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Does nothing to improve the problems with the original and only makes them that much more prevalent, even ruining the visuals of the first game with an ugly grey/brown color palette. The combat is horrible, the controls are borderline broken and any sense of pace or enjoyment you get from the platforming segments are broken up by un-skippable cut-scenes and mini movies that occur ever 60 seconds, which feel the need to show you the layout of the entire area, completely removing the thrill and satisfaction you may feel from discovering the solution yourself. These games have aged terribly and I did not enjoy my experience with this at all. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Whether or not you're a fan of the Deus Ex series is irrelevant. The simple fact that the game combines so many solid gaming elements, from third person cover shooting to stealth game-play, means the game is going to be enjoyable to any demographic. The story itself is a little hard to follow and the writers throw quite a bit of philosophical jargon into the mix, but it's really just a means to take you from one area to the next and give you as many options for tackling an objective as you can think of. From guns blazing to sneaking through areas as a ghost, every tactic you use to complete your mission really makes you feel like an augmented bad-ass. Throw in some great art design and a stirring cyberpunk soundtrack and you've got one awesome game. I could mention the sometimes glitched AI and the often cumbersome and ambiguous map system, but that's really just nitpicking on something that is a really solid package.

Interesting COD clone that tries to bring a few new things to the tired FPS genre. It's a very tongue in cheek, violent, comic style shooter with a lot of depth and replay value. It's a shame the game runs so horribly on PC. Even with a decent rig you're going to get frequent and frustrating FPS drops. Underneath all the compatibility issues is a really fun and enjoyable game. However, until a patch is released to fix all the performance problems, this game is more annoying than anything else.

I've never been a fan of the Resident Evil series. I've always found the controls to be clumsy and awkward and the animations and gun mechanics to be extremely slow and cumbersome. Resident Evil 5 continues this long tradition of just simply dated game-play and an even more laughably moronic and cliched storyline than before. What starts off as a rather fascinating and engaging few chapters set in Africa quickly turns into generic set-pieces in abandoned labs and caves where you fend off wave after wave of inexplicably slow moving enemies with rocket launchers, grenades and large pointy sticks. Throw in the occasional (and always unexpected) quick-time cut-scenes, which when failed usually result in instant death as well as almost constant gimmicky boss fights (one after the other after the other, which all revolve around repeating a strategy until it becomes tedious) and you've got Resident Evil 5 in a nutshell. The major fault with this game isn't its control problems or horrible story, but merely the fact that the series has always been built around these hallmarks and Capcom still haven't done anything to fix them. The scenario is literally threatening to the entire planet and they send two people in to stop it? Why is Wesker acting like he's from The Matrix? Why am I fighting cigar chomping Zombies with mini-guns? You'll find yourself asking questions like these time and time again. Resident Evil fans are going to love every minute of this, but those of us who don't think the sun shines out of Chris Redfield's ass and enjoy coherent gaming, are going to find it a real kick in the nuts. There's just too many annoyances with this game to call it a classic. However, truth be told you do get a chock load of content and replay value.

Far Cry 2 is a very mixed bag. On the one hand, the game gives you a stunningly re-created African locale to roam around in and cause general havoc. There's lots of weapons to play with and the missions are open enough that you can approach them anyway you want. Now, on the other hand, the game features some simply bizarre design choices. For instance, the majority of the game is spent driving around from one objective to the other. Even if you're the most patient person in the world, the amount of driving is going to really grind on you eventually. Furthermore, the enemy variety in the game is basically non-existent, you're going to face the same AK toting enemies over and over for the entire play-through. Also, the enemies themselves possess amazing accuracy and self-awareness, to the point that simply breathing in their direction means that every one of them in the nearby radius will instantly know your position. Far Cry isn't a bad game, it's quite fun in short stints. But it's just let down by the aforementioned AI problems and broken stealth game-play. With a bit of polish,developed story, improved fast travel system and some more variety in missions, it could have been great fun. As it stands, it's just "fun".

