Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is konami's first successful attempt to bring the legendary series into the third dimension. A great atmosphere meets gameplay in the mold of God of War. Only a few faults like a confusing camera and an uneven upgrade system hamper the fun. Lords of Shadow is a great restart for the vampire saga and has sleeper hit written all over it.

Take the typical, unrealistic SSX-Snowboard-Action, add a mediocre story, mix everything up with a few special items, which are sometimes fun, sometimes horrible and you have an idea what the first next-gen SSX looks like. Although some tracks frustrate, the core-gameplay shines once more and the online-multiplayer yields weeks of fun.

If you love to laugh and shoot at the same time, Borderlands 2 is for you. The remarkable humor oozes through the whole 40 hour long game and is the glue that keeps the otherwise not-so innovative game together. Gearbox managed a pimped version of the original game but dared not to try something new.

A lot of beautiful cars and tracks were made for Gran Turismo 5. The driving physics are really good but somehow Gran Turismo 5 could not stand up to its previous hype in general. Some recycled tracks and the environments are not looking good. Weather effects and the changes of daytime are looking awesome but they are only available on some tracks.

Bulletstorm is not only offering a lot of enemies to shoot. We did not expect such good character development and such an entertaining story.

Bulletstorm is not only offering a lot of enemies to shoot. We did not expect such good character development and such an entertaining story.

Catherine is like no other game out there. It's witty, involving and really fun to play. Despite the sometimes heavily frustrating puzzles I could not stop until the credits rolled down. If you are looking for a unique experience don't miss this great mix of rewarding arcade-puzzling and clever written adventure.

Sonic Generations takes the player on a voyage through 20 years of Sonic history. Pairing 2D-Levels with 3D-Stages Generations offers the best of both worlds and provides fans of the franchise with tons of unlockable art, music and gimmicks. Hands down one of the best Sonic games in the last 10 years.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 delivers the largest playable roster ever with more than 50 new and returning characters. The great fighting engine provides advanced attack mechanics, ultimate combo move sets and blazing new tag-throws and tag-combos! Up to 4 players can each control a character and experience well balanced offline and online multiplayer battles. Get ready and challenge your friends in 2-on-2 tag-team battles or 1-on-1 and 1-on-2 matches in one of the best fighting games today.

Mafia 2 looks like your everyday Open-World game. But don´t be fooled. At it´s core it is as linear as a laser-beam. And it´s telling a gripping, epic gangster-story you just have to play for yourself. If you enjoy such a thrilling ride, you will love the game. But if you hope for a 50`s GTA, you will be disappointed. And that would be a shame!

Mafia 2 looks like your everyday Open-World game. But don´t be fooled. At it´s core it is as linear as a laser-beam. And it´s telling a gripping, epic gangster-story you just have to play for yourself. If you enjoy such a thrilling ride, you will love the game. But if you hope for a 50`s GTA, you will be disappointed. And that would be a shame!

Epic Mickey is a great game. Moral decisions, the paint-brush all these things are brilliant ideas. But there are serious issues with the camera. Why didn't they fix those camera problems? Anyways Disney Epic Mickey is a wonderful Wii game that must be remade for Xbox 360 and PS3.

A very entertaining shooter with a strong campaign, lots of gameplay-variety and two very solid online-modes. Graphically not amazing and gameplay-wise always a little too simple, it still wins us over with a great mix of robo-drama and well delivered gags. This is the best Transformers-Game so far.

If you are driving fast the AI is driving fast as well. If you are slow the AI is slow as well. The graphics of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit are nice. But the good old Burnout games were much more entertaining. Time trials and car chasing between the police and bad guys are somehow lame.

If you are driving fast the AI is driving fast as well. If you are slow the AI is slow as well. The graphics of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit are nice. But the good old Burnout games were much more entertaining. Time trials and car chasing between the police and bad guys are somehow lame.

