

Dragon’s Crown is a beautiful side scrolling 2D beat ’em up that mixes in loot chasing elements of action RPG’s like Diablo and the grinding aspects of a Japanese RPG. At times a frustrating game, but in the end a rewarding experience that should be enjoyed in small chunks at a time.

Kickbeat offers a fun variation on the classic rhythm game and provides a very good soundtrack to go with it. The option to import your own songs extends the playtime beyond the two available story modes and although the result of the imports are a bit hit or miss it generally works fine. Rhythm games may not be back in full force but Kickbeat shows that they can still be fun.

Lost Planet 3 is a weird and uninspired sequel to an already mediocre series. It's a decent game with relatively high production values, but it's just not very fun to play and I'll forget about it the second I turn it off.

This HD remake offers a lot of bang for your buck with hours upon hours of gameplay. Although it's just the main game that truly delivers a good combination of story, fan service and combat. The other two titles doesn't even come close to the level of the original, which is a shame.

Farming Simulator does an excellent job of simulating farm life. Sadly that does not make a great game. The romantic view of the farmer life style is quickly replaced with mind numbing and hard work with few high points and rewards.

Rome II is bigger and more than its predecessor on all fronts but more is not always better. While the battles are more cinematically grand than ever, the strategic map is bogged down by more illusion of choice than previously. There is lots of fun to be had here but several annoying design decisions do their best to try and keep me from having it.

A very atmospheric game that starts out very strong with some genuinely scary moments that made me put down the game for a while. As the game goes on it sadly loses some of that momentum and some of its punch, but still offers a good narrative and an unsettling story.

Shadowrun Returns is a faithful reinterpretation (and in a vague sense, sequel) to the SNES game from 20 years ago, maybe a bit too faithful. Though most aspects of the the wild and unruly Shadowrun world is included, the promise of this game lies more in the open embrace of the mod community than the included adventure.

Payday 2 is a real gem of a cops and robbers game when everything clicks. Overkill manages to capture the atmosphere of classic heist movies and the gameplay is about a whole lot more than just shooting cops. Artificial intelligence is a joke though and the game is pulled down by quite a few bugs that can be anything from annoying to totally game breaking.

Grasshopper Manufacture manages to both astound and repulse in this pseudo sequel to the monumental Killer 7. With a rather strange story written by Suda51, clever and quick combat designed to actually challenge players on the higher difficulties and a distinct visual style - Killer is Dead is a unique, well-crafted game. Unfortunately, much of it falls flat due to a clearly misogynistic worldview. It's a shame, since Killer is Dead is one of the technically finer products from the studio.

Blacklist feels like Splinter Cell Conviction 2.0, which is not necessarily a bad remark. A few bugs and a less-than-interesting story chases away the top score. Nice split screen action and a sound that makes for a thick atmosphere keep it above average even though Sam Fisher himself is boring beyond belief for a character with at least six game titles to his name.

Even though some games like ”Games” and “Islands” are really fun to play a few minutes, the majority of Game & Wario is a big and utter disappointment both to Wario-fans and gamers that liked Nintendo Land. I like the idea of multiplayer sessions without the need of buying any extra accessories wiimotes or nunchucks though.

Storm offers a charming puzzle experience but it relies too much on agility and timing and too little on well crafted levels.

Deadpool is a great character in comic books, but he can't carry a whole game by himself. T&A-jokes only gets you so far.

I'm impressed by the magnitude of new content that Nintendo has packed along with Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and the way that this is distributed over time and progression. At the same time, I cannot help letting out a loud sigh due to the fact that I have to do the same things all over - just to enjoy all the new goodies.

Diggs Nightcrawler is a really charming story presented in an awesome way. Though some game play elements are kind of bad, the funny characters and a smart integration with the Wonderbook makes up for most of the flaws.

Insomniac has tried to create something different compared to their previous games. But in doing so, they created a third person shooter that lacks personality, and therefore looks and feels like every other game in the genre. It still offers a lot of fun, though.

A nice mix of a handful different genres, where tower defense and Angry Birds are the most prominent ingredients. As you can probably imagine, the use of so many game mechanics at the same time can get too messy from time to time. The game is still worth checking out, though.

