Level-5 and Ghibli. Improbable just a few years ago, such and alliance of the little prince of the RPG and the king of Japanese animation gives birth to a super classical RPG, with no need for the magnificent spellbook that was given with the portable version. But in this PS3 take, Ninokuni doesn't really aim at younger gamers anymore. Paradoxically, the very light and sensible style of Ghibli does not give life to the best RPG in the world, but attempts to open up a way to an adventure with quiet strength.

Quotation forthcoming.

The blend of management and tactical combat in a prohibition historical context was a nice promise. The atmosphere, the jazzy musics, the deep gameplay elements, everything is theoretically there, except for one major thing: challenge. There is no tough choice, no difficulty in getting wealth and shaking the authorities, no trouble in the combat. Whatsoever.

No time to explain. Just buy this game for challenges... and laugh !

After setting up the bases of their sci-fi thriller, Phoenix Online delivers a second episode that is shorter, but much more intense and well-paced. It's a better episode, even though the production values haven't improved - a shortcoming that prevents it from truly shining.

A Gamebook for tablets and smartphones - Superb idea. But Hamnasya suffers from serious issues with bugs, interface shortcomings, and too much relying on pure luck. In terms of story, it's decent, but incredibly classic heroic fantasy and sometimes written with excessive verbose.

The space in Strike Suit Zero is visually stunning, and its gameplay is nervous and terribly enjoyable... but when you finally take your marks with it, the game ends abruptly and leaves you with the impression of having played a long tutorial. The scoring system is a good way to have more, but we could have eaten twice without hesitation.

Quotation forthcoming.

Tokyo Crash Mobs takes the concept of Zuma and adds the Japanese idea: replacing the balls by people! In short, this is a good classic improved with a little madness, and some items that do nothing but refresh the whole experience.

One does not lose talent that easily, it seems. The Cave shows that Ron Gilbert still has this little touch of craziness that sets him apart from other game creators, and that allows him to produce adventure games that are fresh. Despite some errors and shortcomings like its short length and not-so-extensive replayability, this cute title doesn't lack positive qualities, most notably in terms of writing and puzzle design. And it's also quite funny, smart, and affordable.

A better attempt at adapting the infamous manga than the original, but still not the killer brawler we could have hoped for.

Army of Darkness Defense is surprisingly addictive in its implementation of Tower Defense mechanics in the universe of the Evil Dead 3 movie. Complete with cult lines and humour, it has one other unstoppable force for him as well : it's completely free.

Black Knight Sword world is unique, aesthetically, and that's an accomplishment in itself. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't as mesmerizing as the visuals ; it's but a poor restitution of old mechanics from 8 and 16bit platformers, without the level design genius of those times.

Anarchy Reigns is a violent beat'em all, and an elitist one. Barely accessible, it could have been a superb brawler, but it suffers from a clear lack of polish, its mandatory solo mode is full of lengthy annoying and dull story elements you can't bypass, and once online, you will be spanked a lot before you can achieve anything. It's the last game Platinum Games did for Sega, and it shows.

Ninja Theory made it: its Devil May Cry reboot is delicious, provocative and beautiful, all the while offering a solid beat'em all gameplay. The platforming sequences sometimes lack precision and the whole game can quite easily be don in less than 10 hours, but it's clearly a success.

If you find yourself sometimes wondering if videogames are art, you should try Kentucky Route Zero. This adventure game gives you the reigns of the storytelling of an intriguing fantastical story.

The most definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 3, complete with DLCs and limb severing.

A shooter that is frighteningly poor, both in terms of gameplay and production values.

You won't be able to blame A Walk In The Dark for concealing its influences. It's an open and blatant mix of Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, Bit.Trip Runner and Limbo. Unfortunately, mixing the best elements is not always the recipe of success, when you don't cook it well enough. It's not nearly as fun and enticing as the sum of its parts, or even of a single one of them. The music is still superb, though.

Impossible not to be disappointed after so long a wait. But when one witnesses the result, on will probably think that this cross-over wasn't meant to be. I love spaghetti, and I love chocolate spread, but with a little thinking, I wouldn't mix the two. Maybe that's how they should have contemplated this wedding between Layton and Wright. Even the brilliant production values, 3D transition and exquisite music are not enough to make us forget about the dull situations one has to repeat over and over again. It's the poorest of the Phoenix Wrights and the most laughable Layton.

The best candidate for Worst Game of 2012.

Uninspired, dull, and poised by poor level design and controls, Ben 10 wouldn't suit the needs of any gamer, young or otherwise.

