In times where Sam Fisher is a mere shadow of his former self, this two-dimensional ninja steps into the limelight, proving that old school-stealth is far from being dead.

It took a long time for the Umbra Witch to climax on PC but after seven years she finally arrived. And she didn’t miss a beat. This was and still is a first class action-adventure full of creativity, adrenaline fueled battles and sassiness beyond belief. And unlike Nier Automata this is a decent, albeit option lacking PC port.

Finally Monster Hunter is back on the big screen, where it all started and where it can show its gorgeousness and splendor once more. With progress in almost every aspect this is a monster that will keep you busy on- or offline for weeks to come.

Team players may dive deeply into the tactical and co-operative components of a game that awards planning and effective communication.

For me this is the best and most important online role-playing game since Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot. ArenaNet managed to eradicate the grind-treadmill with simple but very effective attention to detail. This excursion into the fantasy theme park named Tyria, where on every corner there's a new ride to experience in form of the many things you can discover, is well worth its entry fee.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 as remasters of two classic trendsport games ist not perfect, but comes very close. On the new console generation even more with its crisper visuals, near perfect control and reduced loading times.

A magical mixture of Advance Wars, Chess and FTL that will keep every turn based tactician glued to the screen for weeks and months.

In the tradition of the Souls games From Software delivers once more, while sporting some brilliant new ideas: grappling hook, stealth elements and especially the ingenious battle system marks the next big step in the evolution of the mechanics Miyazaki-san and his team became famous for.

As usual, high-quality fighting action that puts Tekken at the top of the genre shelf despite weaknesses in the additional modes. Tekken fans and those who want to become one should be picked up equally.

Once you get used to the new controls it is hard to get away from this excellent, incredibly intensive basketball experience.

This is an appropriately enhanced re-release of an epic SciFi-adventure. Bioware created one of the most engaging universes in gaming history. And it still is captivating.

This is the blueprint for all future VR platformers. Charming, full of surprises and visually stunning, this is the best VR experience you can get on PlayStatio VR right now.

Even after ten years the campaign is as engrossing as ever while the multiplayer focuses on classic gun battles on huge maps. Unfortunately this is not yet available as a stand-alone.

Quotation forthcoming.

It is a great remake of the N64-classic. It proves the importance of giving the player the freedom to explore a magical world instead of leading him through with GPS and puzzle-finding equipment.

With Iceborne, Capcom not only opens a new everfrost hunting area, but improves the game overall.

Obsidian not only continues the tradition of classic party role-playing by merging virtues of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment. They create a unique fantasy world far away from Dungeons and Dragons, thus demonstrating that creativity and passion are more important than any graphics engine.

This is a timeless gem, an audiovisual piece of art that didn’t lose any of its fascination even after 14 years, while thanks to the VR implementation you feel closer to the action than ever before.

Challenging action in a beautiful pixel world with loads of interesting weapons and a slightly misbalanced repetition per hour ratio.

Six years after Demon’s Souls the series comes full circle. Dark Souls 3 is as intense as merciless. A beautiful conclusion to one of the most influential franchises in recent memory.

Epic giant role-playing game that stays true to the tradition of the series and creates a distinctive world that shakes your foundations after umpteen hours of play.

As irresisitable as a cat video: Even though you encounter some minor issues (which is absolutely untypical for Nintendo) this is a package you need to get. The well designed, extremely motivating and already content-rich 2.5D-platforming meets a full-fledged Bowser-expansion with a touch of open world.

A fascinating world with a gorgeous artdesign. Manifold Garden is one the the truly great puzzle games.

Pokémon Pokopia seems to have received a lot of love during its development and therefore feels fully polished. This results in many different moments of pure gaming fun.

An extensive, high-quality DLC that inspires with story and a dense atmosphere and even improves the main game. An all-round successful comeback for Cyberpunk.

I cannot tell you how often Tetris has been published. But what I can tell you is that as simple yet motivating puzzle concept it still stands the test of time - and still looks pretty good.

You travel through an engaging world full of secrets and hidden clues. You watch, you take notes, you ponder, you think about what is happening on the screen. This is a mysterious journey through time and space – charming, fascinating, unique.

Technically impressive remake of a modern horror classic: This Dead Space feels brutally good, sounds strong and gets on your last nerve.

It is rare that games showcase deep emotions. And to be honest, I didn't think that Telltale would be able to pull it off. But they delivered. I am looking forward to the second season.

Pandora is more colorful and more vivid than ever before. The enemies act smarter and they attack in mixed groups so the team of up to four heroes has to work together - elemental damage and positioning are keys to survival. Unfortunately the storytelling takes a while before it gets interesting (although the humour is top-notch) and sometimes you get stuck in a mission treadmill.

Enhanced and in terms of fighting systems as well as visuals slighlty improved version of the remake of one of JRPGs brightest stars.

Dark, creative and full of tense atmosphere: Limbo on iOS is as captivating as it always was.

Zen Studios are not afraid to take a risk. I can appreciate that. Because even though they went a tad too far with the roleplaying elements with the Skyrim table, these are well thought through unrealistic pinball machines that only Zen can create. And Doom ranks among the best table they have ever made.