This is a unique game that mixes elements from Japanese role playing games and shooters in a refreshing new way. It may not be a game for everyone, but if you like the two genres and aren’t too picky about graphics, this is a fresh breeze on the ocean of never ending RPG and shooter releases.

The Chase Begins is a technically impressive game that shares the Wii U game's pros and cons. The humor, the simple but entertaining gameplay and the overall charm are definite strong points while long load times and weak open world elements drags the experience down somewhat.

The dark fantasy world of Soul Sacrifice has a wonderful tension to it and the game has a wonderful narrative, however it’s core mechanics are not what they should be. For a game that focuses so much on fighting it’s also kind of disappointing that only the boss fights are worthwhile.

ShootMania is a difficult game to rate. The pre-made game modes that come packed with the game are kind of disappointing and not that fun to play. At the same time, the tools for creating own content such as new game modes, maps and weapons are fantastic in every way, and gives us players everything that is necessary to create splendid game-play in an entertaining way. If you like creating or modifying things, this is the game for you. If you just want a good shooter game on the other hand, you should probably wait and see if the community will create any amazing game modes before you buy ShootMania Storm.

The Bridge is a very competent puzzle game that is set in a beautiful world that really draws you in. However, when you’re there you get a slight feeling of emptiness due to the lack of story.

If you've played Dead Island and want more of the same - Riptide is the game for you. It's smoother, better looking and less buggy, but in the end it's pretty much the same experience all over again, albeit an improved one.

What Defiance lacks in finesse it makes up for in content. The game is brimming with stuff to do but sadly there's no variety what so ever. In the end there is just no incentive to continue playing.

The lack of proper tutorials for newcomers makes the game way too hard from the start for anyone that doesn't understand baseball. There's a great sports game in there, but it's hidden behind a steep learning curve and the lack of assistance from the game. If you're up for the challenge you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. I however will let the dream of baseball remain just a dream.

Though it's still the competent RTS game it has always been, it can’t be avoided that the age in Age of Empires II has become apparent. The HD edition shows once again why the game is a classic, but besides a functional multiplayer lobby it just doesn’t add enough to warrant the price tag.

Lego City Undercover is a bold new direction for the Lego series. In many respects it is a successful first try, but there are quite a few technical mishaps. The open world concept needs some work, the load times are horrible and the lack of co-op is very disappointing. The game-play is still as simple and entertaining as ever though, and some of the missions and puzzles are among the greatest in the series.

A joyful and intriguing experience. I love how the developer trusts my instincts and completely lets go off my hand right from the start. Super cute creatures and wonderfully warm environments makes it a particularity good choice for the younger audience.

Comfortably familiar game-play contrasts against badly written and possibly fan-upsetting story. A bit too buggy and repetitive and loses much of its charm when playing without a human partner. Sadly, the best parts by far are the mask-painting tool and the possibility to play it with a friend.

Impire is an RTS dressed up in the clothes of an dungeon builder. Even though the initial presentation is appealing, the lack of interesting mechanics sets it up for rather monotone and dull game-play in the long run.

The Showdown Effect offers fast paced and fun multiplayer action for a low price of admission. Unfortunately the price point is also evident in the amount of content. However it clearly succeeds as a bite-sized game of frantic, skill based killing.

Capcom has made a flawless emulator for the 80’s arcade games where you can choose for yourself which games you want to include in the collection. If you have fond memories of any of the games in Capcom Arcade Cabinet I recommend you to buy that title individually though, as some of the games haven’t aged well and are way too hard and monotone to be worth your time. Also the price is a bit steep.

Thieves in Time resembles a mini game collection made for PlayStation 2. The rough graphics, ridiculously long loading times and at times tedious platforming moments are justified by a well told story and lovingly created mini games.

The game mechanics are even better than the third game, but it still lacks quality in the story and this time even in the AI. Play this with your friends or get ready for gears of frustration.

It’s far from a perfect game, but it is extremely entertaining and Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is proof that the joy of playing a game is far more important than graphics and physics. If the developers had put just a little more time in fixing some of the bugs and the presentation it would have been an instant classic.

