Yes, it is short. And it takes the by now well-known Telltale stencil and imposes it on our most favorite building block game. But the result is what the once announced “Adventure mode” in Minecraft promised: a big fantasy adventure with humor, suspense and real heroes.

With its impressive ballistic action (albeit on a 2D plane) and the constant search for better equipment this mixture of games like Drox Operative, VoidExpanse, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and of course Elite: Dangerous is a pleasant surprise in the overgrowing indie market.

Rise of the Tomb Raider still clings a little too tightly to certain elements of its predecessor and has problems with enemy AI. Nonetheless with the renewed focus on actual tomb raiding and exploration Lara slowly returns to her older grand self.

Wow. This can't be happening - Yuji Naka at his worst. Even the weaker Sonic games feel solid compared to this. Visually not appealing - no, let me rephrase that: plain ugly and "blessed" with fidgety controls, I see no reason why anybody would spend time with this.

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.

The art design is okay, but mechanics and level-design are as generic as can be, while the difficulty level challenges no one but absolute video game beginners.

Ambitious and in coop quite tense thriller with technical faults as well as AI problems.

Pulse takes a distinctively different approach to blindness than Beyond Eyes. And while I welcome the gaming aspects that give you a sense of danger the audiovisual concept is hardly more than a tech-demo – a very arduous one, which makes the short playtime even sweeter.

While Overlocked was bug-ridden, this is a convincing port of Devil Survivor 2 with added bonus content. Fans of tactical role-playing games can look forward to a challenging addition to their library.

While the story marks an interesting step in a new direction for the shooter series, the mechanics stay very conservative. With the added gadgets you get more variety, but the level design doesn’t demand these mechanics too often. And while the multiplayer is as solid as always and content-rich I miss fresh and creative modes.

Fallout 4 has its flaws, such as weak AI, a few annoying bugs, stiff facial animations and the occasional control problem. But it more than makes up for them with a beautiful post-apocalyptic world filled with well-constructed quests, interesting characters and mesmerizing locations. Fallout 4 tells loads of big and small bizarre, tragic and touching stories that stay in your memory and create a maelstrom dragging you in deeper and deeper.

This reboot feels like a slick sports car with loads of custom tuning, but with a big engine failure and a story that is nothing but embarrassing. The driving feels okay most of the time but overall the fascination fades faster than a nitro boost.

If you stumbled over Dancing all Night because you like rhythm games, you might be in shock since it is very much story-driven. While the mechanics are solid you will be probably better off with Hatsune Miku’s last outing.

While the sea battles are intense and tactically challenging as well as easy on the eyes the maritime warfare lacks clan support and big teams.

While the port is not the best, the balancing act on eight legs is as much of a fun romp as it was in its premiere.

While the series’ photo shooting mechanics work well with the gamepad and the story is interesting enough to keep you hooked, the clumsy fights as well as the slightly boring characters try to drive you away from the ghost hunt.

An interesting trip into a world of psychological horror. But it definitely lacks uniqueness as it starts to follow the path of Dear Esther and eventually tries to emulate Silent Hills.

Tales of Zestiria starts slow, but once it shifts into high gear it delivers. A monumental anime rpg.

Yukes listened to last years’ complaints and offers some interesting solutions. Starting with a huge roster and significant improvement of fight pacing with the new counter restrictions they are on a good way.

More than just a definitive edition, this revamped vision of an undervalued hack&slay series mixes everything together that you loved about Van Helsing and Katarina and puts a fresh spin on it. Nice!

Anno 2205 is a needed step forward for the series. Even though it can’t match up to the classic Anno 1404 the courage to implement some significant changes to a proven formula is noteworthy.

So this is what Left 4 Dead feels like in the Warhammer universe...Surprisingly good.

While superficially Syndicate is not worse than older Assassin’s Creeds and gives you interesting new features, the magic is gone. Visually a step back, incoherent and bug ridden it might be the first sign that Ubisoft has to give the series a break in order to catch the creative spark again.

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.

While the campaign is rather bland in comparison to older Halos, the multiplayer shines brighter than ever and promises more fun than ever before – if you can live with the microtransactions.

Darksiders 2 was one of the best action-adventures in the late cycle of last generation’s consoles – and the magic still is there. Driven by the timeless comic design and the tight mechanics, Death’s adventure is still worth the entrance fee.

Once there was a time when the sword coast was an El Dorado for roleplayers: Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale. As Sword Coast Legends sadly proves, these times are gone.

The puzzles are well implemented, but nonetheless it would have worked wonders if Nintendo had given more time to TriForce Heroes in order to polish the gem that’s hiding under the surface.

I am still missing the return of the battle mode, but with new additions like Showtime or World Video Challenge as well as the well-known colorful and beautifully weird art-design you can’t go wrong with Just Dance 2016 if you’re looking for good clean party fun.

This is a very special roleplaying experience. Technical shortcomings are more than ironed out by well written dialogue, consequences a believable world.

Kingdom is a small, charming and surprisingly difficult base builder with beautiful pixelart.

