Ubisoft Shanghai delivered on I Am Alive promise. It's a real take on the survival genre, one that may not have the top production values of AAA retail blockbusters for sure, but one that works nonetheless.

If Eternal Strands somehow slipped under your radar amidst a truly insane previous year for video games, it deserves your full attention if you love magic, have a creative mind, and enjoy the epic feel of facing titanic monsters that Monster Hunter or Shadow of the Colossus wouldn't disown. This first game from a new studio composed of BioWare and Ubisoft veterans certainly offers a very solid foundation for a franchise as original as it is convincing. As it stands, however, one might regret a slight lack of risk-taking, which translates into an arsenal of weapons and spells, as well as a bestiary that, unfortunately, becomes repetitive rather quickly. We therefore hope that this successful first attempt has achieved well-deserved success, so that its creators can push the boundaries even further in a potential sequel.

Vessel is a classique puzzler/platformer using fluids physics, but it's overall a very solid, even mastered one. The world is nice, the Fluros are fun, the puzzles almost perfectly balanced to challenge, without frustrating, and the story's interesting too.

Yakuza 0 is one the best Yakuza games and it's a game that PC gamers should not miss. Fun and overflowing with content, Yakuza 0 allows players to discover Tokyo and Osaka's red light districts as they were during Japan's "bubble economy" years. SEGA Europe did a great job on this PC port as the game has never looked so good.

Rockstar reclaimed Max Payne in their own way, without changing its core: it's a shooter, and its main protagonist is as dark as ever. The real surprise comes from the multiplayer, one of the best third-person ones we've played. This PC version is, at last, really well coded. No more GTAIV PC port nightmare from Rockstar? Let's hope so, GTA V is coming...

There are no surprises with the Dragon Quest 1 & 2 Remake compilation. The two games retain all the charm of the originals, enhanced by the ever-delightful HD-2D graphics, and are enriched with new stories, activities and events. While the two games are not exactly equal, the gameplay adjustments and new features modernise two episodes that were in dire need of an update. It's impossible not to succumb immediately to the charm of this duo, which is as addictive as a delicious treat.

With this big update, Resident Evil Village is easily one of the spearheads of the PSVR 2. An essential experience for horror and ultra immersive game lovers. Capcom has done a masterful job and has taken advantage of the opportunity to offer new gameplay that is entirely optimised for Sony's headset. And the result is striking. Despite its few flaws, Village takes advantage of VR to give itself a new lease on life. Even the most reluctant players, who didn't find the original game impressive, will be taken on board in this nightmarish adventure. Some sequences are more gripping than ever. In short, with the PSVR 2, Resident Evil Village is more than ever an essential.

With the introduction of new vehicle figurines, Skylanders Superchargers offers refreshing new gameplay mechanics. A convincing episode.

Watch Dogs 2 is a very good game, at least in solo mode, as the multiplayer part of the game is closed right now because of strong issues.

Tears don't lie. That Dragon, Cancer isn't flawless, but is certainly a unique experience as it makes us genuinely and almost instantly connect with the Green Family. And it will, for sure, make you think about people about whom you care.

Capcom mixes and matches all the fighting games ingredients, without achieving the finesse and subtlety of a Street Fighter IV. IN the end, Street Fighter X Tekken is an excellent compromise between the most demanding fighting games targeting pro-fighters, and the most pure fun oriented ones, targeting beginners. If you will, it's for fighting games, in some way, what World of Warcraft was for MMOs.

Outerlight (The Ship) came up with a boosted version of its favorite genre: the murder game. And works rather nicely ! For 5 euros / 400 Microsoft Points on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade only ? Seriously : it's a good deal.

MotoGP 19 is much better than its previous edition. The content is at the rendezvous and it is adaptable to most styles of players. Whether you want to find the best settings in manual mode or you want to enjoy the helps provided and ride in 5 minutes it will satisfy you. For the next year, we ask for a graphic evolution and a scenario in career mode. This will give more to an already very complete game.