The game holds me down with its vampire-like claws from the start and all the way until the end when the credits roll. But it never manages to sink its teeth into me and fully win me over to the other side. Afterwards, I break free without any trouble and wander out into the sunlight, while leaving the game in the darkness as I get ready for my next adventure with something else.

”Same mechanics, new skin” seems to be the motto for God of War: Ascension. A prequel without big flaws that lacks some extra spice. Fans of the mechanics and the character will find instant recognition but somewhat less satisfaction than the previous games.

I’ve had fun with Crysis 3, but not as much fun as I had with the two games that came before it. This is not a bad game by any means, but it is the least good in the series so far.

Offers plenty of exciting ideas that could have resulted in a great game, but unfortunately these ideas get lost among the many problems the game has. Zombie Studios should return to the drawing board, adjust the game’s controls and learn how to design good levels. If they do that, Team X 2 might be the game this one fails to be.

There's nothing wrong with Alien Breed for PS Vita; it does exactly what it's supposed to. But games that old should retain its original level of difficulty in order to keep the old school player interested.

The game bravely follows in the steps of XCOM and quite successfully mixes economic management with tactical turn based combat in a well-made mobster setting. Although without any real problems, Omerta: City of Gangsters still manages to come off a bit bland due to its excess in variation and lack of depth.

Picross e2 is an excellent adaption of the addictive nonogram puzzles to the 3DS format. It barely offers anything new though, and lacks innovations like the awesome Picross 3D did offer some years ago. But it’s still one of the smoothest and best ways to solve picross puzzles, and at that very low price point it’s a no-brainer to buy for anyone who has ever enjoyed a griddler.

Even though all the new functions don’t always work that well, the core karaoke experience you get in Sing Party is very satisfying. But the game is in great need of an online song store if we’re expected to keep playing it instead of SingStar or Lips, so that we can customize our karaoke nights to our preferred taste and variety.

A charismatic but simple turn based strategy game. Skulls of the Shogun gives more laughs than tactical resistance, but is easy to learn and fun to play against friends.

The Sims 3: Seasons doesn't offer as much content as we're used to in the earlier expansions. Although, the different weathers, new holidays and return of aliens do offer some fun that can't be found elsewhere in The Sims 3. But it is way too expensive considering how little it changes the gameplay.

Chasing Aurora is a beautiful game that can be fun to play together with four friends in short sessions. The price is a bit steep though, and the game gets repetitive fast and it doesn't offer much for the lone player.

This is almost a whole other game than the previous Ninja Gaiden 3, in a good way. The fighting, variation and difficulty level have all improved a lot, but some of the old flaws like boring level design and dull story are still there. Razor's Edge sure is worth playing if you like Ninja Gaiden, but keep in mind that it's still the weakest link in the series.

When the surprise of all pop cultural references fades I start to see past the gorgeous graphics and the awesome music, and the disappointment sneak up on me. Retro City Rampage walks the line between being a brilliant homage and a generic copy, and in the end it relies too much on the ideas of the games that came before it.

The highly anticipated return to Dunwall gets tainted by the fact that Dishonored's sum is greater than its parts. When these parts are separated from each other in uneven trial the brilliance is somewhat lost. Great concept art sketches, though.

A fun and well written prologue to last year's adventure hit. This game tells a smaller and a more personal story that is somewhat hurt by really awful puzzle-design at certain places.

An adventure game with a unique design and shows promise for the upcoming chapters, despite some flat dialogue.

Demolition Inc. isn't a bad game at all, but it's a title that fails to live up to its own potential. It's a game that will entertain you for a while, but it will be forgotten just as soon as it arrived.

Sports Champions 2 feels more like an expansion than a full sequel, but the low price point, a few well designed events and the party mode makes the game worth a look if you want a good party game for your PlayStation 3.

Emergency 2013 lets you work those RTS-skills on daring rescue missions across a disaster-struck Europe, but several problems in the gameplay mechanics create worse obstacles than the fires and accidents themselves. The Free play mode is where the game shines but it is unfortunately underdeveloped. It's also worth noting that a major part of the game is actually the content of last year's game, Emergency 2012.

