When a game that is situated at a prison feels like a punishment, one could think, that the game reaches its goal. Games should be fun, but this prison adventure drop's the soap as soon as the game starts. [May 2010]

With three brand new maps and two old ones, the only thing special about the Stimulus Map Pack is the steep price. You really need to be a hardcore Modern Warfare 2 enthusiast to get your money's worth. [May 2010]

An expansion pack to the original game that adds many improvements such as better graphics, new quests and of course multiplayer which is the biggest new feature. The multiplayer supports up to 64 players in various game modes, from simple deathmatch to more complex siege mode, and it's very enjoyable. The singleplayer mode doesn't feel as finished as the multiplayer because it still has some bugs and unfinished features. It also doesn't have enough new content which is why it resembles the original Mount & Blade too much. [June 2010]

Brings the evolution of the Warioware microgame series to its logical conclusion. The tools for creating microgames are surprisingly versatile but still easy enough to use. [May 2010]

A decent add-on for a great game. Some new buildings would have been nice. [May 2010]

A pretty and smooth game about wakeboarding. It’s pure arcade, so no Tony Hawk -skillz are needed. It's a bit pricey considering the anemic multiplayer experience. [June 2010]

Feels, in a good way, more like Master of Orion 3 than the real MOO3 ever did. It is very interesting, unique take to 4X-genre, very nice to play but needs more bloodthirsty AI opponents. War, not only skirmishes, please. [May 2010]

Just Cause 2 delivers delightful, though at times repetitive, symphony of destruction. Up to par graphics and beautiful world keeps in its grip. [Mar 2010]

Red Steel 2 is a very good FPS-esque action game with heavy emphasis on swordplay. The cartoon graphics are excellent and the MotionPlus-sword works really well. [Apr 2010]

This year's MotoGP is a nice mixture of arcade and simulation. The game has some minor flaws, but the big picture is in working order. The start may be a bit hard, but once the game opens up, you really learn to appreciate it's differences from the horde of four-tire racers. [Apr 2010]

Although I lost my Settlers virginity at a fairly old age, growing a functional colony is very, very addictive. The game brings back a load of childhood memories, which is definitely one of the game's strongest sides. There are some minor flaws though. The AI is passive and if you need to handle million things at once, sometimes the game gets quite confusing. [May 2010]

A bit of an ambiguous case. Game mechanics have been transferred to gamepad pretty well but on the other hand, do both versions suffer too much of the console adaptation? [June 2010]

This relic may not have the greatest looks, but the atmosphere is as good as it once was. Retro enthusiasts will get their money's worth and this re-release is something that new generation of gamers should definitely take a look at. The ride gets even better, when you share it with friends. Rock solid multiplayer features ensure, that Joanna Dark's debut is ready for another round. [May 2010]

The last of legendary series and offers an ending that is truly epic. Epic fail. Redesign for the sake of redesign is stupid and lobotomizing is triple stupid. [Apr 2010]

Metro 2033 is Stalker done right. Gone are the half-working sandbox elements and infuriatingly underpowered weapons. Instead Metro delivers an expertly paced train ride though the spooky post-apocalyptic underbelly of Moscow. The English voiceovers are horrible, but in the end that doesn't really matter. Great game. [May 2010]

Metro 2033 is Stalker done right. Gone are the half-working sandbox elements and infuriatingly underpowered weapons. Instead Metro delivers an expertly paced train ride though the spooky post-apocalyptic underbelly of Moscow. The English voiceovers are horrible, but in the end that doesn't really matter. Great game. [May 2010]

The gory epic is even more so this time. Playing Kratos is still pure ownage and with the exception of a few niggles the game is incredibly polished with awesome visuals. [Apr 2010]

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening has the same strengths and weaknesses as the original game. The world is still a bit too generic and everything feels like it was designed by a cold computer who learned about all the possible fantasy worlds out there before deciding what to pick from each of them. Still it's a worthwhile addition to the game, there is loads of stuff to do and managing you own lands is fun. Also the few big decisions are handled very well. The end feels rushed, though, and the lower difficulty level in combat is a bit disappointing. [Apr 2010]

