If you've just come from a literary binge of A Song of Ice and Fire, or just had a marathon of HBO's high production TV show you might be tempted by the lure of Cyanide's A Game of Thrones - Genesis. However if you're that invested in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy universe you're likely to be left pretty angry, whereas newcomers like me leave feeling just dazed and confused.

Story can’t be the thing that carries a video game and story is all Eisenhorn: XENOS has. A character as powerful as Gregor Eisenhor, with a great voice actor in Mark Strong, and an epic story deserves more than a glorified version of a mobile game. But brainless combat and mechanics, crummy audio, and unacceptable bugs keep this game to no more than a book promotion.

So many times during this review I quit the game just because I couldn't be bothered to solve a puzzle, only to realise I had to keep playing to give it a fair shot. My opinion would start to sway a bit more positive, then I quit again for the lack of care. Which says everything about Magrunner: Dark Pulse really.

It's certainly a question of quantity over quality.

In a year that has seen plenty of top-notch sports games, this is arguably the worst of the lot.

In a year that has seen plenty of top-notch sports games, this is arguably the worst of the lot.

It's certainly a question of quantity over quality.

The Long Journey Home had so much promise but Daedalic forgot to make it playable. They focused on the big picture, on the huge epic universe, without realizing that it’s the small stuff that’s important.

The game feels more like a web browser game than a console feature.

I was particularly looking forward to Stronghold 3, so much so I requested the review months ago, and I still find it difficult to believe that Firefly have so spectacularly fouled things up.

As such, Tank Operations cannot be recommended over other modern strategy titles of varying scales, or even retro titles – such as the previously mentioned Panzer General series – which are easily available through the likes of Good Old Games.

Rambo: The Video Game is clearly a cash-in, but one that makes little sense, with little relevance.

Given the pedigree of Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Productions' past works, a lot of people will be understandably excited by the prospect of The Cave. On paper, it sounds appealing, with its variety of characters and plethora of reasons to replay. It looks charming and, at first, the humour hits the spot. Problems lie with its inability to give you any great reason to replay it. It's just all too disappointingly shallow.

The most telling problem though, is that even when playing with the very best squad of footballers that Pure can muster, it just isn't engaging and fluid enough to be of interest for more than a couple of matches.

In its current state I have a hard time recommending AR-K to anyone. Sure, the humour is good and the world it creates is pretty interesting, if lacking in detail, but the technical and presentation issues really hamper the first crucial moments.

This can't be the same developer that made the last two games. That team must be off doing Dead Island or something. There were germs of good ideas in here, and it is possible to play it through to the end, but the criticisms and frustrations will overwhelm any fun you have doing so.

Battleborn ended up stretching itself too thin by trying to include too many modes.

This can't be the same developer that made the last two games. That team must be off doing Dead Island or something. There were germs of good ideas in here, and it is possible to play it through to the end, but the criticisms and frustrations will overwhelm any fun you have doing so.

The most telling problem though, is that even when playing with the very best squad of footballers that Pure can muster, it just isn't engaging and fluid enough to be of interest for more than a couple of matches.

As a Playstation Move launch title, it does a great job of showing off what could potentially be done with the hardware in the future, but as an actual game, it stinks.

It’s not a particularly good advert for the brand, or the MMO. It’s way too pricey for what it is, and it’s got very little replayability. Coupled with the fact that there are plenty of games on tablet that do what it’s trying to do so so much better (The tablet port of XCOM, for example) that, really, this looks incredibly amateurish by comparison.

It promised a light-hearted take on one of the world's most serious sports and it never gets anywhere close to showing that. Poor character designs, terrible mini-narratives, and a broken fight system make this a waste of time and effort. Fans of MMA might satisfy some blood lust, but for everyone else, it shouldn't even register on your gaming radar.

It promised a light-hearted take on one of the world's most serious sports and it never gets anywhere close to showing that. Poor character designs, terrible mini-narratives, and a broken fight system make this a waste of time and effort. Fans of MMA might satisfy some blood lust, but for everyone else, it shouldn't even register on your gaming radar.

Depicting the horrors of an asylum with animated pictures was a tender touch to sensitive imagery. Even the 3D animations conveyed moments with care. But the story is confusing and painfully disappointing and the translation errors make matters worse. So I can commend LKA’s efforts, but I can’t recommend The Town of Light.

I had hopes for Yesterday, but they were beaten out of me during its absurdly short playing time. I got actively angry at the game at several occasions just because of the leaps of non-logic I was supposed to take.

