Arkham Origins iOS is the perfect example of game development went wrong. Mortal Kombat-studio NetherRealm tried its best to create a pretty looking game, but the base concept is way too sloppy to justify its investment. The studio blindly stared at the success of Infinity Blade, instead of the famous combat system of its console counterpart.

A serious lawyer drama in an absurd manga setting: ace attorneys Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice are back to fight crime, protect the innocent and once again try to get themselves out of embarrassing situations.

In a world in which everything has to be faster, more fluent and easier, Wii Party U seems to adhere to blueprints from a long lost past. Its decent appearance and care that’s been put in the mini games, aren’t enough to keep this dance going. Instead of that, it generates awkward silences in between decent moments of fun. That’s extra painful for it being a party game and all.

Beyond: Two Souls takes the time to build up towards a few memorable climaxes. Unfortunately the story takes a few sloppy and sudden turns, that miss the point completely. It also doesn’t take long for the game mechanic to be nothing more than boring, mindless quick time events. Players and viewers aren’t being taken seriously enough by Beyond.

There are enough reasons to consider purchasing F1 2013. The Formula 1 cars control better than in previous installments and thanks to new modes there are easier ways to get into some action quickly. Unfortunately it feels kind of dated on an audiovisual level. Having to pay extra for classic content isn’t modern either.

Looking for a game to kill some time with? Then Dumb Ways to Die is a fun solution. It’s quite charming and has a high pace. Unfortunately it gets repetitive fast, because there’s only twelve mini games.

Rise of Venice excels because of the complex and enticing economic system, but forgets to build something good around that. This makes it hard to actually enjoy the game.

The Stanley Parable analyses, comments on, laughs at and loves games and their narrative ambitions. The result is this phenomenal meta game that makes you laugh and think at the same time.

Rain brings up the poet in you. With a beautiful soundtrack, refined story and a style that oozes beauty, it keeps you looking for a deeper meaning. That makes for an intriguing experience, although the stylish bubble has a tendency of breaking and the simple gameplay becomes an obstacle.

The first Inazuma Eleven on the 3DS doesn’t do anything to lift this entertaining franchise to greater heights. The soccer games are fun, but everything around it disappoints a little. Part three keeps its head above the water with its charming and fluent gameplay, but it could’ve been more.

The first Inazuma Eleven on the 3DS doesn’t do anything to lift this entertaining franchise to greater heights. The soccer games are fun, but everything around it disappoints a little. Part three keeps its head above the water with its charming and fluent gameplay, but it could’ve been more.

With Pokémon X and Y, GameFreak finally delivers on the big promise: a Pokémon game in which the pocket monsters actually come to life. That the game is also filled to the brim with content, makes X and Y the ultimate Pokémon generation.

With Pokémon X and Y, GameFreak finally delivers on the big promise: a Pokémon game in which the pocket monsters actually come to life. That the game is also filled to the brim with content, makes X and Y the ultimate Pokémon generation.

NBA 2K14 is a smaller step ahead than we’re used to, but still shines when it comes to game modes, controls, animations and atmosphere. Regarding sports games, this is the cream of the crop.

The HD-remake of wind Waker shows how strong the original GameCube-game was. In nearly every way it feels like a modern and fresh take on Zelda, that’s absolutely worth playing. Especially for newcomers. A few control issues and boring sail moments hardly detract from this magical experience.

Outlast doesn’t do itself any favors with uninspired gameplay elements, that all too often reduce frightening moments to simple routine. Not to say that it isn’t worth the confrontation though. It plays into the fear of being found or chased by something that wants to harm you. That feels primal, and is often absolutely terrifying. This is enhanced by environments that come to life through a great attention to detail. Outlast is a nightmare that’ll stick with you for while.

On the field we run into a more complex and deeper game, in which it’s all about patience and steel nerves. This is partly because PES 2014 is more a soccer simulator than a game and partly because the game part of it still has many flaws. It’s a promising step for the next generation of PES-games though, that much is obvious.

2K Drive might not be Project Gotham Racing, but it’s a decent first attempt by Lucid Games to conquer the mobile racing genre. There’s enough room for improvement, but in its core there’s an all right racing game that any fanatic can definitely appreciate.