The New Super Mario Bros. gameplay is as well balanced as ever, with new items and better graphics. The tunes sound very familiar. Nevertheless: Mario's Jump & Run is the perfect game for you if you've enjoyed the series since 1985.

We are surprised by Dance Central. It truly is the best Kinect launch title your should spend your money on. Assumed that you like dancing games or games with motion. Otherwise you should wait on buying Kinect until some core games are on the way.

A good sequel with superior controls, some new features, a steady pace and a lot more action compared to the first game. With its short playing time of roughly five hours it fails to create as much atmosphere as The Force Unleashed 1 though and there are still some technical issues, e.g. the mediocre collision detection. Overall The Force Unleashed 2 will satisfy both Star Wars-Fans and those who enjoyed the first game.

A good sequel with superior controls, some new features, a steady pace and a lot more action compared to the first game. With its short playing time of roughly five hours it fails to create as much atmosphere as The Force Unleashed 1 though and there are still some technical issues, e.g. the mediocre collision detection. Overall The Force Unleashed 2 will satisfy both Star Wars-Fans and those who enjoyed the first game.

Desperate Struggle is truly not a perfect game – just like its predecessor it suffers from technical issues like camera-controls or clipping-bugs. Thanks to its unique crazy style, the weird story and characters, spectacular boss-bights and the simple but addictive old-school mini-games, the second No More Heroes is one of the hottest Wii-Action-Games.

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a brave departure for the infamous action series – and it's focus on sword fighting and spectacular quicktime sequences could disappoint diehard fans.

A wonderful level design and nice graphics will offer a very good Wii shooter. In Conduit 2 you will get action from start to finish.

The story is way too short and the multiplayer doesn't deliver the fun you know from the Call of Duty or Battlefield games.

The story is way too short and the multiplayer doesn't deliver the fun you know from the Call of Duty or Battlefield games.

The fluid and intuitive controls in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 feel great. The graphic effects and the versus mode are truly great too. A wonderful game.

The fluid and intuitive controls in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 feel great. The graphic effects and the versus mode are truly great too. A wonderful game.

The new racing game is fast and fun. The 3D mode looks pretty cool and includes a lot of 3D effects. The multiplayer is good while the single player campaign is only a tutorial.

Virtua Tennis 4 is offering a lot more than Virtua Tennis 2009. A nice career mode is making a simulation out of Virtua Tennis 4.

American Nightmare does some great tricks in telling the story but fails to deliver the same immersive and thrilling experience as Alan Wake. But as it offers far more interesting fights with (finally!) a lot more different enemies it still is a really good action game!

This well rounded open-world-experience lacks true innovation but offers a great balance of different gameplay, a superbly told story and a game world both exotic and immersive. It is held back by its performance though.

A very solid, graphically impressive shooter with a lot of content in solo-, coop- and multiplayer-modes. Although the mix of tactics and more offensive shootout plays well, the mix of both leads to some frustration. The cluttered controls make that even more annoying.

With all new graphics and some FIFA-12-borrowed features like Personality+ and the Impact-Engine FIFA Street is a great reboot of the series. Despite a sometimes unfair AI and minor technical issues, the mixture of mind-blowing tricks and fast football-action is as fun as ever. And due to a motivating career-mode and a lot of original FIFA-licenses, Street-Fans will be occupied for weeks.

Capcom's plan to deliver an RPG catered towards western roleplayers worked out. A mix of Skyrim and Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma scores with its rough atmosphere, deep roleplay elements and high level of difficulty. Furthermore the game stands out due to the climbing- and companion-system. Biggest downside though are the technical issues: Some textures seem lackluster and many objects and characters pop up way too late.

It's the best in series, but make no mistake: Lego Batman 2 is still very much a Lego game, light-hearted silliness and extremely low difficulty included. Apart from that, the game does an excellent job of telling a great comic book story thanks to the much-needed addition of spoken language, inciting laughs in children and adults alike. The open world adds much to the familiar formula, even if the navigation of Gotham Citys grimy streets is sometimes borderline frustrating.

