While we like to review the games we find the most interesting, one per week just isn’t enough posts to cover all the games we’d have liked to talk about this year. To make up for this, here are some of the games we managed to miss – enjoy!

I Am Alive

This game slipped under our radar by launching on consoles we own a long way after it came out on Xbox 360. Essentially, it’s what would happen if Tomb Raider and Fallout had a baby – yes, if you’re thinking that sounds a hell of a lot like The Last Of Us then you’re right, but since that game isn’t out yet and this one is, it’s certainly worth a play, not least for its unique bluffing mechanics and bleak aesthetic.

Sniper Elite V2

Sneaking through a bombed out city is certainly a lot of fun, and it’s extremely gratifying to see your enemy’s brain splatter into a thousand pieces in slow-motion after you shoot them from a thousand yards away, so it’s a good thing Sniper Elite V2 offered both of those in equal measure. It could have been improved by less random stealth mechanics and the excision of the awful indoor combat segments, but otherwise it was definitely a good attempt and well worth playing if you can find it cheap.

Spec Ops: The Line

A shining example of how the modern military shooter should be done, this game is a retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness that explores not only the terrible atrocities that good men will commit if left to their own devices, but also the role the player takes in making those things happen and the consequences of one’s actions. Extremely haunting and not fun in the traditional sense, but fulfilling and self-examining in a way too few games are.

QUBE

You can accuse it of being Portal and Minecraft’s lovechild all you like, and it has some awkward physics that detract from the fun somewhat, but for recent indie puzzle games that weren’t called Quantum Conundrum, you could do a hell of a lot worse than QUBE. Set in a weird pristine world of lasers, cubes, spheres and remote controlled extrusion gloves, you’ll be playing through some great puzzle design and excellent visuals.

Wargame: European Escalation

Set in a world where the Cold War went hot in various ways between 1975 and 1985, Wargame is an in-depth strategy game taking place on enormous maps with incredible levels of detail that offer many strategies to try in any situation. It’s quite difficult and you shouldn’t expect to get through any mission on the first try, but when you get it right it’s excellent – seeing a column of tanks ripped apart by a carefully laid trap is as satisfying as it was in Company of Heroes and the multiplayer only adds extra depth to proceedings.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, we hope you’ll take a look back through our archives and check out some more games we recommend (or otherwise). Sian will join you on Monday for our New Year’s salutations, but in the meantime, happy holidays!

Robin