Challenging and captivating mix of turn-based tactics and Match-3, somewhere between Puzzle Quest and FTL.

I was looking forward to meeting Rhys, Vaughn, Fiona and Sasha again – and I wasn’t disappointed, even though in terms of mechanics there has been no progress at all. But when it comes to dialogue, characters, directing and story this is Telltale at its best.

Technically this excellent terror tale is not quite on the same level as the PC version and the constant light show of the controller takes away atmosphere instead of adding to it. But nonetheless this is an intensive survival course in a world reigned by horror and violence.

With a well-rounded gameplay flow, seamless catching and fighting as well as a smooth performance, Pokémon-Legends: Z-A is the best game delivered by Game Freak in the last ten years.

If you’re into merciless turn based tactics like Darkest Dungeon, you will get a decent amount of entertainment out of Iratus.

Bloody, brutal and varied: The Ancient Gods Part 2 is a great expansion, yet with a an end fight that is a bit too easy.

This is like a magical novel. If you’re looking for something different, something quiet, you just might find what you need in this beautifully crafted adventure full of secrets.

You don’t fight your opponents with bullets, artillery or troops but with share prices, market value and austerity. Soren Johnson's unusual take on real-time strategy doesn’t deliver an epic campaign but gives beautifully intense skirmishes and multiplayer battles with a well conceived, albeit simple economic base system.

If you like mysterious games like The Room this is definitely worth a look: great art design, great music and great puzzle variation.

With its newest version Everybody’s Golf neither excels nor does it achieve anything groundbreaking on the greens. But the mechanics are spot on and make this a more than solid pick-up&play golf.

Haven is no prosaic drama centering around the burden and the suffering of love, but a rather sensitive and charming piece of youth literature wrapped in an interesting action adventure.

The turn based system is clever. But the lack of progress in the roguelike campaign drags the motivation down. [Early Access Score = B]

Interesting mix of hack&slay and tower defense, that shines in coop, but falls short in terms of towers and traps. Good clean fun, though.

When it comes to versus-multiplayer and horde this comic-shooter is yet again great fun. The vast quest areas with AI opponents feel lackluster.

While playing alone is a disaster, the multiplayer-portion of the game is surprisingly fun and diverse. Nightreign is an experiment that not always succeeds, but definitely a bold endeavor and if FromSoftware decides to tweak the balance a little, we might get a game that is eventually good no matter how you play.

It is the storytelling that keeps Republique interesting. The stealth mechanics are not up to common standards, but the dystopian setting manages to salvage a lot.

In the end Nintendo Land can't fascinate as Wii Sports did when Wii launched. From time to time it shows what the new touchpad controls have to offer, but most of the time it is more reminiscent of WiiPlay. And if you don't have friends to support you in the few minigames that are actually fun, the entertainment is short lived.

While the basegame is the same time consuming monster that you can experience on other systems, the technical problems like tearing (even on PS4 Pro) and server disconnects are rather disappointing.

Kylotonn takes a big step. The driving physics are decent and the stages are not only splendidly designed but also challenging.

The short solo-campaign is hardly worth talking about, even though the action on the ground and in space is well executed. But the multiplayer makes up for it: The battles are as tactical as they are frantic, the troops have distinctive strengths and weaknesses and you can use the surroundings to your advantage.

On Vita Puddle is as much a thrill as it is on consoles, featuring an abundance of clever twists around gooey liquids. Some stages you might solve in an instant, others may take a number of attempts – while unfortunately you will recognize many traps only when it's too late.

The survival road movie mixes elements of top-down-action, text adventure and resource management and becomes quite interesting very fast. That is until you hit the wall of content repetition that games randomly generated content are infamous for.

Even though the look is the star of the game, The Midnight Walk has a lot to offer when it comes to gameplay. A unique and spooky adventure.

The tactical space battles are great, but deserve more variety as well as a better campaign design.

Technically and mechanically well constructed Mech action. The challenging campaign is definitely more entertaining than the multiplayer skirmishes.

Small, classic, good: three decent to really great 2D shoot-em-up in one collection.

The franchise hybrid works surprisingly well. With the integration of quite a few beloved Aperture elements (including GlaDOS, of course) the construction puzzles gain an edge. But nonetheless they could have been improved with additional challenges.

Solid entertainment with an appealing mix of action, tower defense and fun, played preferably in co-op-mode.

With Unbound, Criterion take a big step in the right direction and delivers gripping action races paired with exciting police chases.

In terms of content this is the game that it should have been in the beginning. Unfortunately problems with too much grind, missing comfort functions as well as redundant planetary exploration still remain.

Harmonix delivers a stylish combination of rhythm game and shooter.

This new interpretation of old-school brawling action works well and doesn't rely just on its sheer amount of blood on the screen or the well executed comic-design.