The turn-based tactics are deep and challenging, in short: on top of their game. Everything else though, from the narrative to most of the boring side-quests, is hit-and-miss.

An exceptional game even with dreary technology: NieR: Automata is more than a grandiose action game - it touches, amazes and stays in the memory.

While the Gameplay is more accessible, the story of Death Stranding 2 transforms into a completely new beast, once again breaking the limits of the medium.

Visually impressive, playfully entertaining open world adventure, in which the PC port also impresses right from the start. You will hardly find a prettier gaming world in 2024.

Despite an exciting story, the second Ichiban outing suffers from somewhat lengthy grind and filler passages that artificially stretch out the playing time.

Lone Echo is a milestone for VR. While it loses its grip for a short while in terms of drama, Ready at Dawn manages to give a hopeful glimpse into the future, where convincing interacting in VR worlds heavily impacts immersion while also raising the emotional connectivity.

When it comes to art design, the architecture and fashion in Dishonored are among the best I have seen in recent years. The stealth-action starts promisingly but you become too powerful too soon. Nonetheless, this is a thoroughly entertaining game.

Despite some pacing issues, Resident Evil Requiem is an excellent entry in the series, delivering on both action as well as survival-horror.

Intense turn based tactics combined with challenging funds and army management – XCOM portrays Earth's defense as a comprehensive SciFi-thriller.

Incredibly powerful toolbox for games, animations and beautiful pieces of art – the entrance could be more inviting though.

In contrast to the sometimes boring statics of Japanese visual novels inkle Studios show how lively “interactive digital stories” can be. A fitting conclusion to an exceptional saga.

This whodunnit adventure has its flaws, but in its best moments this is an intense, clever constructed as well as challenging experience.

Rather than offering more of the same with slight improvements, Alan Wake 2 is a thoroughly fresh sequel with a compelling story and chilling moments.

Insanely fun and clever walking simulator with fresh content that brings a new dimension to the original adventure and pushes the video game medium forward.

More quests, full voice-overs and lots of finetuning. Disco Elysium got even better with its Final Cut.

This action roleplaying game demonstrates not only the technical competence of Guerilla Games. In terms of storytelling, quest design and characterization it almost reaches The Witcher 3. So even with its flaws like the abundance of crafting material and the superficial close combat this is another great franchise for the PS4.

This is just a beat-em-up. This is just a beat-em-up. You can’t say that often enough. But when you look at the carefully constructed cinematic story you tend to forget. Plus: With its tight controls, diverse roster and the equipment focus you will come back again and again. Even more so, when some balancing problems have been addressed.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 knows exactly where its strengths lie and takes full advantage of them. In some regards it lacks a bit of final polish, which is annoying but not too tragic.

Great entertaining samurai open world adventure, which was ported cleanly to the PC. With the Director's Cut you currently get the best version.

While Natsume spent the last years trying to recapture the former glory of its Harvest Moon brand without avail, this one man project gives you exactly what you've been missing. I just wish that Stardew Vally would at least once in a while leave the well known path and show some more identity.

The Last of Us Part 1 is an excellent remake of a PS3 milestone that doesn't quite go the final mile in a few spots.

Under the goo-goo eyes and the rather clumsily animated characters hides a challenging old school role-playing experience that punishes every little mistake you might make in your battle strategy. But more importantly: The magic of an era long forgotten is still there.

Asgard’s Wrath is a competent, vast, visually stunning and challenging action RPG for VR. It could use some finetuning in terms of partner AI and the control options for looting, though.

A huge DLC that significantly improves the main game in several ways. Monster hunters don't have much to wish for here - a few online friends are still highly recommended.

An enormous expansion that adds a lot of interesting new features, but also takes the turn based combat to its limit.

This is exactly how a conversion from consoles to touch pad should look: You won't find any virtual buttons or triggers, the controls are fine-tuned and custom made for gestures, while the content is as huge as on its console brethren. The mobile Joe delivers on a large scale.

Apart from too much focus on the story and a few hick-ups, Monster Hunter Wilds is offering exactly what one could wish from a new game in the series: Spectacular monsters, amazing fights and the feeling to fight for your life with real creatures.

In a nutshell, this is the best storytelling game in recent years and a sure hit for gamers who like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter or Gone Home. The magical sadness reminds you of Ray Bradbury, the morbid flair of Tim Burton.

Improved boss battles, audio commentary, well integrated controls via WiiU-GamePad: The Director’s Cut is without a doubt the best version of Human Revolution.

With Connected the Resonair team delivers the puzzle piece that was missing in the original: an entertaining and fun multiplayer mode.

Awesome track design and fun extras make Mario Kart 8 an instant party classic. Nonetheless the single player “campaign” could be more progressive.

If you’re looking for a reason to promote the Wii U gamepad, look no further. Building your custom platform levels has never been this easy – at least within strict restrictions that limit your creative freedom.

The base quality is there – just like in the current gen versions. And there are lots of small additions, some of them more useful than others. But overall it is not the significant progress I was hoping for.