Face Noir tries its best to be a compelling Raymond Chandler-esque film noir detective adventure and falls flat on its noirish face. The story is boring, characters are either bland or straight-up racist, acting is mediocre, writing is worse, cutscenes are mostly static photos, and the puzzles are a string of “find the important thing the designers have hidden” moments rather than any genuine brain-teasers.

The only way to experience the whole game with relative ease is by dipping your toes in the online pool. Unfortunately, most of the title is plagued by repetition, lifeless design, and enough Japanese obscurity to deter most enthusiasts, meaning Moon Diver's appeal is broken quicker than Ryan Giggs' super injunction.

The only way to experience the whole game with relative ease is by dipping your toes in the online pool. Unfortunately, most of the title is plagued by repetition, lifeless design, and enough Japanese obscurity to deter most enthusiasts, meaning Moon Diver's appeal is broken quicker than Ryan Giggs' super injunction.

There is fun to be had in five minute bursts as a distraction from doing work, but then that’s what I bought the phone version for. Don’t buy it. And there’s no multiplayer either, in case you were wondering.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a slap in the face to anyone who put the game on their Most Wanted list at any point since 2007. It’ll be remembered for a long time, but for all the wrong reasons. What a shame. I just feel sorry for those who bought the Season Pass… since there probably won’t be a Season now.

Water Park Tycoon is a slow paced, dull and simplistic sim.

As a tower defence shooter hybrid, Excubitor has the potential to be an adrenaline-charged, strategic masterpiece. However, a number of aspects have let the game down and this left me feeling disappointed.

Level design is cramped and unfair, the controls are imprecise, the interface is from a completely different genre of game and is extremely cluttered and unhelpful, and the whole thing is just painful. 2Dark is extremely frustrating, extremely badly designed, and extremely not fun. I’m glad it wiped my saves. Avoid.

X: Rebirth will get better over time, and anyone who’s open-minded enough to look past the ‘X’ branding and see the ‘game’, may even find many hours of entertainment.

Fat Shark have managed to shoot themselves in the foot by simplifying a formula that worked rather well. Rearmed 2 does enough to remind players as to why the series is often remembered fondly, but quickly blurs the image by stuttering over its best features.

Fat Shark have managed to shoot themselves in the foot by simplifying a formula that worked rather well. Rearmed 2 does enough to remind players as to why the series is often remembered fondly, but quickly blurs the image by stuttering over its best features.

Zombie Tycoon II has a neat premise. Who doesn't want to control a rampaging horde of the undead? It's a shame then, that it doesn't really do anything worthwhile with the concept.

There’s an interesting blueprint here, yet the execution lacks the finesse to elevate it beyond the sum of its parts.

Without the nostalgia factor, it's just a very short and dated experience with a glimmer of the wonder that once gripped the arcade world. That's really not enough to compete with what's out there now.

Good intentions and sporadic success can only carry a campaign so far, and Sniper unfortunately falls well short of the quality benchmark in almost all respects.

Combine awful PC controls, unstable framerate, uninteresting fourth grade humor, and game-breaking bugs and it becomes another indie game that should’ve only been an internal experiment.

A pretty unsavoury experience. Without enough depth and presentational focus on the Huey to make it a decent simulation, and without any form of tutorial or guiding hand for the novice players, the developer has managed to straddle both camps, pleasing nobody in the process.

What saves Dungeon Gate from being a total frustration-filled write-off is the one innovation the game has: Dysan’s ability to scan and turn himself into every single person, animal or creature in the game, and then use their powers and even upgrade each form.

For fans of gaming, stay well clear. Even as far as movie-tie-ins go, this title is the biggest crime to the Harry Potter franchise since Emma Watson decided looking like a public schoolboy is sexy.

For fans of gaming, stay well clear. Even as far as movie-tie-ins go, this title is the biggest crime to the Harry Potter franchise since Emma Watson decided looking like a public schoolboy is sexy.

For fans of gaming, stay well clear. Even as far as movie-tie-ins go, this title is the biggest crime to the Harry Potter franchise since Emma Watson decided looking like a public schoolboy is sexy.

It’s been awhile since a game repulsed me. Not in a gruesome or transgressive way, just in a way that’s unenjoyable thanks to frustrating controls and its unfunny execution. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clear in its intent and you’ll know how you feel about it early on. However, it’s very unappealing and is a reminder as to why these sorts of games are better as experiments rather than full releases. If you like overcoming frustration, maybe you’ll find something worthwhile. I don’t.

I would like to note that there is nothing wrong with RPG maker, but Steel and Steam simply does not transcend the criticisms that those tools for early developers receive.

You may be tempted to try out TestYourself, given that it's only $2.99, but be warned - it's all a trap. Only two tests are provided, and for extra tests you need to pay extra $2.99 for each extra pack. Do yourself a favour, and go buy yourself a non-verbal reasoning book instead - you'll feel a lot smarter for doing so.

