Defense Grid is one of the best Tower Defense-games and offers a great introduction to the genre on the Xbox 360. The game is well build, very addictive and even a pleasure to watch.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a great roguelike because of its simple, game-changing twist; you do everything you do to the rhythm of the music. The experience is magical, the soundtrack is great and the procedural generated dungeons will challenge you every time.

Chrono Trigger hasn't lost its magic in 2009. The combat system is unique and effective, the story and its characters impressive and even the looks and sound of the game are more than you could wish for. It the end it was worth waiting for a European version.

Rez, the trippy on rails shooter was a classic, but now that it is playable in Virtual Reality it is even better.

This game is without a doubt the best soccer game ever. It doesn't only play like a charm, it also looks phenomenal and the number of options is huge. There is so much to do that it will be hard to try everything out before FIFA 2010. The fact that our crew works overtime just to play the game says more than enough. FIFA 09 is everything that your little soccer heart desires.

Firemonkeys and Electronic Arts prove that a good freemium game can be released without making players feel like they need to pay to win. Real Racing 3 also shows how pretty mobile games can get nowadays, and that smartphones have become serious gaming platforms. A must buy, although the term isn’t applicable in this case.

Cadence of Hyrule offers the rhythmic gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer, wrapped into the Zelda franchise. That is truly something special, though the game gets a bit too easy after a very challenging start.

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.

Battleheart Legacy is a wonderful RPG with a unique style. The game offers hours of fun and blends several classes into one playable character. This simply works great: it makes Battleheart Legacy one of a kind.

Guitar Hero World Tour offers a more than welcome evolution to the series. With superior instruments, a powerful tracklist and extremely addicting gameplay it has already earned a place in Guitar Hero history. Playing the guitar is still going strong, but with the change to play the drums or even sing a line or two, the game offers enough variation. Not every new feature is a direct hit, but if you liked any of the previous Guitar Hero games than you will have no trouble in liking this one. And if you're looking for the best music-party game the choice is even easier. What are you waiting for? Rock on!

Dawntrail is roughly the same game as Endwalker and the previous expansions, with a few minor nuances and differences. You may find that boring, but bottom line this is still the best you can find in the mmorpg field at the moment. In any case, it is more than enough for loyal players who are ready for new content.

The classic RPG is making a comeback. After Shadowrun and Wasteland 2, this time it’s Divinity: Original Sin’s turn. This Kickstarter project from Belgium shows how fantasy elements can be used to their fullest extent. These developers understand what’s so great about magic and discovering a world. This is a tribute to the best Bioware, Obsidian, and D&D games that were produced with pen and paper over the last thirty years, had to offer.

With Dirt Rally Codemasters shows why it focuses on racing games. The rally feeling from Colin McRae Rally is back, and might be even better. If this is the way Dirt Rally is headed, this game has a bright future ahead.

WildStar is made for the players. Any decision in the design is created with the question in mind: “Is this fun to do?” The answer is almost always: yes! The fact that we saw a lot of elements elsewhere earlier does not affect the ubiquitous qualities, humor and sheer fun that we experienced in each session. This is one of those rare subscription-based MMO’s that is worth its subscription.

As fans know, you can’t judge Rez just upon its gameplay premises. That would be the same as reducing the Nightwatch by Rembrandt to the type of paint and the material of the canvas. Instead, the game formula is onlya means to convey something that is more than a typical game experience.

Fallout 4 was a strong game, but it had some weak spots when it came to the visuals, the challenge, the storytelling and the RPG elements. Bethesda obviously listened to the critique, as Far Harbor actually is a tad better than the original game.

The Master Chief Collection prepares a new generation of console gamers for one of the best shooter series ever made. This disc offers 4 high end single-player adventures, 106 multiplayer maps and a crazy amount of extra content. This is the game to buy this year.

Boomerang X plays like a train thanks to a simple but effective game mechanic: a magical boomerang that allows you to teleport yourself. The game may not look and sound that special, but whoever whizzes through the arenas with mouse and keyboard for the first time, is immediately in love.

Hi-Fi Rush is a very slick looking action platformer that executes its central theme of rhythm incredibly consequently. The animations are of a phenomenal level. Hi-Fi Rush is really just the type of game that will make you shout from the rooftops how cool video games can be.

Sound Shapes is an interactive piece of art. The easily accessible gameplay makes for a fun 2D platformer on its own, but the music and visuals really turn some heads. Even when creating something in the editor you'll think you're in paradise, a place where everyone can be an artist.

Metro Redux is more than just a polished version of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. The terrifying and sinister games have improved on every level, which makes Redux the best way to play both titles.

Are you still here? Go get Empire: Total War if you have just the slightest interest in an RTS game. This game offers everything a RTS fan wants. We know that the game has its share of flaws, but there is so much this game does right, that you can easily look past the frustration. This is what a strategy game should look like.

Total War: Warhammer 2 offers many, many hours of fun thanks to the High Elves, Dark Elves, Skaven and Lizardman, plus the campaign being a lot more exciting than ever before.

It feels unfair to call Iceborne just downloadable content for Monster Hunter World. This expansion package adds enough new things to potentially keep you busy for hundreds of hours. The new monsters, attacks and the addition of the Clutch Claw ensure that the game still feels fresh.

We're getting a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of Cliffy B interviews, quotes and other Cliff related stuff that have roamed the world wide web the past few weeks. But in all fairness, Gears of War 2 is a more than worthy sequel of its predeccesor. The co-op mode is still a very attractive part of the game, and the same goes for the Horde mode. With more enemies, more levels and especially more blood it offers just what you expect from a sequel. The game rarely suprises, but it hurls enough cannon fodder towards you that it will blow you away.

Despite some minor flaws Valkyria Chronicles is full of quality and offers unique gameplay. When playing Valkyria Chronicles you'll probably get the feeling that you're wandering inside a big aquarel painting. Offering a decent challenge, versatile missions and easy to master controls Sega delivers a turn-based classic that will keep you hooked onto your PlayStation 3 for weeks, maybe even months, if you like a great story and are a sucker for tactical gameplay.

Even more than other Forza Horizon games, with this one you'll experience the awesome feeling of driving beautiful cars in a huge open world. There is more space for off-road racing, which is a nice feature on top of the strong concept of Forza Horizon.

With Catherine: Full Body, the unique original is made even more comprehensive, more accessible and more challenging. The compelling story and the complex puzzle platform action will hopefully appeal to more players than before.