Angry Birds Star Wars II doesn’t have a new concept. It does have enough new elements and an entire cast of characters to keep it interesting though. Even for those who don’t like Jar Jar.

FIFA 14 is as strong on mobile platforms as it is on consoles. It works well with the limitations of a touch screen and the concessions in gameplay are hardly reason for concern. Especially with the free Ultimate Team-mode Fifa 14 offers an adult soccer experience.

Castle of Illusion is badly made, and not a very good game in and of itself. This remake has no right to exist whatsoever and is better off forgotten.

The addicting, charming game about a crocodile with hosophobia has a sequel. With new levels, new challenges and a new business model that leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.

The long awaited Shin Megami Tensei 4 unfortunately isn't as progressive as its predecessor, but does offer a memorable adventure in a decaying Tokyo. Familiar elements have been improved and dressed in a modern outfit without it being at the expense of the strong core formula of the series.

Every year it becomes a predictable conclusion, but FIFA 14 earns the description as the ultimate soccer game. EA Sports created a dynamic, unpredictable and enervating soccer experience. The same can't be said for the visuals, which feel dated and cold. The lack of new modes and small annoyances which have persisted throughout the years are things we'll let slip, but the need for next-gen is large.

Pull out the clichés and superlatives, because they’re all applicable. GTA 5 is the ultimate milestone for the series, as well as for gaming as a whole. When it comes to scale, detail, character, freedom and spectacle this generation of consoles has reached its absolute peak. It doesn’t trump The Last of Us or BioShock: Infinite in the form of emotional impact, but there’s no other game out there that does this much this well.

Arma 3 makes big steps forward with a huge world and more vehicles and weapons. This time around its trump card is Steam workshop integration though, making downloading mods effortless. A smart move by Bohemia Interactive because it are those mods that will give Arma 3 its long lifespan. Unfortunately Arma 3 is quite inaccessible and doesn't seem to grow along with modern game design on certain fronts. Space time and perseverance are your best friends here, until Bohemia's support starts paying off.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs isn't as much of a game as its predecessor, and gets less frightening after a while. If you wouldn't have to change your underwear 17 times we'd even go as far as to describe this as an interactive novel. At those times the game shines with an intelligent and nauseating storyline. It's just a shame that gameplay elements from The Dark Decent were unnecessarily sacrificed for that.

Puppeteer is a magical experience as an interactive puppet show. The lovely, though quite sinister style is easy on the eyes and the musical setting feels refreshing. The gameplay doesn't deliver on the same surprises though.

Farming Simulator 2013 is made from the perspective of a vehicle simulator, through the spectacles of a carpenter for the many agricultural machines. Although the farming simulation and economical parts have been well developed, it misses the controversial essential elements that made the PC-version so interesting. The challenge that we praised in that edition, doesn't live up to expectations, which makes the most expensive version of the game the most limited as well.

You've got to hand it to Square Enmix. Most developers would've tried to forget a failed MMO as quickly as possible. Not at this Japanese company. They relaunch their title as a completely new game to save the Final Fantasy name. And they succeeded. A Realm Reborn is very traditional, but it's also one of the best traditional MMORPG's to have come out recently.

Rymdkapsel is a special strategy game for your tablet or phone. Play it for fifteen minutes and you'll end up confused. Play it longer and you'll imagine you're playing a classic RTS, without a story though. Rymdkapsel looks charming with its minimalistic graphics and limits itself to the essentials, but in the end this is also the reason why it plays like many other games in the genre.

Space Hulk offers little value as a videogame and is in many ways even inferior to the board game. The slow pace doesn't translate well to the digital version, with sluggish and boring games as a consequence. We'll forgive it for its lack of atmosphere and uninspired look, but that the very important multiplayer is plagued by technical problems is an unforgivable flaw.

Killzone: Mercenary meets the expectations: finally there’s a great shooter on the Vita that technically impresses, controls like you’d expect from a shooter on a console and goes a long way with its multiplayer. The quality of the single-player campaign isn’t as constant though.

Diablo III on consoles is mainly cool because it finally gives Xbox and PlayStation lovers the chance to enjoy a modern PC classic by Blizzard. The console edition plays so fluently that you’ll hardly notice a difference with the PC-version. There aren’t many differences to begin with. Offline coop is the only new feature, and a very welcome one at that.