Even relatively minor things like the inability to jump will grate, let alone more major concerns such as the control system. What could have been something rather special is simply a scattering of nice ideas, awkwardly actioned.

For all Croixleur Sigma can be quite challenging - particularly towards its Story Mode’s end or within Challenge Mode - no real skill is needed to succeed, and it’s lack of variety and intrigue make this feel like a wasted journey west.

While Terrorarium comes with a delightful morbidness and some style, it’s not engaging to play. Escorting the Moguus loses its luster fast and becomes frustrating. There’s a repelling quality to the game that can’t be saved by its comedy or art. Terrarium feels more akin to a tool, something to introduce game students to puzzle design. Maybe it works fine for someone who wants to learn design, but I can’t stand playing the game itself beyond ten minutes at a time. In theory, it’s a wacky puzzle. In practice, it’s an unfun slog.

If NOMBZ had gameplay to match the artistic style it would be an above average third-person shooter, but it doesn’t.

As usual, all objectives revolve around causing mass genocide and protecting painfully annoying innocents. If you were looking to buy this game for the online multiplayer experience, don't bother. At the time of writing, it seems nobody across the world wants to punch with friends.

The combat is dull, the graphics are boring, even the heroes – the games' big selling point – are totally underwhelming. Not to mention ridiculously expensive for any extras. It's free to try, but it's not really worth the bandwidth either.

A lazily cobbled-together, bargain basement piece of shovelware that deserves neither your time or money.

Even without comparing it to previous games, it's still mediocre at best. If I had one word to describe Wrecked, it would be unnecessary. There are enough arcade racers out there, and some of them are actually pretty decent. This one; is not.

It's never satisfying to condemn any game but it's hard not to with Inversion. There are glimmers of nice ideas within, but the water is too muddied to see them clearly. All that's left is a bunch of mechanics that we've all seen before, and better implemented elsewhere.

In short then, Quantum Theory is just too flat, too unpolished and too unoriginal to make any positive lasting impression.

In short then, Quantum Theory is just too flat, too unpolished and too unoriginal to make any positive lasting impression.

There's precious little to recommend here outside of the occasionally cutesy over-sexed anime visuals and comedy wobbling breasts.

There may well be a half-decent game lurking beneath the facade of tired jokes and nods to RPG tropes and stereotypes, which Citizens of Earth then insists of portraying anyway, however it’s far too caught up in its own bravado to realise it.

This new Tony Hawk title fails in every way that Activision wanted it to succeed: it’s more difficult, it’s less fun, and it still doesn’t beat Skate. Sure, the skateboard is neat, but it, like everything else in the game, clearly is incomplete. Tony Hawk: Ride is just that: unfinished, incomplete, and broken.

Bodycount has been pinned as the spiritual successor to Black, but this couldn't be any further from the truth. The latter was full of quality at the end of the last generation's lifespan, while this title whimpers to a halt in a key point of 2011's gaming calendar.

A lack of ideas and poor design just won't cut it in a year that sees Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare go head-to-head.

A lazily cobbled-together, bargain basement piece of shovelware that deserves neither your time or money.

When both the story and the gameplay are as weak as this then you're better leaving this on the virtual shelf and picking up Dead Space Extraction instead.

Inmates had ambitious intentions and a few good ideas, but these were not executed well at all. Fear and thrills were extinguished by the questionable shaking head effect and the game’s puzzles remained overly simplistic and did not feel challenging or rewarding to complete. In addition, I encountered a number of bugs that stopped me from progressing, at points. While this game may be attractively short for some, I cannot recommend the experience.

Umbrella Corps is a big game from a major publisher in a popular franchise in that franchise’s anniversary year, and it’s both awful and dead on arrival. Now I see why Capcom didn’t tell anyone that it came out.

All in all, Agarest Generations of War is pretty bland, generic, and average. Factoring in pure gameplay, there are plenty of better JRPG to sample, and, hopefully, a brighter future for the genre above and beyond what this PC port would illuminate.

Unfortunately for Blood Knights, taking established systems and watering them down just leaves you with a diluted mix that tastes nothing like what it's trying to imitate.

Long term Magic fans will want to avoid Magic 2015 to avoid utter frustration, whereas newcomers should look further into the Duels of the Planeswalkers’ back catalogue for a more appropriate and fulfilling platform for inauguration.

It’s a shame that Infamy devolves into such juvenile practices as there are some nice flourishes on display – for instance, the hand-drawn aesthetic lends a quaint, homely feel to adventuring that feels refreshing in light of the grandeur that western RPGs typically strive for – yet it’s impossible to root for a game that makes such a critical misstep.

