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Nine years. That’s long it took for Max Payne to get his **** together and return to the stage. Our beloved action hero might have aged, grew some white hair and wrinkles but his moves remained sharp and polished. He is still the killing machine who once extinguished half New-York’s underworld for his loved ones. MORE ON: **** This time around we find Max in the sunny Brazil instead of the snowy streets of the Big Apple. It’s a nice, but sometimes strange change of scenery. He’s working for the Bronco family as their bodyguard, but as usually things turn upside down pretty quickly around him. The narrative is a masterpiece. We jump in time back and forth as the story unfolds, because hey, guess what even our hero doesn’t know everything. A dark plot is growing around him and he has to act on his instincts to keep himself and the others alive while he slowly findis out his part in the grand scheme. It’s a really well written story with major turns and very effective scenes and if there’s one thing that topples that it’s Max’s script. James McCaffrey brings the best to make us feel that we are playing an interactive story. His lines are funny, witty and sad in the same time, but we don’t have much time to stop and think about it because the next shootout will surely interrupt our thoughts. Yes, the gunplay occupies the major part of the game. It’s very cinematic. The master of the bullet time returns and he has some new tricks up in his sleeves. It’s a superb mechanic that works very well in most cases. As for usual, our health doesn’t regenerate so we have to pop up some painkiller bottles every now and then to ease the pain. What is a minor letdown that – and in this matter the game still resonates with its predecessors – there is really only one way how to handle things. Kill them, shoot them, burn them, explode them. You can’t take any silent routes there as enemies will almost instantly see you if you get out of cover. As a matter of fact, the AI is so super aware that enemies will know where you are and how to flank you even if you switch cover and they weren’t looking at the time. This is what makes the game very frustrating sometimes. It’s simply too difficult even on normal settings and there’s really no room for error or you’re dead. Add that to the fact that it will take around 3-4 bullets to take you down and you’ve got a very tough game. The devs probably acknowledged this fact in the late stage of the production as it seems they tried to put some lifelines for the players. For starters there is a more than forgiving checkpoint system. After almost all of the rooms you’ve cleared you get a checkpoint. Also there is this lifeline when you fail a couple of times in the same place and the game gives you a pill, like saying “hey, we know it’s difficult, try with this!” The game looks absolutely astonishing. Emphasis was put on every detail, every little object. Most of the characters look real-like mostly Max Payne. Every wrinkle on his face has a story behind it. Every cut scene is in-game which makes the story even more believable. To be honest you’ll see one in every five minutes or so. For some it could be too much, but it develops the story in a unique way. Even tough the gameplay can get repetitive towards the end – after all what you only do in the 10-12 hours of the SP campaign is kill an army of enemies – this is one of the best third person shooters in recent years. Max moves and shoots like he did in his thirties and past events has only made him more badass. He’s became hands down one of the greatest action heroes without super powers in gaming from the last decade. Well, he might have a super power after all; I guess his luck really never runs out. Time to beat: 12 hours Replay Value: 2/5 In one word: Badass On P’n’C scale: Instant Favorite Must give points: 83 MORE ON: ****

400 days is an attempt from Telltale to expand The Walking Dead universe. There are 5 brief stories in which we meet 5 key characters who might be influential in the second season of the base game. The game takes place in the first 400 days of the epidemic. Why exactly 400? No idea. Each character’s story part takes place in a different interval and they are briefly interconnected. Not that much that would influence your decisions, but if you are good observer you can spot minor things here and there. MORE ON: ****/ The problem with the characters and their companions are that they only have a very limited time to show their uniqueness. Each chapter will take only 15 to 25 minutes to complete with a 10 minute epilogue. 400 days’ characters have lost what was the most important in season one. You bonded with the main heroes. Clementine and Lee were important to you and what happened to them and the other had impact. Not here though. The brief cameos aren’t enough to bond with the characters and sometimes you wonder if you should care who lives or dies. In fact, every chapter basically boils down to 1 major choice and sometimes everything what happened and what choices you have made don’t matter at all. Beside this, the stories, limited as they are, have been well written and interesting. It’s nice to see other how other people cope with the situation and what they are capable to do to survive. The graphics are the same as was in season one. Back are the graphic glitches: sometimes when the screen changes the game freezes for a brief moment and frame drop issues are present sometimes. The audio quality is high, but not as high as was in Clementine’s story. It shows that there was fairly less effort put in this DLC compared to the base game. 400 days is an interesting but not compelling expansion to The Walking Dead universe. It has its high points when you meet various people and their point of views, but it falls short on content and length. Of course you can replay the chapters for different ending, but your choices here aren’t as powerful as was in season one. Time to beat: 1 hour Replay Value: 1/5 In one word: Experimental On P’n’C scale: One Timer Must give points: 70 MORE ON: ****/

Yes, it’s one of the greatest FPS-es of 2013. A beautiful, large open world makes this an instant hit…but it’s not bad that the shooting mechanics are there too. Far Cry 3 has it’s flaws, but the pros overwhelm them by a mile. Let’s see… MORE ON: ****/ + It’s a beautiful open world in which you want to get lost. Don’t care about the missions, just go out there, on foot and find the secrets of this magnificent island. + The setting is a breath of fresh air. We’ve seen a lot of sandbox games, but rarely they break out from the confinements of the big cities. At first, you wonder how an island can work as a setting for this game, in the end, you don’t want to go back to the city ever again. + The AI is exceptional, and partly this makes the world living. You meet bandits and friends in the world on their own mission while bigger animals hunt the smaller one and occasionally attacking humans too. It’s a realistic ecosystem that makes the game more enjoyable. + Far Cry 3 contains awesome lot of stuff to do. The main story takes around 12 hours to complete, but you can do side-quests, liberate outposts, take on races, hunt animals or enemies, and a lot more. Repetition is out of the question. + One person: Vaas. One of the antagonists delivers a stunning performance that is rarely seen in video games. It’s one of the best performances ever in a video game. ~ The character development is good, but doesn’t introduce anything new. Jason Brody is an essential part of the story and not just it’s abilities develop, but his personality too. From a rich spoilt kid to the warrior of the Rakyat. We have seen this too many times. ~ The story is shallow at best and won’t thrill you all the way, but has its moments, mainly when you go eye-to-eye with one of the antagonists. ~ The co-op campaign (with a different story on the same island) is a good addition, but doesn’t offer anything like the the main campaign. - Side quests aren’t much of an addition. Yes, they have their own – very superficial – stories, but all of them take 15 minutes max to complete and usually the same task. Get something from 100 meters away and bring it back. - The ending is the real disappointment here. It will leave you puzzled, as why would anyone think it was a good idea to put a life changing choice in the end **** that didn’t include any choice up to that point. Time to beat: 12 hours (main campaign), 20+ hours (side-quests and min-games). Replay Value: 3/5 In one word: Insanely beautiful On P’n’C scale: Instant Favorite Must give points: 91 MORE ON: ****/

