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.

This game is a phenomenon. Not only because of its success. But rather that this Battle Royale is so fascinating even though it has significant flaws. It is the situational suspense, the half hour of sizzling tension that makes players come back again and again.

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.

While at the time this was the best outing of Neocore’s hack&slay series, just a little while later it was overshadowed by the “Final Cut”. And while on console you’ll find solid entertainment throughout, you still wish that the “Final Cut” would have been pushed forward.

Quotation forthcoming.

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Quotation forthcoming.

If you were looking for a Switch equivalent to Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo I am afraid, you have to continue looking. While thankfully there are no in-app-purchases or grind mechanics, too much still is reminiscent of Gear.Club’s smartphone origins.

Dead Rising 4 was and (with all the added modes) still is just a shadow of the franchises former self. Having said that, especially the new Capcom Heroes mode embraces and emphasizes the new arcade direction and is actually quite entertaining.

The online mode is basically broken. Which is a damn shame, since the simulation itself is actually pretty good.

While visually this is one of the best looking games out there for Sonys VR platform, mechanically this is a rather bland and uninspired shooting gallery for most of the time. Just using the well known assets is no guarantee for a dynamic shooting experience.

While the port of the episodic survival horror to Switch is well executed, their were massive technical compromises to be made - definitely more than with the predecessor.

Well executed mixture of tower defense and twinstick-action with challenging missions and chaotic destruction.

This could have been one of this winter’s sleeper hits. And I really want to like it with its interesting theme and art design. But while everything looks like a magnificent Thief-Witcher-Shadowrun mash-up, the result is rather disappointing. No element is really fully matured and sometimes just buggy. More would have been less. Or it should have been given much more time...

While on paper the very unique adaptive AI as well as the connected challenges are quite interesting, it results in very shallow gameplay.

Revelations might be a bit older and it certainly can’t get rid of its 3DS origin. But in case you haven’t played it yet on another system, you’ll get a decent and competent port of game that managed to capture the spirit of the classic Resident Evils.

With the gorgeous world and the team based battle system as a foundation, Monolith and Nintendo created an epic fantasy J-RPG. Not everything is perfect, but once you start exploring the fascinating and dangerous terra incognita with its breathtaking vistas, bizarre creatures and touching stories, it is almost impossible to get away.

All the expertise that Square Enix collected with their recent remasters shows: With loads of graphics options you can adjust the performance and quality to your liking while the game itself with ist highly entertaining realtime combat basically remains unchanged - sometimes for the worse.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

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.

Bethesda made the seemingly impossible possible. With only few visual deficits compared to yesteryears Special Edition on PS4 and One everything is there. So just in case you haven’t stepped into the captivating world of Skyrim yet, this might be a good entry point.

Back in the Wii era this was one of the most creative platforming highlights at the time. And a lot of its charm is still there. The concept still feels fresh enough to make a mark in the jump & run revival of late.

L.A. Noire transcended quite well into this console generation. The crime solving adventure still has some highly captivating elements. But it also kept its deficits like the boring fist fights, the trivial shoot-outs or too little mechanical variety overall.

The exotic atmosphere makes this a very special action adventure that suffers from technical and mechanical faults.

While the campaign feels lackluster and like a prelude to the multiplayer battles, the lootbox lottery that DICE and EA focus on almost knocks out the great fun to be had. They definitely took one step too far into the Dark Side.

Fans of the pink blob will be happy about this minigame collection that could definitely use more content.

The five new missions are varied and intense, but overall there is a serious lack of content.

The problems which Tequila Works obviously have with the Unreal Engine are more evident on Switch than ever. Nonetheless this is still a very atmospheric and stylistically engrossing puzzle adventure.

While the number of playable characters is just as impressive as Chronopolis as a vibrant and varied open hub world, in terms of mechanics this is one of the least innovative Lego adventures in a while. But thanks to the script with its mostly toned down humor it still is fun to play.

While the visuals cannot keep up with the big brothers on PS4, One and PC, the Switch version does a decent enough job to maintain the essence of Doom. And that is a gloriously violent no-frills old school shooter.

A successful return to the franchises beginnings. The dramatic campaign gives you a lot of variety. The multiplayer feels a bit outdated with its well-known modes, but is saved by the impulses from the War mode.

Despite a weak story, a boring beginning and well known mechanics, the complex character generation, the flexible management and the challenging turn based tactics make this a dungeon crawler worth getting.

Classic point & click adventure with challenging puzzles.

A short but sweet day trip to a playground dedicated to beloved Pixar franchises that basically caters to younger players. Since its original release in 2012 they could have added more movie themes than just Finding Dory.

The renowned but lately overused Telltale formula works with Guardians, but don’t expect it to be as entertaining as the movies. The direction is spot on, the story is okay, but lacks the punch.