It’s a broken game, unfinished, derivative and sloppily produced, filled with uninteresting environments and levels. A pirate’s life is supposedly full of action and adventure, but you’ll find none of it here.

Mechanically, The Inquisitor borrows from several genres but rudimentary implementation fails to make a case for engaging in clue collecting or swordfighting. Worse yet, some of its mechanics are only there waste your time. On paper, and with more work put into it, The Inquisitor could have been a decent low-budget romp through an interesting setting. Sadly, in its current form, it only succeeds as a contender for the title of worst game of the year.

Bedlam is a neat concept that has managed to result in a game that’s utterly bankrupt of creativity, polish, or fun. It’s a game that went so wrong at every turn that it makes you just feel bad for its developers. There’s nothing here but a bunch of half-hearted references and wistful nostalgia for old video games, both of which you can get plenty of for free on the internet.

It’s just a buggy mess with some potential hidden away amongst the basic visuals and sparse structure. If you really want a police simulator then the Liberty City Police Mod for GTA IV offers a far superior experience.

The intelligent use of horror, intensity, and most importantly, subtleness has gone. While this game is only a diversion until Resident Evil 6 arrives, Capcom have done an amazingly awful job. Resident Evil used to be the trendsetter, the series everyone looked up to, now its identity has been de-constructed in a major way.

I really hate tearing down games because nobody sets out to purposefully make a bad game and people put passion and effort into Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi, but not only does this game fail on its own merits, the fact that this is the 15th entry in an acclaimed series makes it even more disappointing. The way it tries to hide its lack of depth is almost insulting, and not even a decent character system can save it.

The combat hits an enjoyable, if uninspired, rhythm at times, but really, Clan of Champions does nothing new, confining you to small, cookie-cutter environments and not even having the good grace to polish your loot.

If you look at it as an action game, then it falls at almost every hurdle. Aiming is jerky and hard, and the controls are too complex to engage in fast-paced combat. However, if you look at it from a simulation point of view, enthusiasts of mech-games certainly have something to get excited about at being in the cockpit of one without forking out the £200-odd for the previous game.

We could go on and on listing the problems with Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance, but like the game, we were bored from the very beginning of having to write this.

I have had experience with numerous World War II games and this game seems to be the most unplayable version of all.

If you haven’t guessed it already, Raven’s Cry is quite blatantly unfinished.

Despite all the many, many problems the game has, Spellbound still programmed in the ability to stir soup. Soup your character can't actually use. They actually took development time out from dialogue, story, characters, quests, content, graphics, combat, and all the other essential RPG elements they screwed up to give your annoying shepherd an utterly pointless animation. That just blows my mind.

Hoodwink is true to its title, since it's barely a game.

Three Dead Zed just isn't good enough. As mentioned earlier there are a ton of more expertly crafted platformers on the market, and you just do not need to put time and money into this boring and quite frankly, amateurishly developed title.

If I've come across as harsh or bitchy in this review, that's because the game genuinely angered me whilst playing it. Not only was it boring and a chore, badly written and animated, and full of glitches, but it just seems so lazy.

With the amount of great action games on the market there is simply no reason that you should give Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z a try. It is a shoddily made, awful mess.

4PM claims to be an experimental title yet it’s as by the numbers as they come.

The epitome of a terrible movie tie-in game.

The epitome of a terrible movie tie-in game.

If there’s one good thing I can say about Post Master it’s that it actually works. It’s not buggy, it doesn’t crash, and there is actually a game, of sorts, there to be played. I suppose the music's alright too. But all in all, it’s a sorry excuse for a game.

Star Raiders is doggerel: derivative, insubstantial tripe that fails to entertain on any level while simultaneously tarnishing the legacy of a classic Atari 800 game. I can't remember the last time I have played something so objectively bad, and Atari should be ashamed that they are actually receiving money for this.

Star Raiders is doggerel: derivative, insubstantial tripe that fails to entertain on any level while simultaneously tarnishing the legacy of a classic Atari 800 game. I can't remember the last time I have played something so objectively bad, and Atari should be ashamed that they are actually receiving money for this.

Star Raiders is doggerel: derivative, insubstantial tripe that fails to entertain on any level while simultaneously tarnishing the legacy of a classic Atari 800 game. I can't remember the last time I have played something so objectively bad, and Atari should be ashamed that they are actually receiving money for this.

Why bother playing this mess of a game when you could be playing Kinect Sports instead?

In defence of Crafty Studios, they have been proactive in patching, but Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny seems a long way off of being playable quite yet. Save your nostalgia, start learning the German language, and pray to Cromm that things turn around quickly.