A modernised Punch Out in a fantasy setting. It's simple, yet quite challenging. [June 2010]

Pokemon SoulSilver is the same game again, now with a pedometer. [May 2010]

Fixes many of the original game's annoyances and continues the story of the Blood Ravens with a bunch of excellent missions. Only the final mission is a bit of a letdown, otherwise an absolute must for fans of futuristic warfare. [Apr 2010]

This fantasy isn't something that every boy dreams of, but on the other side, the game offers nice story and extremely streamlined mechanics. If you can put aside the annoying characters, the incoherent script and the overall restrictions, the game is reasonably fun to play. [Mar 2010]

DRM aside, quite possibly one of the years best PC games. [Apr 2010]

A quite entertaining beat 'em up in a sandbox environment. The cities are detailed and realistic. Too bad the missions are a bit samey. [Apr 2010]

A generic platformer combined with a very interesting draw-a-platform system. [Mar 2010]

The sequel to the first single player Battlefield definitely has its flaws, but the game is fun to play. Bad Company captivates the feel of the authentic 80's action flicks, which is not a bad thing. If the game has explosions, rubble and a lot of unintentional violence, how bad can it go wrong? [Mar 2010]

The sequel to the first single player Battlefield definitely has its flaws, but the game is fun to play. Bad Company captivates the feel of the authentic 80's action flicks, which is not a bad thing. If the game has explosions, rubble and a lot of unintentional violence, how bad can it go wrong? [Mar 2010]

Campaign, graphics and the visual contact model are excellent but this simulation desperately needs a damage model for merchants, better usability and lots of small bug fixes and short-cut keys before it can be played. [Apr 2010]

Supreme Commander 2 is now Supreme Command & Conquer. As a sequel to Supreme Commander it is disappointing, but taken only as an RTS with robots it is better than average. [Mar 2010]

Mega Man's latest adventure is more than just the same. The feel and heart of the game put it right there next to the classics from the 80s. [Apr 2010]

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx shows how DLC packs should be done. It raises the level cap from 50 to 61, it is extremely challenging, and it offers violent, yet addictive, item hunting. Most delightful of all, the tongue-in-cheek humor is kicked into high gear. Simply put: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx delivers on all fronts. This add-on is a must-have for every self-respecting Borderlands player. [Apr 2010]

An excellent turn-based combat game. It's deceptively simple and fast-paced. The harvesters and destructible ground are really good ideas. [Apr 2010]

Has good turn-based, operational mode, that unfortunately is not backed up by solid tactical combat. The commanding feels clumsy and unintuitive, and information feels like it's hidden from the commander. The old masters of tactical WW2 combat still remain unbeaten. [May 2010]

Fret Nice's downfall is that it forces the player to repeat the same few levels far too many times. The game does have some fresh ideas and its art style is very charming, but the cons nevertheless outweigh the pros. Also, the guitar controls are horrible. [May 2010]

A quite good inverted platformer. You move the level, not the hero. The objects move nicely in the rotating maze. The levels are a bit too samey, though. [May 2010]

A remarkably cinematic game with a superbly stylish execution. The imaginative Quick Time Event action sequences, both big and small, enable participation in action normally reserved for passive cut-scenes. A tidal wave of QTE that might follow afterward is something to dread for but in this context QTE works well. [Mar 2010]

Napoleon: Total War is remake of the Empire: Total War. Both games have same weaknesses and strengths but the Napoleon version is more polished of the two. [Apr 2010]

A relaxed and entertaining scuba diving adventure. The puzzles should be more difficult, since there are no real threats. [Mar 2010]

Lost in Nightmares brings back nice memories from past Resident Evil titles without the downsides, so why does it have to be so short? Other than that, a wonderful package full of intense co-op action. [Apr 2010]

