As a big fan of the franchise, I had incredibly great expectations. And I haven't been disappointed. All the series' strengths were perfectly brought over to the next generation of gaming consoles, which makes GTAIV a must-have for fans, and probably everybody else as well. But this doesn't mean that GTA IV is without weaknesses. The camera and the auto-aim-system are still giving players a hard time in bigger battles, and the basically great multiplayer-mode isn't perfectly programmed either.

Some critics might say that Uncharted 2 doesn't do anything new. Still: There's nothing that can compare to this game which is a true next-gen game with all virtues. Go get this game!

Mass Effect 2 may have turned a bit more into a shooter than its predecessor, but the story and the dense atmosphere will appeal to SciFi- and roleplay fans alike.

By no means as revolutionary as the first game, but still lots and lots of fun. For some the overall playthrough time might be too short though, but Aperture is a place to visit again and again.

By no means as revolutionary as the first game, but still lots and lots of fun. For some the overall playthrough time might be too short though, but Aperture is a place to visit again and again.

By no means as revolutionary as the first game, but still lots and lots of fun. For some the overall playthrough time might be too short though, but Aperture is a place to visit again and again.

Skyrim is probably the best open world roleplaying game out there.

At first, it may seem as MW2 is not able to surpass or even match its predecessor, but thanks to a mindblowing second half of the singleplayer-part and a solid multiplayer, it’s nevertheless an amazing experience and a definite "must-have" for every shooter fan.

Mass Effect 2 may have turned a bit more into a shooter than its predecessor, but the story and the dense atmosphere will appeal to SciFi- and roleplay fans alike.

PS3 users now have the chance to finally grab their copy of Mass Effect 2. If you haven't played it already on the PC or the XBox 360 Mass Effect 2 is a real treat for you on the PS3 with all DLCs included.

From the perspective of a huge fan of the genre: Despite some minor flaws Street Fighter IV is nothing less than the best Beat’em-Up money can buy. The graphical style is amazing, the balancing good and if you use a decent arcade joystick the handling is great as well!

At first, it may seem as MW2 is not able to surpass or even match its predecessor, but thanks to a mindblowing second half of the singleplayer-part and a solid multiplayer, it’s nevertheless an amazing experience and a definite "must-have" for every shooter fan.

Everything about his game - just about every little detail there is - fits. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is here to stay – if you’ve waited for a reason to get yourself a Wii, here it is. Easy, fun and rewarding!

GTA: Chinatown Wars lets the gangster-flair come up again. The little DS-brother is as funny as the other games of the series - especially the creative minigames are a lot of fun. In short: Chinatown Wars does well!

Speaking about SC2: Wings of Liberty, the biggest complaint that come to my mind is that I've got to wait for the other two episodes. It might not revolutionize the genre, but it doesn't allow itself any shortcomings either. The campaign is exciting, the cutscenes are awesome and the multiplayer is in a league of its own.

From the perspective of a huge fan of the genre: Despite some minor flaws Street Fighter IV is nothing less than the best Beat’em-Up money can buy. The graphical style is amazing, the balancing good and if you use a decent arcade joystick the handling is great as well!

The gameplay is diversified, the graphics are great and the combat-system is one of the best we have ever encountered. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a definite "Must-Have" on any platform and more then worthy to wear the famous name of The Dark Knight and Worlds greatest detective.

Chrono Trigger is simply brilliant and an absolute must-have for any RPG-Fan – but everyone else should also take a closer look despite the simple 2D-graphics and the lack of a German translation.

Xenoblade Chronicles may be one of the most anticipated J-RPGs of the year, but isn't for everyone. Those who liked the freedom of Final Fantasy XII and can live with a less compelling story than that of Xenogears will have a lot of fun, though.

It doesn’t matter if you’re hardcore, casual or “normal” – if such a thing even exists among WoW-Players – the Wrath of the Lich King will frostshock your heart in a good way. [Issue#17]

Ezio has no problem beating Altair's efforts. On the technical side there might be some problems, but Assassin's Creed II is one of the best open world games out there.

A must-have for all PS3-owners. Killzone 2 provides a special atmosphere that succeeds in making you believe you have an important role to play and the only thing you want to do in this game is find out what might be next.

The gameplay is diversified, the graphics are great and the combat-system is one of the best we have ever encountered. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a definite "Must-Have" on any platform and more then worthy to wear the famous name of The Dark Knight and Worlds greatest detective.

The PC-version of Street Fighter IV is just as good as on the consoles, and is what we consider to be one of the best fighting games ever created. See it, buy it, love it.