Kid Icarus Uprising is a great 3DS experience with a very unique hero and a fascinating story... but the controls are quite uncomfortable, even if you use the 3DS stand!

Ruse is doing really well on consoles. The controls of the game are very good. You never lose track at all. The missions convince with new tasks and unexpected, but never unfair events. Moreover, the degree of difficulty moves slowly, but surely Ruse offers a challenge even for professionals. The story and the main character are some of the rare things we dislike.

Ruse is doing really well on consoles. The controls of the game are very good (PlayStation Move on PS3 is working fine for Ruse) . You never lose track at all. The missions convince with new tasks and unexpected, but never unfair events. Moreover, the degree of difficulty moves slowly, but surely Ruse offers a challenge even for professionals. The story and the main character are some of the rare things we dislike.

Rocksmith lifts the Guitar Hero formula to the next level. The game takes beginners by the hand and gives them tutorials, songs and exercises in a step-by-step manner, so you can really see a progress in your playing. The strongest element of Rocksmith is the dynamic difficulty, which adjusts to the players skills on the go during a song. But Rocksmith is not without its flaws. The graphics are faint, the loading times long and there is also a minimal sound-lag that bothers experienced musicians.

Lego Harry Potter is the next big franchise to be set up with the cute and funny Lego-style, which developer Traveller's Tales had in their previous games. If you don't mind the problems with the fixed camera-angles and the low difficulty of the game, you get a comic, comprehensive game that is absolutely suitable for kids and which offers co-op gameplay.

Lego Harry Potter is the next big franchise to be set up with the cute and funny Lego-style, which developer Traveller's Tales had in their previous games. If you don't mind the problems with the fixed camera-angles and the low difficulty of the game, you get a comic, comprehensive game that is absolutely suitable for kids and which offers co-op gameplay.

Catapulting aliens by force of gravity through the air is one of the most entertaining things absout this action-packed shooter. The other is watching buildings topple and crash to the ground, destroyed by powerful and original weapons. The level design may be partially flawed, the story may seem bland, but what Red Faction: Armageddon excels in is it's fun and rewarding combat.

Catapulting aliens by force of gravity through the air is one of the most entertaining things absout this action-packed shooter. The other is watching buildings topple and crash to the ground, destroyed by powerful and original weapons. The level design may be partially flawed, the story may seem bland, but what Red Faction: Armageddon excels in is it's fun and rewarding combat.

The Darkness 2 offers subtle, but very welcome gameplay-changes and superb new comic-book graphics. A dense atmosphere, an entertaining four-player-coop-mode and solid voice-acting (both english and german) are other strong points of the game. On the contrary, the story is not as gripping as in the prequel and the boss-fights are rather trite. But Digital Extremes found a good balance between action-scenes and quieter moments. The german USK-version is heavily cut.

I am Alive is an amazingly atmospheric and innovative survival adventure. It's a shame that the story concludes in an disappointing ending that comes way too soon.

Despite its generic story and shallow characters Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is worth a try if you know every inch of Skirym in and out by now. The best thing about Reckoning is the fluid combat that leaves you hoping for more like it in future RPGs.

Spec Ops: The Line forces the main character Captain Walker to be a killer. It forces you to be a perpetrator as well as it shows perfectly how Walker is to collapse because of that violence. A very good story for a game.

Players get a lot of fun in this Diablo-like game. The only negative thing is that you won't get any multiplayer. But the hack'n'slay action is fun and entertaining.

Very similar to Fallout 3 in 2008, the PS3 version of Fallout: New Vegas is far from perfect. Occasional crashes and noticeable performance issues are only some of the flaws you will have to endure. Still, there are lots of reasons why you will probably have a great time with New Vegas: A huge open world to explore, lots of well-written quests, interesting decisions and tons of items offer many hours of gameplay and great replay value.

Good old wrestling times with all the classics we love. The game offers a lot of wrestling fun but all the game modes are a little too short.