Terrible controls, terrible AI, terrible graphics, shall I go on? There's little redeeming features to be found in this game, but one thing that is worthy of merit is Mickey Rourkes horrible voice work which is borderline hilarious sometimes, unintentionally though. There's nothing memorable at all and every game-play mechanic and story arc has been done before and much better. The campaign won't keep you around very long and there's literally no replay value whatsoever, but if you feel like spending a few hours thinking you're trapped in a bad 90's movie, there are worse ways to get it done.

You know what annoys me about "hard" games like this, is that they believe they're tipping their hat to the nightmarish difficulty plat-formers of yesteryear. But what they fail to realize, is that back then, the difficulty levels were only hard to stop people from finishing a full price game in a short amount of time. Nowadays, when I pay $10 for a game and find myself dying instantly every time I reach the end of the screen, I don't feel gooey nostalgia, but only bubbling rage. Limbo is a game with such a mechanic, albeit a fantastic sense of design and atmosphere, but nevertheless let down by its complete lack of story, cheap sudden deaths and boring and repetitive physics puzzles. I swear that see-saw puzzles make their way into every single game with a basic physics engine and they have NEVER BEEN FUN. It's unfair to rate a game down based solely off its difficulty and simplicity and all things considered, Limbo isn't that bad. But it sure ain't as amazing as people make it out to be.

The charm wears off within minutes of playing this game when you realize how unresponsive the controls can be. In a platforming game centered around good rhythm and timing, you CAN NOT afford to have controls that delay slightly upon being pressed. I am also slightly annoyed by the quasi-Atari style graphics which seem to be a staple among Indie game developers these days. There's also a difference between challenge and cheapness and this game skates a fine line, mostly in the direction of the latter. There is nothing fun about being 2-3 minutes into a level before hitting a staircase and having to start the entire process all over again. Yes, I understand it's a homage to older games and that old games are hard, I grew up with a NES, but it doesn't mean we still have to endure it 20 years later. But then again it is an Indie title, so I supposed you should still support the developers for trying, or something like that...

If someone were to play this game, having played GTAIV and its subsequent add-ons, you would definitely see how dated and sloppy some areas of GTAIII can be. But at the time of its release, it was an absolute landmark in gaming. It set the standard for open world games as know it and introduced game-play elements that are now common ground. It can be hard to appreciate this game as much as it should be appreciated, considering it is definitely outdated nowadays, but respect is still deserved for one of the greatest games ever made. Bring on GTA5!

Addictive, easy to pick up and loads of fun to play. You can't really go wrong with that formula. Diablo clones are a dime a dozen but this is one of those clones that gets everything right. If you're not too concerned about a wafer thin storyline you're going to definitely enjoy your stay in Torchlight. There's also great replay value as you can try different character builds and collect different sets of loot to swap about. One fault worth mentioning is that the load times can be surprisingly long at times and the abundance of enemies can be overwhelming to say the least, but it's really just nit-picking on an otherwise solid title.

Far Cry is the classic example **** idea with poor execution. At first glance and play-through it appears to be a fairly solid FPS with some beautiful locales, but the more you play the more you tarnish the original appearance. The main problem stems from some really bad enemy AI and a really difficult few levels that round off the end of the game. Even on the default difficulty setting (there are 5 in total) you can expect to die quite a bit. Your character can only sustain a small barrage of gunfire before buying the farm. This is not helped by the 1 hit kills from sniper rifle and rocket launcher wielding enemies. Also some of the final levels in the game are unfairly difficult, to the point of just being frustrating and not fun at all. It's a real shame because when the game falls into place and you're lying in the bushes, picking **** of thugs with your sniper rifle, you'll no doubt love and enjoy Far Cry. It's just a shame that its shortcomings aren't as few and far between.

I find it quite perplexing that people think that describing Fallout 3 as "Oblivion with guns" is something of an insult. If anything, it's quite an endearing term and a perfect way to describe what is one of the most enjoyable RPG's I've played in a long time. Fallout 3 gives the same sort of moral and personal freedom that the Elder Scrolls games are known for, whilst also taking quite an interesting look at what the world might have been like, had the Cold War come to fruition. It's hard to dislike a game that gives you such creative ways to make ends meet. You can roam the wastelands as something of a divine protector, a saint to all you come across. Or you can be a total jerk, pick pocketing people, lying your way to success and selling others out for your own devious goals. There's really very little NOT to like about Fallout 3, unless you're not a fan of RPG's in general, anyone with a remote interest in open world exploring and question should definitely experience this.