Lost Planet 3 fully commits to the story and the right atmosphere to tell it. In that, the game succeeds in the same way major science fiction movies of the past did so. The gameplay that surrounds the story never excels, despite some good ideas and an all-round decent execution. You’ll take it for granted though, because the well-being of main character Jim Peyton soon turns out to be the X-factor Lost Planet 3 needed.

Shelter is the nature version of Journey, with as a major difference that you have something to lose. The game is serene and tense, linear in a way that it feels natural, beautiful and simply special in every way.

Rome 2 is the product of years of experience and the work of a studio that finally found the perfect harmony between RTS and turn-based. The developers changed certain parts drastically, but created a game that can surprise you at any time and offers a great deal of depth.

Tales of Xillia gives you an adventure of many hours, filled to the brim with clichés, a lack of innovation, a familiar style and a combat system that’s 90 percent copied from the previous games in the series. If you add it all up you get one of the best Japanese role-playing games of this generation. Tales of Xillia surprises, even though it doesn’t really do anything surprising.

Bizarre moments and a great combat system, mixed with a psychological thriller that raises more questions than it gives answers; Killer is Dead is a typical Suda51 game. The game is therefore only suitable if you’re open to an anime-style of storytelling or if you have an unquenchable thirst towards hack and slash action games out of Japan.

Rayman: Legends is a little bit like Frankenstein. It has a new face, a handful of Origins and a little bit of Jungle Run added to it, all brought to life through magic. Everything that makes platforming fun is here and is given room to shine.

Games like Gone Home only come around every once in a while. The game has an unique and original concept that is executed perfectly. So good, you’ll want to finish the game in one go. The credits might roll by in about three hours, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this game is a special experience for everyone who’s open to something new.

Charlie Murder relives the good old days when games like Double Dragon and Streets of Rage reigned supreme. As fun as that may be, Charlie Murder also forgets to get with its time. This beat ‘m up offers a sizable amount of fun, with some antique concepts.

Europa Universalis IV looks complex, but under the initial layer of screens and numbers there’s a game that takes you on a wondrous journey through Europe’s history. Whoever dares to dive into this game will be rewarded with challenging gameplay that’ll keep you entertained for hundreds of hours.

Behind the playful exterior of Ibb & Obb you’ll find a cooperative puzzle gem. Playing with gravity works phenomenally well and solving puzzles is gratifying. Ibb & Obb is far from perfect with its slightly monotonous gameplay and lack of a good reward system. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Ibb & Obb offers a cooperative puzzle experience that from time to time reminds you of Portal.

Saints Row 4 is a full of attempts to entertain you in the most bizarre ways. The game doesn’t always succeed in doing so, but thanks to the over the top action and breaking with genre conventions fun is still guaranteed. Every now and then the gameplay seems to fall victim to the shallowness of it all, but then the game surprises you with a dose of charm and enthusiasm.

Developer 2K Marin has put everything into creating the best tactical fights possible. Because of this the third person alien shooter is at its best when taking on enemies in combat. Unfortunately everything else is less refined, but despite this The Bureau is still a great addition to the series.

Payday 2 could’ve been a great game that puts you in the exciting world of jewellery heists. It has potential, but the game has too many obstacles that delay experiencing the perfect heist or stop you from experiencing it completely.

Don’t be misled by the childish appearance of The Wonderful 101. This game fits perfectly in the series of (adult) games made by Platinum Games: extremely challenging, purely build on gameplay and unique. The game might not be as perfect as the other games that spawn from the Japanese studio, but The Wonderful 101 manages to pull it off thanks to its unique personality and gameplay.

Disney Infinity tries to do a lot of things and through that complicates things. There is a lot of emphasis on the Toy Box mode that gives to much freedom, while the different adventures could’ve offered more in terms of freedom. Because of this the game never manages to get to the next level.

Gathering coins and avoiding obstacles in an endless level; we’ve done it a bunch of times, yet it still manages to stay addictive. Gold Diggers approaches it in a slightly different way that makes it fun. Unfortunately the rest of the game is too poorly executed to offer endless fun.