I really thought that Blood Dragon would quickly become too much, but I'm surprised that it was able to make me laugh all the way through this heavily deformed and 80's enriched Far Cry 3. It goes in all directions, and at great length, to charm all over-the top, punchline riddled, references fans. A smart and refreshing stand-alone take.

Sega has skillfully orchestrated the blue hedgehog's return to the racetrack. Rather than taking the risk of a complete overhaul, the teams have instead revisited a formula that already worked very well, modernizing it by drawing inspiration from what they had previously created. Smooth, fast-paced, and wildly addictive, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has something to delight fans of the genre on all platforms. The only drawbacks are a rather meager launch roster, a limited number of Grand Prix tracks, and the Competition Area, which won't appeal to everyone. But with its promise of regular content updates over the long term, it has everything it takes to become a new staple in the racing game landscape.

It's the less expensive and the most polished version of the Virtua Fighter Saga. Yes, it's not all that new either, but the original VF5 was a strong title for hardcore and elitist versus fighting fans, and this one is definitely a revision worth buying for them.

Splice is a puzzle game where you manipulate genes to get to the desired shape. With 7 "levels" of 7 puzzles each, you need to first understand the logic behind the molecules and the way to move them, then play with special ones, and finally go against the limited amount of "splices" you can perform. It's a nice game, supported by a very nice music, but it would probably be best suited for touch screens.

NHL 16 can be grateful to have such a faithful community who help to improve the quality of the gameplay. The game is more complete this year with the LHESA mode.

Transcending what the already good Persona 4 Arena was, Ultimax nearly appears as a god tier amongst the fighting games to date. Attractive, compelling, time consuming. What else?

Putting some difficult years behind, the 2011 edition of PES has become attractive again. But if it's been able to catch up in any way, its more with what was expected from previous editions than with its competitor FIFA. On almost all fronts, except its interface, formation menus, and ball physics, EA's title seems superior. PES remains an excellent football game, and will be loved by many, but like the "Oranje" team of Holland, its latest performance isn't the best ever, especially when compared the other team.

It's hard not to see flaws in this Fable III, which is less convincing in many areas than the previous one. Its inconsistent production values (sometimes beautifully executed, sometimes lacking a lot of polish), the over-simplification of some things that are sometimes not that efficient, the less than inspired bestiary : potential reproaches are numerous. But despite all those, Fable III, like it predecessors, remains so charming and mesmerizing that it works. The coop mode is a bliss (at last), and even though the "being King gameplay" is clearly underwhelming, one cannot be bored by this new Albion. Yes, Fable III could have been better polished and more ambitious, but it's still a game unlike any other.

The launch of an MMO, even a well-crafted and solid one like Rift, is but a doorway to the land of perpetual development, with as many chances to succeed than to fail. This is probably why Trion chose to deliver a game that feels comfortable, and functional, with only light touches of innovation - a solid foundation upon which to build. While I'm awaiting to discover what they will propose during the upcoming year, I'm savoring the arrival of a new big MMO on the market, and the pleasures of playing with it.

Squids Wild West doesn't have the element of surprise of its predecessor, nor even a deep revolution in its concept. But its highly-polished world and its accessible yet enticing gameplay make it a must-have for this platform.

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.

This odd point & click adventure will make you smile a lot and laugh quite a few times. It's hard not to be charmed by Deponia and its inhabitants.

FRAMED is a brilliant puzzle game that you can't quit one you've started playing it. Even if it's too short, the experience is memorable for what it does great: its mechanics feel great, it's beautiful, well-rhythmed, with a fantastic jazz score. A must have for any smartphone/tablet owner.

Putting some difficult years behind, the 2011 edition of PES has become attractive again. But if it's been able to catch up in any way, its more with what was expected from previous editions than with its competitor FIFA. On almost all fronts, except its interface, formation menus, and ball physics, EA's title seems superior. PES remains an excellent football game, and will be loved by many, but like the "Oranje" team of Holland, its latest performance isn't the best ever, especially when compared the other team.

LostWinds2 is remarkably well-suited for iOS, and the game remains as nice and fresh as it was in the Wii.