With this fantastic themed thriller, Phoenix Online Studio manages to capture the attention of the player, despite serious shortcomings in terms of production values. The Erica Reed character is compelling, and one may be hooked by this first episode.

F1 Race Stars takes the lead in but one thing: being the dullest and poorest Mario Kart Clone of the year.

Sometimes, you just want to log on, and kill people with fireballs. Forge is there for this and this only; it's like World of Warcraft Battlegrounds without World of Warcraft wrapped around the battlegrounds. Even though the game isn't nearly as polished as it should, it's worth a glance for people looking for that specific kind of arena experience.

So completely superficial, Tank! Tank! Tank! will never require any form of thinking on your part. It's repetitive, and dull.

Quotation forthcoming.

Treyarch did a good job with the Wii U version of CoD Black Ops 2. The content is the same as on PS3 or Xbox 360, the graphics as well, and of course on this version you can play on the GamePad itself, or even use it as a second screen for player 2. We would have liked the touch screen to be used also for the gameplay, though.

Warriors Orochi 3 for Wii U is graphically a little below the PS3 and 360 versions, and the new content is not so great, but it is still very good and offers a coop mode in which each player plays on his own screen (TV/GamePad), which is a good addition.

This post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure uses its own humor too much, but delivers an interesting story and good universe. There are some flaws, but we appreciate that there are different solutions to the same puzzle. Primordia is an interesting game that could have been a little more refined.

Technically one of the most successful AR games we have ever seen. It works perfectly, and seeing this book coming to life on the TV screen is a delight even for our adult eyes ... But of course it is dedicated to children (6 to 10 years)! They will be even more delighted when they take the magic wand in their hands and try to learn the most famous Harry Potter spells (the "adventure" is set in the same universe, thanks to a collaboration with JK Rowling). Too bad the game is so short, so repetitive and leaves us a little hungry once completed. When all the spells are learned we would like to put them into practice in an real adventure or a series of mini games, but no. A very good start for the Wonderbook anyway, full of promise. We are looking forward to get the next games using it.

Technically very close to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, Assassin's Creed III on the Wii U takes advantage of some interesting (but is not revolutionary) innovations. The map and the few commands on the GamePad screen are nice, as is the ability to play without TV, on the GamePad itself, but for the rest, the experience is the same and AC3 remains an excellent game.

With Raving Rabbids Land, Ubisoft offers a board game we do not recommend. Some asymmetric gameplay ideas are interesting, but the mini-games are ultimately boring. The pace is slow and the mini-games are 1 Vs. 1 only, which is a shame in a 4 players board game... Forget it.

Football Manager 2013 manages to get us out of our coaching routine by providing a real graphical overhaul. We can now immerse ourselves freely in its gargantuan option menus without having the impression to lose our brain. This is still the best football management simulation, but this time with an ever more immersive game system.

The Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U port is rather successful, although playing with the GamePad is not easy at first. Fortunately, shortcuts on the touch screen are nice, but that being said, nothing beats a good arcade stick of course! Another interesting point: you can play on the GamePad screen itself. Regarding game modes, the Mushroom Mode is good fun, but not for long, and the online mode works pretty well. In short, TTT2 on Wii U is as good as the other consoles versions, but its new features, funny at first, finally don't bring so much to the experience.

While many expected recycling, Intelligent Systems has yet managed to get all his imagination to create the first Paper Mario on a handheld console. Sticker Star is a fabulous ambassador for stereoscopic 3D, as its paper universe is the ideal material to illustrate the aesthetic qualities of this technology. The scenario and fights are excellent too.

Quotation forthcoming.

A correct port, which doesn't benefit as much as one would think from the Wii U GamePad touch screen. Still the only way to hold this galaxy in the palm of your hands.

A really good port of the PS360 versions, with fluid animation both on screen and on the GamePad, that will undoubtedly help those who'd have loved a Mario Kart at launch.

This port of Darksiders II on the Wii U has both pros and cons: on the con side, some frame rate drops and less than perfect visual optimisations. On the pro side: all the DLC packed in, the maps and touch screen inventory on the Wii U GamePad. The rest is as the originals: excellent.

The LEGO series reach new heights with this LOTR game. Open World, RPG, exploration, humor and fidelity at the same time, TT Games put a real effort in this new adaptation with the LEGO Twist.

A fascinating survival-horror game. Despite some surprising shortcomings, in particular a perfectible playability and combat system, ZombiU puts the player at the center of a zombicalypse like no other game. The extremely well polished atmosphere, high difficulty and asymmetrical gameplay ideas deliver an intense experience that all fans of horror and survival themed games should live.