The live concept is fresh and surprisingly well implemented, the new controller brings a new spin to rhythm games and with GHTV you have two channels of 24/7-songchoice. But the attached microtransactions are too omnipresent.

More interactive movie than classic adventure this is one of Telltale’s best stories that seamlessly fits into the universe created by Gearbox.

Even though Life is Strange doesn’t utilize all its potential on the final stretch this is a strong emotional finish to a cracking mystery thriller.

Explosive, difficult and gloriously daft: Broforce brings you pure testosterone in gaming form.

This is a very good port of a game that captures the fascination “space” like no other adventure out there – with all the strengths and weaknesses that you could witness with its PC brother.

The narrative is interesting and as much as I like “experimental” games, this remains a little too shallow in almost every aspect.

After the slow descent of indie horror games Stairs is a ray of hope. The atmosphere is tense. Exploration, puzzles, suspense and dramatic getaways are well balanced. But the story lacks depth and I actually could do without the bugs.

The art direction is simply beautiful. But unfortunately the devs didn’t have the same attention to detail when it came to bug fixing and level- or puzzle design.

Mechanically Harmonix has outdone themselves. The freestyling for guitarists and vocalists works well and adds to an already motivating partygame. But the omissions of quickplay setlists, treaining or asynchronous competition as well as the unoptimized import of legacy content rather makes me go back to the old gen versions, which, at this point in time, deliver a more complete experience.

With its dice rolling it lacks the dynamics of modern videogames and the lowgrade AI might kill all the fun in offline play. But if you compete online this is a faithful recreation of the tabletop game.

Who would have though that Optimus Prime one day would be the protégé of the umbra witch Bayonetta. The fight system is tight, but not complex at all. And visuals with the distinctive 80s cartoon look are spot on. Platinum delivers the best Transformers game in a while.

From time to time the glory of old times shines through and you start having fun. That is, before you are brought down again by the uninspired level design, the outdated visuals and the redundant missions.

The surreal world shows a lot of potential but fights as well as puzzles are too simple and too monotonous too often.

There is so much humour, love and imagination to be found in Undertale that one can hardly resist. The 8-bit visuals aside there is so much to find in here that I can recommend it to any fan of old school JRPGs – and all without fighting. Awesome.

The omnipresent paywalls are a constant thorn in my side. But still this is the best Lego game Traveller’s Tales has produced since the original Lego Star Wars. The idea to incorporate the Toypad into the puzzles is genius, where virtual and real Lego worlds merge.

This year's iteration still has its flaws like the inconsistent career and the coin system. But nonetheless right now this is still the best sports game out there.

Even after the second finale questions are left open – questions that might not be answered after Hideo Kojima had to leave the franchise behind. But he also leaves an impressive piece of work as his legacy. It is not without flaws and the mission design relies a little too much on recycling. But the freedom you enjoy while on your missions is exemplary.

With high octane vehicles being the new star I was shocked how slow and old-fashioned SuperChargers gets out of the blocks. But once they reach second gear the mixture of old-fashioned jump&run and vehicular exploration/racing/combat becomes one of the best toys-to-life games out there.

Soma is a prime example for Frictional Games strengths’ in terms of world conception, direction and storytelling. Get ready to be drawn in a disturbing world of machine beings.

If you have the originals on PS3, you might not need this. But if you are new to the series, this collection gives you some of the best games for Sony systems.

Classic old-school turn-based tactics with modern visuals. It doesn’t set new standards, but keeps you entertained for hours with its attention to detail and proven formula.

Like on PC the star is undoubtedly the cartoony art design with its hand drawn backgrounds and animations that make you feel like watching a mafia show on Adult Swim. The mechanics are as conservative as can be, though.

The presentation leaves something to be desired here and there but in terms of content you’ll get a decent mixture of diplomacy and warfare in a 16th century setting.

FIFA offers some fresh impulses that could prove fruitful in the years to come. But while presentation is as good as it gets the flow on the pitch suffers.

This is a grand simulation of ice hockey. But it while it shows off a few improvements the big significant changes are still missing.

Hatsune Miku’s 3DS gig delivers. Personally I don’t like the chosen style, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot appreciate the rhythm game hiding under there. If it only would be more accurate when it comes to swipe movements of the stylus.

It is good to see that it is not only Harmonix trying to push boundaries with rhythm games. The concept is simple yet genius. The execution takes a little time to get used to and then it is over all too soon. But it is great fun while it lasts.

The point & click adventure stages the story of an extruded clown in a very unconventional way.

PES 2016 celebrates entertaining soccer. But career is stagnant.

For its anniversary Forza Motorsport delivers in bulk. It might have little flaws in certain elements. But this is the most complete virtual motorsport package you can get your hands on. And visually certainly right now the most beautiful.

Charming and beautifully absurd adventure that delivers as much enjoyment as its PC brother. It suffers from some technical shortcomings though.

The PS4-premiere of the anime pirates plays like classic Tecmo Koei warriors – with all its glory and all the hate you might associate with it.

The serious theme is very well connected with the puzzle elements, but it definitely lacks lots of fine tuning.