For me this Need for Speed is the equivalent to a Honda Civic or Toyota Prius: You can take it out on the road, but there are so many better cars out there. While borrowing heavily form the Fast and Furious franchise as well as from games like Forza Horizon, Burnout Paradise and The Crew it misses to establish its own identity.

The HD conversion of a Kinect classic shows the same charm as six years ago, while with the added pad support it opens up the theme park for a new audience. Unfortunately it is held back by visual shortcomings like tearing.

Except for the new kids mode this is Just Dance as it always was - you either love it or loathe it. It might not be as accurate as the Dance Centrals of this world but it delivers fun.

Demonic hack&slay action with a neat anime design and an interesting story premise, but a lot of mechanical repetition.

The Frozen Wilds is a very good expansion. If you enjoyed Aloy’s adventure you will get another roughly 15 hours of pure entertainment out of it.

Origins is more than the sum of its parts - which by the way are not influenced by the franchises’ past but also by games like Witcher 3 or Horizon. While a lot of old and new elements show untapped potential, this still is the best Assassin’s Creed since Black Flag.

This is one of the best singleplayer shooters in a long time - with a surprisingly strong story that blends drama, fun and shooting Nazis almost perfectly.

A rudimentary karaoke package with a fairly recent song selection and an interesting option for four vocalists.

Even though the port shows little affection for PC needs (e.g. missing mouse support and some visual issues), this still is an awesome action adventure in feudal Japan. With all three expansion included from the get-go, you can expect approx. 70 hours of challenging fun.

3D platformer with an oldschool vibe, but lacking challenge and variety.

The relaxed but taxing puzzle adventure is a perfect fit for VR, while offering a wide variety of movement options to reduce motion sickness.

While better than its predecessor, Dungeons 3 still is miles away from the classic Dungeon Keeper 2. While the core mechanics are pretty decent, there still is a lot of untapped potential left. Instead the team focused on the narrative with its abysmal jokes - the script is a gag-a-thon that manages to miss its target in almost every aspect.

The origins as a hobby project are too visible from the get-go. Clumsy controls and problematic camera are not up to par - but unfortunately these are the cornerstone of any decent platformer.

The experience without VR glasses pales in comparison. Not only is the immersion gone. With it the intuitive precision and overview are missing too. If the goal is to get more pilots for the intense space duels, this is not the way.

Yuke’s and Visual Concepts hit a dead end. In theory the franchise needs to take a break, leave no stone unturned and come back bigger and better. A lot of positive elements and drama that is worth of the WWE brand are wasted somewhere between technical problems, incoherent mechanics and leftovers from WWE games long gone.

This is like iRacing for PS4. I rarely had that much fun and tense position battles within competitive online racing on a console. The driving physics are great and the fairness system executed nicely. Unfortunately it falls a little short on the content side as well as for soloists.

An inspired and creative jump & run adventure with funny transformations and remarkably clever hidden secrets. Overall the story mode is a little bit too easy for experienced Mario players, but nonetheless this is a tremendous new start for Nintendo's iconic hero - even though overall I still prefer the spheres of Super Mario Galaxy and its cool planet mechanics.

Solid oldschool arcade action proving that shoot em up doesn’t always have to equal bullet hell. And with the director’s cut you not only get new levels but a decent, albeit hectical co-op mode as well.

If you like games like Legend of Grimrock, you will fall in love with Vaporum - especially if you enjoy steampunk settings like BioShock.

The inclusion of tactical elements like the orders for the teammates give this otherwise very conservative musou action an interesting twist.

A solid HD remaster of a hidden gem from the PS2/Xbox era. Unfortunately all the visual improvements cannot hide the age of the original while the changes to control and cover systems bring their own problems.

While in the open world there is hardly any horror atmosphere, let alone tension or suspense, in the linear levels of the second half the story comes to life - and so does the horror that you miss in the beginning.

While the enhanced battle system is definitely a big step forward, a lot of other elements including the script don’t click as effectively as they did in “The Stick of Truth”. But Coon, Call Girl and Toolshed can be proud to be a part of the “Second best South Park game of all time”.

Initially charming, but eventually very superficial mix of roleplaying and arcade golf.

Challenging and an audiovisual gem: While the concept might seem simple this is a breath of fresh air that is as good on Switch as ever.

In its best moments Elex sucks you into its beautifully weird world like Fallout. But in its worst it feels like a relic from a past long gone. Almost every design element offers something to praise, but also something to condemn. But nonetheless I wanted to dive in deeper.

I expected a nice mining action adventure. What I didn’t expect is that SteamWorld Dig 2 turns out to be that good. Charming design, great puzzles and a well thought out and executed upgrade system make this a very polished and thoroughly entertaining gaming experience.