The thirteenth installation of Final Fantasy took everything that made the previous entries successful, put them together, added great graphics, but even so it can’t scratch the ankle of the likes of 7 or 9. It’s not even the best JRPG of the year it came out. It’s good, but long time FF fans might not appreciate it. MORE ON: ****/ + Now this one of the most beautiful games that the Xbox360/PS3 ever produced. The character models of the protagonists, backgrounds and enemy models are of the highest quality. + Square-Enix doesn’t stop inspiring fans when it comes to battle systems is their favorite franchise. The paradigm system has a long learning curve, but it is one of the best in the series. It has great enough depth, for the player to feel their choices matter. We have to tactically approach every tougher battle, because brute force sometimes won’t be enough. + Final Fantasy games are well-known for their great boss battles. 13 isn’t different in that regard. There are huge monsters and difficult enemies which can take 20+ minutes to destroy. + We must emphasize the soundtrack. It successfully combines electronic music with classical themes. The battle theme will ring in your ears days after putting the game down. ~ While the game is awesome long (around 40 hours) it continues to bug you with tutorials up to the halfway point. That is extremely long-drawn. - The story wants to be epic, that unfortunately it fails badly . It’s very hard to follow with flashbacks making it even confusing. The biggest problem is when the story doesn’t follow it’s own rules, making it even more muddled. You’ll ask “what?” and “why?” more times than you meet chocobos. - The game is essentially an incredibly long corridor. There’s almost no room for exploration, only the path to follow all the time. Towns, which are a trademark elements of every Final Fantasy games, are missing. You buy and upgrade in save points. - The first half of the game is underwhelming and sometimes frustrating. The game clearly holds itself back compared to the second half. You are very much limited in what you can do and who you can play with. It’s simply too much. Time to beat: 40 hours. Replay Value: 1/5 In one word: Disappointing as FF On P’n’C scale: Fun Time Must give points: 73 MORE ON: ****/

Mafia II brings a great city and gorgeous graphics, but sadly the lack of content and other serious flaws don’t allow the game to live up to the expectations and for that matter to its prequel. MORE ON: ****/ + Mafia II is one of the best looking games that was released in the year 2010. Characters and facial impressions are especially great, but the design of Empire Bay and all the little details like cars or clothes are all authentic. + When it comes to open world games it’s always a breath of fresh air when the devs change the game’s setting from a modern day metropolis to the wild west or in this case: the fifties. + Motion cap and truthful facial expressions wouldn’t sell the story by itself, but the voice cast is also excellent. Voice actors of the game, especially of those of Vito’s and Joe’s give great performances to elevate the scenes. + While in most of the similar open world games, like GTA, the police are there just because they have to be, in Mafia II they actually do their job. When you break the speed limit, pass through a red light or crash a car in the traffic, they will pursue your car and arrest or fine you. Based of the seriousness of the felony they will intensify your pursuit. And actually they can remember you clothes or the plate number of the car you were driving. It’s not perfect, but at least it tries and succeeds in many ways. ~ The chapter-based progress of the game isn’t the most suited for and open world game. This type of mission structure simply discourages the player to roam in the city. ~ While the voice work and animations are great, you simply can’t connect with the characters. They act, most of the time like droids without any morals. Killing a dozen people? Sure. Betraying a friend? Why not. At the end of the game you’ll look on Vito as he is soul-less bastard…which he is, based on his actions. - At first sight Mafia II reveals itself as an open world game, but honestly and sadly it’s not true at all. It has a very linear mission design that leaves no room for exploration. You always have a task to do or a place to go leaving no room for exploration. Creating a great city and not use it properly is a major overkill. - Simply put: it’s too short. There are fifteen missions of which only a couple last longer than an hour, stretching the game time to around 9 hours total. That wouldn’t be THAT big a deal but… - …there are no side activities to speak of. It’s an abuse to this great city. When you finish the campaign, you are done with Empire Bay sadly, and there’s nothing to come back for. - The story isn’t the strongest either. It’s full of clichés and stereotypes. At one time it seems that it’ll try to explore different routes, but soon after goes back to the overused formula. War between families and gangs, everybody is betraying everybody else, and latter is portrayed even at the very end of the game. Time to beat: 9 hours Replay Value: 1/5 In one word: Step Back On P’n’C scale: One Timer Must give points: 70 MORE ON: ****/

Arkham Origins: Blacgate is a different yet enjoyable expansion of the acclaimed Arkham series. It’s set in a closed prison where Batman goes against his old time nemeses The Joker, Blackmask and The Penguin. The gameplay suits well for the portable game machines, but PC gamers, who want to try the detective work of Batman, can have fun with it too. MORE ON: ****/ + Blackgate is a welcome addition to the Arkham family. It has a distinctively different game play than its big brothers. Detective work takes over melee fights and this change really suits the handheld gaming environment. + It’s different, and we must emphasize this. Batman isn’t called the world’s greatest detective for his gadgets and toys. In this game he relies on his problem solving skills. The game includes some great puzzles that can’t be found in other Arkham games. + Blackgate isn’t a PC game on the first place. It’s a handheld game with an existing PC port. Based on this it’s looks absolutely great on the PC too. It gets close to early PS3/Xbox360 titles. Batman and the main characters are detailed. There are some blurry textures here and there, but the overall visual experience is very good. + With good game design come good boss fights. There is only a handful in the game, but those are very distinguishable. You have to approach every one of them differently. In one you have to rely on you gadgets, but in the next may be locked in a melee fight. ~ 6 hours. That long will take to beat the campaign of the game. It isn’t much, but given the handheld nature of the game we can’t hold grudges against it. ~ While most of the bosses of the game are fun in one way or another, the final challenge can be extremely annoying due to the flaws in the combat mechanics. It’s very challenging, but not necessarily in a good way. The fight is great but it’s spoiled by the mechanics. ~ The game does include some collectibles in forms of upgrades or clues for crimes, but one can’t help but wonder, that in a game which focuses on the detective aspect of Batman, they could’ve done much more. Maybe characters that could be unlocked by solving crimes or finding clues to extend the length of the game? It’s a missed opportunity. - Arkham games are immediately recognized by their excellent audios and music tracks. Blackgate is a disappointment in that regard. There aren’t any original tracks to speak of and the sounds feel weak and uninspiring. - It’s a real disappointment that in such a high profile game, devs can’t get some basic things get done. Lip movement is missing in the game. This very minor detail is very disheartening about a 2014 game. - The greatest thing in all Arkham games is the superb fighting mechanics that allow everybody to be The Batman. It’s fast, responsive, powerful and most of all satisfying. Not in Blackgate. Simply this pseudo 2D environment and the unresponsive combat don’t support this type of gameplay. Those sections when you have to clear a room – great sections in the big brothers – are awful. The only good thing about the combat is that the devs might have recognized it’s flaws and they don’t force the gamer into too many fighting scenarios. - Forget pre-rendered or in-game cutscenes. Boring hand drawn still images represent the game’s cutscenes that introduce most of the important story elements. Time to beat: 6 hours Replay Value: 2/5 In one word: Detective On P’n’C scale: Fun Time Must give points: 72 MORE ON: ****/