The right ingredients, a known recipe, but the cooked result doesn't work. It's slow paced, and one must rely on the community remaking the Mario Kart circuits to start enjoying himself... but still not that much.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed is one of the best love letters written to Sega. It's a new reference in the genre, so one can been keen on forgetting about some of the characters of the original that disappeared in this sequel, the occasional frame-rate issue, or the loading times.

A masterpiece of a conclusion. Sure, from a gameplay perspective, the same things can be said of this last episode than of previous ones (i.e. it's not perfect), but the writing, the emotions, the story, everything is so powerful and spot-on on that front that one could consider Telltale's game as the first true next-gen one: not from a technical standpoint, mind you, but from an emotional one.

The surprise is there: even though we'd have thought that Far Cry 3 would have been a "crazy open world shooter". It is, but it goes far beyond that in its depiction of its main character: the island. It's generous, enticing, well-designed and well-crafted - the only less-interesting part being the multiplayer, even though there are some very nice ideas there as well.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

This sequel clearly worked out some camera issues of the original on the Wii, and offers a nice addition with cooperative play, but lacks the production values, polish, pacing and innovations we would have hoped.

SoE had a clear goal in mind with Planetside 2: the same game with prettier graphics and more accessibility. In both regards, it's a success. The massive war atmosphere is there. Let's hope that it will evolve in order to trump a possible weariness of the basic war mechanics with new stuff and a storytelling element that writer Marv Wolfman could contribute.

A great stealth game that suffers from a few annoying flaws. The 20 rather long missions it offers are inconsistent quality-wise, making the fan constantly switching from frustration to utter delight. But these moments are so delicious that we eventually want to forget about the game shortcomings (odd difficulty balancing, perfectible AI, sequences that can't be dealt with without gunfights). In the end, we are particularly pleased to reconnect with this subtle and original gameplay from past Hitman games, the many different ways to kill a single target, and of course all these humor-filled dialogues and situations. You have to play it if you like stealth games.

Nintendo Land is exactly what it set out to be: a mini-game compilation to show off how fun local multiplayer can be with two screens. None of the mini-games is bad; some are but a tutorial to the GamePad, not really interesting, others are pure genius.

Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified has only its name going for it. Everything else is piss poor, from both design and production standpoints.

While it seems that all the games, even the most forgivable ones, feel the need to have a twist in them to break or turn upside down an established code, how can one with "retro" and a certain "opposition to change" both carved into its DNA surprise? In New Super Mario Bros. U, the princess doesn't get kidnapped, it's the hero that gets booted outside the castle to the far end of the realm. But it doesn't change anything: the game is a clear declaration that one does not need to change what already works perfectly.

With Fly'n, Ankama delivers a solid and accessible platformer using the classic codes of the genre. It may not revolutionize anything in that regard, but it is nonetheless highly enjoyable, affordable, and most importantly charming, blessed with spotless visuals and nice diversity.

A poorly made port of two titles among which the second one reached near-cult status. Still something to be experience, for sure, but it could have really been much better remastered.

Treyarch did well in introducing Call of Duty to new approaches. The solo, especially, is surprisingly replayable thanks to story variations based on both player chance and performance. The multiplayer seems to have found the definitive system for custom classes with Pick-10, and the new Zombies mode called Tranzit offers new surprises and and open-world feeling that surely make it better. The graphics engine really starts to look old though, and the solo suffers from big plot holes, less polished scripting, and less spectacular sequences.

Criterion seems to have done the maximum in order to offer a similarly fun experience on the Vita than it did on the 360 and PS3. This version is impressive, has roughly the same content than the console ones. Its just slightly less beautiful and with fewer contestants in the races, but other than that, it's the same experience.

Rufus comes back as the anti-hero we met in Deponia. Its clumsiness and immorality are fun to come back to in this hilarious adventure; one that is better weaved than the previous ones. But it's the third episode that will give us what is required to be satisfied (or not) by the story.

One may be annoyed by Capcom's recycling mastery, but it's still hard not to appreciate Marvel vs Capcom Origins, a nice compilation of two must-have titles of versus fighting. On top of those, the quality of this compilation's remastering, with nice menus, lighting fast loadings, and online play really make it interesting.

With a satisfying solo campaign (even though it's rather short), more mature both in terms of storytelling and artistic direction, blessed by superb visuals powered by a new and rather impressive graphical engine; a richer than ever multiplayer with more dynamic and furious gameplay, and nice co-op, free, episodic content with Spartan Ops: 343 Industries is undoubtedly ready to take over, and drive the series forward into a new dawn.

WWE'13 feels old, like a soon-to-be-retired wrestler with busted knees and overused vertebrae that would be hard to let go. Yes it's kind of old looking, but there's so much content there, and history, that it's hard to miss when you're a fan.

