A tense and gripping roleplaying adventure in a fascinating otherworld.

Incredibly charming paper adventure with only few rpg elements. Story and scenario are diverse, the dialogue is funny while the battles are thoroughly entertaining.

The slightly raised tactical demands and the improved freedom with the character development make the Switch iteration of this intricate match-3 variation the best version.

This is a deep sci-fi 4X extravaganza. Loads of beautifully and sometimes very subtle connected game systems make this the most atmospheric and most complex 4X in recent years.

What a ride! Even though Team Ninja takes a lot of inspiration from the Souls-Franchise, with their varied fighting mechanics and the game world deeply rooted in far east mythology they create some magic on their own.

The art design is unique, the lighting as well as the haunting soundtrack deliver a dense atmosphere. Together with its philosophical questions the result is a very impressive and challenging platformer.

Diablo 4 sees itself as a medley of final parts: Dark and complex like Diablo 2, comfortable and modern like Diablo 3. Blizzard delivers brutally well.

While EAs next gen basketball is embarrassing, 2K shows them how it’s done. It plays authentic, it looks fantastic, which makes watching the games a lot of fun. If you like Basketball you’ll be entertained for months – even if the online games are a little bumpy and you don’t get all the modes you are used to.

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.

It works surprisingly well on consoles. Technically and in terms of control systems perfectly adapted to PS4 and One, you can dive in head-first into this prime example of old school roleplaying.

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.

Even if the One version didn’t get any enhancements or improvements: This is not only a loving homage to, but still the best direct interpretation of the Souls games as a 2D platformer.

Visually and technically the Umbra witch showcases what Wii U can do. And even though you won’t get wowed as much as in the first bewitched action let me assure you: This is still one hell of a ride and easily one of the best action games of this year.

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.

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.

This is not just better than the predecessor, but it stays mysterious, dangerous and challenges you with puzzles rarely seen in a dungeon crawler.

On the consoles Stoic presents a very good sequel that builds on and improves the mechanics of its predecessor while the narrative and decisions reach new dramatic heights.

Up to now no other games manages to capture the illusion of actually sitting in a speedy spaceship like CCPs space action developed exclusively for VR. It might not be completed yet, but it shows off what VR can do to gaming. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Not a loveless licensing, but a real RoboCop game that doesn’t skimp on bullets or laughs.

The driving experience is awesome and together with the gorgeous drifts Hotshot Racing is one of the best arcade racers of this era.

Finally: A season, where Sports Interactive invested more time in revamping whole systems instead of just finetuning. The result is the best franchise entry in years. If you are a soccer fanatic urging to find out what it is like to coach a team, this is your dream come true.

It is tremendous fun to cruise through a breathtaking virtual Colorado, explore and listen to the fantastic soundtrack. On top of that the brilliant driving physics show that the Forza-DNA is still intact and working. But AI problems, a missing split-screen and the reduction to a maximum of eight players online eventually show that there is still room for improvement.

Like “To the Moon” Rakuen sends you on a bittersweet journey between two worlds, emotionally charged, with clever puzzles and a beautiful soundtrack.

Open, creative, epic... Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a beast of a roleplaying game that shows its strengths in its battle system with its deep tactical implications and chain reactions as well as with its intelligent puzzles, the deep narrative and the beautiful visuals.

This might be the surprise hit of the year. Combining intriguing puzzles and an interesting story you’ll find that your brain will be as challenged as your skills.

This is a beautiful monster of a game. It is as sad as it is remarkable that this PS2-classic might be the best thing happening to Vita users for the whole year.

A superbly executed no-frills-shooter. Almost immaculate in its simplicity.

I've waited a long time for real time strategy that combines the intuitive iPad controls with the complexity you expect in the genre. Now a student project became a great game – congratulations to Touch Dimensions.

Mercury Steam didn’t just take an old GameBoy Metroid and modernize it. They produced one of the best games of its kind.