Day 1 Studios gave the new F.E.A.R. game the refreshing stimulus the franchise has deserved after the second entry. While F.E.A.R. 2 was a solid FPS it was also old with ageing mechanics that couldn't held up against the best in the genre. The latest game became modernish with updated gameplay mechanics. On one hand it was a good decision (it had to be done), on other side it isn't unique enough to separate itself from the competition. F.3.A.R starts off 8 months after the second game. Point Man is our protagonist once again and he has to team up with his long gone brother, Fettel to get out of a prison and find his squad mate, Jin, who is in danger. Paranormal activities are a big part of this game too. Only this time around Alma isn't the antagonist, but something called the Creep. The story of the game won't leave any deep marks in you. It's flat and uninteresting. It's hard to take the story seriously when it doesn't prove its worthiness. Your personal goal will be reaching checkpoints after checkpoints to beat campaign. And it will be done after just around 6 hours. It's a shame really because with a more intriguing story this game could have made a mark. Luckily F.E.A.R. 3 isn't short on content. Not at all. After completing the campaign you can kill your time with various game modes. Many of them are essentially a modified version of the original campaign, but the changes made in those modes are not only worth a try but also great fun. The campaign is made of 8 intervals, each of them takes around 30-45 minutes to complete. After completing an interval you can replay it as Point Man or Fetter with all its unique psychic abilities. He has the ability to posses common enemies. You'll appreciate the change of pace. Also, you can hop in a co-op campaign with your friend. One controls Fettel the other Point Man. It isn't a novelty at all, but great to see the developer putting in the game options like this. When you exploit everything the single player modes can offer there is a multiplayer option in the game. Sadly the multiplayer of the third game was never as popular as the first game's MP. If you want to try this option most likely you have to play with your own friends as very few gamers are left playing F.3.A.R. over the internet. Moving to different territories, the looks of the game are passable. It's isn't a beautiful, nor a bad looking game. To its defense they put more emphasis on minor details, so this time a book on a table will actually look like one instead of a bunch of blurred pixels. The gameplay has been completely refreshed. The previous game in the franchise was getting old and set back by wrong decisions during the development. Not this game though. It feels like a modern shooter where you bullets do matter. When you shoot a soldier in this feet he grabs it or tumbles and the gunfight is much more vivid and powerful. Day 1 made the right decisions to cut the useless features and refresh the remaining ones. It's a great shooter, but beyond that it offers nothing more. Nothing that could differentiate this game from the others. Fear in F.E.A.R. 3 is almost non existent. There are moments here and there when you'll look around suspiciously, but that's about it. The franchise has switched genres over the years. From psychological horror it became a solid action oriented shooter. We can't say it was a bad decision, but we can say that there isn't many horror games in the market while there's a legion of action shooters to choose from; good, bad or worse. It's a pity that in this era a franchise has to get more action oriented to survive, and sometimes even that might not be enough. Again, F.E.A.R. 3 is a great shooter and it definitely benefited from the changes made around it, but the industry and the gamers might not. Rating: 80/100; Replay Value: 3/5; To Beat: 6 hours; Played on: normal.

Project Origin is a direct follow up to the original game released in 2005. It took Monolith 4 years to cook up a sequel and they decided not to change much on the formula that has worked once. But 4 years is a long time and sometimes innovation is better than playing it safe. That's exactly why Project Origin falls short of its predecessor. The formula remained the same, but the audience has changed. The game picks up right the time when the first games is about to end. To be precise, it starts a couple of minutes before the end of F.E.A.R. You are a part of Delta Squad and you're sent to place the head of Armacham Technology Corporation into protective custody. It's when **** starts to get serious and a nuclear blast bakes most of the city as a result of the original F.E.A.R. team's endgame. In the rest of the game you move in and out of underground facilities trying to achieve your ultimate goal. Even though the campaign lasts only around 7 hours the story is detailed and interesting. On the other side, you have to pay attention to every detail that happens around you or told to you on the comm because if not you'll find yourself lost in the web organisations and projects thrown at you in every couple of hours. At least if you do get lost eventually right before the end of the game everything will be cleared up in 5 short minutes. The gameplay is very similar to the first game. Little has changed; slow-mo shooting is still great but the novelty has faded in the past four years. You will meet various enemies during your gameplay starting from soldiers, genetically modified monsters, mechs to ghosts even. The game will always try to throw something new at you which is nice, but eventually you'll immediately recognize the spacey room where a firefight is going to take place in 3...2...1. AI was a strong part of the first game and it returns in the second one too. However, it doesn't always work like it meant to be. Sometimes the enemies will be clever enough to kick over tables and take covers, but in other cases they will try to rush you through the same door where you'll stand and shoot them one by one. The Delta Squad, your mates aren't the most brightest either. Most of the times you'll see them splitting up and getting killed (because of the story) and the writers could've written better lines for the voice actors too. Being a psychological game you'll never feel surprised of your team members being killed off. What is worse you'll never feel pity for them because they're unlikable, two-dimensional dolls. Visually F.E.A.R. 2 is a real mystery. On one hand it presents a great world with some stunning lighting effects and great destructibility, on the other hand it's ugly. Everything looks sharp when you move, but stop for a moment a take closer look at minor objects, like consoles or books on desks. They look downresd, blurry and pixelated. The devil is in the details as they say. In the year when hardware pushing games like Modern Warfare 2, Resident Evil 5 or Killzone 2 were put on the shelves of retailers this kind of laziness is disappointing. One can look aside when it comes to these problems, but then there is the audio. The sounds of guns are just atrocious; every one of them sounds like they were taken out from an 80s Atari 7800 game. Every shot you have to take with the shotgun or machine gun irritates your ears. It's like firing with toy guns from the crappiest Chinese manufacturer. F.E.A.R. is a sharp shooter with its flaws and assets. The formula that made the first game great has aged greatly and the horror factor is M.I.A. in most of the game. Great number of "tricks" has already been used up in the previous title or other games. When the horror is present the game feels like a real successor of the prequel, but those moments sadly end quickly. It definitely has its moments when it comes to shooting (the mech scenes are great), but drawbacks won't allow to have an experience like with the original F.E.A.R. game. Rating: 68/100; Replay Value: 2/5; To Beat: 7 hours; Played on: normal.