While there are a lot of games out there combining creative construction with useful goals, including the almighty Minecraft or Space Engineers, none of them adds the economical depth like Kerbal Space Program. And on top is is great fun to experiment with all the tools at hand to figure out the best solution for the given problem.

Mewgenics is a fantastic roguelike with turn-based combat and cat-tactic power that quickly draws you in. Already a contender for Game of the Year 2026.

Nier Automata is an exceptional game that is very unique in the way it tells its very emotional and philosophical story, while Platinum Games’ signature action style makes sure that it always stays accessible.

If you want a suspenseful crime story with sci-fi flair, dramatic conflicts and puzzles that are as varied as they are challenging, look no further. This is a grand adventure.

80 Days is a beautifully designed, fascinating and open travel adventure with rich storytelling.

With an exceptional port and an attractive package of bonus content the long waiting time has been made worthwhile. Lara's latest adventure is easy on the eyes and delivers good clean fun.

This is a passionate declaration of love for videogames and one of the best co-op experiences out there.

Like on the other platforms Hyper Light Drifter on Switch is a visually and mechanically captivating action adventure that you can’t help but admire.

This is more than just an interactive book, this is an experience with loads of meaningful decisions – between the lines there is more suspense and ambiguity than in Mass Effect.

Mystical, challenging, huge and astonishingly beautiful: This is a true gem in the field of open platforming.

If you love 2D Zeldas or Death's Door, you have to grab it: Tunic is an imaginative action-adventure with clever ideas, a picturesque game world and really poisonous bosses - also on Switch.

The action is explosive, the direction of the story sequences is intense at times, but still I can't really feel at home on these islands. Far Cry 3 is the ultimate open sandbox: The player can do what he wants, where he wants it, when he wants it. But the credibility of the world suffers – and with it my motivation.

Insomniac Games delivered a plethora of good or very good entertainment over the years, but this Ratchet & Clank is an animated masterpiece - some kind of Super Lombax Galaxy at the highest level.

It is a labor of love and homage to classics of the 8-bit-era, where the badass difficulty level of Mega Man is combined with the mystical design of Gargoyles Quest and a catchy chiptune soundtrack.

I played the 360- and the PS3-version. And still the level design with its bright colours and crazy ideas managed to captivate me. This was and still is one of the best jump-and-runs in recent memory.

If you haven’t played any of the last NBA 2Ks this is the one to pick up. But even with all little improvements in almost every area it still doesn’t feel too different from last year – or the year before.

Especially in areas where Diablo III disappointed, this small gem from Runic Games displays its strengths: There is more than enough useful loot, thus motivating the hunt for the bigger better item, you need to make decisions when it comes to character development. Choice and balancing of the difficulty levels are also well-conceived.

This is the game vacation was invented for. XCOM 2 is so captivating, so challenging, so full of content and plainly so good that hours, days and weeks pass by in an instant.

The star is the level design that gives you some of the most memorable locations in recent years. This is an atmospheric, visually gorgeous and mechanically diversified stealth adventure that puts competition like Styx, Deus Ex or Thief in its place.

This creative toolbox didn’t lose any of its magic. Minecraft doesn’t need level-ups, xp, buffs or special abilities to motivate – it captivates with its sheer openness and endless creativity.

This is a labor of love. Huge freedom combined with challenging turn-based tactics make this a great addition to the consoles’ role-playing library.

“They cannot be serious!” became my mantra with Celeste. I like a steep challenge, but this is way too much. While the retro platformer shows off some interesting ideas the fun largely depends on your capacity for suffering as well as patience. This is one of the hardest games out there. They cannot be serious.

Visually as well as mechanically very successful remaster of two skateboard classics. The Tony Hawk franchise hasn’t been served with this quality in a very long time.

Horizon Forbidden West is an excellent sequel, surpassing its predecessor in almost every area. Guerrilla Games has once again created a diverse and graphically impressive game world that is full of activities and dangers.

This is an epic beast. I despise its’ kitsch and cliché dialogue. But I love it for the depth and challenges it presents in its turn-based battles.

Only slightly modernized, but great PC-conversion of Bungies shooter classic.

A cool timeloop thriller with great characters and a lot of freedom, but also some small AI issues and other nuisances.

I was skeptical at first, but now I am a believer. Ori is an incredibly beautiful exploration platformer with constant challenges, spot-on balancing and an incredible soundtrack.

On every corner you’ll find a new secret or a sparkling metal ornament waiting to be investigated. It is short and offers hardly anything new compared to the predecessor. But is still is very unique – which you can’t say about too many mobile games which mainly consist of match-3 or endless-runner-clones.

Inspired by games like Journey or Limbo, Lone Sails draws you in on Switch with charming music and an expressive art design. An emotional trip through an apocalypse void of humans.

On the 360 Geralt shows all the strengths that made his voyage such a gem on the PC, but albeit all the additional content didn't lose all the weaknesses. On top of that the visuals show unexpected blemishes.

Competent turn based strategy with relevant provisioning, some cool specials via the headquarter, challenging AI and a hint of card tactics.