The real-time battles offer countless variations, you enjoy a lot of freedom. The monumental story about the power of true friendship delivers memorable moments full of humour and drama. One of the best role-playing experiences on the PS3.

A very tasty Persona experience with a hint of Koei’s Warriors for good measure.

If you like well written stories and an atmospheric world, the follow-up to Sunless Seas might just be the game you want.

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.

Rejoice, hobby generals: Battle of the Bulge is the first strategy highlight of the year. Alongside Ravenmark this is the best you can get in turn based strategy for your iPad.

Challenging as well as mesmerizing arcade action merging classic bullet hell with interesting fresh ideas.

A visually beautiful and quite complex city-builder that doesn’t rely on its past alone, but adds quite a few new elements to the experience.

It is mind-blowing how time flies with this game. At first it seems like Eufloria just offers relaxed zengaming, but the more you look the more entertaining strategy for explorers and conquerors you'll discover.

It was and still is a grand, cruel and tormenting adventure that finally runs in a smooth framerate without tearing. But nonetheless technically you can see the age of the source material if you compare it to Bloodborne.

Charming, bubbly and intelligent adventure with creative puzzles for one or two players.

A simple but tough through concept makes this exhilarating cocktail of dungeon crawler, dual-stick action and bullet hell a blast.

This is the high quality we’ve got used to from Alpha Dream. And even though some of the well known elements are getting slightly stale, Paper Jam mixes it up with some fresh parts and adds a quirky humor you wouldn’t come to expect.

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.

More of the same, only better: Ghostrunner 2 is even more polished than its predecessor, even faster, even cooler and above all: even more fun.

This is a worthy end to the StarCraft 2 trilogy and a prime example how to direct a captivating singleplayer campaign – an artform almost forgotten.

It has its share of problems, but nonetheless this is a very good adaptation of Monte Cook’s bizarre sci-fi world - decisions, conflict and fascinating characters included.

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.

Atlus could have taken the easy way out and simply release the old game with improved visuals - and that would have been a hit. But add to that new story elements, freshly produced cutscenes, revamped puzzles and a third women inserted into this beautifully weird love story, you’ll get an instant classic.

The stylish diving through the enemies bullets is a perfect fit for roomscale VR. It is quite short, yes. But nonetheless this is an exceptional game and a great addition for any action archive.

This is a disturbing trip into the inside of a videogame, a new interpretation of the era of arcade gaming machine. The last time a game played with the player that much and tried to confuse him, was Eternal Darkness. You gotta love this.

You’ll get higher resolutions and better framerates than on consoles. But with a game design of this quality, it doesn’t really matter. Right now there is nothing better for fans of action roleplaying games.

A year ago on PlayStation 4 this was a surprise hit. The simple but thought-through concept still works, though and makes this exhilarating cocktail of dungeon crawler, dualstick-action and bullet hell blast.

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.

Great atmosphere, beautiful animations, skillful goals – this is top notch soccer.

It looks great and it plays great. This is simply the best jump & run you can get on iPad.

At one point I seriously asked myself if Sports Interactive pushed too hard when it came to depth as well as attention to detail. But then my team scored, I saw my tactics work out and I just wanted more. This game will keep you hooked for weeks and months.

Dust is not only an excellent 2D-adventure for Fans of classic action-adventures like Metroid or Castlevania, but also an incredibly charming declaration of love to the whole genre. It plays great, looks damn fine and motivates you from start to finish.

A gripping mystery visual novel that enriches the exciting story with a few clever puzzles, the latter of which unfortunately falls short over the entire duration of the game.

Still a smart, uplifting action-adventure hit, Samus' remastered 3D premiere has held up with great gameplay.

Quotation forthcoming.

The charming art-design has been refined, surroundings appear more lively, the battles are more diverse, the difficulty level is more challenging, while new towers, units, rewards and unlockables offer increased tactical depth – an installment which clearly surpasses its predecessor.