Taking over from Rocksteady for the third game, WB Games Montréal tries to reach the heights of the first two Arkham games with an interesting origin story of the Dark Knight. But can they live deliver and live up on the expectations? It's around two years after Bruce has put on the mask for the first time, so he still supposed to be a newbie at his outings at night. This Batman, however can act and look like a beginner but his moves tell us otherwise. When it comes to gameplay Origins is almost a clone to Arkham City. The combos, special moves and counters look and feel like the same. There are time when you feel the new team tried to innovate here and there, but those, like countering enemies, aren't decisive enough. On the other hand any game would be delighted to have a combat system like Arkham City, so in the matter of fact the gameplay still works perfectly. It's just that the innovation is missing, which is the game's greatest flaw. There are new gadgets, but even those are sometimes carbon copies of the missing ones, for example the Glue Grenade which has the exact same effect as the Freeze Grenade in Arkham City. One thing you can certainly be hyped for in the game is its story. The game delivers from that perspective putting in front of you a greatly crafted, interesting story which is furthermore amplified by the cast. The Joker, Bane, Black Mask star in the game but others have their important roles as well. It's a tale that is on par with the comic books. And one more word about the cast; even though the Batman's and Joker's voices has been replaced most of the time you won't notice any major difference as Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker both make hard effort to genuinely impersonate those two epic characters. So, yes 8 assassins are after you on Christmas Eve to kill you even though you aren't as big player in Gotham as you'll become. Interestingly not all of them get the same amount of space. One thing the games does very well are the boss fights. In the first two games there weren't any really challenging and grand boss fights as we had hoped for (except Poison Ivy), but in this game almost every boss has its differently paced fight. There is a different strategy to beating every one of them. This keeps the games varied and you'll always look forward to the next boss. While beating up assassins and progressing in the story there is the moment when you suddenly realize that "this is THE time". The time when those two will **** the first **** you are about to witness it all. It's a thing the creators weren't allowed to screw up. It had to be epic. And it is. The time when Joker reflects on his first meeting with Batman is just unbelievably awesome. Arkham Origins is a really good looking game but there is very little innovation over Arkham City. It's not the best looking game of 2013, but looks great enough to hold up with the competition. Mainly the character models are those that stand out. Batman, Joker, Bane and all of the major characters look detailed. On the audio front it isn't as strong as City. Simply the prominent melodies aren't there that support you as the predator of the night. It's a bit of a disappointment. After you finish the main campaign, which shouldn't take longer than 8 hours, you can do the side-quests Arkham City style. The overall content here is somewhat less than in the second game, but you can easily squeeze out 20 hours by searching every inch of Gotham for data packs and tags on wall. What is very discouraging that WB Montréal didn't have the balls to bring some innovation where they really could have. And those are the side quests, which are again mostly copies of those in Arkham City. There you had to look for phones by the time the counter hit zero, here you have to race to bombs. Before you had to collect question marks, here you have to pick up data packs. The names and locations are changed, but most of the work you have to do remained the same. If this wasn't a Batman game everybody would call it a rip-off. Crime scene investigations are the one that stands out. Those are really new and fun, but it's not groundbreaking. We appreciate the effort though. When you're finished you can fight in the familiar challenge mode or the new multiplayer. Batman: Arkham Origins is a super game that took everything that made Arkham Origins a stellar title and kept all of them. However, they played it very safe introducing only a handful innovation none of which is strong enough to hold out. The side-quests are a real disappointment. When you are like Arkham City you are great, but after playing that game for 40 hours it's not enough just to be like it. Fans will appreciate the story, but everything else (missions, quests, places, etc.) is something we have seen already. And this is why the game will divide fans and players. Rating: 85/100; Replay Value: 3/5; To Beat: 8 hours (main campaign), 20+ hours (with collectibles); Played on: normal.

In 2009, Rocksteady Studios, a video game studio with virtually no history restored gamers' hopes all around world with Batman Arkham Asylum. The UK based studio revived a genre long forgotten and delivered a superhero action game which is worth every cent you spend on it. Yes, yes, there hasn't been a shortage of superhero games in the 21st century, but none of them really delivered on its potential. And there is a bunch like the Iromnan or Superman games that aren't even worth talking about. Batman always had the better track record when it comes to games, but Arkham Asylum fires on all cylinders. Great graphics, incredible sound effects, a mad story and the little details will engage gamers and not only Batman and superhero fans. The game takes place on the famous Arkham Island where an Asylum has been build many-many years ago for the worst criminals Gotham can offer. It happens that The Joker has been captured by the Bats and taken in, but the Dark Knight suspects there is something going on in the background and takes his nemesis in himself. Shortly after a riot is started and The Joker gets loose. Now it's clear that the clown has something on his mind and Batman has to stop him. The story is intense and interesting as Bruce Wayne slowly puts together the pieces of Joker's grand plan. As you progress several of Batman's greatest foes will try to stop you, most notably Killer Croc, Poison Ivy or Bane, but others are introduced too. Some of them get bigger space others are bit players, but the point is that they are in the game and by their presence they make it richer. The graphics are decent, but there are flaws here and there. Batman and The Joker look superb, but detail of minor characters aren't on that level and some even look ugly. Other than that, the island is looks beautiful and from the distance you can see Gotham, the city of sins. The game is very well optimized on the PC so gamers with older rigs won't have problem running it. Even tough the island isn't overwhelmingly large, there is a lot to do. The main campaign will take around 8 hours to finish plus you can solve the puzzles and collect the question marks The Riddler left for you. By doing those you unlock character profiles, concept arts and more, so it's far from time wasting. Also by specific scanning stone tables on the island you can unlock recordings that tell you about the story of Arkham Asylum narrated by Amadeus Arkham himself. Probably the most interesting collectibles are the patient interview tapes that are scattered around the island. Some of the villains were interviewed in the facility and you can listen to these well composed dialogues. If you want to complete the main story with all the collectibles you will spend around 14+ hours on the island. When this is done you can try challenge missions where you have to beat scores by beating thugs. Sounds interesting and it adds to the game. This is the place where you can perfect you combat skills as the challenges get more and more difficult. The other half of them puts you in rooms where you have to complete 3, mostly skill-based tasks. With the near perfect free flow combat Arkham City is a near perfect game that finally delivers not only to fans of the genre but also to Batman and superhero fans. In fact, those who are not really in comic books should consider this game for first. It's a joy to play every second of this game. Arkham Asylum set the bar for every single superhero game that comes after 2009. It's a benchmark and an example to follow for every publisher and developer. Rating: 90/100; Replay Value: 3/5; To Beat: 8 hours (main campaign), 14 hours (campaign with collectibles); Played on: normal.