Chaotic action can be fun, but Fuel Overdose takes the concept too far. Local multiplayer would be an obvious highlight if it actually existed, but the lack of that and the sloppy controls, annoying camera and boring levels makes this game somewhat frustrating.

Nike+ Kinect Training is not fun, and it's not supposed to be either. It takes training very seriously and does a great job of motivating you with a lot of good and demanding exercises. The presentation isn't great and the trainer gets out of sync sometimes when trying to correct you on something. Overall, this is still one of the best training programs available on Kinect. But it's just not a game.

An odd mix of genres that doesn't capture the magic you usually get from a Ratchet & Clank title. A game that can be fun for a while but never really manages to create its own identity.

Fight for Fortune is great in shorter bursts, but when I play it for longer sessions I quickly get bored. With the low price tag I see no reason for fans of Uncharted to skip this entry.

A competent, skillful attempt at a non-fantasy dungeon crawler game appears, courtesy of Wayforward. Unfortunately it's ultimately dragged down by the franchise attached to it - Silent Hill. Other than a few thematic nods and well-known enemies the franchise usage is handled sloppily and without any benefit.

Aftermath does a lot of things wrong, but also gets some things right. In the end though, this is the weakest of the Battlefield 3 expansions so far and I really hope that DICE shapes up before the final expansion.

Sony offers us a more casual karting experience along with all the tools you need and more for the creation of levels. LittleBigPlanet Karting is good fun for the youngest and inexperienced, but hardcore gamers will probably give this a pass due to its lack of challenge.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a worthy successor in the Paper Mario-series that will probably satisfy both veterans and newbies. Most of us will unmercifully get stuck within a puzzle or a dead end, but do know that there's no shame in looking for answers on the Internet.

An arrow straight to the heart of nostalgia. Midway Arcade Origins serves up 30ish memorable arcade classics in a neat package. A few games are still bad, as they were back then, but most games are still quite good. Backbone Entertainment has lovingly transferred the games onto new formats with their usual sense of detail.

A Game of Dwarves is a welcome return to the Dungeon Keeper style of management games. Despite a few strange design choices and a lack of strong momentum in the lengthy campaign, the game still offers great value if you are looking for a rather relaxed session of dwarf herding.

A strong heritage results in a bland mix of mini games. To only include three competitive games (which happens to be the best thing in this compilation) is just insane, especially when the majority of the others goes from "pretty okay" to "horrible".

It might be lacking in terms of innovation, but the Hostage Negotiation Map Pack is still a good expansion for Max Payne 3. I hope that Rockstar Games will give us something new and different with the next expansion, but for now, Hostage Negotiation will do just fine.

It might not be good enough to compete with the best games in the genre, but F1 Race Stars is an entertaining cart racer that has many great ideas but only fully realizes some of them.

On one hand the game makes me laugh a couple of times, on the other hand it feels like an ancient beast from the 90's - it even lacks online multiplayer. If you already enjoy Family Guy, you will probably have a good time with this game; if you don't you most likely won't.

The Monkey Ball series have been in a downward slope ever since the first brilliant game, but this is one of be the best since then. Graphics are very nice and there is a lot of content including some decent mini games, but while it's all competently done there is no denying that the magic has been lost over all these years.

The Vita does not shame Street Fighter x Tekken, but the game is harder to control with the smaller buttons and the lack of two shoulder buttons. Despite that, this is still a good game with great online capabilities.

This is a game that would fit better on a mobile device rather than a dedicated handheld. It's not a bad game, but it's just hard to justify a purchase at the current price point due to its lack of content.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted for the Vita is basically the exact same game as the PS3-version. The problems I had with that version still remains, but the fact that Criterion managed to squeeze the entire game into the Vita is remarkable and it really does offer you the same experience, with the big advantage of being portable.

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation feels like a celebration of how first person shooters used to be and The Farm 51 manages to do a lot of things right. However, the short campaign coupled with the multiplayer issues I had keeps it from going all the way.