Harry Potter for Kinect offers a nice immersion for our younger ones, when it's only their hands they need to use. But when the rest of the body is required as well, not so much. Some challenges are plain tedious, dull or unimaginative, and it clearly overshadows the better crafted missions.

The portable Assassin's Creed we were waiting for is there, and it's capable. The feeling is there, the story enjoyable, and there's even some extras (commerce, multikills, gameplay altering costumes, touch features, etc.). But it's hard not to point out a clear lack of polish.

Criterion successfully blended its own style with the Need for Speed one - if you're not into scrutiny of the details. The fun is there, thanks to very accessible, arcade-y driving, and constant challenges to take on both in solo and multiplayer modes. But it's still difficult to excuse some shortcomings like the lack of visibility on some races, and poorly balanced take-downs that break the pace of the game more often than not.

Assassin's Creed III might not be as revolutionary in itself as the historical period it covers, and it still has some shortcomings that may annoy old timers of the series and newcomers alike, but its generosity, the unbelievably high quality of its writing, particularly the character of Connor, the political and societal questions it weaves into its Templar / Assassins storyline, and the overall generosity of its content more than make up for it. It may feel constricted inside our current hardware, but manages nonetheless to push back its limits, combining the proven formula with new gorgeous elements both in the solo and multiplayer aspects.

Quotation forthcoming.

Hotline Miami wants you dead! And he'll get satisfaction. The worst is, despite certain, repeated humiliation, despite death and outrages, you'll love it.

With better storytelling, new elements to discover on the characters, and the auto-stereoscopic 3D, this new Layton is a success only hindered by a slight lack of inventiveness in the methods used to solve the puzzles.

Both technical and brutal, Chivalry doesn't take itself too seriously (especially with an over-the-top sound design), and it's really playable. Its only true shortcoming comes from the network code that sometimes dies on you in the middle of a fight.

Harmonix keeps pushing forward and refining its concept with this third episode. More content, more fun, more polish, really enjoyable multiplayer modes, it's all in there for cool evenings with friends and solo fun, even though the formula remains the same.

With Forza Horizon, Microsoft Games succeeds in blending the Forza spirit with open-world gameplay. It's an all-new atmosphere for racers to discover, with miles and miles of roads to race on with a true driving experience and sensations. But this new open-world philosophy could have been better exploited with more variety and fun, especially in multiplayer ; as is, it feels a little incomplete.

True to the series, NBA 2K13 is even better, in terms of production value, content, gameplay, all the while managing to gain in accessibility. It also boasts a new career mode and the Ultimate Team mode. It's probably the best sport simulation ever.

With Ravaged, Dawn Games wanted to "bring back the fun", but I never really thought it was gone very far. The game has a very straightforward gameplay and a nice atmosphere, but not much else on an over-crowded market. It's also still very buggy. But the low amount of players online is what troubles the most for the longevity of Ravaged.

Giana stopped copying Mario and found its own, charming, and successful identity, all the while remaining in the old-school platforming genre. Caution: the game is hard and unforgiving.

Excessively propagandist and clearly not on par with this packed holidays season, Warfighter's solo lacks the fun it would require for accepting its over-the-top military apology and super-biased views of the world, despite some really nice initiatives like the vehicle sequences. Multiplayer-wise, it's clearly improved with a real class-based formula and duo gameplay tactics, but is that enough with what's coming? We don't think so.

More of a 1.5 episode than a true sequel duo, White 2 and Black 2 still are very satisfying for the fans or those who haven't played a Pokméon for some time, thanks to nice additions and a successful blend of gameplay elements.

Doom 3 on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2012, why not: the game was a hit in 2004, but this BFG version remains far too short on the remastering front. FPS titles made tremendous progress in the meantime, and playing Doom 3 today clearly shows how much. The addition of Doom and Doom 2 on the disc is cool, but with no multiplayer on them, and even with its small price, it still feels like too little, too late.

More of a 1.5 episode than a true sequel duo, White 2 and Black 2 still are very satisfying for the fans or those who haven't played a Pokméon for some time, thanks to nice additions and a successful blend of gameplay elements.

Reliving some of the most popular missions of 007 definitely has something appealing. But the end result, is, alas, an abomination. It's a terrible, dull, and sometimes plainly unplayable FPS which, when it tries to diversify its experience (stealth, espionage, chase sequences), just adds more frustration and annoyance.

Good ol' Crazy Taxi on iOS is based on the original Dreamcast version, complete with the music tracks, Arcade, Original and Crazy Bos modes, and new Game Center features. The touch controls work rather well, even though they are less efficient than your classic controller. Overall, the experience is quite compelling nonetheless.