Rocksteady, after reviving our hopes in superhero games with Arkham Asylum, have dreamt big: bringing the well established Dark Knight formula to open world. A task that first sounded too great even after everything the developer has given us in the first game. Fear not, they upped the ante. Our favorite detective is forced to Arkham City occupied by thugs, gangsters, super-villains and Dr. Strange's guards. Initially we only know that he is after Strange who is preparing an experiment, which he calls "Protocol 10". The main plot of the game isn't the strongest we have ever experienced, but diverse enough to keep our heads spinning in every half hour or so. Even if Strange isn't the typical main villain you'd expect from a game like this, the others keep the show running. Boy, and how well. Joker, Two-Face, Penguin are only the most famous ones to recognize. Even the minor villains give splendid performances that will make you feel you're in an action packed DC comic book. Only this time around you're the one who beats up the bad guys. The ending of the game will keep you scratching your head and maybe this time and this time only Rocksteady took on more that they could bear... The game has excellent graphical representation pushing the unreal engine to it's limits. The older engine sometimes shows it's limits with slowly loading textures and load screens in open areas. However, from artistic perspective it's breathtaking. The realization of Arkham City speaks for itself. Every character villain, hero or supporting cast is realized authentically with care and love that can be seen everywhere in the game. You can read stories about the city or it's unwanted "residents", listen to crazy interviews taped by Strange with the greatest villains that will uncover some of their background stories and let us see what has happened before the place was opened. It's exactly this where the game comes to full circle, not just being a super enjoyable action-superhero game, but a true part of the Batman legacy. The music and voice acting are top notch. Listening to an well composed orchestral piece before hearing Mark Hamill's voice behind The Joker is true joy and no fan could ask for more in that respect. The freeflow combat introduced in Arkham Asylum returns with an array of gadgets that can be deployed in combat. The combat is so well balanced that it will be easy for everybody to pick up, but very difficult to master as Batman has plenty of moves in his pocket. You can choose to hit or counter each enemy when you are attacked, but there will always be a second, third or eighth move to pull. It's a mechanic that will never get boring even after the 228th enemy. Of course the game will challenge you eventually with more powerful enemies that can't be put down with repeated hitting of one button. After you are done with the main campaign, which takes about 10 hour to complete, there's literally a dozen thing to do in Arkham City. For one you can explore the story based side quests which are not only cleverly integrated in the game's main story but they are also highly addictive. Of course Riddler made his mark in this game too, so you can try to collect his collectibles of which there is more than 300. If you have done everything in Arkham City (takes around 20-30 hours) there is a game mode called Riddler's revenge which is essentially a task-based-clean-the-room mini-game. You are rewarded with medals based on your successes, but cleaning every room and hitting high score everywhere will take you at least that much as the main game. That adds up around 50+ hours of gameplay for 100% completion. Really the only thing worth of complain here is that when you do everything and I mean everything in Arkham City there isn't anything else to load your save game again. The streets are empty except for some thug groups always spawned in the same spots. Arkham City feels empty; a thing that can be noticed even in the heat of the first walkthrough. Rating: 94/100; Replay Value: 4/5; To Beat: 8-10 hours (main campaign), 22-25 hours (campaign with collectibles); Played on: normal.

Tutorial to how to make RA3 Uprising. Step 1: finish developing RA3, one of the most ambitious RTSes of 2008. Step 2: take all your assets, ideas that couldn't fit in the original game or haven't made the deadline and put them together. Step 3: craft a really lame and superficial campaign for each fraction as a wrap-around. Step 4: add Yuriko to the mix. Thus, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Uprising has been born. Uprising isn't a bad game. However, it wants to do so many thing at once that it can't achieve a single one of them (well, except one: Yuriko). All three factions got a new mini-campaign which takes place after the original game with the Allies winning the war over the Soviets and the Empire. None of the stories are overlapping this time like they were in the original game. There are 10 levels for the three factions combined and all of them are hard as hell. Even on medium difficulty you will be constantly attacked by the enemy on land, water and in the air. Sometimes the game gets so difficult that it will be annoyingly frustrating. Some levels may require over 1-2 hours to complete on medium and not because they are so long, but because you have to retry constantly. The basic gameplay structure hasn't changed, but some new units were introduced on all 3 sides. Some of them are really unconventional and they can upset your good ol' strategies. The building system remained the same, but less than half of the stages start with base building. On most of them you start off with a smaller group and you have to complete some tasks before HQ can send you an MCV. These commando missions are fresh at first but they very quickly became **** all the players crying out loud: just give us a base and let us build an army! We don't want to play commando with conscripts and attack dogs against tanks and robots! This and the annoying difficulty will make you believe that the creators used these cheap tricks to make the game last longer. Even though it will last longer, they will remain cheap tricks. On the visual side the game looks great. Water movement is excellent, explosions are beautiful and devastating. You just can't get enough of a dozen Apocalypse Tank annihilating the enemy base. Splendid! Anyone who has seen a Red Alert game knows that its' cutscenes are performed by flesh and blood human actors and actresses. Also anyone can tell that these cutscenes are missing one thing only and that is good acting. The actors are still unconvincing and disbelieving, not that the words that were put into their mouths are any better. Sometimes you just wish the next cut-scene will be a lot shorter and without any speech at all. The debrief ladies look hot though and the short skirt of that Gemma Atkinson's won't disappoint you. When you finish the campaigns you can try the most innovative and fun part of the game. Yuriko's mini-campaign. She is a psyche with mental powers capable of devastating armies. You have access to 4 powers at one time. After using a power you have to wait for the cooldown time. You can brainwash enemies to fight on your side, create black holes that **** everything inside or simply heal yourself with her powers. This game mode is really interesting, intriguing and its the greatest fun you can find in this game. When you are done with the mini-campaigns you can play Skirmish, where nothing has changed from the original or play Challenge missions which are actually a lot like Skirmish maps only with cutscenes and a limited arsenal. When you beat a challenge new ones will appear and by beating them you can unlock new units to fight with. Before starting a map you can always select your fraction. It's nothing groundbreaking but thanks to the limited arsenal and gameplay tweaks this game mode can engage lots of players. And finally, there is the ****...wait...there aren't any MP or Co-op modes in this game! No MP in an RTS game. Well played EA, just well played! Rating: 57/100; Replay Value: 3/5; To Beat: 10-12 hours; Played on: medium/easy.

