IGN

Drop players into situations where they have to do repetitive, meaningless tasks and then add respawning, overwhelming douchebags." That's a shame. Flying is fun, the upgrades are neat, and the game can look good. However, these pros are outweighed by the aforementioned frustration, crappy storyline and lame cutscenes. You never feel like Iron Man in this game, and if you're like me, you never feel like you're having fun.

Grand Theft Auto IV is just as big a leap forward, though perhaps in subtler ways, and sets a new benchmark for open-world games. Everything in GTA IV works in harmony. The story would be nothing without the city; the city gains realism from the physics engine; the physics complement the improved AI; the AI would make no sense without the new cover system. And on and on. There is no one major weak aspect.

A majority of the puzzles may seem too easy at first, but the difficulty does ramp up later in the game to provide a decent challenge for puzzle solvers. Voice acting can be a little grating at times and the jokes could have been better, but this light-hearted adventure can be fun for those who aren't interested in a serious mystery. It would be fantastic to see what else Deck13 can come up for those of us who enjoy a good romp through the jungle. Be sure to stay until the end of the credits for some amusing outtakes.

Expectations were so high for Grand Theft Auto IV that one of the biggest surprises is that it's managed to meet them. That it's also gone on to confound these is truly a marvel, and the game's Liberty City is nothing less than one of the greatest videogame worlds yet conceived. With this game, Rockstar has set out to free itself from the excesses of the series past to emphasise the character of its world, and in doing so has created a high watermark in the relationship between narrative and play.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 offers much of what the first did on PC, though this time it's wrapped up in a much more stable package, features a better unlock system, and has an expanded set of multiplayer modes. While the single-player feels tired and rehashed, the multiplayer versus modes and options for cooperative play should keep you entertained.

Like the other games in the series, Europa Universalis Rome isn't for everyone. It isn't even for most people. But for the rare gamers who can happily lose themselves in a world where the ability to create armies is more valued than the ability to lead them on the field of battle, the EU games are a revelation. When you combine that approach with the appeal of the historical Roman setting, it's like an arrow of happiness aimed straight at our hearts.

Dark Sector's fun. Hearing guards scream for help just before they take a glaive to the face, marching around in this Metal Gear-looking Jackal tank while rocketing bad guys into the air and wielding a pimped-out shotgun make the experience something any action fan can get behind.

Ultimately, Kane's Wrath is something that old school RTS fans and die-hard C&C veterans will enjoy. There's enough here to keep them busy for a long time. Those looking for a more modern RTS experience should look elsewhere, though.

Short and sweet: Viking could've been great. The massive battles are a neat idea, the world can seem huge, and while simplistic, the hack-and-slash gameplay is fun for a while. Sadly, the problems in the game make sure that none of those good things can standout too proudly. The battles stumble thanks to chug, the worlds get repetitive, and when you're not really interested in the story or your ultimate goal, hack-and-slash gets on your nerves no matter how many times you cut a guy in two.

Condemned 2 doesn't make as big of a splash as its predecessor, but it does everything necessary to make a quality sequel. There are more features, fan complaints are addressed and it's still as spine tingling as ever. The story, though less akin to Swiss cheese than the first one was, is not as gripping and the game feels as if it lost its focus in the latter stages.