A few more reviews on boardgames I have played
Me and my friend have a kind of "boardgame club", where we (try to) get together once a week to play a boardgame or two, and buy a new one every few months or so. Most of these games are aimed towards more hardcore gamers, so don't get these for your younger children (except if noted otherwise).
I am also not going to rate them (as I like them all about the same), but rather give an indication of the target market for the game. I am also excluding any games covered by @Algorythmics, as his reviews are pretty decent (Settlers, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride).
Gears of War
I haven't played the video game, so I can't compare the two. It is a co-op game for 2 to 4 players, where each player controls a marine and tries to accomplish a mission. It is a very tactical game, with a rather high difficulty level and focus on teamwork. There are various missions to choose from, as well as a "survival" mode, so the replay value is good. Recommended for serious gamers who like a challenge.
Merchants and Marauders
You control a ship in the Caribbean, and you can decide to be either a merchant (make gold by trading) or a pirate (make gold by plundering other ships). The first player to reach a certain amount of gold (can't remember how much), wins. This is for your more casual type of gamer, and fun to play with your friends. For 2 to 4 players
Game of Thrones
Like Risk (if you don't know Risk: the board is divided into territories, you have to conquer them), but on steroids. There are a lot of rules. This is one of my favourite games, as it focuses on diplomacy. There are really lots of potential for alliances and backstabbery that was not possible with Risk. The only issue with the game is that it takes about 4 to 5 hours when playing with 6 people, so you can't just decide "hey, let's play a quick game". Highly recommended if you have a few competitive gaming friends. 3 to 6 players
Lord of the Rings (The Card Game)
This is actually a card game, not a boardgame. It falls under a new (at least to me) type of genre, Living Card Game. This is different from Trading Card Games, where each new expansion contains a pre-determined set of cards, instead of a set number of random cards. It is a co-op game for 1 to 4 players, where you try to defeat missions. You (and your allies, if any) build a deck beforehand, and take on a deck of enemies, determined by the mission you chose. Each expansion contains new cards for your deck, as well as new missions.
Android Netrunner
The same type of game as Lord of the Rings, except a versus game for 2 players. One player is a corporation, and the other player is a hacker. The interesting thing about the game is the fact that the corporation player and the hacker uses completely different sets of rules. The hacker theme is why we got the game, and it is quite fun.
Takenoko
The only game in this list I would recommend for children. The board is a Japanese garden. There is a gardener that grows bamboo, and a panda that eats it. You have to complete your objectives by moving the panda and the gardener around, and manipulating the board. Easy to understand and quite a cute game. Quite a good family game for 2 to 4 players
Release!
Included to impress @apapadimoulis and get instant TL4 privileges (just joking, except if works, in which case I'm not). I have actually played to print-and-play version (twice), and it is fun if you have a few friends around and time to spare