Hollow Knight is a little gem. Although not quite in the same league as Outland, you jump, fight and puzzle through a doomed bug world filled with poignant, sometimes cute or bizarre moments.

Stealth Inc. requires skilful hands as much as it puts your brain to work. Complex puzzles combine cleverly conceived set pieces into challenging levels.

Even if there are problems with the story and its presentation, Last Epoch inspires in most other aspects and does not have to hide from the genre competition.

Quotation forthcoming.

As brilliant as ever. A great anime RPG that age extremely well, while being enhanced with more facets.

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.

Chaotic, frenzied platform action with loads of entertaining online modes: This is a dream come true for sociable jump&run fans.

Thanks to the timeless art design it is hard to guess the age of the original. But what’s even better: Odin Sphere Lefthrasir also plays like a modern masterpiece. Of course some of the flaws of the eight year old action-RPG are still evident – but all in all it was and still is a hell of a ride.

On consoles Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 was the best appearance of the beloved ninja so far. And on the PC nothing has changed.

This is a beautifully crafted timetravel adventure that is content rich every which way you turn and tactical battle with tremendous depth.

Arkham City is one of the strongest games in the Wii U launch lineup, mainly thanks to the original content that's as fascinating as it was about a year ago. But this port also benefits from good implementation of the touch pad controls that seem tailor-made.

The technical flaws definitely impact the flow. But even with this in mind XCOM on Vita still is a gripping strategy experience.

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.

It's not just the clever idea or the funky artdesign – it is the combination of everything, infused with a helping of Elite Beat Agents, a pinch of Rhythm Paradise and a teaspoon of Ghost Trick. Beat Sneak Bandit is as creative as intelligent.



The battlefields in this turn-based tactics gem are as numerous as they are varied. This is tactical entertainment at its best.

Antichamber reminds me, why I love games: Because they can still surprise me. This surreal labyrinth doesn’t bend to convention, it questions it with every move. The puzzles ooze creativity and variety.

Juan's first adventure was a vital part of the Metroidvania revival. And Guacamelee 2 is an almost pitch perfect continuation. A great action platformer with high difficulty, a brilliant art design and co-op play for up to four Luchadors.

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

Fighting and exploration in a visually stunning pixelart world.

Flight Simulator is a true highlight on Xbox consoles and for the first time show real next-gen qualities with impressive visuals, the whole world as a gaming environment as well as complex physics.

Extra content, visual improvements or bonuses are scarce, but nonetheless these are some of the most important and influential classics of 3D platforming history.

With all its humour, imagination and raw emotion it is really difficult not to fall in love with Undertale.

Challenging and captivating turn based match-3-variation somewhere between PuzzleQuest and FTL: Faster Than Light.

Even though I was hoping for a little more creativity on Wii U when it comes to the touchscreen controls, this still is a magical and extensive adventure.

The foundation with its accurate statistics and believable correlations is as rock solid and convincing as always and on top of that you’ll get the best match presentation in the series’ history – which doesn’t mean that much if you consider that only a few years ago they still used oversized dots. Nonetheless this is the stuff that soccer fans’ dreams are made of. Who would have thought that animated spreadsheets could invoke more emotion than the latest FIFA or PES iterations?

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.

For years, offroad fans are screaming for a return from Codemasters to classic rally – as well as for a modern successor to Richard Burns Rally. And this delivers on both ends. The career could be more polished and less grind, though.

One of the most innovative building strategy games in recent years plays very well on consoles. And you have the added bonus of having all add-ons at your disposal, while most of the minor problems that plagued the PC version in the beginning were addressed.

A few aspects are a tad rigid, but the possibilities and options, especially in building and enhancing your unique character are something very special.

This is a beautiful example that “experiencing” a game is more important than the sum of its mechanical parts. While challenge and basic mechanics are merely average, the exquisite animations and the stylish backdrops turn this interactive ballet into an effective projection screen for your own emotions.

JRPG veterans will enjoy the updated and enhanced, yet still deeply in old-school-virtues rooted presentation and mechanics. This is a labor of love - and it shows.

Xbox luchadores might have had to wait a little longer, but it was worth it. This was and is one of the prime action platformers in recent years.

