Rocksteady delivers a new masterpiece, enhancing the original in almost every way. Batman Arkham City offers a better story, masterfully paced storytelling, more freedom, more surprises, secondary missions and tasks, an intensified combat with new moves... To sum it up, a follow-up that met our expectations, without forgetting the strengths of the original, and growing up to be a spot-on tale of adventure and excitement: a serious candidate for the GOTY title.

Rocksteady delivers a new masterpiece, enhancing the original in almost every way. Batman Arkham City offers a better story, masterfully paced storytelling, more freedom, more surprises, secondary missions and tasks, an intensified combat with new moves... To sum it up, a follow-up that met our expectations, without forgetting the strengths of the original, and growing up to be a spot-on tale of adventure and excitement: a serious candidate for the GOTY title.

This first DLC for Human Revolution leaves us with a mixed feeling. On one hand, it's a very nice invitation to further dive into the formidable world of the game (both in stealth or rampage mode). On the other, we can't really say it brings anything new to the table, and the environment is quite tight, with some areas needed to be crossed back and forth. It also suffers from the same technical issues than the original, but it still is worth experiencing, and offers 6-7 hours of play with a nice boss ending (finally one you can approach in several different ways), and a storyline that will teach you who the real Belltower is.

Might & Magic Heroes VI seems to be handling its innovations quite nicely. They add fluidity and dynamism to an already very appealing game, the scenario of which perfectly handles the license's richness. Too bad our review version didn't allow us to judge the balancing in multiplayer enough, nor its final polishing (it was quite bugged at the time of this review).

NB 2K12 is as generous as it is demanding, and it's unquestionably a game for passionate Basketball lovers, made by passionate basketball lovers. But with its astounding animations, the high fidelity of the greatest players reproduced in game (the older stars like the ones of today), its rich content, deep gameplay, atmosphere and fantastic sound work, 2K's sport game wows anyone. It's as clear as a lightning-fast pass from Magic Johnson, a Michael Jordan cross-over or 3-point shot from Larry Bird: NBA 2K12 is the best basket simulation ever published.

NB 2K12 is as generous as it is demanding, and it's unquestionably a game for passionate Basketball lovers, made by passionate basketball lovers. But with its astounding animations, the high fidelity of the greatest players reproduced in game (the older stars like the ones of today), its rich content, deep gameplay, atmosphere and fantastic sound work, 2K's sport game wows anyone. It's as clear as a lightning-fast pass from Magic Johnson, a Michael Jordan cross-over or 3-point shot from Larry Bird: NBA 2K12 is the best basket simulation ever published.

With its sexy heroins and its more adventure-oriented formula, Atelier Totori is more appealing than its predecessor. Even though it stays relatively similar in terms of visuals and at its core, Atelier Totori offers some gameplay adjustments and story enhancements, for the better. A classic-style RPG, but a nice one.

Aliens: Infestation is a nice little game that can really appeal to the lovers of the alien saga, thanks to its nice production, neat atmosphere and Metroid-like gameplay. It still rather short and repetitive, with a little lack of ambition.

If you feel more like a geneticist than an adventurer yourself, Dragon Quest Monster Joker 2 might keep you interested enough thanks to its enticing monster synthesis gameplay and its bestiary of hundreds of Dragon Quest monsters. But aside this core aspect, the journey lacks the extra spice, the combats sometimes feel out of place and artificially added in order to boost the game's longevity. Depending on your own tastes, you may see the full or the empty half of that glass.

Forza 4 is back in good shape with more content than ever before and many new features, including Kinect integration for the fun, the Autovista mode for car lovers, the Rival mode for competition, and much more... but we will first remember its technical performance (the game looks great and runs continuously at 60 fps) and its superb gameplay, which provides renewed physics for exceptional driving sensations. We can forgive its few flaws and raise our thumbs up: it is impossible to miss it if you're a fan of racing games.

With A Game of Thrones Genesis, Cyanide tackles too large a task for its own means, so disappointment ensues. Despite that, it's still the perfect licence to introduce fresh and new boardgames mechanics, and that helps to make it a nice multiplayer experience. But it still suffers from poor production values, ugly graphics, a lack of ambition, and unclear or insufficient visual cues as to what exactly is happening.