You don't need to have played the first Edna & Harvey :The Breakout to enjoy this sequel. It's a dark humor sweet wrapped in point & click paper, it's solid, and original.

By keeping its basics and adding smart ideas like specific worm classes or water physics, this Worms Revolution works well. Too bad the online gameplay modes aren't really creative, and the solo AI too tough for many players.

Fable The Journey had everything to deliver an engaging gamer experience. Despite its strong casual side, the combats had the amount of richness and openness to allow creative players to strive within the system, and the lush and detailed world was enticing. But the lack of consistency in Kinect's precision is far too important and frustrating, and the combat becomes a real burden.

What could have been a kid's dream come true is far too limited both in terms of gameplay and content to succeed. The younger gamers will be able to get some fun with it, but that's it.

The Unfinished Swan is a nice tale, nicely polished and visually interesting, but the build-up of the story takes too much time for such a short experience, and setting aside the last minutes of play, there isn't really any smart or neat gameplay ideas; others were able to give a more powerful story or experience before it, and it shows.

When the complete series is out there, and The Walking Dead becomes a full game, this fourth episode won't be one to be mocked or tagged as a low point. All the ingredients were successfully implemented, and Telltale doesn't begin to lose the momentum of this engaging story at any point up to the almost enraging cliffhanger. Now all that's left is to wait for the next one.

Way of the Samurai 4 targets medieval Japan lovers, for sure, with a adventure in a classic and major era for this country. But it's too short, combats lack dynamism, and its production values are below average. It's still a satisfying adventure thanks to the various choices and consequences available.

Sonic Adventure 2 didn't really get an unanimously enthusiastic reception when it came out in 2001, and this "HD" remastering won't either. Even though the fans will be able to enjoy this game in full widescreen / 720P resolution, nothing else has been upgraded, and it's not even the best version to date (the GameCube one) that's been used for this. Worst of all, SEGA asks for an extra DLC purchase to upgrade it to the Battle version.

Despite some bugs and average production values, Firaxis convincingly restores XCOM to life: its difficulty, management and tactical gameplay are there. Very nice to explore, Enemy Unknown leaves you with but one desire: to play a sequel that is richer and prettier than ever. Get to work!

Despite a coherent universe and extensive playtime, with a lot to explore and a very nice system of alternance between a strategic and a first-person viewpoint, Carrier Command Gaea Mission is completely ruined by the worst possible AI, and FPS sequences that are barely playable.

By harnessing the best design qualities of titles such as Deus Ex, Thief, BioShock or Ultima Underworld, Dishonored would have been a good game. By adding a unique world with a singular taste, carefully crafted storytelling and a solid plot, and allowing for numerous variations and random parameters inside all of that for an even more personal experience, it's gone all the way to becoming a superb game, one that is a vibrant success, and clear evidence that only video games can make us live such experiences.

Fresh and funny, this cliché of a J-RPG offers a charming and substantial adventure with tints of self-derision based humor. Too bad though that it's sometimes hard to to wrap your brain around its almost too deep and complex systems.

Faster Than Light is kid's dream becoming a video game. On the deck of a piece of metal, at the helm of its crew, you will start by sticking out your chest like a 10 years old boy, shooting on sight. Then the harsh truth of the reality of a boundless space will come to bite you in the ass, your decisions will cost lives, and you will end up being the chief of your own demise. But his is why you will love offering, once more, your innocence to FTL.

More comprehensive, more varied, better polished, Borderlands 2 still boasts the same strengths than three years ago, only enhanced. It's still a rather brutal FPS mixed with loot-whoring RPG, with a unique design and a super-violent, super-crazy world.

Completely crazy, Hell Yeah! really is a game by its studio, Arkedo, hilarious and visually magnificent, unique in concept and spirit, and blessed by a wonderful soundtrack. But if the eye for detail clearly marks every inch of its game world, the rigid gameplay and the overall redundancy of its proposal really undermine this indie title.

Not much to say: F1 fans will undoubtedly take on this F1 2012 with delight, it's been polished in almost every way. Prettier, faster, it also boasts a successful dynamic weather and despite some little shortcomings, it remains THE standard for Formula 1 racing.

Undoubtedly better than Resident Evil 5, this new episode of one of the greatest series will have trouble uniting people around its proposal. It is indeed very generous in terms of content, of story development, of its variety of sequences, but its still very action-focused atmosphere and clear shortcomings as a TPS make it feel dated and rigid, even though less than RE5. There's some good stuff in there, that's for sure, but also some poor choices as well.