You’ll see that at WayForward there are some Duck Tales fans at work. From animations to remixes of the original soundtrack this jump&run delivers retro feeling. More puzzles, abilities or contemporary ideas would work wonders though.

In its best moments, Blacklist is a welcome return to the roots of the series. On top it gives you more options on how to solve the missions, from Rambo to lightning fast killer to ghost. Unfortunately Sam is too powerful – at the expense of atmosphere and suspense.

The unusual scenario with its tongue-in-cheek humor manages to camouflage some of the strategic shortcomings in the realtime battles. And so does the clever combination of the political, strategic and tactical elements in Rivellon.

While the emotional storytelling, the control concept and the on-the-spot soundtrack shine, the gameplay itself is rather bland. The puzzles are not worth mentioning and even the boss fights are rather dull and predictable.

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.

Fans will notice the mostly subtle changes that make this one of the best games in the series. But if you never were into Koei's “Warriors”, this iteration will not make you change your mind.

Steam World Dig reminds me of good old Amiga days: It is a simple, but entertaining, platformer.

Like its PC brother War Logs starts as an ambitious roleplaying game drawing me in with its opening sequence and fresh scenario. The battle system works well, so does the crafting. But too soon the plot loses its grip, the characters get stale and overall the visuals seem as outdated as ever.

Beatbuddy shows off an ambitious concept and captures your heart with its visuals. The level and puzzle design on the other hand, seems too generic and uninspired.

I like old school action. But this shooting gallery doesn’t deliver.

Some classics are better left untouched. Although it is nice to be reminded of the Amiga era, the audiovisual translation into the present is rather disappointing and stays miles behind games like Rayman Origins.

It's got smurfs, all right, and they do jump and run. What it lacks is cleverly designed levels – anything from unsightly graphics to mindlessly placed platforms carries the mark of the uninspired.

Thanks to some well-written dialogue, directing your party of four can be entertaining. However, turn-based battles sacrifice tactical depth for gadgets and gimmickry, while collision detection as well as AI behavior leave room for improvement.

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

Not only is Citadels an incredibly awful mixture of Stronghold and Age of Empires with outdated graphics, it also features an abundance of bugs: Persistent crashes, physics errors, AI mishaps and non-existent path-finding are but the tip of the iceberg.

There are a few puzzles worth cracking, but as the scheme behind most challenges can hardly be made out at the get-go, most solutions are revealed by annoying trial&error. Serious technical issues are the cherry on top of a badly executed game.

Lifeless backdrops, a clumsy production, dry dialogue, annoying puzzles: In the age of The Walking Dead all aspects of the game lack heart as well as a modern approach to game design.

Puzzles might not be as engaging as they should be, yet the game does justice to the witty spirit of an Agatha Christie Whodunit.

Driving physics are as intuitive as they are challenging. Opponents do a good job of advancing through thick traffic, although they do tend to cause unfortunate accidents.

Driving physics are as intuitive as they are challenging. Opponents do a good job of advancing through thick traffic, although they do tend to cause unfortunate accidents.

Team players may dive deeply into the tactical and co-operative components of a game that awards planning and effective communication.

Most of the puzzles are well balanced and cleverly connected – a bit of experimenting quickly leads to the correct solution. Although finding alternative paths can be frustrating.

It's an adventure to whet your appetite: Its enchanting microcosm doubles as a vitamin shot into a genre which usually boasts soldiers and tanks.

XCOM is an enthralling experience – and a few minor omissions aside you’ll get the same gripping atmosphere and tactical battles on your iPad as on stationary systems.

It could have been an interesting combination of old school mechanics and modern hack&slay action. But starting with the substandard engine up to dubious design decisions you have to dig through a lot of coal to get a glimpse of the diamond that this could have been – or might become, if the team keeps patching for a while.

While the concept with its modern twist on the classic shmup works on the iPad as well as on any other system, technically the conversion is not as convincing.

Good clean turn based RPG fun with a celebrity cast that transcends franchises and genres.

It could have been a modern Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee. But in this form Pacific Rim is just a conceptually interesting but boring fighting game with big robots and gutsy in-app-purchases.