Livelock is a solid twinstick shooter that doesn’t excel at anything but also doesn’t make any major mistakes.

This is a neat take on city building that borrows heavily from Cites Skylines in certain areas, while trying to maintain its own identity. With more variety in terms of colonists’ needs and more surprising elements this could be more than just a diamond in the rough.

The cardboard is surprisingly robust, the assembly of the sometimes intricate designs is a as time consuming as it is fun. But despite the interesting concept, the minigames that come with it are merely snacks.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership has its heart in the right place and delights with its combat and charme. But a flood of tutorials and noticable pacing-problems are weighing down the fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

You’ll feel that this might be the defining beat-em-up of this generation – or at least it could be over its life cycle. Right now this is a contentless base product that sports one of the tightest fighting mechanics there is.

A wild adventure: brawls, dice games and an exciting story make Clash: Artifacts of Chaos an indie must-have.

Soul Calibur 5 won't offer many surprises. Obiviously Project Soul doesn't want to tackle a modern "Weapon Master" mode, the campaign is shallow as always (and cast with a bunch of unlikable characters). But the fighting system is still one of the best around, the presentation is excellent and the controls spot on.

Expeditions definitely has some strong points like the narrative, the choices or its dynamics. But when it comes to the presentation in general and the battle tactics it is not as strong.

A very intimate and suspenseful mystery adventure with convincing characters and loads of interesting decisions.

The mixture of base building, expansion and defense works well - especially in survival mode. The campaign is a big disappointment, though.

It is a very entertaining platformer but it's missing the genius of a Super Mario Galaxy or the sheer craziness of a Rayman: Origins. But what's there is definitely enough for a spot in the hall of fame of the best revivals.

As expected, the minimal revision hasn't made it significantly different or better than before, but the title is still a lot of fun even by today's standards, even if I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it. So if you'd like to catch up on Luigi's Mansion 2 or the Switch version is enough of an argument for you to check it out again, I would recommend buying it.

Eight years after its' initial outing the age is somewhat evident with the visuals – but it doesn't really matter. Because it is much more important that after all this time the concept, direction and atmosphere of Project Zero 2 are as good as ever.

Kudos to Schell Games. The “Escape the Room” concept works well with VR, while the puzzle experience is immersive and the Oculus Touch controls are intuitive and spot-on.

When it comes to farming and ist various phases, Sakuna shows off some good ideas, but these are thwarted by monotonous fights and clumsy micro management.

No sailor’s yarn: Another Crab’s Treasure brings a breath of fresh air to the soulslike genre thanks to innovative ideas. Smaller problems cannot be denied, but thanks to a lot of charm and humor they don't make any waves.

The challenge to map the complex controls for this engaging and vast galaxy conquest was enormous. And although it is not as comfortable as it is on PC it still delivers an entertaining experience.

I am still torn between the well executed integration of typical (offline) Elder Scrolls elements and the necessity to cater to the typical online mechanisms. But the abolition of subscription fees makes it so much easier to get drawn into the world that had its share of problems when it opened the door to an Online-Tamriel more than a year ago on PCs.

While EA Sports usually manages to avoid the “fullprice update” moniker with its yearly franchise iterations, UFC 3 (on a two year cycle, after all) can’t escape the update screams. There is progress, but the better presentation aside nothing that in the end couldn’t have been put in a patch for the predecessor.

While overall it is not as impressive as the original Life is Strange, it still is a heartfelt story of two teenagers and their pursuit of happiness.

Despite HD treatment you’ll realize how old the originals are. But as ugly as it might be on the outside as outright beautiful is the content that is hiding behind the mask.

The story focusing on the next generation on ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village never gets into second gear. The themes are well chosen, but the execution lacks finesse. But with the proven fight mechanics and the over the top special effects this is a decent add-on that offers a glimpse into the future of the Naruto (or Boruto) tale.

This is a pleasant surprise. It is limited in certain aspects but the dynamic skirmishes are brutal and deliver.

The longer you play, the more mechanical limitations become evident. But as a short snack here and then Mini Metro eats away more of your time than you’d like to admit.

It lacks atmosphere and vibrancy, while the world might feel sterile and ungraceful. But with the D&D ruleset as foundation you experience some fresh options in fights as well as during exploration. In the end Solasta delivers decent entertainment.

Mike Bithell fills the most simple geometrical figures with tremendous life. While the storytelling is absolutely charming the mechanics in this puzzler stay too simple most of the time.

While the story and the first class presentation show off Remedy’s skills, the shooter mechanics are not as convincing – even though the time manipulation is pretty cool.

A lighthearted expedition into the realms of the famous roleplaying serious that mixes elements of Pokemon with one of the most refined versions of the Active-Time-Battle-system yet.