The unique Fallout-Atmosphere has survived the changes in the gameplay without a scratch! Players can easily overlook the shortcomings of the German synchronization – and maybe it is even because the game provides such a high level of quality that it seems as if true highlights are missing. Unrivalled in freedom of choice and complexity it has become a worthy heir to the great line of previous Fallout games. [Issue # 16]

The almost perfect sequel to an almost perfect game.

Gears of War 3 is fantastic game, especially together with friends in multiplayer, and the campaign mode is a lot of fun. But as the finale of the trilogy it's a bit disappointing.

The gameplay is diversified, the graphics are great and the combat-system is one of the best we have ever encountered. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a definite "Must-Have" on any platform and more then worthy to wear the famous name of The Dark Knight and Worlds greatest detective.

Dragon Age is definitely a game that takes time - and you will like to take that time. BioWare created a dark and well polished fantasy world which offers many things to do for a roleplay-gamer.

Ezio has no problem beating Altair's efforts. On the technical side there might be some problems, but Assassin's Creed II is one of the best open world games out there.

Delightfully simple, delightfully replayable – the laws of statics have never been this much fun. [Issue#17]

Numerous new missions, features and a brand new story that is not only intertwined with the original, but also complements to the living spirit of the city. In the end Rockstar once again accomplished to deliver a game that leaves the competitors far behind. This is a clear buying recommendation for all owners of the original!

Two utterly different genres merge to achieve something really special - for the fourth time. A must-have for any gamer passionate about J-RPGs.

Oldschool-Jump and Run at its finest!

What a game to start 2011 ... Dead Space 2 may not offer any real innovations compared to its predecessor, but in the end, that doesn't matter at all. Isaac Clarke's second appearance presents itself as a very polished, amazingly frightening Horror- and Action-Masterpiece, that doesn't allow itself any aggravating flaws and is therefore this year's first must-have title.

Some might complain that Civ V lacks features of its predecessors, but in the end the streamlining makes it a better game.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution will split the community: It doesn't have the atmosphere of the first while being not as shallow as the second. It just keeps a well designed balance.

Even though GTA IV is enormously hardware-hungry, it remains one of the prime examples for a console-game that only got better by releasing it for the PC. [Issue#17]

Shogun 2 is without doubt a worthy part of the Total War game-series, but it has almost all the shortcomings of its predecessor. This is somewhat disappointing, but especially by the improvements in the Multiplayer-part, it's still quite a lot of fun.

Yes, there might be some problems with the AI, and yes, the multiplayer is not fully integrated yet, but despite that I simply have to recommend this game to everyone who’s interested in RTS games. The enormous singleplayer campaign and the awesome strategic depth just make up for all the other flaws, that will surely be sorted out by the patches to come, anyway.

Fable 2 fulfills all promises that the original Fable made, and improves upon it... a bloody lot. Long live Fable 2! Long live the era of heroes!

If you love good stories and are seeking for a long and player-focused singleplayer experience, Left 4 Dead is definitely not the shooter for you to get this Christmas. If you consider yourself a multiplayer enthusiast who’s looking for a true, old-school coop shooter, on the other hand, this could well be your GotY!

It may have been a close call, but to us L4D2 really did manage to become more, then just a "full-price-addon". It's a definite must-have for fans and the best co-op experience money can buy.

Mass Effect knocked me off my feet: The presentation is fantastic, and many small improvements compared to the Xbox 360 version make the game a great roleplaying experience. Anyone who hasn’t played the title yet should definitely give it a try now! [Issue#14]

FIFA 12 takes several small steps forward that make it hard to go back to an older entry of the series in a matter of hours.

What a game to start 2011 ... Dead Space 2 may not offer any real innovations compared to its predecessor, but in the end, that doesn't matter at all. Isaac Clarke's second appearance presents itself as a very polished, amazingly frightening Horror- and Action-Masterpiece, that doesn't allow itself any aggravating flaws and is therefore this year's first must-have title.

As we already fell in love with the console-versions, it's no surprise that the Windows Live version managed to get us just as excited, if not even a bit more. That's mainly because of the PC-versions improved graphics, that, especially in slow motion and when using DX11, are simply going to blow your mind.

Fans of its predecessor are certainly going to be pleased with the immense content that Brotherhood offers, even though it doesn't really continue the plot around the former barkeeper, now Assassin Desmond Miles and its ancestors. Everybody who's new to the series, should probably go for AC1 or the even better AC2 though. As for the now released PC-Version: Its definitely the best looking of them all and offers some additional content out of the box. So if you're able to choose between platforms, get this one.

BioShock 2 is a great game, but feels more like BioShock 1.5 than a full sequel.