Blacklist has it all. Perfect controls, highlights from all the previous games, a perfect focus on multiplayer fun without sacrificing the enjoyment of the single-player and a great presentation to finish it all off. It has it all, unless you’re looking for innovation. You won’t find that in this best of compilation that manages to feel like a new product.

The comedic army of undead make placing your aggressive plants in every level a party. The tried and tested gameplay of defending your base continues to be interesting thanks to the right amount of variation at the right time. Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time was definitely worth the wait.

It has a strong likeness to games like Ico and Journey. With innovative controls you guide two brothers through a fairytale world. Yet, the game misses the emotional impact to qualify as a real classic.

The many puzzle areas are well put together, but inaccurate controls bring about a lot of frustration. On top of that one half of the game lacks challenge, while the other half lacks surprise. Add those together and you’ll get a game that never becomes more than the sum of its parts.

It does exactly what we expect of a ‘smaller’ game nowadays. It’s stylistically interesting, brings bite-sized gameplay in a steady pace, gives you an insane challenge and every now and then a quirky comment is made about the player. On paper it looks like a success story, but lack of character make sure that this game never becomes more than a series of faceless challenges. A shame, because with a little more soul this game could’ve been great.

This Prince of Persia isn’t a remake but is inspired by the prince’s second adventure in 1993. The prince’s old adventure was narrative focused and had beautiful hand drawn backgrounds, whereas The Shadow and the Flame is mostly centered around action suitable for mobile devices. In less than two hours you’ll swipe your way through a game with enjoyable puzzles and battles. However, it doesn’t ever get difficult or magical.

Shadowrun Returns is precisely what it promised to be on Kickstarter: a game that harkens back to the olden days, with HD resolution. Especially older gamers will find nostalgia and fun in this world, expanded by the level editor. For the younger audience the old fashioned imperfections might be too disruptive, but every RPG fan who loves Blade Runner should give Shadowrun Returns a shot.

Hooray for the digital download! Normally these kinds of movie games would be only available in store shelves, full priced. If you've bought it accidentally now, you'll only have lost ten Euros. That's pretty much all the positive sentiment we have to share on Pacific Rim: The Video Game. It's so boring and slow, we couldn't even recommend it for free.

Halo: Spartan Assault translates the Halo-franchise to a top-down mobile shooter successfully. The (touch sensitive) controls can be too complex and the game could lean less on micro transactions, but other than that Spartan Assault is the mobile game that Windows (Phone) 8 sorely missed.

Dying, again and again, every time in an unknown world. Roguelikes are tough, but Rogue Legacy makes the journeys slightly lighter with rpg elements that make progress attainable every single run. Rogue Legacy also gets a lot of personality and humor from the addition of character specific traits, like a handicap or disability. Rogue Legacy is tough, hard and unforgiving, but still very accessible thanks to these additions. Just what this genre needed.

Deus Ex: The Fall isn’t the great game we’ve been hoping for. It’s actually quite disappointing. Big chunks of it just don’t work well, but decent fiction makes up for some of the problems. It’s not enough to warrant a purchase though.

Pikmin 3 feels like the next step in the franchise: a perfectly balanced game that’ll easily keep you occupied for fifteen hours with a very satisfying learning curve. Everything is also nicely polished with graphics that’ll suddenly have you produce copious amounts of saliva. Still, a cooperative mode would’ve been nice. Pikmin also don’t follow you as well as they should all the time. These are tiny stains on one of the best Wii U games to date.

Dota 2 remains fully loyal to its predecessor, which fundamentally started the moba genre, and that’s the best choice. Thanks to the long development process of the first Dota, the second part is now the most well balanced and complete game of all the multiplayer online battle arenas out there. This is mostly noticeable due to the enormous tactical freedom that makes every game different and the subtle elements that make the game so rich and expansive. No competitor even comes close to this amount of depth.

With an old-fashioned point-and-click adventure filled to the brim with references to beloved classics, Deck13 manages to appeal to the nostalgic gamer. Unfortunately the quality is second to the source material.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. doesn’t give the franchise a push in the right direction, but offers a promising platform for future installments; and obviously another insane adventure with tons of fun gameplay and humor.

Don’t Starve is a game for those who persevere. The infinitely playable survival RPG with an artsy appearance tests your endurance, but rewards players with a surprisingly unique experience.