As a whole, id Software's game is more than solid, but it still lacks a decent third act, with a scenario that would have focused a little more on the mystery of the apocalypse for example - but more importantly, its underwhelming (to say the least) ending sequence is a stain on an otherwise brilliant world, atmosphere and game design. Controller in hand, it still is a great game to play, with a brilliant gameplay mashup and various neat ideas. This time though, id Software delivered "only" a great game, not a masterpiece.

A gem of sublime darkness. In the same way that an infamous ring did poison the soul of the one wearing it, this game becomes both the burden and the treasure of the one playing it. Cruel, even more so than its predecessor from which it keeps almost everything, Dark Souls offers a singular atmosphere, one where the player is prey, gambles its life with each step he dares to take, and its sanity every time he makes progress towards more evil that can kill him in a single strike. If you feel crazy enough to dive in, though, Dark Souls will possess you like very few can: it's a drug, and it's in the poison it exudes that lies its virtue.

A gem of sublime darkness. In the same way that an infamous ring did poison the soul of the one wearing it, this game becomes both the burden and the treasure of the one playing it. Cruel, even more so than its predecessor from which it keeps almost everything, Dark Souls offers a singular atmosphere, one where the player is prey, gambles its life with each step he dares to take, and its sanity every time he makes progress towards more evil that can kill him in a single strike. If you feel crazy enough to dive in, though, Dark Souls will possess you like very few can: it's a drug, and it's in the poison it exudes that lies its virtue.

Rotastic is a little XBLA game full surprisingly full of qualities. It didn't have a lot of buzz when it came out, but it deserves all your attention. Structured like an iPhone game and blessed with a fun atmosphere, the game offers around 70 very short stages to rack up points by getting gems and crushing bricks using a grapple. It's a very simple game, using only two buttons, for chasing the best possible score in order to unlock the following levels. There's even a multiplayer mode, and despite some shortcomings, it's a nice surprise.

This compilation combines two historic titles from Namco on the 3DS, and offers six games in total. Two of them date back to 80 and 81, and are displayed on such tiny screen that they become unplayable, two others are available in far superior versions (Pac-Man Championship Edition and Galaga Legions in DX versions on the XBLA and PSN), and the final two use the features of the 3DS (gyro for Pac-Man Tilt, a poor platformer, and Augmented Reality for Galaga 3D Impact, a shameful shooter), but both are incredibly lame.

The Binding of Isaac is a loony action/adventure game with a Kawai Gore atmosphere, random challenges and a varied gameplay. Thanks to the talent of the developers, the formula works perfectly well and draws you back in easily to slaughter some more, or see the poor Isaac being bludgeoned violently.

FIFA 12 has not only improved upon FIFA 11, this episode is perhaps the one that takes the most risks, and the result is excellent. This redesigned gameplay, the revamped defense and the huge learning curve it offers makes for an impressive FIFA 12 that soccer fans will love.

FIFA 12 has not only improved upon FIFA 11, this episode is perhaps the one that takes the most risks, and the result is excellent. This redesigned gameplay, the revamped defense and the huge learning curve it offers makes for an impressive FIFA 12 that soccer fans will love.

F1 2011 is not a necessary purchase for the more casual racing game fan. Only the purists will opt to upgrade, in order to play it online, access the latest gameplay enhancement, and dive into the F1 racing world with updated cars and racers. A large update, indeed, rather than a completely new title. But the enhanced AI, better online play, and refined simulation still make for a very welcome addition ; let's hope next year's edition will also feature visual improvements.

F1 2011 is not a necessary purchase for the more casual racing game fan. Only the purists will opt to upgrade, in order to play it online, access the latest gameplay enhancement, and dive into the F1 racing world with updated cars and racers. A large update, indeed, rather than a completely new title. But the enhanced AI, better online play, and refined simulation still make for a very welcome addition ; let's hope next year's edition will also feature visual improvements.