At the time I'm writing this review, the PS3 copy is borderline broken. While you can enjoy the rich, epic experience that is Skyrim for the first dozen or so hours of gameplay, eventually you're going to run into the dreaded FPS lag glitch that is plaguing all PS3 owners. Bethesda have still not fixed this problem and until they do fix it, which is not looking like anytime in the near future, this game is pretty much impossible to recommend to anyone who is thinking of buying it on this console. You expect a fair amount of bugs and glitches with a large, open world RPG such as this, but the type of bug that reduces your framerate to single digits after 30 minutes of playtime is something that just isn't acceptable. It's a damn shame too because this is a game you're going to LOVE spending time with, but after a few hours deep in, your console is going to punish you for it. If these problems didn't exist, this game is worth easily a 9 or a 10 and some people claim they've never run into these problems. But all the talk of it crashing hard drives and causing constant lock ups will pretty quickly remind you that you're playing russian roulette with your system. So if you're like me you're probably going to end up trading your copy in for the PC or 360 version, which isn't without its fair share of problems, but isn't going to make mince of your processor. Here's hoping Bethesda fix the problem soon, before they earn more negative reviews.

Picking up after Killzone 2 was always going to be a difficult task, though Guerrilla Games have managed to pull it off admirably, even if we are subjected to a needlessly long tutorial sequence. The real focus this time around is following on the story from the events of the previous game and while it does a good job of moving things along, it also takes a lot of lazy approaches to certain elements. Gameplay wise it is more of the same with some incredible set pieces thrown in, one in particular has you and your allies taking on a giant destructive robot as it destroys literally everything around you. By no means a perfect game nor really a perfect sequel, but really only more of the same. Regardless of it still being a solid package, it's a shame they weren't able to add some more innovations to the formula.

I've always thought that graphics shouldn't define a gaming experience, however, with a title like Killzone 2 it's not hard to be persuaded for glitz over gameplay. Killzone 2 is one of those titles where the graphics and effects have a direct influence on the overall experience. The level of detail is absolutely amazing and when combined with the fairly competent shooting style and level design, it ends up being a thoroughly engaging and downright intense experience. Futuristic shooting has never been done so well and it's worth a play if only to ogle over the incredible visuals even if the story itself does sometimes reduce itself to laughable cliches and stock characters.

There's no such thing as a perfect game, though Uncharted 2 comes pretty close. Perhaps one of the most polished and slick games in recent memory, it's also perfectly paced and features some solid gunplay and climbing mechanics. Whenever you find yourself bored of doing something, the game switches gears and has you puzzle solving, or jumping and leaping around any of the games amazingly detailed and varied environments. Never has a game been able to tug so tightly on the heart strings and it really boils down to superb writing and voice acting as well as a gripping and generally solid story line. Uncharted 2 is pretty much a must play for anyone with a PS3 and really just fans of action/adventure games in general.

The enjoyment from Just Cause 2 definitely doesn't come from its short singleplayer campaign, but from the abundance of random activities you can preoccupy yourself with. From hijacking helicopters and leaping from tall mountains, to flying around from island to island with your grappling hook, it seems there is always something to be done to keep yourself busy. The story itself is cliche and fairly simple, although it is quite clear that was the developers motive. It matters little though, because Just Cause 2 allows you to wreak havoc in one of the biggest game worlds I think I've ever experienced. And that alone, is worthy of merit.

Rage is an interesting mix of Fallout 3 and Borderlands with the sort of spin on first person shooting that only ID can recreate. Despite the complaints about texture pop-in, you're more likely to ignore little technicaly faults like that when you're knee deep in bandits shooting at you. I do appreciate that it has a much more mature, darker style of gameplay and the graphics are generally pretty damn astounding. The real letdown comes from the fact that even with the small abundance of side missions, the game is really quite short. Say, within the 10-12 hour range. It's still good for a short ride though, just don't go in expecting the depth and exploration elements that are more familiar with Bestheda's other games