Inspired by games like the Diablo franchise or Torchlight, Realms of Ancient War is an old school hack and slash dungeon crawler with very limited depth and breadth that is hard to overlook even tough it isn't a triple-A title. The story in the game is not the worst we've seen so far, in all honesty it's fairly interesting and one of the stronger points of the game. The game starts years after the so called Ancient War which divided the land to 4 territories (East, West, South and ****, imagination at its best). The Northern King proposed truce so he invited the remaining kings to the Hero's Garden. Something went wrong because the Northern King was never to be seen again and the rest of the kings became soulless zombies. Yes, clichés after clichés, but it's not all that bad. The game contains some witty dialogues and turns. We can pick from 3 unnamed characters: wizard, warrior and rogue. Each have different styles but they aren't that different that any would change the gameplay significantly. Each class has it's own skill tree, where you can level up your attacks. There are 1 level and 3 level skills. Skills open up gradually. The first group right after the beginning of the game, the second after you reach lvl 10, the last after lvl 20. However, there are two problems related to your skill management. First, in every stage you can gain exactly one level. No matter how much you fight or how many side quest (there aren't that many) you complete. You can only get 1 skill point in each stage. That makes the whole level grinding procedure useless and dropping all the challenge. You will get your skill point no matter what. The second problem comes with the use of your skills. You have only 4 skills at your use at a given time. Two of them are to be activated with the mouse and two with keystrokes on the keyboard. You can program these skills to the aforementioned buttons. If you want to use other skills you have to use the alternative set. Essentially you have 2 sets of skills, which can be changed at any time with a button push. Easy enough, in theory at least. Practice is a different beast. Remembering which skill you have assigned to which button in which set is pointless, painful and horrible. When a dozens of foes are attacking you there is no way this system can be use properly. Using this method is understandable on consoles where there are limited buttons to use, but on a PC it's unacceptable. This is where you realize that 4 skills/attacks are well enough to complete the game. At least the fighting and hack'n slashing is exciting. You are continuously attacked by tens of enemies, making the game challenging and intense. Sometimes it is hard to hit smaller enemies, like spiders which live everywhere, rain forests or volcanoes it doesn't matter for them. Graphically the game doesn't excel, but it's not bad either. For an XBLA title it's passable. Not are the audio tracks though. Audio effects are horrible and repeating. Listening to the same 3 grindings throughout 8-10 hours when you hit enemies is annoying. The music is on par with the rest of the audio. You get one passable song which plays when you start the game, the rest of the music tracks during gameplay are just pointless burrs. R.A.W. is a below average hack and slash game that tries to build upon it's great predecessors of the genre but fails in every possible way. It's chaotic, mediocre and boring. A game that is hard to recommend when you can get a dozen of it's kind cheaper (or even for free). If you can finish it once there is no point starting the game ever again. Rating: 45/100; Replay Value: 1/5; To Beat: 8-9 hours; Played on: normal.

Sine Mora is a rare game of it’s kind. In a generation overwhelmed by FPSes and RPGs it's very hard to make a good Shoot 'em Up which appeals to both fans of the genre and one-time players. The developers tried to make a game that balances between casual and hardcore shmup game experience. How they managed it, is a matter of an other question. Yes, you can pick up Sine Mora and play it without having played any shmups ever before. And yes, you can have fun with it if you are a veteran player. Sadly, you can side in either of the two groups, the fun will start to fade away quite quickly. The game tries to please both sides at the same time which, in some cases is impossible. Sometimes it tries to cut corners with inconsistent bullet pattern and difficult hit detection to please the casual fan base, in other times it gets so difficult that a one-time player will probably quit after a couple of fails. It's a balance often Sine Mora just can't get right. The game introduces an interesting time based mechanism. You and your planes don't have any health; instead you get a time meter constantly counting down. Once it hits zero, you are dead. To keep the meter running you have to shoot down enemy planes and vehicles which will add time to the counter. It's really interesting and the devs should be praised for coming up with this unique approach which actually works really well. The story is something that bugs me. Sine Mora introduces a world, background story, multiple timelines and several characters that would be too much even for a game with a dozen-hour length of game play. But no, our game’s campaign lasts around 2 to 3 hours which is frankly, disappointing. You will never get the idea of the story as it's overly complicated for a game of this magnitude. To make the matter worse, different characters are introduced every 20 minutes and that's where you lose any interest of understanding the underlying story. Just give me the next Boss and let's get on with it! And the game does. There are huge boss battles in every 15 minutes, which on normal are pieces of cakes, but on harder difficulty give players a hell lot of trouble. If there's one thing in which the game excels it's the graphics department. It looks absolutely astonishingly beautiful, for its genre it is over the top. The environment is colorful, detailed and alive. Levels are varied and vivid, and you have to really look hard for graphic letdowns in the game. Audio-wise the game keeps up the pace with an excellently composed soundtrack that is worth listening to. The sound effects sometimes feel weird and weak, but you can get used to it. The voice over is where the game really lets us down. For one thing, there's no English voice track. For whatever reason the devs decided to include only the original, Hungarian voice over. For those who can't speak the language, you won't miss a thing. Voice actors feel unmotivated and rather reading than acting their scripts. Also, it is littered with Hungarian trash language that sometimes feel uncomfortably awkward. After breezing through the short and puzzled campaign for a casual gamer there's sadly not much to do further. All the other game modes where you can change your planes and pilots are for veteran and experienced shmup players. If you are a one time player you can give it a shot, but be prepared to fail many times. Some of the bosses and levels can get so difficult that it will frustrate even the most talented players. And this isn't because of the lack of skills from the player, but rather the aforementioned flaws: inconsistent bullet patterns and odd hit detection. Sine Mora tries so hard to please everyone that it fails to please many. Every gamer hard-core shmup player or casual can have a shot at this beautifully confusing piece, but after a couple of hours we move on with ambiguous feelings. Rating: 61/100; Replay Value: 2/5; To Beat: 2.5 hours (campaign); Played on: normal.

Before the chit-chat, let me say something upfront: Mark of the Ninja is an exceptional stealth-action game, that will change your way of thinking about Indie titles if you had ambiguous feelings before. It isn't simply a great game, but also has character, story, depth and uniqueness. Our hero is an unnamed ninja of the Hisomu clan. Just after getting tattooed with an ink from a special flower that will make him have extraordinary power his clan is attacked by soldiers and his mentor is taken hostage. After freeing him, the journey begins. Yes, it's revenge time. It's not the most well cooked stories out there and the ending lacks a real punch, but from an indie title of this kind it's very ambitious. After sending our hero on his mission it is explained to him that the ink under his skin not only will make him stronger but after some time it'll drive him mad. Before that could happen he sworn to commit suicide. But, the mission first. As we progress through the levels our hero will learn (we unlock) new abilities that help us deal with enemy soldiers. With the increasing number of light sources, lasers, detectors and enemies the game gets more and more challenging, but never too difficult to frustrate the player. With common sense and orientation you can always find the right path to clear the room or pass by the enemies undetected. And exactly this is the biggest fun source of the game. There isn't a definite way to finish a level or even to solve a room. You have a wast array of items you can choose from and you can use any environmental object to be successful. You rarely HAVE to kill a guard to reach the next room, there's always a second option. The game tracks your progress all the time. Finishing a level without being detected or doing all the side tasks in a level will earn you more points to spend on special abilities and more effective distraction/attack items. When you feel the game is beginning to get somewhat repetitive it always throws you something new to play with, to make the fun lasting. You can even change your outfit after some time. And this isn't a pointless dress change you see in many games. With the new suit you get new abilities, but you're reduced with other ones. It is really awesomely balanced, where everybody can find the clothes that fit the player's style. With exceptional game design comes exceptional art design. The game isn't the most beautiful you've ever seen nor packs the most polygons, but it's art and it's unique. On the audio side the lighting strikes and dog sniffles are great. The OST consists of well composed pieces that support the ninja-feel and stealth nature of the game. After finishing the game you can start again on New Game mode which is essentially a hard mode and it's really challenging where your viewing angles are reduced and the enemies are more aware. Mark of the Ninja executes and delivers on every part you can imagine. It's a definitive standard for indie titles. If you like stealth games, play it. If you like 2D action games, play it. If you like platformers, play it. If you want to have fun, definitely play this piece! And, well...ninjas and stuff. Rating: 89/100; Replay Value: 4/5; To Beat: 10-11 hours.