On console The Swapper is as impressive as always. An impressive puzzle platforming experience.

There are many rogue-likes out there. Returnal is one of the best - and the first on a AAA-level. Have fun and don’t quit – it is worth it!

Compared to the complete content package that is Geometry Wars 3 the meager five levels of Zenizenzic doesn’t seem like much. But those five levels challenge you beyond belief.

This space adventure with a surprising amount of fresh ideas puts a fresh twist on arcade action.

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.

It gives me loads of things I wish for in racing sims. But the plentiful options aside Project Cars offers a mighty engine and authentic physics resulting in a convincing driving experience.

Some stages will test your stomach, but in terms of intensity and immersion Dirt Rally shifts into the next gear with PlayStation VR. Like with Drive Club the VR experience is a clear enrichment of driving games.

A delightful anime RPG somewhere between Persona and DanganRonpa, that noticeably relies a little too much on the excellent predecessor.

Autumn Dynasty Warlords is yet another proof that you can experience challenge and innovative strategy on tablet devices.

It is challenging, motivating, and feels strangely familiar while full of fresh ideas. This is indie gaming at its best.

Cycling, photographing, enjoying: something short but wonderful narrative adventure with many exciting stories.

Charming, diversified and incredibly versatile. Sackboy's Vita adventure adds small, but well working touchscreen improvements to the powerful editor/game.

With what could you call Donkey Souls one of the best and hardest Jump’n’runs in recent years has finally come to 3DS. It it not pitch perfect though. But who cares about occasional framerate issues against the pure joy you can experience with this gem.

You will remember the breathtaking speed, the spectacular stunts, the great combination of music and on-screen action and, above all, the untamed fun.

Visually mostly breathtaking, the journey of Sora and his fight against the heartless ends after almost 20 years in a thoroughly entertaining way. Kudos to Nomura-San for actually finishing up all loose ends collected through the franchise history.

An impressive modern interpretation of the survival horror classic, showing that after Resident Evil 7, this is the horror franchise to beat. This is the new gold standard for remakes.

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.

Poignant, mysterious and deadly: This is an impressive odyssey in to space.

Challenging twin-stick action with charming characters and clever enhancements of the well known mechanics.

It is not as fascinating as its predecessor. But nonetheless the mechanics of permanent failure are as captivating as always. This is a mysterious, gripping and unforgiving adventure.

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.

Kat's adventure has a lot in common with Mirror's Edge: Both games fascinate with their very unique way of movement. Gravity Rush almost breaks through all limitations into a nearly endless freedom. Also like Mirror's Edge it misses some attention to detail: A lot of fights play out too similar und besides the crystals there is not much to discover.

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.

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.

This is easily one of the best beat' em ups out there and I am happy that on the PC SFxT didn't lose a thing.

The most extensive and by far the best game in the series: Pikmin 4 offers franchise fans and anyone who wants to become one an all-round successful real-time strategy, where only the challenge and the lack of a real co-op mode stand out as major flaws.

Fighting and exploration in a visually stunning pixel-art world that manages to captivate you without a single spoken word.

Finally the wait for this masterpiece on Xbox One is over. If you are tired of run-of-the-mill action-adventures, this is the game you need.

Quotation forthcoming.

Physics based experiments and a charming steampunk atmosphere: Vessel transports you into a fascinating puzzle world.

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.

A gorgeous presentation, motivating gameplay and amazing depth – the gathering of these beat-em-up-heavyweights is a sure hit regardless of your experience.

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

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.

Capcom finally realized that the return to the roots must not only be promised, but implemented. This is the return to classical survival horror everybody was waiting for with the added ego perspective for heightened tension and convincing VR inclusion.

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

Pretty, filled with content and simply ideal for gaming parties. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still lacks some serious solo motivation but packs a powerful multiplayer punch.

Even with slight deficits in terms of presentation and online connectivity this is a great franchise entry with added brute riding and tactical village defense as interesting new elements.