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

A fascinating trip into as living world full of mysterious puzzle machines.

Behind the generic title hides a more than decent dungeon crawler with influences from JRPG and a very distinctive comic art-design. If Airship Syndicate would have ironed out the difficulty spikes it would have been even better.

While the storytelling is sub-par for Layton standards, the puzzle design is what you can expect from the long running franchise.

Despite all the visual enhancements you can still see that the original is five years old. With that in mind, this is still a good and at times positively rough action role-playing game that is worth exploring.

A good soccer experience with loads of spectacular dribblings, speed and a lot of action in the box. But compared to the last years it feels more arcadey.

As a lifelong fan of classic cartoons Cuphead is a dream come true. The artdesign and its execution are out of this world. And while I can appreciate a steep learning curve and a decent challenge, the high concentration levels needed can get tedious at times.

While it is sad that the licenses obviously didn’t include certain speech samples or distinctive music, the quality of the table layout and puzzles is undeniable and reflects the movies they are based on.

Regardless of the new singleplayer or multiplayer options: The amount of fun you’ll have with this is definitely depending if you’re a pinball purist or not. But even if you think that everything on the screen could be build in a real pinball machine, you might get a kick out of the convincing physics, which blend almost perfectly with the unrealistic elements on basically every table.

A captivating sequel to the murderous anime thriller with new elements, more weird situations and an interesting plot.

In terms of variety this is the best Total War yet. But with stagnation on so many other levels Warhammer 2 wasted the opportunity to become a true masterpiece. Nonetheless this is exciting strategy with powerful battles.

Lightfield is the blueprint for an interesting idea not executed properly. The flow you experience in this futuristic racer is very unique. But without a career mode and hampered by technical problem the fun is short-lived.

Visual Concepts has to be very careful not to overdo it. And I am not talking about the almost flawless mechanics that haven’t changed over the last few years or the modes that have been only marginally tweaked. With all its mechanical brilliance it is a pity that this years’ prime basketball game is merely a vehicle for an abundance of microtransactions that are borderline pay-to-win.

The sabbatical that EA gave its basketball franchise was a year well spent. In certain aspects like presentation and fluidity on the court it still is inferior to Visual Concepts’ 2K series, but overall it is a big step forward in almost every area. I found myself spending a lot of time in NBA Live trying to become The One.

Outside its beautiful presentation it doesn’t offer anything new to the brickworlds we got used to over the course of the last twelve years. Having said that, the charme of Lego games in recent years is undeniable and shines through in every of the Lego Dimension inspired areas.

Brilliant driving physics, a steep learning curve, myriads of options and beautiful visuals on PC: Project Cars 2 is one of the best racing games out there - and even better in VR.

The visuals are a little outdated but that can’t take away much from the rest of this gem, that.

Is it better than its Wii U sibling? No doubt. But “better” doesn’t make the DX version automatically “good” - especially since some of the flaws on Wii U like the redundant solo campaign or the still unbalanced fighting squad are not ironed out. At least you get a little more content and improved multiplayer capabilities.

With its weak main characters the class and storytelling depth of Dishonored 2 is out of reach for Death of the Outsider. Having said that, you definitely can look forward to a suspenseful and stealthy return to Karnaca.

While the tag fighting gets an interesting layer by adding the effects of the infinity stones and the rock solid mechanics are spot on, the inconsistent artdesign and especially the surprisingly bad script in the story mode with its cheesy one-liners make you think that Capcom somehow bit off more than they could chew.

As weird as it sounds to mix brawling and bullet hell, Senko no Rondo 2 pulls it off. There are shortcomings but whoever is looking for a different approach to “duel” games, should give this beat-em-shmup a try.

I hope that EA prepares something big for next years’ ice hockey. Because otherwise I cannot really understand why the improvements and charges are just very marginal.

While the visuals of this postapocalyptic action are crisp and immersive, the AI as well as the unimaginative attack patterns make this a rather dull shooting gallery.

This is Nidhogg visually enhanced, more varied arenas and more weapons. The core mechanics remain untouched - in good and in bad.

Charming, but in the end nothing more than a routine run-of-the-mill farming adventure from the makers of Harvest Moon.

In terms of content and mechanics this is better in almost every aspect than Shadow of Mordor, heavily relying on the vastly improved Nemesis system to carry the burden, while the story is decent enough to keep you motivated for most of the time. Unfortunately the fourth act falls short with its omission of story elements and the temptation of micro-transactions lurking - which, by the way, bothers me mostly because of the break in the immersion. Orks from loot chests? Really?

This is FIFA 17 light. With less visual power, reduced modes and less impressive mechanics compared to its name sharing siblings this is a downgrade with a hefty price tag.