Avalanche Studios polished its deliciously retro title, and delivers an action-loaded game with beautiful visuals, fun physics and a large dose of fun, in solo or coop alike. For that price, the 6 hours of play feel like a genuine and worthy heir to the old Desert and Jungle Strike games, with added thrill.

Another World is an old game. Playing it again today brings back a lot of memories, some of which were true twenty years ago, but today, not anymore. Fortunately, the touch screen controls have been well implemented, the addition of checkpoints and the graphical overhaul (keeping the original gorgeous visual style) bring out the fun of re-discovering this adventure, even though it's one that is more based upon memory than skill. But when you are not an oldie yourself, you may rant against its difficulty, a really short lifespan (when not accounting for retries) and a gameplay that are... out of this world.

Back in good shape last year, PES now confirms that it is a very good football simulation again. Of course, there is still some flaws here, but we will above all retain its increased AI, its improved and fluid gameplay, its new modes... and the challenges of the training mode appear to be a really nice touch.

Back in good shape last year, PES now confirms that it is a very good football simulation again. Of course, there is still some flaws here, but we will above all retain its increased AI, its improved and fluid gameplay, its new modes... and the challenges of the training mode appear to be a really nice touch.

Quotation forthcoming.

A true killer app when it was released on the GameCube in 2005, Resident Evil 4 was a decisive take on the series, and on the action genre as a whole.

A true killer app when it was released on the GameCube in 2005, Resident Evil 4 was a decisive take on the series, and on the action genre as a whole.

Not many innovations compared to last year's editions. Madden NFL 12 still remains a good simulation with most of what the sports' fans are looking for. With a better implementation of impacts with improved animations and prettier graphics, this version is an honest update of the license, without prompting '11 owners for a necessary purchase. Only beginners will appreciate the Gameflow feature, which improves the accessibility of the game.

Not many innovations compared to last year's editions. Madden NFL 12 still remains a good simulation with most of what the sports' fans are looking for. With a better implementation of impacts with improved animations and prettier graphics, this version is an honest update of the license, without prompting '11 owners for a necessary purchase. Only beginners will appreciate the Gameflow feature, which improves the accessibility of the game.

The Gunstringer only lacks a deeper formula to truly shine. Indeed, the almost non-existent difficulty will probably render the experience quite dull for any core gamer, but the fun of the shooting sequences and the originality of the whole formula, and especially its presentation, will charm more casual gamers.

Red Orchestra's back with an even more polished gameplay, a new graphical engine, some added mechanics, and, indeed, tanks. The realism of the first one is back yet again, even though some slight modifications may throw off some of the gamers used to the original. But this mix of atmosphere and demanding gameplay, both as an individual FPS gamer and a team player, is what makes RO2 unique. It still lacks a little polish, though, but a patch should take care of this.

Hard Reset is a full-on action-only FPS in a cyberpunk universe, blessed by a beautiful graphical engine and some nice gameplay ideas. The menu, which cycles through corridors, arenas, and waves of enemies, lacks variety, with only two boss fights and an undecipherable scenario, but nice explosions all over and a lot of reloads for the player. It may yet be too subtle for the Painkiller formula lovers... but it still a very ok game.

It's almost impossible to overlook this third episode. Pushing the boundaries even further, the solo campaign is a satisfying conclusion to the story. In terms of multiplayer, it's obvious that Epic delivers the best episode yet, both in terms of fun and richness. Overall, it's more accessible, all the while keeping enough details for the hardcore to enjoy it, in solo play, co-op, or competitive play. For what more can one ask?

Rock of Ages combines strategy and dexterity in an original and wacky game. The solo campaign is a little quick and easy to overcome and the multiplayer clearly lacks some options as well as players. But despite this, you'll get value for its price, so just buy it: the more do it, the less this last shortcoming will fade.

Playing Street Fighter III : Third Strike from the comfort of your couch is now possible. And in very nice conditions, both in terms of visuals, playability, or netcode efficiency. Capcom even enriched the experience, offering numerous challenges to complete in various ways. So if you want to have a taste of the best fighting game ever made by this developer, it's now or never.