Great graphics and sound, a solid single-player campaign and a overwhelmingly good multiplayer experience (dedicated servers!) make this a must-have for every shooter-fan.

Monkey Island Special Edition is the well done remake of a classic game. The controls may not be perfect, but the graphics and sound make up for it.

Great graphics and sound, a solid single-player campaign and a overwhelmingly good multiplayer experience (dedicated servers!) make this a must-have for every shooter-fan.

This is Treyarchs Masterpiece! It may not blow you away like Modern Warfare did back at its time, but it shure as hell is an intense shooter-experience with a multiplayer-part, that will keep you busy for months!

BioShock 2 is a great game, but feels more like BioShock 1.5 than a full sequel.

EVE Online retains its old shortcomings (Not being able to leave your ship ord control it directly.), but certainly offers a lot of content for a small amount of your money.

Simply a must-buy for gamers of all thinkable genres. Plants versus Zombies does everything right and brims over with pure, amazingly entertaining fun.

Oldschool-Jump and Run at its finest!

Dragon Quest IX is a great retro style RPG filled with things gamers love about the genre - unless you play the games for a great storyline or like innovation, cause those are noticeably lacking.

This can be kept rather simple: Any racing fan with a need for speed, who hasn’t already got Burnout Paradise for console simply needs this cool package. The Graphics are great, the sound is amazing, the speed mind-blowing and there’ so much to see and do that you’ll be kept busy for a long, long time.

Great graphics and sound, a solid single-player campaign and a overwhelmingly good multiplayer experience (dedicated servers!) make this a must-have for every shooter-fan.

There can only be one recommendation for PC-Gamers who love racing games this year: Get Race Driver GRID! Great graphics and the fantastic driving experience that will satisfy fans of simulation as well as arcade racers will convince any car freak. Go already and get it! [Issue#14]

In the end, the slight step back brought the series a nice leap forward. The more realistic handling and greater variety of cars make DiRT3 a definite must-have for old-school rally fans, while the new Gymkhana-Races cater the X-Games-Lovers.

Strategy fans had to wait for a long time but finally there’s a game that might indeed be able to step into the footsteps of Master of Orion: Big galaxies, an addicting multiplayer, nice looks and a lot of freedom make Sins of a Solar Empire one of the best strategy games of the year. Two thumbs up! [Issue#14]

Let's strip away the retro-eyed awe and look at the facts: MI2:SE has all features we expect from a modern adventure, yet its story and puzzle design easily beats out modern competition - despite the missing light-mode.

In the end, the slight step back brought the series a nice leap forward. The more realistic handling and greater variety of cars make DiRT3 a definite must-have for old-school rally fans, while the new Gymkhana-Races cater the X-Games-Lovers.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is full stuff for retro-fans. The Coop is both it's greatest feature and it's biggest flaw, but still it's an absolute must buy!

This is Treyarchs Masterpiece! It may not blow you away like Modern Warfare did back at its time, but it shure as hell is an intense shooter-experience with a multiplayer-part, that will keep you busy for months!

What a game to start 2011 ... Dead Space 2 may not offer any real innovations compared to its predecessor, but in the end, that doesn't matter at all. Isaac Clarke's second appearance presents itself as a very polished, amazingly frightening Horror- and Action-Masterpiece, that doesn't allow itself any aggravating flaws and is therefore this year's first must-have title.

Improved graphics, a nice presentation and even more variety make DiRT2 an absolute "Must-have" for anyone who is even slightly interested in offroad-racing!

Improved graphics, a nice presentation and even more variety make DiRT2 an absolute "Must-have" for anyone who is even slightly interested in offroad-racing!

There can only be one recommendation for car-loving gamers this summer: Get Race Driver GRID! Awesome graphics, a great damage-model and the fantastic driving experience that will satisfy fans of simulation as well as arcade racers should definitely convince any car freak!

Bastion is definitely the indie game of the year 2011. It's an amazing game with an amazing art style combined with funny gameplay and ten very good hours of story which can easily be played again.

That's how a good port has to look! The power of the PC is well used, but not spent without use, and a few extras spice up the game. Especially in two-player-mode Resident Evil 5 is great fun.

To be honest I expected The Sims 3 to be more than it actually is. Those who own The Sims 2 and all add-ons will miss many beloved elements. Electronic Arts just placed the headstone for many add-ons to come but nothing else.

Compared to other Shooters of today, Crysis 2 manages to stand out easily. Graphics, Sound, Handling, Story, Gameplay-variety, Content ... Crysis 2 has it all. The only problem is: If you compare it to its own predecessor, things are starting to get complicated. Because to my mind, Crysis 1 was, in fact, the better game. So if you haven't played it yet, you'd better change that ASAP. If you did however: Go get Part Two, it's definitely still worth the money.