This game is crazy as all the Yakuza games before. The graphics are not that good but the details of the virtual Japan are truly thrilling.

Goldeneye established the formula for a perfect movie tie-in 14 years ago: Recreate enough trademarks and memorable moments of the source material to please fans, but also take enough creative liberties to tend to the specific needs of the respective medium. The remake respects this formula in almost every way and thereby creates the best Bond experience in years. Although technical shortcomings and the dated graphics impact the final rating, the fast-paced and extremely funny multiplayer complete this satisfying trip on the nostalgia train.

EA Sports MMA is a very good sports simulation with beginner-friendly gameplay mechanics but still enough gameplay depth to be true to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The career mode is more fun than the one in its rival UFC Undisputed. However the game is lacking in different game modes. And applying as well as defending arm or leg submissions gets boring too soon.

EA Sports MMA is a very good sports simulation with beginner-friendly gameplay mechanics but still enough gameplay depth to be true to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The career mode is more fun than the one in its rival UFC Undisputed. However the game is lacking in different game modes. And applying as well as defending arm or leg submissions gets boring too soon.

Cheerleading, chainsaws and no excuses – Lollipop Chainsaw totally is a crazy game. The soundtrack fits like a (bloody) glove. The game feels like the highschool version of Shaun of the Dead.

The third installment of the Saints Row series is totally without rhyme or reason. The gags are good but the shooting and the AI are bad. The Anarchy-Action is nevertheless a game with the most iconic weapons and vehicles.

The officially licensed Olympic video game features motion control and more than 30 Olympic events, including new disciplines making their debut for London 2012 like 10m Synchronized Diving at the Aquatics Centre or Trampoline at the North Greenwich Arena. The official Olympic arenas have been authentically recreated and with an excellent control system. London 2012 contains a massive single player Olympic Games mode and a great online multiplayer mode featuring leader boards, which will track personal medals for that player's nation medal table.

Offering a great atmosphere and impressive graphics The Last Story definitely is a great J-RPG. But the innovative fighting system often seduces the player to do button-mashing. With a completion time of around 30 hours it is quite short compared to many other RPGs.

With is multiplayer mode and its well-balanced gameplay, chick chick BOOM! offers a enjoyable WiiWare experience. Graphics and controls are good. Much like the visuals, the music and sound effects are unique and funny.

The excellent shooting mechanics work in F.E.A.R. 3's favour, as they are able to let me forget about the poorly told story. Furthermore there are some truly amazing horror sequences which sent my pulse racing. That was also the case in some instances in which the flawed balancing almost led me to throw my gamepad against the wall in frustration.

The excellent shooting mechanics work in F.E.A.R. 3's favour, as they are able to let me forget about the poorly told story. Furthermore there are some truly amazing horror sequences which sent my pulse racing. That was also the case in some instances in which the flawed balancing almost led me to throw my gamepad against the wall in frustration.

PokéPark Wii could have been only a short and sweet gap filler until Pokémon Black & White for Nintendo DS. But it is not. On the Way through Pikachu's Adventure inside a funny PokéPark you'll make a lot of friends. The game could be a bit longer, but Pokémon-Fans will love Pikachu's new Wii game. PokéPark Wii Pikachu's Adventure definitely is a must-have for all Pokémaniacs.

Enslaved is an atmospheric apocalyptic adventure with a strong focus on graphics and story. The game offers by far the most colorful apocalyptic setting. The idea with the "chained" hero is fresh and works quite well, but the relationship between Monkey and Trip should be even more dramatic and emotional. Unfortunately the action is only on an average level. There is a lack of variety and options.

Enslaved is an atmospheric apocalyptic adventure with a strong focus on graphics and story. The game offers by far the most colorful apocalyptic setting. The idea with the "chained" hero is fresh and works quite well, but the relationship between Monkey and Trip should be even more dramatic and emotional. Unfortunately the action is only on an average level. There is a lack of variety and options.