A nice remake, similar to what was done with Ocarina of Time 3D, to fulfill the desires of players who never had a chance to experience the original on the N64. If the challenges may appear short at first, with the multiple branching in the "Adventure mode" and other new and different modes of play, most notably the scoring one, there is plenty to be done. Despite some shortcomings, it's a nicely polished title.

If it doesn't have any competitors, it's because they wouldn't be a match: NHL 12 keeps honoring the tradition of quality of the franchise and ends up, this year again, being one of the best sports simulations ever. With a sharp gameplay, nice visuals, optimized collision engine, NHL 12 will fill up the needs of frictions-on-ice lovers.

If it doesn't have any competitors, it's because they wouldn't be a match: NHL 12 keeps honoring the tradition of quality of the franchise and ends up, this year again, being one of the best sports simulations ever. With a sharp gameplay, nice visuals, optimized collision engine, NHL 12 will fill up the needs of frictions-on-ice lovers.

Even though Rugby World Cup 2011 feels like an "old" title gameplay-wise and in terms of production values, the not-so demanding enthusiasts may find it to fit their liking, but maybe not as a full-price purchase. We'd rather wait for a less opportunistic version with better visuals and more gameplay choices to be completely satisfied.

El Shaddai is a game that seduces with its looks, atmosphere and little ideas rather than its gameplay. This beat'em all is far from a Bayonetta or a God of War for sure, but it mesmerizes nonetheless with its hallucinated and daring visuals, its soundtrack and its very personal way - to say the least - of interpreting a religious text. One does not come out unscathed from the experience... whether it is in a good or bad way, depending on one's appreciation of the value of the form over the substance, or the artistic approach over the efficiency of a gameplay.

El Shaddai is a game that seduces with its looks, atmosphere and little ideas rather than its gameplay. This beat'em all is far from a Bayonetta or a God of War for sure, but it mesmerizes nonetheless with its hallucinated and daring visuals, its soundtrack and its very personal way - to say the least - of interpreting a religious text. One does not come out unscathed from the experience... whether it is in a good or bad way, depending on one's appreciation of the value of the form over the substance, or the artistic approach over the efficiency of a gameplay.

Masterpieces are immortal. This new HD and 3D edition erases some of yesterday's shortcomings (most notably the low frame-rate of Shadow of the Colossus), all the while underlining some other technical issues that we overlooked yesterday, but those two journeys, those two gameplays, those two stories remain as potent as ever. Those are two titles that stand elsewhere in the crowd of computer games, two stars that shine as brightly as ever in an ever-evolving galaxy, and don't seem ready to fade away any time soon.

If you're looking for the next gem for smartphones and iPad, it may very well be Contre Jour. This puzzle-game with a poetry twist draws inspirations from Limbo for its visuals, World of Goo for its drops, Portal for its... portals, Cut the Rope for its mechanics combining dexterity and brains. A very nice blend of many different elements that fit together very well.

For a first shot at making a TPS game respectful of the original Warhammer 40K license, Relic managed to deliver a nice game. The solo campaign still lacks ambition and tends to choose the easy way over the more varied one, with a 100% action centric gameplay, but its fury and playability still brings a lot of fun. It would have been nice, though, to be able to enjoy a little more in that regard. In terms of multiplayer, Relic did a good job as well, even though only one of the couple of modes wields enough tactical elements to last in the long run. So all in all, it's a nice translation of the license in the TPS genre, but not one that would stand on its own without the rich GamesWorkshop universe.

There's no argument there: Resistance 3 is the best episode of the series. More enticing, more polished, and more fun. Some shortcomings prevent it from reaching the top of the genre, though, but it still comes out as one of the best FPS exclusives on the PS3.

Indeed less memorable than the CG trailer that skyrocketed the buzz around its name, Dead Island still differentiates itself from the rest of the action/horror games thanks to a singular atmosphere. It's a shame its story is forgettable, its close range combat is sometimes confusing and its production values lag behind today's average, because the Banoi Island does have its charms. The survival feeling is there, and the bright sun rays won't dissipate the fear lurking around. Its RPG side with skills and weapons upgrades, online cooperative gameplay and clear identity make Dead Island a nice summer steam-venting action title.

