Hooked Gamers

Brutal Legend aims to an unabashed tribute to the world of metal music. In that regard it does not just meet expectations but surpasses it too. The mix of RTS and Action gameplay may not satisfy hardcore strategiust but it really is something to experience. Eddie Riggs, cast perfectly by Jack Black, is a character that you will grow to care for. Tim Schaefer’s comic genius shines through at evert corner and half the laughs are to be found not in spoken dialogue but in the reaction in the character’s faces. The soundtrack is quite possibly the greatest selection of Metal tracks ever assembled which in itself makes it worth playing this game.

Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3 lowers the barrier to entry for hardcore racing sims while keeping almost everything that made its predecessors great intact. If you don't know a cam shaft from a stick shift, you need not worry. Forza 3 will worry about those sticky details for you while you focus on keeping your car on the road. Gearheads on the other hand, will still find one of the widest arrays of customization ever to be found in a racing game. Couple all that with an incredible driving experience, beautiful graphics and a realistic damage model and you have one of the deepest and most accessible racing games ever released.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

It's no secret that titles based on licensed material like comic books and movies are usually not worth the discs they are printed on. But when Rocksteady Studios released Batman: Arkham Asylum back in August, they managed to do the impossible: make a great licensed video game. Reuniting veteran Batman writer Paul Dini with Batman: The Animated Series actors Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin, Arkham Asylum puts you squarely into the shoes of the Dark Knight on one of the worst nights of his life. The freeflow combat, gadgets, and detective mode help bring the Caped Crusader to life. Yet the biggest star of the game is Gotham's famous prison itself. Not since Bioshock has a game's setting seemed like a living, breathing character as integral to the story as the characters themselves.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Sure, the story might not be that great. Sure, the gameplay may not have changed much. Yet even with these things, Modern Warfare 2 is a superb game. The game shines in the multiplayer department with new perks, call signs, perfectly sized maps and ample rewards every time that you level up. Running through a farm while your buddy rains hell from an AC-130 in the sky is as engrossing an experience as we have ever seen. Needless to say, you will be coming back to this one for a long, long time.

Assassin's Creed II

For all its critical and commercial success, the first Assassin's Creed had its fair share of flaws. Chief among them was the repetitiveness of its missions and gameplay. Ubisoft did not rest on their laurels. They listened to their fans and went back to the drawing board for the sequel. Ezio Auditore's tale of conspiracy and vengeance in Renaissance Italy is anything but repetitive and 15th century Florence and Venice are a refreshing change of pace from the Crusades-era Holy Land. Ezio himself is a more sympathetic protagonist than Altair and more athletic to boot. He swims, flies, crawls into hidden tombs, rebuilds his family estate and hires help. All the while he is trying to foil the Templars latest efforts at world domination. Being an assassin has never been better.

Runners-Up

Borderlands

Gearbox Software's new Role Playing Shooter is packed to the brim with loot, foes and - above all - pure and unadulterated fun.

» Read the review
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Halo: ODST

ODST not in the top 5? We were as surprised at ourselves as you and recounted twice. ODST is a great game but the competition was just a notch better.

» Read the review
» Get Halo: ODST