Its surprisingly hard for me to recommend Modern Warfare 2 to anyone. Sure: The singleplayer-campaign is quite exciting, the atmosphere is intense and graphics are "ok", but the console-ported multiplayer quite simply spoils it all. What were they thinking?! Bottom line: Fans of the predecessor can give it a go, everyone else is way better of with Modern Warfare 1 - especially in terms of "value for money".

Monkey Island Special Edition is the well done remake of a classic game. The controls may not be perfect, but the graphics and sound make up for it.

In the end, the slight step back brought the series a nice leap forward. The more realistic handling and greater variety of cars make DiRT3 a definite must-have for old-school rally fans, while the new Gymkhana-Races cater the X-Games-Lovers.

WAR pretty much kept all its promises. It’s certainly different from all the other MMORPGs out there – it’s an all-out war in the world of Warhammer.

Dead Space feels like an admittedly fetid yet refreshing wind to the old genre of survival horror. I’d certainly not recommend playing it by night or in total darkness unless you are of awesome health and gladly would give Alma a handshake without thinking twice about the consequences. Important advice: Play it to the end! If you dare. [Issue # 16]

Gentlemen, get yourselves Bionic Commando Rearmed. It is well worth every damned electronic cent you spend on it. Shinkiro was (Metal Slug, Dead Rising, King of Fighters) the driving force in BCRs art-design, which makes it all the more a killer retro-portation. [Issue#15]

NFS Hot Pursuit will not reinvent the genre but it is great fun and perfect for quick races inbetween. If you aren't the competetive type however the game starts to lack soon.

The way the story is told (and the story itself) could have been better. But despite that and some minor problems concerning the multiplayer we can definitely name DoW2 the first big RTS-Highlight in 2009 and a must-have for RTS-Fans.

At long last, the story of the Fellowship is continued. The sheer size of the mines, alongside the epic storyline (i.e. the new books), will keep gamers busy until the next add-on hits the shelves. [Issue#17]

The unusual graphics are nice, and the puzzles are not only mindboggling, but also great fun. Machinarium shows what you can do with simplest methods.

A remarkable array of physical effects that weren’t just pretty but actually relevant to the gameplay itself, stunning graphics and a story written also by the player instead of the developer alone: Far Cry 2 truly did impress me. Only the constant respawning of outposts had me grinding my teeth.

The Old Republic focuses heavily on the story which is what makes leveling fun. However once you reach the level cap the game gets far too repetitive too soon.

Relic improved most of the shortcomings of the predecessor and made an enjoyable add-on.

Fallout: New Vegas is difficult to classify. It is not really an add-on, because it tells a completly new story. If you love Fallout 3, you may as well cheat on it with New Vegas, no harm done.

Missing out on Capcom's extraordinary fifth part of the Biohazard series would be a crime. Brilliant presentation, adrenaline pumping action and zombies everywhere. RE5 is worth every last of your hard-earned pennies.

Good to see, that Capcom didn't forget the PC. Even though it took a while, we finally get a great version of Street Fighter IV for a nice price.

Spore combines an enormous amount of innovation with a pretty much endless replay value and still manages to be accessible. It might not be as much a masterstroke as the Sims was, but it’s still one of the potentially best games of this year.

It might get repetitive and a bit boring over time, but in general its simply a blast to drive, run and grapple'n'parachute across Panau, simply in order to cause mayhem and chaos.

The strongest aspects of Crysis Warhead are the same ones we already loved with Crysis itself: The Graphics are stunning, the story is solid and the gameplay’s challenging and fun, but at the same time these pros are the only big contra: there’s nothing really new about this game, which, on the other hand, might again be good news for fans of the first part.

I like to see how a game evolves over time and so I’d like to suggest to all readers: Get yourself all three titles in the series – skate, skate it and skate 2 – because if you won’t take offense in the dull story and some mistakes as well as the costly DLC you will get just the right portion of next generation skating feeling.

Bulletstorm is probably the most politically incorrect game of all time ... and to me, that's a good thing! Its humour will certainly not be to everybody's liking, but I totally recommend it to every single shooter fan out there that wants to try something new.

Fallout: New Vegas is difficult to classify. It is not really an add-on, because it tells a completly new story. If you love Fallout 3, you may as well cheat on it with New Vegas, no harm done.

Fans of RPGs and especially Dragon Quest can give this one a go without further hesitation. Everyone else should probably give it a more thorough thought as the missing story and some strange decisions concerning the design, like the saving system and the grouped monsters, may give you a hard time.