Bodycount is supposed to be a violence venting machine. A very arcady FPS, if you will. But though the action itself is indeed there, nothing is making it stand out from the other productions of the genre, and the load of shortcomings (poor AI, average production values, uninteresting special moves system, completely dull story) will probably ruin the fun for most. With some heavy eights of the genre incoming, or already there, it's impossible to recommend.

Bodycount is supposed to be a violence venting machine. A very arcady FPS, if you will. But though the action itself is indeed there, nothing is making it stand out from the other productions of the genre, and the load of shortcomings (poor AI, average production values, uninteresting special moves system, completely dull story) will probably ruin the fun for most. With some heavy eights of the genre incoming, or already there, it's impossible to recommend.

Despite the somewhat repetitive missions, Driver San Francisco is packed with qualities. It's gotten back to its roots, but with an all new feature: the "shift" ability, which is wonderfully used in solo or multiplayer gameplay. The driving is really cool, the car chases are thrilling and spectacular...and the multiplayer is really good fun. A nearly perfect come-back!

Despite the somewhat repetitive missions, Driver San Francisco is packed with qualities. It's gotten back to its roots, but with an all new feature: the "shift" ability, which is wonderfully used in solo or multiplayer gameplay. The driving is really cool, the car chases are thrilling and spectacular...and the multiplayer is really good fun. A nearly perfect come-back!

Would it have made more sense to truly re-make each episode to have them on par with other PS3 productions? The question remains. That being said, the transition to HD and 3D and the addition of the dodge mechanic on the right analog stick will be enough for the fans, or those who didn't have the opportunity to play the PSP originals. If you're among those who actually did, you can ignore this release. Let's take note, as well, that the technical gap between Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta is pretty obvious, this last one being by far the better port of the two.

2K chose to focus on the basics with Major League Baseball 2K11, without trying to innovate too much. But the result remains a simulation-oriented game that works really well, blessed with excellent production values, a great atmosphere, and an ergonomic management system for the teams. It still lacks the fresh and innovative ideas to become the definitive Baseball simulation that will shower your living-room with action-packed games.

2K chose to focus on the basics with Major League Baseball 2K11, without trying to innovate too much. But the result remains a simulation-oriented game that works really well, blessed with excellent production values, a great atmosphere, and an ergonomic management system for the teams. It still lacks the fresh and innovative ideas to become the definitive Baseball simulation that will shower your living-room with action-packed games.

A game which clearly delivers richness and varied pleasures. Granted, it's not perfect, especially from a purely technical standpoint, and it will probably not surprise as much as its illustrious ancestor did back in 2000, but its generosity, the excellence of its artistic direction and cyberpunk universe, supported by a sublime soundtrack, draw us right in for a long adventure from which it's very, very difficult to break free. I can't wait for a follow-up that could be freed from the constraints that clearly limited what the developers ambitionned to deliver originally... because Deus Ex Human Revolution still marks the return of true cyberpunk in videogames. Let's pray it doesn't leave us again for another 10 years.

A game which clearly delivers richness and varied pleasures. Granted, it's not perfect, especially from a purely technical standpoint, and it will probably not surprise as much as its illustrious ancestor did back in 2000, but its generosity, the excellence of its artistic direction and cyberpunk universe, supported by a sublime soundtrack, draw us right in for a long adventure from which it's very, very difficult to break free. I can't wait for a follow-up that could be freed from the constraints that clearly limited what the developers ambitionned to deliver originally... because Deus Ex Human Revolution still marks the return of true cyberpunk in videogames. Let's pray it doesn't leave us again for another 10 years.

Xenoblade Chronicles is like a collage of all the best elements taken from the JRPGs that came out in the 2000's. It has everything to become a cult RPG, including a release platform that doesn't really suit the genre. So, even though its not HD, its numerous qualities make it a must-have for all JRPG fans who didn't yet commit suicide because of all the disappointments of this generation.

With Age of Empires Online, Robot Entertainment offers a real-time strategy experience for a large public in terms of solo play, and probably one that's more interesting in PVP. But in order to enjoy it, it's really best to purchase a premium civilization. It still remains pretty straightforward and classic, but wrapped up in a nice, overall production, with very polished equipment management, crafting and decoration options for your city.