It was supposed to be the game that would break Activision's CoD empire, it was supposed to be the game that would reestablish the once great Meda of Honor name. Now, it's a game that will no-one remember and the game that fell short in every aspect it could have. The story of MoH itself is uninteresting, undercooked and short. The game can be finished in a mere 5 hours on normal settings, without any, and I mean ANY replay value. There aren't any collectibles, multiple paths or story elements that would encourage the player to start the game all over again. Once you have finished it semi-frustrated there is no going back to it. Frustration is a concept that will many of us have to face in MoH. The super-linear nature of the discourages any way of alternate pathfinding. To put it simple, if you don't do what the game says you to do, you're dead. Don't try to be a hero, as you always have to follow instructions to survive. If you are told to hold position, don't try to peek above the wall, because you are getting shot. If you are told to run or retreat don't try to stay and hold off the enemy as they will kill you...sometimes even behind cover. Not is all bad about the game however. Two things stand out the most. The graphics are beautiful even on medium settings. Water, rocks, buildings and shadows look astonishing. The other thing where you have to give credit to the creators is trying to maintain authenticity. Places, soldiers, the way they talk to each other, situations all feel real to a person who is inexperienced in war situations. The game itself takes place in Afghanistan and it's plot is loosely based on the Operation Anaconda where US soldiers tried to destroy Taliban forces back in '02. I can honestly say that I haven't seen a game that would want YOU to rush through it's single player mode. This game does. For one thing its ultra short. Experienced player can finish it in 4 to 5 hours easily, and checkpoints are so frequent that even if you happen to die, you won't be set back for more than 2 minutes of your progress. Literally, a level starts with an in-game cinematic and a shepherd is taken down silently by your fellow soldier, and boom checkpoint. Sometimes it feels like the game throws you a CP every time you reload you weapon. The level design is also horrible, excluding the first few stages, on all of the levels there is 1 hard point where you are so overwhelmed that you will die 3-10 times in 5 minutes. Up until that point and even after that there is little to no resistance. To put it gently, it's unbalanced. When you get frustrated (and you'll get) by the SP you can try the Tier1 mode, which is unlocked once you've completed the SP on any difficulty. Basically, Tier1 is the same as the SP just with some gameplay tweaks, e.g. difficulty is set to hard and you have no restarts. Once you die, you have to start over again. There is a time limit in each level that you have to beat, and headshots will freeze the timer for a couple of seconds. To conserve time there aren't any cutscenes either. This mode really is for hardcore MoH players and I doubt that any of the one-timers will enjoy it. And finally there is MP. Crafted from scratch with Frostbite it's completely a different game. This is the best part of the game hands down. You can choose a class with different set of weapons and level yourself up the get better in hunting down the opposition. You can engage in different type of game modes like: Team Assault (deathmatch), Sector Control (capture the flag), Clean Sweep (deathmatch without respawns) or Objective Raid (attack or defend certain assets) among others. It doesn't introduce anything new, but at least what it does, it does very well. No question that if you are an experienced FPS player you should skip the SP in its entirety and go straight to the MP to have some fun. Rating: 55/100; Replay Value: 1/5; To Beat: 5 hours; Played on: normal.

We step into the running shoes of Faith, a runner in this fast paced, acrobatic game, which is one of a kind. There aren't many games that combine the action adventure platforming with the first-person genre. The concept is well executed, too bad the game falls short in other areas. In the unknown dystopian city, where crime virtually doesn't exists the Runners are the only ones that disturb the peace achieved by the totalitarian regime. It's a small group of anti-government individuals who can do one thing very well: run... and climb pipes and do acrobatic jumps, but that's (and committing crimes) part of the life style. Our protagonist is one of them, whose sister (a cop on top of that) is caught in political crossfire and arrested for the murder of the mayor candidate. From now on it's on Faith to discover the secrets that lie below the surface. Unfortunately there are no hearth stopping, breath taking moments in the story. It's pretty plain and simple, nothing we haven't seen somewhere else (1984 Orwell). Likewise the length and scope of the game doesn't allow the story to get to deeper levels. The game can be finished in a mere 4-5 hours. On the other hand the cartoony cut-scenes are a nice touch and the characters are believable thanks to the great voice acting. Mirror's Edge consists of 9 chapters. In every chapter you have to get from point A to point B to complete an objective. It doesn't get any deeper than that, but at least the time spent between the start and finish is fun. The controls are responsive and you can take alternate routes to get an advantage over the riot police or just to be quicker and more efficient. In almost every level there is at least 1 point where you'll find yourself dying in 10-15 seconds after the checkpoint loads. Over and over again until you find the correct route or you can execute your jumps perfectly. These parts are pains, but the most frustrating thing in the gameplay are the gunfights. It's simply not meant to be there. Disarming guards and policemen, then shooting others feels off balanced, weak, and frustrating over all. Faith's story has its flaws, but the game is at its best when you have to do what it's created for: platforming, wall running, jumping from pipe to pipe, rolling, sliding and so on. When you learn the levels and you become more proficient in spotting out the best routes it feels like you are a panther capable of anything. Unfortunately if you aren't in for the challenge of finding the best routes in each map there is not much else the in the game that could keep it installed on your computer for a long time. After finishing the story mode you can jump in and do some time trials, but as I said there isn't anything else beside that (if you don't count the bags which can be found in the story mode 30 in total). Rating: 68/100; Replay Value: 2/5; To Beat: 5 hours; Played on: normal.