Sometimes it is really refreshing when developers concentrate on the basics and do not try out some "revolutionary" things. The action in James Bond Blood Stone is solid and will entertain you nearly six hours in single player. The story mode is always motivating but won't be nominated for the award of innovation.

Sometimes it is really refreshing when developers concentrate on the basics and do not try out some "revolutionary" things. The action in James Bond Blood Stone is solid and will entertain you nearly six hours in single player. The story mode is always motivating but won't be nominated for the award of innovation.

The events in Dirt Showdown are literally hit & miss. While the lap-racing is rather dull and hardly engaging, the car-wrecking Rampage and Knock-Out modes make you giggle like a schoolgirl and swear like a sailor. But only in multiplayer does the game lives up to its full potential. Compared to the fabulous Dirt 3, the Showdown spin-off feels like a setback.

Sorcery is maybe the first PlayStation Move game that core gamer can enjoy. The game offers nice graphics and a very good gameplay. Only the camera control is poor.

Ferrari Racing Legends is an entertaining racing game for everybody who loves Italian sports cars and realistic driving. The new Test Drive on one hand offers a lot of cars and (historic) racing tracks, it looks fair and sounds great but on the other hand the career mode especially in the first hours lacks variety and the game's difficulty isn't balanced very well.

It's a fine god game, for sure. But From Dust does not reach its full potential. A fantastic physics engine and some clever ideas do not entirely compensate for its lack of missions and storytelling.

We've had a lot of fun with Sports Champions. While we write these lines, cold sweat is drying from our foreheads. The six sports games that are included in Sports Champions may not offer the greatest draft but PlayStation Move controls are working extremely well. Together with some friends Sports Champions is very entertaining and you will like it very much.

The UEFA Euro 2012 add-on delivers everything FIFA 12 stands for: good gameplay, nice graphics and a solid mix of different game modes with its evolving challenges and the brandnew and motivating expedition. But it fails to create what it was programmed for: a good European Championship atmosphere. It misses the celebrating fans and coaches from the 2010 World Championship game and it even includes only 29 (of 53) teams with original players, which is a huge letdown and not typical of FIFA.

The game offers a funny presentation. But after a few hours the gameplay of Shadows of the Damned becomes boring and repetitive. Don't expect a fresh, new action game experience.

Unimpressive visuals and bland characters hamper an otherwise thrilling and surprisingly thoughtful shooter. It's a shame that the whole teamwork system lacks subtleties.

Duke Nukem Forever definitely is an awesome old-school experience. It has some flaws (especially in terms of graphics), but that's okay – at least for those who eagerly awaited the Duke's return for more than 14 years now. For all the others: The game probably isn't good enough to change your opinion, but at least you now know for sure.

Duke Nukem Forever definitely is an awesome old-school experience. It has some flaws (especially in terms of graphics), but that's okay – at least for those who eagerly awaited the Duke's return for more than 14 years now. For all the others: The game probably isn't good enough to change your opinion, but at least you now know for sure.

You´ll either love it or hate it but there are things about Kane & Lynch 2 that won´t make you forget it. The graphics are refreshingly unique, the characters shine like dark diamonds out of the mass of your-average-videogame-hero and the story will shock you. But please, do not talk about the gunplay, ever.

You´ll either love it or hate it but there are things about Kane & Lynch 2 that won´t make you forget it. The graphics are refreshingly unique, the characters shine like dark diamonds out of the mass of your-average-videogame-hero and the story will shock you. But please, do not talk about the gunplay, ever.

We really liked Ubisoft's first HAWX game very much. We also liked the truly pathetic story because of its compelling tension. We didn't like story of HAWX 2 and didn't watch the boring cutscenes as well. There are bigger gunfights up in the air and the missions got a bigger variety. The new features such as landing approaches, the refueling, the interception of enemy and so fit in very well, but have a similarly large claim as a browser game. Nothing new to expect. Fans will like it anyway.