E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy transpires good will, but the team at Streum On should have started with something smaller and offer a simpler but more polished title. The combat's quality is there, but the rest doesn't quite follow. Too bad.

The Asskickers claims to be the rebirth of the 2D beat'em all genre. It's just a resounding failure, in almost every way.

The artistic direction of ITSP drew me in a dream, even though I was expecting a better storyline, and a tiny bit more out of the title overall. The gameplay remains solid, supporting an adventure with a nice blend of action and puzzle-solving sequences.

On the DS, this new episode of Harry Potter offers action but also puzzles. That's a good point, but unfortunately the game is way too simplistic... The puzzles are too easy, the action sequences are primitive, and above all the game is visually awful.

This third person shooter is a pure action game, with no adventure or exploration elements like in previous Harry Potter games. No problem about that, but the result is still very repetitive and short (about 4 hours of gameplay). The fans will still be glad to find the young sorcerer and his friends well modeled in 3D. It is a faithful adaptation, but not a good game.

When it was released in 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade, Limbo had everything of the absolute video game gem. A year later, its charms are stronger than ever. Wrapped in its simple yet elegant visuals, with a unique atmosphere, this platformer will challenge your sense of observation, your wits, and your brains... without forgetting to twinkle your emotions. A masterpiece yesterday, a masterpiece today.

With The Cartel, you can see that the developers tried to ensure the atmosphere was nice... but it does not work. The characters are too predictable, and so is the story. The action sequences are too basic... playing in coop can still be nice, but it does not save a game that lacks inspiration.

What a sad ending for the Harry Potter videogame saga this part 2 is. Solely focused on action, in order to give meaning to the PS Move but failing in doing so, this PS3 title a simple port of the Wii version. Visually below average, too linear and too short, this adaptation of Harry's adventures will only have appeal in the eyes of the yonger and most Potter-addicted gamers.

From Dust's answer to the cravings of sandbox god game fanatics may be imperfect, but it would be a shame to deny him his chance, since we didn't have a god game for so long. Its ergonomic shortcomings and underwhelming surprising and renewal abilities prevent it from reaching the heights we'd have hoped, but the beauty of its simulation and the occasional awe-inspiring moments we get while contemplating our own creations are very real as well.

Even though its gameplay remains pretty classical, Bastion shows its singularity through its real time, voiced-over narration. During play of this Action RPG title, which remains solid and rich if not original, a voice will tell of your doings, your failures, every step of the way. Add a nice sense of progress and lush 2D visuals, and you may have the indy game of this summer '11 before your eyes. Even though it's not as remarkable as the likes of Braid or Limbo.

Twisted Pixel started with a lot of ideas and good will for this semi-remake, semi-follow-up to their best game to date, 'Splosion Man. If gamers will get a lot of value, thanks to an amount of content that could put to shame several better-established productions, its implementation suffers too many shortcomings, starting with the basic concept that strayed too far away from the original by design. It's like this good old saying : if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Captain America: Super Soldier shamelessly copies Batman: Arkham Asylum, and even though it doesn't achieve the same excellence, it remains a nice venting beat'em all to dive into before Batman Arkham City arrives in October. You may yet consider waiting a little so as to see its price get a little lower, because it's still not one of those average games that won't leave a mark in history.

Captain America: Super Soldier shamelessly copies Batman: Arkham Asylum, and even though it doesn't achieve the same excellence, it remains a nice venting beat'em all to dive into before Batman Arkham City arrives in October. You may yet consider waiting a little so as to see its price get a little lower, because it's still not one of those average games that won't leave a mark in history.

Most games adapted from famous comic franchises with super heroes are crap. Some very few ones are brilliant. Green Lantern is neither. It's linear, repetitive and it lacks ambition and ideas, ending up below your average action game, but the variety of weapons and overall combat gameplay are still satisfying. They offer a decent way to vent, if only for short bursts of play, either by oneself or with a friend.