This is a good looking but foul compromise. It replicates the atmosphere of Human Revolution but in terms of gameplay this is just second class.

While the concept shines, the execution sometimes is not as elaborated. Nonetheless I left this grey and pixelated world in good spirit.

A solid Trials Evolution clone with challenging level design and an underutilized editor.

The story is boring, the action not fast-paced enough. And in the end even the good ideas like the boss fights, the upgrades and the nonlinear dimension structure are all in vain.

Dark, creative and full of tense atmosphere: Limbo on iOS is as captivating as it always was.

Presentation and humour are as charming as ever, level and mission design are incredibly varied, the challenges are a league of their own. Don’t let this gem pass you by.

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.

This is refreshingly different from run of the mill action like Call of Duty. Even after the engine update it isn’t pretty, but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for with striking realism and a tense atmosphere.

Dare to fly? No! I won’t! You can’t force me!

When you look at the core mechanics, especially the shooting, Capsized could be more refined but nonetheless this is a charming oldschool action platformer with an extraordinary art design.

The mysterious story sparks your curiosity and the match of vampires and stealth seems like a good concept. But if you take elements from stealth giants like Splinter Cell, Deus Ex or Dishonored you have to make sure that they work well together. And here, they don’t.

Portal versus Lovecraft? Sounds intriguing. Unfortuntaly subtle horror is not Magrunner’s strength. But the puzzle and leveldesign is solid enough to entertain.

This may look like a playable anime, but the mechanics are miles away from Ni no Kuni or Tales of Graces . Character, quest and leveldesign are uninspired, the battles are primitive and the plot… Well, it has half naked women…

As a multiplayer shooter, this would be merely below average. But as part of the consistent online universe that is EVE it delivers an interesting twist, that made me look beyond the parts that hold Dust back.

The transition from PC to console is successful. Everything is there: The enormous amount of pixel brutality, the unforgiving mechanics, the gorgeous soundtrack – and the sometimes frustrating trial-and-error that keeps Hotline Miami from being truly great.

400 Days shows the same strengths as the whole first season: The decision are painful! The merciless fight for survival still is depicted brutally honest. Nonetheless this interlude lacks challenge and freedom of action.

Nice adventure remake with the trusted Al Lowe humor. The technical improvements are what you could expect so it would have benefitted from additional content as well.

After the latest videos I didn’t expect much, although I was hoping for some kind of entertaining trash. The final result is underwhelming. This isn’t trash – this is just garbage.

This is a competent sequel to an outstanding RTS game with a compelling multiplayer experience, although problems with AI and path-finding are still evident.

Deadpool won’t win any innovation awards. The mechanics are as common as a loaf of bread. But when it comes to humor the polarizing hero is second to none. I haven’t laughed this hard while playing in a long time.

Challenging, classic, colorful: Luigis Add-On brings a new feeling to the retro-platformer, but frustrates with its inert controls.

The bombs splatter better than ever, the paint is flowing freely, the overhauled campaign seems more open and better arranged than on the console.

In the beginning State of Decay is a remarkably ugly and trashy zombie bashing. But the more you dive into the fight for survival with its base and resource management, the open dynamic world gets more and more attractive – despite the AI problems.

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.

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

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.

Sneaking, hacking and puzzles: Gunpoint is rather short but very entertaining with its wild and unique mix of funny dialogue, challenging jump sequences and stealth elements.

The Californian devteam Playdek digitized the tabletop appropriately in terms of visuals and mechanics. Newcomer and veterans alike will enjoy this almost perfect board game conversion.

Controls are a mess, reliable targeting is almost impossible without auto aiming. If you like hunting games you should go for The Hunter 2013, if you like first person shooters in general there’s even more to choose from. Whatever you do, stay away from this!

You build, you plant, you foster your small town as a mayor and you enjoy heaps of side activities. Although this is very entertaining there is not much new to see here.

Up to now Wario brought a hefty dose of madness to the minigames table. But like the rabbids he was tamed.

Quotation forthcoming.