Bonfire of the Vanities completes Ezio’s memories and is, at least for now, the last DLC pack for Assassin’s Creed II. This time around Ezio is tasked with the assassination (surprise, surprise) of Girolamo Savonarola and his men. Removing Savonarola’s underlings is quite rewarding after Forli’s Cakewalk, and you get to admire the full extent of Florence, yet Bonfire of the Vanities offers nothing new. The adventure is worth its price tag, particularly if you buy the Secret Locations along with it, but nothing to exult about. [Apr 2010]

A puzzle-platformer that tries a bit too hard to be the next Braid. While not as good, the twisted black & white visuals and solid gameplay will keep you entertained for a while. [Apr 2010]

Aliens vs Predator on Xbox 360 is a huge disappointment. Shaky controls make marine campaign worst of the lot and predator has lost his cool gear, forcing him to focus too much on melee. Of the three only alien campaign is somewhat fun to play. And what happened to the visuals? Sub-par resolution and bad play-doh design make everything look murky and just plain bad. Thankfully the PC version is at least a bit better. [Mar 2010]

An acceptable shooter, mostly thanks to its subject matter. [Apr 2010]

A simple and very stylish build-a-tower game. The physics work really well. [May 2010]

At the price of one game, you get the wonderfully weird single-player campaign of Darwinia and the multiplayer mayhem of Multiwinia. Add to this the unique retro-style presentation and you’ve got a title that is highly recommended. [Apr 2010]

Bioshock 2 is basically the same game as Bioshock. Luckily the original was great and the sequel is just as much fun. Rapture is still one of the most amazing places to get lost into. [Feb 2010]

Takes Dante’s Divine Comedy and turns it into a bloody God of War -wannabe action romp with ridiculously overdone ”adult” themes. Despite its unintentional humour value, the game itself is smooth and entertaining enough, if a bit on the short side. [Mar 2010]

The newest Super Monkey Ball is an perfect example of how one big screw-up takes the whole game down the drain. The absolutely horrible controls immediately destroy all the fun that the game can offer. This is a shame. The lovable main characters are definitely in a wrong game. [Apr 2010]

The lesser of Sins add-ons, but of course a must buy. [May 2010]

Scifi epic á la Japan is a relic from the 90's. Although the team's love for their game can be seen from all around, it isn't enough anymore. Bioware is breaking boundaries with their games, so when Star Ocean is compared to Mass Effect, the oriental star trek is unfortunately outdated. [Mar 2010]

A very simple and highly amusing platformer with some beat 'em up influences. You need only one button to play it. [Feb 2010]

A mesmerizing fusion of Tetris and Lumines with great music that comes at an affordable price. [Apr 2010]

Third installment to the Stalker-series is by far the best iteration of the saga. When compared to the radioactive role-playing world of Fallout, the only things that this game is missing are experience points and some decent dialogue. The game is much closer to a simulator than an fps-game. In this perspective, it's odd, that all the weapons resemble pea-shooters. [Feb 2010]

A very competent pool simulation. Too bad the virtual opponents are invisible. [Feb 2010]

Assassin’s Creed II: The Battle of Forli. Hopes were high when Ubisoft released The Battle of Forli, the first DLC pack for Assassin’s Creed II, but sadly Ezio takes a misstep here. The Battle of Forli shows us what happened during Ezio’s Memory Sequence number 12. He is back in Forli and he… well, the title says it all. Ezio battles each and everyone in the city. Caterina Sforza, Ezio’s hostess, is an interesting enough character, but the constant killing makes one obtunded. At least the price of the DLC (4 euros) is affordable. [Mar 2010]

The Xbox 360 version lacks the updated finesse of the PC counterpart. [Feb 2010]

Mass Effect 2 gives you an opportunity to play a role, but I'd be hesitant to call it a role-playing game. So what is it exactly? A really robust action-adventure? Can't tell for sure, but once you get past the fact that you're not playing a RPG you really can't help but to enjoy what game has to offer. Mass Effect 2 is truly a genre-defying masterpiece. [Feb 2010]