Most games adapted from famous comic franchises with super heroes are crap. Some very few ones are brilliant. Green Lantern is neither. It's linear, repetitive and it lacks ambition and ideas, ending up below your average action game, but the variety of weapons and overall combat gameplay are still satisfying. They offer a decent way to vent, if only for short bursts of play, either by oneself or with a friend.

To celebrate its 15th birthday, CyberConnect2 went all-out in order to father a spiritual follow-up to its original game Tail Concerto, full of love and passion. Pretty, with a world that shares some common traits with the work of H. Miyazaki, and an accessible yet satisfying action gameplay and nice characters, it's a perfect game to offer to younger gamers... if you can't bear to play a talking dog yourself.

Very inspired by the Lucha Libre comic, Lucha Fury offers a really polished artistic direction, colorful visuals, and a fun mexican wrestling take on the atmosphere. But once you get your hands on the controller, it feels like you've been suplexed hard : the gameplay clearly lacks smoothness, the characters feel like they're ice skating all the time, collision bugs are legion, and there's latency in the execution of the combat moves... The special moves seem dull and there aren't any enemy really fun to battle. Levels are repetitive, poorly paced, musics can make you crazy... it's the typical example of a beat'em all with a world and atmosphere that would have been perfect for the genre, if only the gameplay wasn't a real mess.

Even though one can't deny what benefits it brings to the body and the quality of the training exercises, the visual and sound of UFC Trainer are disappointing. It also lacks rhythm to appeal to the gamer who's at least a little fond of sports already. It still may be a complementary training tool if you do your sport live, already.

Ape Escape was the first game to require the use of a DualShock controller on the original PlayStation, but this new PS3 episode won't be as important to PlayStation history as his illustrious predecessor was. It's a repetitive rail shooter where you switch from butterfly net to catapult to fan in order to capture monkeys and get as much bananas as possible, but it's mainly aimed at younger kids. With its nice animated sequences and a fair game mechanic, parents can offer it safely, but the lack of a multiplayer mode to share the experience and the overall lack of variety are hard to forgive.

There's no way one can't see Capcom's expedience in this game. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a game mode, sold full price. The experience was tailored to appeal to scoring aesthetes, with a decent challenge for those who want to unlock everything, but the game remains rough and arid for most. With the noticeable exception of the production values and a working multiplayer, the game is a poor one: no story, repetitiveness beyond reason, a level-design based on scavenging previous games, and in very limited numbers... please no more. Resident Evil, as a saga, didn't need such an effort.

If you were to find the perfect illustration of the downfall of Japanese RPGs, it would probably look like White Knight Chronicles II. Its combat system is wonky, trying to find the pieces of itself and finding only the player's weariness, its story and characters are so tasteless that one might wonder if we're still in 2011, and finally, its shameless recycling of maps and stuff from the first one doesn't do it any good. Only the multiplayer manages to linger on in our thoughts, baring a little esteem, but it's definitely not enough to dive into this tiresome adventure. Please don't fail on ninokuni like you ailed on this one, level-5, please.

They say the end justifies the means. With Avadon : The Black Fortress, Spiderweb offers a large choice of both. It falls upon you to get through it.

Alma used to give you nightmares with the previous episodes? That won't be the case here. Action is predominant, and serves well for nice gunfights, let's make that clear. But with production values that are below our usual tastes, levels that are too linear and an atmosphere that is more bloody than frightening, there's disappointment to be had. F.3.A.R is but another FPS that has trouble differentiating itself from the crowd.

Alma used to give you nightmares with the previous episodes? That won't be the case here. Action is predominant, and serves well for nice gunfights, let's make that clear. But with production values that are below our usual tastes, levels that are too linear and an atmosphere that is more bloody than frightening, there's disappointment to be had. F.3.A.R is but another FPS that has trouble differentiating itself from the crowd.

Yet another Party Game from Nintendo. With Wii Play Motion like with other games of this type, solo play is dispensable: the fun comes from multiplayer. But for this one, even multiplayer won't cut it; we're desperately waiting for the spark, the one mini-game that will capture us. This time around, the spark doesn't come. This follow-up to Wii Play will only convince the youngest of gamers during birthday parties.