The story in Alan Wake is quite exceptional comparing to other video games in the genre. Too bad the rest of the game can't match up to the well-written storytelling. The game kicks off interestingly where we meet our protagonist, who is struggling with writing crisis and a "little bit" of insanity. Soon we find ourselves fighting with shadowy creatures named 'The Taken' controlled by a mysterious force. The fighting mechanics based on the power of light are unique. While this newish fighting scheme is fun at first it lacks deepness, so it becomes repetitive. Unfortunately nothing good can be said about the controls, which is one of the most discouraging features of the game: awkward movements, slow reaction times, super sensitive mouse controls One of the high points of the game is the voice acting. It phenomenally supports the great story, which pushes the player for resolution...that may or may not exists in the end. The end of the story will leave many with questions and bad taste, but the open nature of the conclusion is not necessarily a bad thing at all. However, the special chapters (The Signal and The Writer) will help put a proper end to this tale. After 6 chapters it is hard to think of any reasons why anyone, who is not a fan of Alan would start this game all over again. The replay value of the game is very low thanks to its linear nature. Other than some collectibles there's no point to return. Alan Wake is one of those games that would've been enjoyable on a big screen rather than with a controller in a hand. Rating: 65/100; Replay Value: 1/5; To Beat: 14-16 hours (incl. the specials); Played on: normal.

American Nightmare is a fun combat focused episode set between the original game and the not-yet-if-ever-released sequel. In this chapter Alan is trying to escape from the Dark Place by writing a script of a twisted TV show, where he can alter reality and defeat his doppelganger, Mr. Scratch as he tries to take over Alan's life in the 'real world'. The game brings some fixes of its prequel. The horrible and non-reactive controls are fortunately things of the past. It's a much more combat focused game, which is proven by a wast array of weapons you can find, from UZI to combat shotgun. The game introduces some though not many new elements and mechanics. There are new enemies like the Splitter, who splits into two when your flashlight is pointed at him. The area map and HUD are reworked, where scripts and points of interest are indicated. It's a nice addition since on the contrary of the first game, here you are encouraged to find those "damn" sheets of papers. You can get better weapons and it is fun, too. While Alan Wake's story was controversial but well written, the same can't be said about this chapter. It sometimes feels rushed and underdeveloped. At least the ending is much more clearer now. The part where the game disappoints the most is the level design. There three only three levels non of which are large to say the least. In addition to this, each of the levels are reused 3 times. In the frame of the story it is understandable but still disappointing. To make it clear, it is not a full fledged game, but neither is a rip off DLC. It's something between, a full game with arcade length. Alan's newest script shouldn't take longer than 4 hours to finish (6 with all the collectibles). Be aware though that normal in this game is easy compared to the prequel, so if you are up to it, try Nightmare difficulty. This can be explained by the combat focused nature of the game. You'll never have to roam trying to find ammunition and your flashlight recharges a lot faster than in the first game. There is a new game mode called Arcade Challenge. It's a simple addition where you have to survive until dawn and score as many points as you can with limited ammunition. You can squeeze a couple of extra hours out of this game mode, but don't expect dozens of hours of fun. On one side this game mode should have been in the first game, but with those horrid controls nobody would've played it. Alan Wake's American Nightmare is not a propel sequel to Alan Wake but it's a nice side story which every fan will enjoy. The game falls short in some places to the prequel (story, level design) but bests it in other areas (controls, combat). Rating: 71/100; Replay Value: 2/5; To Beat: 4 hours; Played on: normal.

Home is a uniquely told story where your simple decisions affect how the plot of the game **** it seems. We start with our nameless protagonist in an unknown house in the middle of the night with no memories how or why he got there. The story gets more interesting when he finds a dead body in the next room. The most engaging aspects of this game are how the story is told and the atmosphere. First, the story is never complete. As you make your way from the house to your home you can find clues about the events that have happened and piece together the murders. How much you find and how much you progress in being 'Sherlock' is completely up to the player. This ambiguity is the most sparkling and the most trembling part of the game at the same time. The conclusion of the game will vary based on what you discovered and what choices you have made throughout the game. This undoubtedly will leave many frustrated and with a lot of questions after finishing the game. In this case a replay of the game is needed, but unfortunately it might not bring the resolutions players want to see. While the graphics and the music (there is no music) aren't the strongest parts of the game, the atmosphere is. It is highly recommended to play this game in one sitting, at night, with headphones on. The crackling wood, loud thunders, footsteps with the visuals will pull the player in searching for answers. You will never be frightened, but you will always be wondering: "what's in this next room?" Home is a very special meta-game, where its uniqueness derive from not what's happening on screen, but what is in the mind of the player. The story of the game might not get complete after several playthrough, because the events of the game have already happened, the murders too. It is not really important what happened, the important thing is how much you know about it and the ultimate goal is to know everything of course. Rating: 72/100; Replay Value: 4/5; To Beat: 1-1.5 hours; Played on:

Ever wondered its time to join the 'zombpocalypse'? Left 4 Dead 2 is the best place for you. Four survivors with an arsenal of weapon ranging from chainsaw to M60 and lots and lots of Infected trying to hunt you down. L4D2 picks up where the first game left off, only with new survivors to hunt and be hunted. The short story of the game is spread through 5 chapters (although it was expanded with DLC campaigns). It is not overtly complicated and deep, but it can be suspected for a game of this nature and fairly this is not the most important part of this game. On normal settings the campaign can be completed around 4 hours or so, if you have access to the DLC campaigns it will extend the fun to 6-7 hours. Amping up the difficulty will increase the challenge and frustration originating from the retries you have to take to complete the chapters. While the story is not the richest out there, the game features some amazing voice over and writing. The characters are funny, witty and believable in the world of the game of course. When you (if you at all) breeze through the campaign with bots this is when the real fun begins. Online multiplayer is its name. Simply, this game is meant to be played with other humans. First of all, the AI is not horrible, bud it is bad enough that you will be constantly ripping out your hair while playing the game SP (especially on harder difficulties) Not to mention the Infected AI is much better. Second, the shooting is at its best when you are surrounded with real humans trying to help you survive or chasing you as Infected. Yes, there are game modes (Versus, Scavange, etc.) where you can show your skills as a Spitter, Charger or any type of Special Infected. The challenges will just never end with this game. You can play different MP modes like Versus or the newly introduced Scavange (collecting cans and filling up the generator while the Infected are trying to stop you). Or if you want you can just play the campaigns again with human help. If you are tired you can jump on community servers or try the endless number of easy-to-use mods created for the game by the community. Here we are again. Valve have proved again that they are indeed the masters of Multiplayer Madness. After hits like Counter Strike, Team Fortress we have the upcoming wave of games like the L4D2 series and DotA 2. While the SP mode is not much engaging and falls short of expectations and you may not care about the characters in the end, if you ever want to just jump in and oppose the endless hordes of zombies while having super fun, this is the ultimate and most definite place to start. Rating: 85/100; Replay Value: 5/5; To Beat: 6 hours (SP with the campaign DLCs); Played on: normal.