Mass Effect 2 gives you an opportunity to play a role, but I'd be hesitant to call it a role-playing game. So what is it exactly? A really robust action-adventure? Can't tell for sure, but once you get past the fact that you're not playing a RPG you really can't help but to enjoy what game has to offer. Mass Effect 2 is truly a genre-defying masterpiece. [Feb 2010]

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is almost pop art. The sequel is still rough around the edges but the fury of the combat, bizarre dialogue and style with 8-bit gaming homage make it loveable. [May 2010]

An excellent online FPS. The player limit is huge and the matches are huge. Intensive stuff. [Mar 2010]

A fun and tactical game that's easy to play. A bit too easy perhaps, but at least there's multiple endings for added value. [Apr 2010]

Both the flying and close combat are equally uninspired and plain boring and there is no real synergy between the two. [Feb 2010]

An interactive joke and a good one at that. The controls aren't quite sharp enough, though. [May 2010]

The distilled essence of the FPS genre. It gives you powerful weaponry and then throws ridiculous amounts of enemies at you – what’s there more to ask? [Mar 2010]

Dragon Age: Origins - Return to Ostagar is little more than a short sightseeing quest in the snow-covered ruins of Ostagar. A few hours' worth of fighting the same old enemies doesn't quite cut it as good DLC, but thankfully the pricing is in line with this. [Mar 2010]

Tries very hard to be edgy and gritty but much of that effort ends up feeling forced. After the destructive spectacle of the first couple of levels is over, the game sort of winds down and you're left with five hours of rather forgettable scenes and mediocre action. Fortunately, Army of Two does have a saving grace and that's the co-operative play. [Jan 2010]

A decent enough collection on winter sports themed minigames. The sense of speed is very good. Too bad the selection of sports is way too small. [Feb 2010]

The idea of mixing elements of role playing games and first person shooters with Diablo style item hunting might seem absurd at first, but Borderlands proves that such unique combination can actually work. The two DLC packs, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Maxxi’s Underdome Riot, expand the Borderlands experience further, but in their own different ways. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is a story-driven adventure that, as the name suggests, involves a lot of zombie shooting, whereas Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot concentrates on multiplayer and arena battles. Both are good in their own right, but Ned’s Zombie Island offers more fun moments and bang for your buck. [Feb 2010]

A solid homage to Contra and other 2D shooters of the NES/SNES era. A sense humour and frequent allusions to other games make this one a unique experience. [Feb 2010]

A first-class action adventure with a strong apocalyptic themes. No matter what you are, War beats you down. Hard. [Feb 2010]

A positively over-the-top beat 'em up -adventure. The battles are simply stunning - sexy, bloody, brutal and above all: fun. [Jan 2010]

A positively over-the-top beat 'em up -adventure. The battles are simply stunning - sexy, bloody, brutal and above all: fun. [Jan 2010]

A quite good action adventure in a pretty Final Fantasy -world. The telekinesis powers are fun. Don't expect any RPG stuff, though. [Mar 2010]

Tight, fast paced action and great atmosphere make Wings of Prey one of the best attempts at creating an easily accessible light simulator, but it could use more settings in the difficulty options, better damage modeling, more missions and maybe even dynamic campaigns. The AI and flight modeling are already quite good for a non-hardcore simulator. [Feb 2010]

A competent Pengo-clone. You don't see much of those, so that's a plus. [Mar 2010]

A quite good tower defence game. It gets the job done, but there's nothing too special. Try Fieldrunners first. [Feb 2010]

As long as you can overlook the repetitive gameplay, Alien Breed Evolution offers good old-fashioned action. [Feb 2010]

A nice puzzle game, which doesn't have much to do with the Rubik's cube. And that's a good thing. [Feb 2010]