Project X Zone forgot to put the 'tactical' and 'strategy' in tactical turn-based strategy. It lacks depth, which is a shame for a game that could've scored big. It also isn't challenging varied enough, but the great characters manage to alleviate some of those issues.

Aviation Emprise are a surprisingly complete strategy game and interactive history lesson combined, with emphasizing the latter too much. A few annoyances hardly affect he final quality.

Game & Wario has its moments, but these are mostly hidden under layers of dust and mediocrity, which is ironic for a series that managed to abstain itself from becoming a drag thus far. It uses the gamepad inventively from time to time, but that’s not enough to sell this technology to a wider audience. And that, is what Nintendo was hoping for in the first place.

A new Tour de France, a new Pro Cycling Manager 2013. It almost seems to be a copy of the previous game. And a copy of the one that came out before that, with the footnote that it has a few very nasty bugs. Hopefully Cyanide understands that they will have to go all out next year.

Knights of Pen and Paper is being praised as a pocket sized Dungeons & Dragons-simulator. Because of the indie-spirit, many geeky references and addicting gameplay you might actually start to believe it. But then you’d be fooling yourself and you’re missing the essence of role playing games. This is a grinding simulator, not a night of D&D.

New Super Luigi 2 is actually a completely new game with dozens of levels. The abruptness of the shorter levels won't sit right with everyone, but do ramp up the difficulty. It's a shame though that it reuses all of the New Super Mario Bros. U art-assets and doesn't offer any new environments. This can be looked over though, by whoever can't get enough of qualitative strong platform adventures.

Deadpool proves that he deserves his own game. It also proves that a strong character with a lot of personality can hide a number of discomforts and gameplay related frustrations. Whenever Deadpool stops making jokes, this becomes painfully obvious. But just when you're about to quit, the joker returns to keep you playing.

State of Decay is an open world zombie survival-rpg, that embraces all of the important aspects to surviving. Collecting, killing, maintaining relationships; the game is given form by its own depth. Many choices you make influence the world around you because of this. State of Decay is very buggy though, but the practiced gamers can see through that.

Company of Heroes 2 has a few downsides, but remains standing effortlessly thanks to the great gameplay. Relic Entertainment has done an excellent job by adding some very welcome elements which have battles be about daring tactics and troop combinations. Just the way we’re used to.

Kingdom Rush Frontiers is a wonderful tower defense game. All base elements are there, accompanied by a great upgrade system and absurd enemies. We almost afraid to say it, but we're already looking forward to part three.

The Night of the Rabbit is a special point-and-click adventure game, although only the veterans amongst players will get to see that side of the game. Not because of the flipped, tricky puzzles, because those are known to the genre. But mostly because game makes a wrong, childish impression in its first hours. It's hard to expect a beautiful and exciting fable after such a start.

Icebreaker breaks the ice for Rovio Stars. Its fundamentals are not unlike Angry Birds and Bad Piggies, which come with wildly addicting and easy to get into puzzle gameplay in Icebreaker. But Viking Voyage is more complete and diverse than those games, because it manages to surprise with new puzzle concepts again and again, even though it's so recognizable.

Developer Tripwire has joined forces with the modding community to provide us with this stand alone multiplayer expansion to Red Orchestra 2. It perfects the realistic shooter and offers an interesting setting with Asia. Whoever's done with the Call of Duty's and Battlefields has a very impressive, yet sometimes frustrating, alternative with Rising Storm.

The Swapper surprises until the end. Not only thanks to interesting game mechanics and brain breaking puzzles, but also due to a philosophical story that leaves a strong impression and makes you think about the world around you. A game with a message like this shouldn't be missed.

The rts-genre has a new gem in its midst. WarGame: Airland Battle combines an almost inexhaustible source of units with realistic gameplay and freedom for the gamer. Eugene Systems proved that they know how a good rts-game is supposed to work and how it’s meant to be built.

With new activities and subtle changes to the base concept offers New Leaf a very addicting forest-adventure that rises above its predecessors. No day feels the same, because the game makes subtle suggestions at the right times to prevent a drag from setting in to your virtual life. One day you’re collecting money for charitable works, the next you’ll be completing a museum collection or shaking a coconut tree. Everything you’re doing feels like an adventure you sought out on your own, which is a pretty impressive achievement for a game with such a soft and pleasant exterior.