Colorful, charming, challenging and full of humor: Guacamelee celebrates classic exploration, fighting and jump&run on the highest level.

Beautiful, content-rich and extremely elegant: This action adventure not only feels feels like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but can almost equal its tremendous quality.

So this is what happens when you mix pinball mechanics with an open 2D-platformer... This is my personal arcade highlight so far this year.

This is like your first love rekindled – if you are fan of classic adventures. Filled to the rim with references to old masterpieces from LucasArts while sporting old-school qualities like beautifully written dialogue, quirky characters and bucket-loads of humour this is on par with the likes of Maniac Mansion, Zak McCracken etc.

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

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.

Deponia is an incredibly funny, affectionately designed adventure. The tale of the underdog who simply refuses to give up makes you smile again and again. The tasks need brains as well as patience, but stay logical most of the time. An entertaining addition to the adventure genre.

This modern reconstruction of the “Descent” formula is a no-frills shooter that is almost perfect in its simplicity.

The biggest star is the physics system. And on the PS3 neither the physic based experiments nor the steampunk machinery has lost its magic.

This is a stunner. The merger of Crypt of the NecroDancer and Legend of Zelda is a blast to play (as was to be expected) and looks like it jumped straight from the SNES into this era.

This is a remarkable premier for the Canadian team IronOak Games. This varied adventure constantly feels like you’re playing a board game with enhanced roleplaying, not only because of the wood carved design of the characters.

Wowie Zowie! 2D Mario is back and is finally running at full speed again in his new adventure thanks to fresh ideas and the creative miracle flower.

Top optics, the cutest animations that exist and largely well thought-out gameplay make the turn-based strategy game a treat - for young and old players alike.

You will need training. You need skills and lightning fast reactions. But in return you'll get magical moments that only Pro Evolution Soccer can deliver – even though the engine and overall presentation need an overhaul.

Bizarre postapocalyptic fight for survival.

I hate you. More than anything else. I don't want to play anymore. Okay. One more time. Really. I promise. Okay, now only one more time. Damned, I can do better than that. This is really the last time. Oh man, that was close. Just one more time, I can do it. I hate you. I love you. One more time. Damn, you look good.

You can leave this high school either as a murderer or as a corpse. The line between friendship and rivalry is blurred. You look into the soul of the characters where hope gets replaced by despair in an instant. This is an excellent morbid surreal whodunit.

Zelda meets Robotron: Isaac celebrates old school topdown action in randomly generated dungeons.

For its 25th anniversary of the franchise, Tales of Arise doesn't only get a new exciting look, but the action RPG also delights with a dark, mature setting and presentation.

This is a fountain of youth for shoot-em-ups: It is idiosyncratic and boisterous, but creative at the same time, resulting in a thoroughly motivation gem.

It took almost two years, but finally with its Arcade Edition Street Fighter 5 is the beat-em-up you always wanted.

Astro’s Playroom is a creative surprise. For the PS5 launch Asobi Team serves up a jump-and-run highlight – preinstalled!

It starts slow, but no matter where you look, Xillia gets more interesting the longer you play until it hits you with its full force of different viewpoints, gripping realtime battles and customization options.

Due to missing feedback in certain situations Rocksmith is still not able to replace the teacher, but if you have basic knowledge of using a six-string you will get a lot out of this. And it is darn fun, too!

Quotation forthcoming.

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.

There is no doubt: On Wii U 2K13 celebrates the same magnificent basketball as on 360 or PlayStation 3. But be aware that the engine is not as fluent as on other systems and that the new features for the Wii U GamePad are either unnecessary or well conceived but implemented halfheartedly.

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.

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.

You’ll need patience until you realize all the new well designed options at your disposal, but they result in more complexity for non-military strategists. But when archaeologists hunt for lost treasures or when museums are graced by works of art while my resolution passes the world congress, this is strategy at its best.

Quotation forthcoming.

The mixture of dialogue adventure, mystery thriller and challenging puzzler didn’t lose a beat. Seven years after its console premiere this still is a captivating experience.

Hats off to Supergiant Games. With their third game they push the boundaries again and deliver an exciting and emotional journey with mechanics somewhere between fantasy rugby and a visual novel. Art design and the beautiful soundtrack draw you into this world even more.