A really interesting combination of a cave shooter and a action puzzler. The liquids are fun and they work really well. [Jan 2010]

A quite decent beat 'em up adventure. Almost all basic enemies can be beaten easily by crouching, though. [Apr 2010]

An incredibly immersive and original adventure in the midst of snow and ice, with one of the most memorable plots in a long time. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoy slow paced and intelligent games. [Apr 2010]

The idea of mixing elements of role playing games and first person shooters with Diablo style item hunting might seem absurd at first, but Borderlands proves that such unique combination can actually work. The two DLC packs, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Maxxi’s Underdome Riot, expand the Borderlands experience further, but in their own different ways. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is a story-driven adventure that, as the name suggests, involves a lot of zombie shooting, whereas Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot concentrates on multiplayer and arena battles. Both are good in their own right, but Ned’s Zombie Island offers more fun moments and bang for your buck. [Feb 2010]

An overall improvement over Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks proves itself to be one of the best games on DS. [Jan 2010]

Jungles of Pandora offer a nice setting for an action game, but unfortunately the game itself fails to deliver. The mission structure is stolen from MMOs, the storyline devolves to preaching and the game is very easy. The graphics are beautiful and there would have been a lot of potential, considering the PR. Now the game is nothing more than an average license product. And that is a shame. [Jan 2010]

You have to give credit to Ubisoft for being original with the Wii game. They haven't ported the bigger version to moderate platform by force. The sneaking is fun and the game truly has it's moments. The script and the main character are stupid and the game is easy as a walk in the park. Where's the ambition? [Jan 2010]

Jungles of Pandora offer a nice setting for an action game, but unfortunately the game itself fails to deliver. The mission structure is stolen from MMOs, the storyline devolves to preaching and the game is very easy. The graphics are beautiful and there would have been a lot of potential, considering the PR. Now the game is nothing more than an average license product. And that is a shame. [Jan 2010]

Advances the game's storyline a bit and adds some fine new features, the best of which is the simply fascinating skirmish system. However, the actual Mirkwood content is pretty slim and doesn't take more than a few nights of heavy gaming to run through. [Feb 2010]

Takes an old and tired strategy game series and works it into a glorious puzzle game with light RPG elements. The game concept is truly fresh and with graphics and UI to match, there's absolutely nothing to complain about here. [Feb 2010]

A very good Thrust-clone with a nice level editor. Too bad there's no reactor carrying and internet multiplayer modes. [Jan 2010]

A simple, entertaining and artistic game. It's visually familiar, but the game is once again different. [Apr 2010]

Combines the addictiveness of Bejeweled with Final Fantasy -style graphics and a bit of Pokémon. One of the better offerings in the strange genre of RPG-puzzle hybrids. [Feb 2010]

Manages to fix almost everything that felt lacking in the first installment. With it's stunning visuals, engaging storyline and fun gameplay Assassin's Creed II is easily one of the best games of 2009. [Dec 2009]

Indiana Jones and the Lego license blend in quite nicely. If you put aside the infuriating driving sequences, the second block-Indy delivers a fast paced action package, which actually requires some thinking.

The first actual dancing game. The music selection is great, but the movement detection should be a little bit better. It's quite fun with friends, nonetheless. [June 2010]

Sackboy's shrinked adventure suffers from sloppy controls and unbalanced level design. The cool level editor is also included, so after the disappointing solo content, you can entertain yourself with downloadable levels almost indefinitely. With proper finishing and some reasoning to the control methods, the game would definitely fight it's way to the platformer elite. Now the result is somewhat medium. [Dec 2009]

Armada 2526 proves yet again that 4X Space games need a sense of wonder, not a sense of Excell. Death to text messaging diplomacy! [Jan 2010]

Don't like forced humor and bright colors, but do like everything else. Especially Spitter. [Dec 2009]

A fine first add-on for The Sims 3. The adventures work surprisingly well and the travel locations are a refreshing change to the small-town americana of the original game. [Dec 2009]