The quirky weapons of Fuse are the main subject of the game and make for a nice dynamic. It never really transcends that initial moment of charm though, due to a lack of ambition. You’ll probably forget Fuse before even finishing it. Who would have expected that from a game by Insomiac?

Gunpoint is a 2D-indie game with razor-sharp pixel-art, atmospheric music, the best auto-save in recent years, humor and a story with well-done moments of choice. The most important element is the Crosslink-puzle-mechanic. This system gives you so much freedom to reach different solutions, that the developer doesn’t even know them all.

The old game mechanic of Breakout and Arkanoid is still fun, thanks to some successful additions. Hyper Breaker Turbo just doesn’t dare to be as hyper or turbo as its title might have you think.

Remember Me, ironically enough, is never really memorable. The fights have a few fun twists but never really get interesting and the platforming feels very linear. The dystopian fiction that ties everything together is riddled with holes and explained pretty badly in parts. Remember Me isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t enervating.

With The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog switches from the easy entertainment that is Uncharted, to the more serious stuff. Despite their differences, both games prove to be of unprecedented high levels of quality, from a studio that controls their ability to create games into the smallest detail. Thanks to its unique pace and adult story The Last of Us has become an experience that has no equal.

Good news for fans of Zoo Tycoon: you can save your money! Zoo Park doesn't even come close to Microsoft's zoo-simulations. There is little diversity in the kinds of animals and they justly seem bored, because the park can hardly be dressed up. But, there are trees, and when trees are the most important part of a zoo-simulation, enough's been said.

A decent expansion, albeit not very exciting, to an extremely addicting original. It doesn't do anything to improve on the mistakes made by the original, but leans on the same strong, strategic layer. This expansion does characterize itself by providing players with a new faction, which is more than the previous two could say.

Star Command doesn't offer exploration through space or missions on exotic planets, but does provide you with rough confrontations with aggressive space ants, burning hallways, screaming crew members and a tantalizing story. The gameplay often doesn't surpass the manically tapping of pixilated characters on a burning ship and strangely enough that's enough to make you feel like a captain. Engage!

Codemasters shows that they haven't forgotten the art of creating circuit games. Very well improved driving behavior and a extremely gratifying audio-visual presentation gives players a great racing sensation. The lack of a cockpit-view is a shame though, and you'll need some perseverance to get the most out of it.

There's nothing that redeems this interpretation of Star Trek. Aside from a wealth of issues, it's nothing more than a generic, rushed product that doesn't have a single good idea in it. Don't spend a penny on it: Star Trek just isn't worth it.

Reus is a very good, well balanced game. The developers understand the essence of a godgame like no other and gave the genre a new twist. An original and challenging concept with which the Dutch Abbey Games put themselves on the map.

Metro: Last Light can be mentioned in the same breath as big games like BioShock and Half-Life 2. Developer A4 Games proves to be very capable on a technical level, and they didn't make any concessions to the experience. When it comes to the gameplay, the developer might retain some of their (somewhat strange) own rules, but does this solely to improve the action.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is loud, hilarious and injected with tons of thirty year-old testosterone. Such a cocktail demands criticism for it trying to be an easy game that thinks it can score based on popular nostalgia. Against all expectations this game turns its possible faults into strengths, that come into their own when it turns out that there's a very entertaining shooter behind all of the Last Action Hero-violence.

God Mode tries to vary, but fails to do so completely. It comes down to being a game in which you'll shoot a lot of enemies, mindlessly running towards you. Which is as exciting and original as it sounds: not at all.

The world of Zeno Clash II is one big acid-trip. It's one of the most bizarre games in which your fists are the two primary weapons. Behind the absurd look there's an interesting story, but Zeno Clash II drops the ball on certain key gameplay mechanics.

After porting all of its classics successfully to iOS, Sid Meier proves himself once again with Ace Patrol. It feels wonderfully refreshing and the dogfights combine accessibility with an intelligent layer of tactics. It's ruthless when failing a mission though, but that's compensated by a look that breathes sympathy and fun multiplayer modes.