Great fusion of brawling and shooting in 2D environments. A clear action gem, even if the visuals are an acquired taste and the amount of content is a bit on the short side.

If you love games like Torchlight and Diablo there is surely something here that will keep you going, be it more loot than you can carry, more monsters than you can kill or more intelligent jokes and easter eggs that you will recognize. Unfortunately balancing hardware specs and the story proves costly.

A minimalistic strategy gem that lacks diversity.

Immersive, intensive and enhanced with cool motion controls only the lack of content is holding this VR shooter back.

After the weak ‘Generations’ Naruto returns to top form. It has its share of flaws, but nonetheless this is the best Naruto adventure yet.

It works well on consoles. Unfortunately it suffers from mediocre visuals, complicated UI and little content at this point – especially when you compare it to the PC version.

A quite entertaining puzzle game that rips a page out of the Portal playbook, albeit with a lower challenge level, and adds an intense atmosphere as well as interesting dialogue.

An intense drama in a confined area. The puzzles make this adventure challenging, the story makes it unforgettable.

The concept of this modern Punch-Out is interesting, the fun you’ll experience in multiplayer is great, but lack of content delivers a gut punch to this brawler.

Painful situations and loads of little decisions: The script manages to weave the tragic family story into the political scene of the Seven Kingdoms.

If you like a modern take on Golden Axe and can enjoy the comic design, you’ll get a decent amount of fun out of this brawler.

Aesthetically beautiful pixel adventure in a fantasy world full of despair – the frantic boss battles contrast the dreamy atmosphere.

Quotation forthcoming.

It is a nice trip down memory lane, but against modern competition like Castle Crashers or Odin Sphere this multiplayer brawler shows its age.

Even in this puzzle disguise Agent 47 stays true to his roots, but relies too heavily on trial and error.

Quotation forthcoming.

Imagine the gamedesign cores of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and Journey merging into a brand new adventure... The Pathless takes you into a scenic open world full of ruins, mythical secrets and fantastic colossuses.

Kudos to Grasshopper and Digital Reality: I didn't think that a side scrolling shooter could look this marvelous. This is a well-executed take on bullet hell action with a clever integration of slow motion.

Charming 2d-platforming with a bizarre design that lacks variety in the long run.

Clever puzzlemix based on a fictitious programming language.

Impudently funny variation of the cult classic pong, enhanced with role-playing elements as well as multiple choice dialogue. It gets stale too soon, though, thanks to enormous repetition.

Short but beautifully mysterious puzzle-trip into a world full of bizarre machines.

Ultimately a rather simple karaoke game, that in the end is quite entertaining thanks to the focus on the cult band and their great songs.

An exciting Soulslike that has to struggle with frustrating mechanics and, despite a great presentation, keeps tipping the wrong way between fun and trouble.

The good news: Sanctum 2 is better than its predecessor in almost every aspect. But in the end there is quite some margin to other tower defense hybrids like Orcs must Die or Iron Brigade.

Mechanically Virtua Fighter 5 still is an outstanding Vs-fighting-game that looks better than ever. But it lacks singleplayer content as well as a modern netcode.

At its core Assault Horizon offers insane aerial combat action. But too often I get distracted by rail-gun sequences or helicopter missions that don't fit in well. On top of that the PC version suffers from technical problems not evident for console pilots.

This is one of the best 3D puzzlers out there. The sheer genius of a certain Portal is still superior, but Quantum Conundrum is not far behind.

Xeodrifter is pure minimalism: A steady running pace and a unchangable jump height is enough to take you on a charming, albeit short journey.

The recognition works well and with the added bass guitar mode (which can also be emulated with a six-string) as well as the coop-option you'll get a lot of content. Unfortunately the game part of Rocksmith still needs polishing while the guitar coach has its flaws.

Original crime epic that gambles away its potential as an interactive detective adventure with unnecessarily flat and extended puzzle marathons.

With its Souls-lite fighting system and the beautiful art design that successfully manages to use VR within a “classic” gameplay mechanic you Chronos pulls you into a magical world. Nonetheless it is rather just a first step, while it leaves a lot of potential untapped. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

The space battles and Warhammer flair are top notch, but the strategic core is too generic.

This retro platformer is as short as it ridiculously difficult, as cool as it is wacky. Nice!

It doesn’t look as crisp or detailed as last years’ Special Edition on PS4. But with the newly added immersion, especially if you invest the time to get into the Move controls, this is one of the best VR experiences out there - it definitely is the content richest. Skyrim hasn’t been as intense and interesting since its premiere six years ego.

Harmonix succeeds on a variety of levels. Fantasia works well as a rhythm game. It works well as a movie game that builds on the films’ premise and history. And not to forget it shows that Kinect can be a welcome addition to the gaming experience.