I find myself torn between loving this game and being annoyed and turned away by some of its design choices. Firstly, the game looks and plays great, for the most part. But I just find it so tiring that once again the joker is the epicentre of everything. There is a subplot about Dr Strange knowing Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne that is referred to and then ultimately never expanded upon and the story eventually ends up with the Joker making a final appearance with a boss fight that he isn't even involved in. It feels like he was only included as a draw for an audience, as if the developers didn't have faith that people would buy the game unless Joker was involved somehow. Also, the inclusion of the Riddler Campaigns and Challenges is a cheap, lame attempt from Rocksteady to make it seem like you're getting more bang for your buck. Regardless, Arkham City is definitely a notch above Arkham Asylum in almost every area, it's just a shame that the developers try to pull the wool over our eyes.

Good graphics and motion captured action does not make a good game. I would consider this more Uncharted 2.5 than Uncharted 3 as it doesn't really add much new to the formula, infact, in a lot of ways, it takes a step back. Those familiar with Uncharted 1 will be glad to hear that the infinite enemy mob spawner gameplay has returned. Be prepared to fight off waves and waves of enemies in order for Naughty Dog to pad out the levels and make it seem like you're getting more gameplay than you really are. The weapons and combat system have been altered in a way that I think is detrimental to the enjoyment of the fights and it really just irks me that there's still lots of unfixed problems with combat, such as finicky grenades landing in unreachable places, or enemies being able to hit you through walls despite the fact you are concealed in cover. Overall, a bit of a disappointment, but it definitely has a lot of aesthetic polish. But then again, so does a brass toilet.

An excellent idea letdown by terrible controls, cluttered combos and confusing and repetitive gameplay. There is a lot of good things to see here, for instance it features a captivating story that feels like it's pulled right off the big screen and there are brief moments when you do feel like a legitimate sith badass, but it's ultimately too frustrating to be worthy of anything other than bargain bins.

Not quite as revolutionary as people were expecting and some of the other gameplay elements are very rudimentary, but it's worth picking up just for the interrogation and questioning segments alone. Also, people need to realize the game was developed by Team Bondi NOT Rockstar. People expecting GTAIV in the 1940's are going to be disappointed.

Whilst Duke Nukem 3d didn't exactly create the FPS genre, it certainly defined it for the generation. It had an unprecedented level of interactivity and features some levels that can still be considered stellar examples of design, even to this day. Definitely a must play for any gamer who considers themselves a shooter fan. Call of Duty may be the father of modern FPS shooters, but Duke Nukem 3d is definitely the king. And all I can say to that is "hail to the king, baby".

There's something undeniably charming about running around, eating pies, drinking beer and blowing seven shades of **** out of the bad guys with a boomstick. The game is a little bit rough around the edges and some of the gameplay and design choices are a little lazy (only 3 or 4 enemy types for instance), but if you can look beyond that, you'll notice a game with a lot of character and appeal and something that really is one of a kind.

A definite letdown. The game feels unfinished and most of the gameplay mechanics are just horribly dated. It doesn't seem worth the wait but the main problem is that it just feels out of place now. If you're after an example of old school gaming done right then go and play something like Bulletstorm, but as it is, this game just doesn't hold it's own and as a standalone title, it's borderline rubbish.

Take everything you loved about the old GTA games, revamp them with a new engine and you've got GTAIV in a nutshell. Niko is such a surprisingly endearing character and there's always a new host of characters to keep you entertained. Superbly written and paced like a perfect television drama, there's just so much to enjoy about GTAIV.

Far from perfect, but if you can appreciate what Square Enix was trying to achieve, there can be something good to be seen in Kand & Lynch 2. The games major downfall is its short length and repetitive gameplay.

It's much more than just GTA in the West. It expands upon the already solid formula we're so used to from Rockstar's earlier games and brings its own flavor and character to a genre which was sorely lacking. There's something in this game for everyone and once you've finished the 20+ hour long story, there's always the ranked multiplayer to keep you busy in the Wild West for quite some time.

It's hardly a flawless game but you've got to admire what Valve were able to do with such a simple concept. The way they've expanded upon the universe and story created within the first Portal game is definitely worthy of merit. It's also rare to find a game with a such a humble sense of humor. It's a must own.