I thought this game was pretty damn outstanding when I just finished my first playthrough. Then I went for Ironman on Classic difficulty. That's where it really hit the spot.

"We will be watching."

The campaign is a thoroughly enjoyable episode in the Hitman universe. Great characters, great gameplay and a refreshing deviation from the well-known formula while retaining much of my enjoyment with the series. And that special Hitman gameplay is a rare pleasure to have.

Contracts mode is a fantastic addition. I like chasing scores in the really challenging covert levels. I also like finding the quickest way to kill and exit in the somewhat primitive ones.

The graphical style is incredibly charming, the soundtrack rings in my head while I write this - in a very pleasant way.

The gameplay is challenging and enticing in a way I never saw coming even when I really got into the game. I played dozens of hours of it, then watched Let's Plays of it, made friends play the game. It didn't fail to entertain on any of those levels.

The game is a very entertaining shooter - making me question my loadout, my approach to each combat scenario - and it comes with one hell of a story attached to it. The choices are rough and have to be made in split seconds. The consequences are dire. When I reached my personal ending scenario it felt right, seriously fucked up and fucking meaningful.

In a way I'm surprised I can't put this glorious little gem even higher on my list. I really questioned its place here. Because other than XCOM it's definitely the game I played most this year. So many builds, so much loot, so much enjoyment. It really is the near perfect follow-up to the old Diablo games. It's not much more than that but it still is so much goddamn fun. And I just know I'll have to level up those favorite characters even more and try entirely new approaches as well.

I enjoy Civ 5 vanilla a whole lot. It's a global strategy game I can actually get into without becoming even more insane. I probably enjoy Civ 4 a little more, even with the combat mechanics being what they are. But this addition to the fifth one means there'll be no going back. The espionage systems is still limited but superior to Civ 4 and a lot of fun (mostly due to the city states). The introduction of religion (yet again) however is just suberb. Tailoring one's beliefs towards making world domination even more efficient is excellent.

The wave-based survival mode isn't the point. That one's fun for a limited amount of time - and I mean quite a bit of fun.

But the new epsiode in the ever deepening psychosis of Alan Wake is great. The introduction of FMV sequences is a very good choice, the story is still fascinating and the relationship of the couple still has me enthralled. Plus, I always really appreciated the clever combat mechanic.

"This is not a gun. It is a tool in a logical process of elimination."

You can build Stubborn Knights that ride on donkeys. Just what the princess was swooning over when she saw those brave soldiers ride into battle. You can also blow them all up with a giant fireball when they annoy you. And it still manages to be a rock solid turn-based strategy game that had me sinking many hours into trying to optimize my approach even while being exposed to all the absurdity.

The Nameless Hero is cynic, pragmatic and kind of a piece of shit. And he's being thrown into a colorful universe consisting of monsters, magic and pirates. You could use Voodoo magic to overcome foes, cut them up or just shoot them. But there's definitely always going to be some bully giving you shit, some shady deals going down or some back-stabbing. The game is simple, not very modern at all and quite beautiful like that.

It's fundamentally an Adventure game. I don't like them very much anymore. Something about always trying to figure out some moronic logic behind the inane puzzles. This one simplifies the interactions significantly. And adds so much fucking charm. It really warms the heart. The protagonists are great and adorable, the sound design gets close to making the game on its own and the whole package is one of those bite-sized experiences that are worthwhile and would suffer for being longer than they are. Even the achievement/ collection aspect is cool because it entices you to figure out all the little aspects of the world.