Incoming movie? Quick, get me a game out there! That's how one could summarize Transformers: Dark of the Moon. With super linear TPS phases and a failed racing gameplay, this episode only has its Mecha license and steam-venting ability for itself. AI's a mess, most of the original sequences aren't really convincing, and its production values are clearly not on par with the rest of the game products of today.

Incoming movie? Quick, get me a game out there! That's how one could summarize Transformers: Dark of the Moon. With super linear TPS phases and a failed racing gameplay, this episode only has its Mecha license and steam-venting ability for itself. AI's a mess, most of the original sequences aren't really convincing, and its production values are clearly not on par with the rest of the game products of today.

DOFUS : Battles is a kind of evolved Plants vs Zombies-like, perfectly designed for the iOS platforms. The characters that will have to contain the waves of enemies and prevent them from reaching the far back of the grid can gain levels and be equipped, in the regular RPG style. Sadly though, the majority of the 12 character classes don't seem to be much useful to obtain victory map after map. That's even more a shame that apart from this game design flaw, there's not much else to blame.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is indeed an enhanced version of the previous one, but it still holds the same shortcomings. Two in particular are particularly displeasing : no way to personally manage your mana, and no way to create your own decks with the cards of this edition. It still is an affordable and fun way to start playing Magic : The Gathering, or to enjoy casually a game or two once in a while against human players through the internet, despite its limited card collection and the two aforementioned flaws.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is indeed an enhanced version of the previous one, but it still holds the same shortcomings. Two in particular are particularly displeasing : no way to personally manage your mana, and no way to create your own decks with the cards of this edition. It still is an affordable and fun way to start playing Magic : The Gathering, or to enjoy casually a game or two once in a while against human players through the internet, despite its limited card collection and the two aforementioned flaws.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is indeed an enhanced version of the previous one, but it still holds the same shortcomings. Two in particular are particularly displeasing : no way to personally manage your mana, and no way to create your own decks with the cards of this edition. It still is an affordable and fun way to start playing Magic : The Gathering, or to enjoy casually a game or two once in a while against human players through the internet, despite its limited card collection and the two aforementioned flaws.

Dungeon Siege III is a perfect example of an average game. Not quite pretty, but not ugly either, with a dull plot but one that is not as insipid as some others from poor JRPGs, and a wimpish gameplay that remains ok for the gamers that don't really want to be asked for too much effort. Multiplayer and liking of the global atmosphere will be the two decisive criteria in deciding whether you'll see a half-empty or half-full cup when contemplating DS3.

Dungeon Siege III is a perfect example of an average game. Not quite pretty, but not ugly either, with a dull plot but one that is not as insipid as some others from poor JRPGs, and a wimpish gameplay that remains ok for the gamers that don't really want to be asked for too much effort. Multiplayer and liking of the global atmosphere will be the two decisive criteria in deciding whether you'll see a half-empty or half-full cup when contemplating DS3.

Short of an outstanding visual appeal, and with a rather poor level design and uninspired story, Red Faction Armageddon won't be able to raise itself above the TPS usual crowd. But despite its shortcomings, the appeal of destructibility and of a very playable action remains efficient enough to see through the solo campaign. Multiplayer may be fun a couple of hours, but it's very forgettable.

Short of an outstanding visual appeal, and with a rather poor level design and uninspired story, Red Faction Armageddon won't be able to raise itself above the TPS usual crowd. But despite its shortcomings, the appeal of destructibility and of a very playable action remains efficient enough to see through the solo campaign. Multiplayer may be fun a couple of hours, but it's very forgettable.

Short of an outstanding visual appeal, and with a rather poor level design and uninspired story, Red Faction Armageddon won't be able to raise itself above the TPS usual crowd. But despite its shortcomings, the appeal of destructibility and of a very playable action remains efficient enough to see through the solo campaign. Multiplayer may be fun a couple of hours, but it's very forgettable.

Shadows of the Damned is a Road Movie made game. You watch and play it, enjoying the fun an politically incorrect humor, over-the-top atmosphere and appealing characters. Too bad some shortcomings like camera issues, a rather short campaign and some lack of exploration undermine its otherwise enjoyable formula.

Quotation forthcoming.