A step back in terms of story mode. Naruto fans get a huge amount of 72 fighters and a better multiplayer experience. But the singleplayer mode is disappointing.

The story of Warriors Orochi 3 is confusing. But fans of JRPG's are getting a huge game with some entertaining story turns. The gameplay mechanics offer a deep action experience.

The innovative time-altering gameplay falls a wee bit short of our expectations and there aren't any outstanding parts throughout the rest of the game either. But Raven Software know their trade and although their new game is lacking in absolute blasts, Singularity makes up for a nice pastime and satisfies with its plain good old-school gameplay.

The innovative time-altering gameplay falls a wee bit short of our expectations and there aren't any outstanding parts throughout the rest of the game either. But Raven Software know their trade and although their new game is lacking in absolute blasts, Singularity makes up for a nice pastime and satisfies with its plain good old-school gameplay.

Quotation forthcoming.

Many little problems hamper an arcade-racer that is more Burnout than Ridge Racer - the track editor is a huge achievement though.

Deep in its heart Bodycount is a great arcade action game with some really good shooting mechanics - but when it comes to all the little extras that make a game special, it fails. The aiming system just doesn't feel right, there is no working mechanic to make the player feel the current health for his character, the score system fails to make you wanna replay the missions and so on. The really good and nicely exaggerated spy story in the background doesn't help much either - it's told in a totally boring and underwhelming way.

Deep in its heart Bodycount is a great arcade action game with some really good shooting mechanics - but when it comes to all the little extras that make a game special, it fails. The aiming system just doesn't feel right, there is no working mechanic to make the player feel the current health for his character, the score system fails to make you wanna replay the missions and so on. The really good and nicely exaggerated spy story in the background doesn't help much either - it's told in a totally boring and underwhelming way.

The Pod races offer a great feeling but there are bad animations and awful controls. The german synchronization is also very bad. Nothing more but a minigame collection.

On the PC Arcania: Gothic 4 is a good RPG for role-playing newbies. On the Xbox 360 the graphics are so bad that even the good main quests or the diverting battles failing to unfold its potential. There must be a patch soon. Go get the PC version if you are a RPG fanatic. The PS3 version of Arcania Gothic 4 is not out yet and the developers must do some bugfixing.

This nutty shooter offers some zany and creative gameplay-mechanics and a refreshing old-school experience. Unfortunatley our enjoyment was held back by camera issues and a frustrating lack of variety. In the end the game feels more like a grind than an epic adventure.

The latest installment of this horror series delivers a decent story and good puzzles but is rather weak in terms of action sequences, fighting system and graphics.

This game is no core gamer simulation. Sometimes the action is unfair and you should really be a fan of trial-and-error. Apache: Air Assault is nevertheless an entertaining game.

This game is no core gamer simulation. Sometimes the action is unfair and you should really be a fan of trial-and-error. Apache: Air Assault is nevertheless an entertaining game.

Some mini games are really funny, others may be too simple. Soccer for example is only kicking with your feet. The players are moving automatically. Like all the casual stuff Kinect Sports will offer its complete potential at your party.

Those little baby animals are really cute. Little girls will love to play with these virtual pets. There is nothing challenging in playing with the little tigers. So core gamers won't be satisfied with Kinectimals.

The main issue in Kinect Joy Ride is that you cannot break or accelerate. You are just moving your hands and pretend holding a steering wheel. Joy Ride is something for in between, but it is not motivating to play for hours and hours.

Nintendo Land offers a unique gameplay experience which benefits from the new Wii U controller. The play value for single players is quite short, but you can spend hours in the different multiplayer attractions.

There is no need for three different heroes if all three are playing very similar. You don't have to switch heroes to end the game.

Faced with the challenge to deliver something else than the technical disaster that was Risen on Xbox 360, Piranha Bytes and porting developer Wizardbox again make a mess of things. What has been an entertaining story of seafaring buccaneers and swashbuckling pirates on PC becomes a sordid role-playing experience on consoles with a ton of technical shortcomings.