We have crossed almost half of the year and have seen some great releases. But another half still awaits and many more exciting titles beckon the sweaty hands of the gamers. We will now show you the best of the games that you should (sic: must) play this year.

MASS EFFECT 3 (Win, PS3, X360)

We will start off with Mass Effect 3, which was released in March by EA. This title concludes the Mass Effect Trilogy though its ending is quite unexpected and unacceptable to many fans of the series. The same reason also affected its ratings and reviews as the ending was quite unorthodox and painful. Otherwise the gameplay is quite improved from the previous editions. Those who have played the previous editions will face the consequences of their action in those editions. It is a great story and you will be immersed in it. If you like Star Wars, then do play this game. All three of them if you can (and should).

MAX PAYNE 3 (Win, PS3, X360) 

Just like Mass Effect, Max Payne returns again with a great story to tell and lots of bad guys to kill. It retains the same old character of Max Payne, only a little older. This time he has escaped the city of New York and settled in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He tries to forget his troubled past but gets addicted to painkillers. He works with the security for a wealthy family but soon gets into trouble after his boss’s wife is kidnapped. The developers claim they are introducing a whole new way of storytelling which has never been used before in video games. Bullet-time is also available this time with some improvements. A new feature is the ‘last man standing’  in which the player can survive even after getting killed if he has atleast one painkiller left with him. He can also survive if he instantly kills the last man that shot him before he died. The man behind Max’s voice – James McCaffrey also returns and this time his actions and facial expressions have been captured and used in the game. It was released this week, so wait a bit for our review!

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 2 (Win, PS3, X360) 

Call of Duty is one of the most popular games in the FPS genre. Its titles have become quite mundane and stereotyped in the last few years. But its developers tried to make a difference with COD: Black Ops. It introduced a new kind of story-telling and also brought in some innovative weapons and tactics. It attracted a lot of gamers and also earned the most selling game of the year. They are back again with the sequel this year. The game will be launched in November but many fans are excited about the game now. We reported about the reveal trailer a while ago. Though a lot of new features are expected from the title this time, a lot else was shown in the trailer. The battlefield looks quite childish and comical, though it is action-packed nonetheless. We don’t how it will turn out but this will definitely go on our to-play list!

COUNTER STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE (Win, Mac, PS3, X360)

Most of the people who ever lived in a hostel/dorm would remember (or would be playing) the long sessions of CS and the endless repetitive words “Fire in the hole” ringing in their ears as they leave their spawns. It is one of the most played games on any network and it still retains the title. After the original Counter Strike, Counter Strike: Source brought in some improvements in the graphics though the gameplay remained the same. Valve is planning to release a new version this summer- Counter Strike: Global Offensive. It too retains much of the classic gameplay though some new features including a new gaming mode is added- arsenal. The reward system is also radically new. Rather than giving good performers better weapons, they will be downgraded to inferior weapons! Moreover you will no longer be able to drop or pick up weapons anymore. The game will retain many old maps and also introduce some new ones. It might not be something quite new or different but it will surely bring something fresh to the arena. Be sure to spend some more sleepless nights when this one comes out.

DIABLO 3 (Win, Mac)

Diablo is a popular game in the RPG genre which is a hack-slash styled game set in the underground (mostly). It has already seen two releases and the third one was released this week. It has garnered quite a following owing much to its captivating story and intense gameplay. It has changed a lot over the years and its latest installment also features some changes. The biggest change is the requirement of a player to remain online while playing due to Blizzard’s DRM policy. It is quite a headache for those with slow/unstable connections or those who primarily use their smartphones to access the internet rather than traditional (sic: broadband) connections. Many reviewers have given negative points for this ‘requirement’ though the overall rating remains quite good. This title also introduces two new classes – the witch doctor and the demon hunter in addition to the barbarian, the monk and the wizard. The interface has also been optimised and experimenting with different styles is also encouraged this time around. It was one of the most awaited games of the year as it has been under development since several years.

You might be wondering why we have listed only five games here even though a lot of games are releasing this year. But hold on! We are not finished yet. We will return again with some more games next time. Till then, go play Diablo 3 and do watch the launch trailers.