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.