Liberation is a full sized Assassin's Creed game for Vita that makes you forget that you're playing on a handheld, and while certain parts require more work the overall impression is really good.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted has a number of flaws that prevent it from reaching the same heights as Forza Horizon or Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. But at the same time it has some great ideas of its own to make it entertaining. I would've wanted Criterion to work more on the sense of speed and removing the graphical bugs, but besides that Most Wanted is a great racer that will give you a good time both online and offline.

Mugen Souls tries to take a few stabs at making fun of games such as Disgaea while itself committing the same atrocities – i.e. needless grinding, relying on stat maximization and an insane amount of battles. A tactical RPG at heart, filled with equal measures of gothic Lolita fetishizing and wicked humor, Mugen Souls is a quirky little gem that will satisfy the most hardcore number crunchers, while leaving the rest of us slightly bored after the first hours.

Way of the Samurai 4 places a lone samurai straight into the conflict between the local Shogunate, a British trade attaché and a local extremist faction near the end of the Edo era. Through five very busy days, the fate of a small town may be decided. What could have been an interesting period piece falls a bit short due to shallow combat, a reliance on repetition and relatively low production values.

Smart As… is a good brain trainer for the Vita, but the quality of the mini games varies quite a lot. Some are addictive gold nuggets while others are easily forgotten.

Warfighter is a decent multiplayer cross-over between Battlefield and Call of Duty. However, stay far away from the bug filled and linear single player campaign.

Those of you who put in the time and effort needed will have a lot to gain from Rocksmith. Not just high scores, but the feeling of actually learning to play an instrument.

If you're in the mood for some brain dead action and have a good friend to share it with - Serious Sam 3: BFE can be fun. As a single player experience it gets very monotonous after a while.

More a missed opportunity than anything else, The Unfinished Swan is a pleasant fairytale story with a some good ideas and one or two magic moments. In the end though it is easy to come away with the feeling that this was a brief and very linear experience that just hinted at something that could have been truly great.

It's hard to argue that you won't get value for your money given the amount of content in the game, but as it stands today I can only recommend it for the hardcore fans of the mobile versions. The rest of you can wait until the price drops.

A fighting game without multiplayer or storytelling that makes sense without reading 42 mangas can't be seen as an finished product and should definitely not be sold for full price. This game is only for fans.

A fall forward as Konami introduces a new indicator for manual passing and shooting. Long distance screamers in the top corner are a bit easy to pull off and slide tackles are too often penalized. Pro Evolution isn't bad, it's just second best.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is a point and click-adventure, cast in a modern third person adventure, featuring the greatest detective of them all. Through a wild adventure through the rougher parts of London, an immense conspiracy needs to be cracked open. With decent atmosphere, a real page-turner of a story and clever puzzles, this is a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes or classic adventure games.

Capcom offers an abundance of content. Some of it good, some less good. If you and a buddy take on this game at a very calm pace, it will give you loads of entertainment. If you only want the really good parts – play the Leon and Ada campaigns.

It's sad to see a pretty promising premise stumble and fall on the implementation like Secret Files 3 does. There is some potential in the story especially if you're interested in historical events and conspiracies, but it feels like the game loses its focus and doesn't know where it wants to go.

Starvoid manages to offer that quick and sweet multiplayer-RTS fix for those of us that lack the time or dedication to go for the more hardcore alternatives. What it lacks in game modes and levels, it compensates for with a deep customization system, but what seems to be a very small player base may in the end render the game more void than starlike.

Tokyo Jungle is an interesting wild-life simulator in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, void of humans. Choosing one of the many animal races available, the race is on to take over territories, form a flock and survive the dangers of the urban jungle. It's a nice concept that unfortunately falls a bit flat due to its inherent repetitiveness – eat food, procreate, eat more food, take over more territories. But in smaller doses, it will deliver unique and interesting experiences.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the latest installment in the franchise and brings updated graphics, two new game modes and new weapons to the venerable shooter. Its qualities are undeniable, but the question is if these are the qualities requested by the player base? With only primitive features to support the esport community, it's not hard to imagine that the game will get a lukewarm reception.