I didn’t expect Codemasters to surpass last year’s iteration. But with the massive expansion of the career mode, the great implementation of historic race cars as well as download events and improved driving physics they delivered their best entry into Formula 1 yet.

Inspired by the top class and enriched with its own, albeit too few, ideas: If you leave the From Software portfolio aside, Lies of P is one of the best things to come in the soulslike genre.

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.

Demeo brings the coziness of the RPG basement to VR in a brilliant way, even if some extras are missing on PSVR2.

This creative puzzlegame is a brilliant example for great retro-feeling with simple means. As soon as you start the adventure the curtain rises and gives way to the world of retro computing including corrupt files and beeping soundfiles.

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.

Full of surprises and tactically challenging to the very last map. Unfortunately the focus on in-app-purchases takes away from an otherwise great strategy game.

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.

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.

The driving physics are unique, the track layout is mostly spectacular and together with the clever battle system this is one of the best arcade racers in recent years - despite some minor technical flaws.

This is the most creative match-3 game since the good old PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the Warlords. As usual you are depending on luck a little too much, but nonetheless the tactical possibilities when it comes to matching your orbs are huge. Plus: Gong Ho managed to replace the micro transactions from the phone version with well suited mechanics.

This is old-school action roleplaying at its finest. Beautifully designed and with the added bonus of a touching story, a clever level design and more than enough loot, this is something very special.

It still looks great, it still feels great and it still is the best basketball game out there.

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.

GalCiv 3 gives you everything a galactic conquest has to offer: Plenty of victory conditions, scalable enemies and fleet battles. Unfortunately with the exception of tech trees the races play too similarly while the diplomacy can be broken down to math. So while there is lots to improve in small details, in the big picture Galactic Civilizations is one of the best of its kind.

Thanks to the technical power of PC VR this version is even better than on PlayStation VR. With a great amount of options catering to all hardware specs and VR needs get ready top be drawn into the most immersive version of Skyrim.

Simogo takes you on a special, sometimes scary melancholic journey that looks like a Swedish winter wonderland at first, but leading you step by step in a dark world hiding behind its pretty façade.

Platinum Games did a solid job with the conversion of the sequel to one of the best action games ever. I would have wished for a higher resolution (at least docked) and more visual finetuning, though. And I could do without the “pay-to-shortcut” Amiibo implementation. Having said that, this still is an instant classic.

This is a big step for Codemasters – well maybe not that big after last years’ weird “in-between” racing experience. But that aside the strong comeback of the career, the presentation and the good driving physics make this the best Formula 1 game in quite some time.

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

How does it feel to lead a nation over a couple of centuries? As fascinating as it is frustrating. The handling is overly complicated, you can get overwhelmed by the most simple matters. But if you’re willing to invest time, you might just etch your name in history.

A gripping thriller centered on digital surveillance!

Mechanically as well as narratively gripping adventure, that was ported to console with only a few weaknesses.

The presentation doesn’t feel as stylish on PC as on tablets but historical turn based tactics work as well as they did two year ago when they premiered. If you like your strategy more like a board game and less like a collection of explosions, this is for you.

This turn based strategy is not for casual Caesars but a very ambitious project for sophisticated generals. The creative formation system and the challeging campaign will keep you busy for weeks – one turn at a time.

With its gorgeous track design, the fantastic driving mechanics and the uncompromising gameplay this is the place to go for all rally enthusiasts.

How nice that this game is now available on more systems. The Touryst might be only a “small” adventure, but it is imaginative and thoroughly adorable.

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.

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

The world of this game is full of story, art and drama, but waives hurry, judgment or putting the player under the pressure of an ideal decision. Instead you get a beautifully crafted world that gives you the feeling of a virtual existence.

Short, but fascinating and surprisingly relaxed puzzle trip into a world full of bizarre creatures and mechanisms.

With two heroines following in the footsteps of the Drake brothers I was hoping for a few more gameplay variations catered to the characteristics of Chloe and Nadine. Having said that, with all the elements and mechanics present that made Uncharted 4 such an exceptional game, this again is an extraordinary action adventure with beautiful visuals.

Sure: It isn’t as fascinating as it was five years ago. But still the fighting mechanics and even more so the visuals stand the test of time. This is one of the best beat-em-ups of its generation.