The connection between game and player is not as deep as on Vita. But the “big” Tearaway is a beautiful detour into a paper world full of creative design ideas.

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

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

It may look like a casual game but the mechanics including tactical party management as well as unlockable and combinable abilities keep you motivated. At least until routine sets in. Solid entertainment for aficionados of turn-based board games.

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.

While campaign and interface are not on par with genre standards, the skirmishes against AI controlled opponents and human generals surprise with explosive battles and unit variety.

The idea is good – the game unfortunately isn’t.

Initially the heist planning sparks your interest. But eventually this is more of a real-time puzzle game than a strategic or a tactical challenge. The quest for a spiritual successor to They Stole a Million continues.

This powerhouse didn’t lose much over the years and looks better than ever. Mechanically you can feel the age, but it plays as it should: The action comes hard and fast.

My arcade heart beats faster. Galak-Z manages to combine furturistic arcade flair with 80s cartoon style and lots of action.

I was skeptical at first, but I have to admit that DanganRonpa managed to traverse into shooter surprisingly well while keeping all the bizarre.

If you focus on the main and the wasteland missions you’ll discover a tight and gripping story with characters that George Miller will certainly approve of – as well as the intense and explosive action. But if you stray from the path you’ll only find generic collecting in an open world that doesn’t offer too much variety.

Some problems with AI, story direction and character development still exist. But nonetheless this is beautifully crafted stealth-action that delivers – also thanks to the included DLC.

This is a gripping tactical thriller. Some AI behavior destroys the illusion occasionally, while the mission design is not varied enough. But nonetheless I enjoyed the challenges presented by the unofficial sequel to Syndicate top to bottom.

If you like slasher movies from Halloween to Scream and back, you’ll get your kicks out of Until Dawn. The often mentioned butterfly effect is underutilized and merely an illusion, but the script with its twists and turns will give you chills and the occasional scare. Nice.

The art design and atmosphere of this puzzle adventure remind me Monument Valley. There is no story though, no alternative paths and too many collectibles.

The biggest problem of the Infinity franchise is the terribly low difficulty level, but thanks to the tremendous atmosphere the Star Wars playsets deliver solid entertainment for kids and adults alike. The big star (as usual) is the Toybox anyway.

If you don’t bring a certain amount of serenity to the table, stay away from RymdResa. It will take you on a trip where the journey is the reward and patience is the key. Unfortunately story and gameplay mechanics stay superficial.

At first glance the changes are as little and subtle as in the previous years. But they have big impact delivering the most dynamic Madden on current systems yet. And Draft Champions alone is almost worth the admission.

I was really looking forward to this. But here Itagaki-San is a mere shadow of his creative former self. Devil’s Third wants a lot: It wants to be a shooter like Call of Duty while maintaining the brute force of Ninja Gaiden’s close combat and presenting a deep story. But in the end it is nothing but generic and unfortunately it fails on most levels.

This side-scrolling action adventure shows a lot of promise. But numerous bugs and lack of variety kill the fun.

It is fun but it is not always easy on the eyes and in terms of gameplay as thin as the next supermodel.

Even though the director’s cut is better than the original, mainly thanks to the interesting story there is no denying that the ego puzzler is still in GlaDOS’ merciless hands.

After the last episode I was worried that Telltale would take the script in the wrong direction. Well, not anymore. Humor, absurd situations, great directing – it all is back. Now the only thing Telltale needs to do, is bring a little more game back into the cinematic experience.

An interesting take on stealth action with a flawed checkpoint system and a serious lack of challenge.

The concept of “music platforming” works, but lacks depth, structure and consequence. The star undoubtedly is the excellent hand drawn art design.

The initial grind can be annoying, but once you get past that phase and start carrying out the big money loads, the fun to be had with this platforming crime caper is surprising.

Hacknet lacks the depth and freedom of the close relative TIS-100. But it gives you a sense of what goes on in the real hacking world – an interesting experience.

If you own the PS2 original, you don’t need this. But if you are new to this kung fu cat you’ll get a fair amount of classic action adventure for a decent price.

This wasn’t love at first sight. But once you look behind the gritty retro visuals of this twinstick variation you might just find something that will keep you coming back.

It is not the prettiest undead game out there. And with the omission of the second screen (even though it would have been possible on Vita or SmartGlass devices) the great atmosphere and immersion suffer, which characterized the WiiU version. But at its core it still is a tense and hard fought fight for survival.

The mix of tower defense and action still works as it did a few years back. But since the premiere of Toy Soldiers a lot of games mixed those elements. And in the end the war chest contains nothing to beat the competition once more. But then again: What you get is quite entertaining.

Of course it doesn’t change the fundamentals of the reboot that was established last year. But with additional modes and gameplay tweaks fighting with (or against) your friends for fame and gold it reaches a new level of fun.

This is as dry as it gets. It makes a game out of some peoples’ jobs. And in all its minimalistic glory it is a lot of fun. But conceptually it is not as far as it may seem in the beginning from the author’s earlier works like SpecChem or Infinifactory.