A lot of games tried to copy Minecraft – or at least participate from its' success. But this two-dimensional take on the well known formula is the only game that is able to step out of the shadow of the indie phenomenon that inspired it. It leads you into a unique world full of creative magic and translates well onto consoles thanks to the very good pad controls.

If you can do without endgame item grind, you can get quite a bit out of this dungeon crawler. You’ll encounter dozens of enemies, collect hundreds of items of loot – you’ll even get a very interesting sidekick that is more than just the inventory donkey or fight support and a tower defense variation.

The presentation might not be spectacular, but you’ll get loads of upgradable units, buildings and an extensive dynamic campaign. Eador might not be as intuitive as Might & Magic Heroes, but it is just as difficult to get away from it.

I love SciFi. And I can’t get enough of games like Sins of a Solar Empire. And that leaves me frustrated when I look an StarDrive and its’ wasted potential. It is ambitious, but fails to deliver on too many levels.

Remember Me is a game of discrepancies. You’ll encounter incredibly atmospheric scenes just to be followed by weak or boring moments. The art design is exquisite, but the linear levels hardly make you want to look around. The most interesting part, the memory manipulation falls short and is overshadowed by incoherent fighting. What could have been extraordinary, is something you won’t remember in a few weeks.

Realtime strategy on a global scale with very entertaining multiplayer skirmishes but disappointing campaign.

Finally licensed gaming goes back to the roots: No ambitious mission design, no accurate controls, no visual splendor, no quality control. Just classic honest trash. No seriously: This is trash. The worst kind…

The concept is interesting but too soon everything will be sacrificed to in-app-purchases that are forced by design dead ends that can just be solved by spending money. This is pay-to-win at its worst…

Apart from the experimental weapons you wouldn’t guess that this game is from Insomniac. Even though this quartet of mercenaries gives Army of Two the boot, it still lacks the passion that you got to know from the Ratchet & Clank or Resistance series.

GRID 2 doesn’t insist on tuning, there is no setup hassle – just driving fun with a great sense of speed. Unfortunately some problems remain untouched, among them the very aggressive AI.

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.

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.

If you can look beyond the narrative shortcomings you’ll get a solid adventure set in a captivating fairy tale world.

While the content is reduced compared to its’ DS-brethren, the series’ 3DS premiere shines when it comes to visual presentation. Pikachu and friends look cuter than ever.

After the disgraceful neo-western The Cartel, Techland goes back to its Call of Juarez-roots with Gunslinger. And while the arcade mechanics rarely go beyond average, the imaginative narrative and the visual style draw you deep into the alternative history of Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Silas Greaves.

Leviathan combines real time strategy with turn based elements and confronts me with fleet combination and ship specialization. Unfortunately the campaign is too short and suffers from weak presentation. The multiplayer skirmishes are actually quite good though.

It is atmospheric, it is intense and mysterious. But it is also too simple and too linear. A solid adventure for 3D-detectives.

I liked the 3DS-version and I thoroughly enjoyed the HD-reunion with Chris, Jill and their enemies – especially on Wii U, which benefits from some exclusive features.

This is an interesting twist on real time strategy that soon showcases its unique dynamics. But it is rather short and gets repetitive too soon.

In terms of storytelling, atmosphere and visuals Metro is up there with the heavyweights like BioShock Infinite. But the action is rather ordinary and held back by the appalling AI.

The mission design is almost excellent, the action is ridiculously cool and together with the trashy dialogue a cornerstone of this hellride. Unfortunately the story is as bland as the visuals or the challenge level you encounter.

An entertaining thriller adventure with supernatural puzzles that is overshadowed by technical flaws.

It builds on the fond memories you might have of Chris Taylor’s Total Annihilation, but in the end it is just a mediocre copy.

This is an entertaining puzzler, but in terms of finesse or cleverly constructed thought experiment this is as far away from games like Starseed Pilgrim as it is from Portal or Antichamber.

The desire to play a modern space opera can’t be big enough to play this crude action, that fails to deliver except for the trashy cutscenes.

It has lost its originality bonus but in terms of gameplay it’s better than the predecessor. Nonetheless it is still miles away from games like Mirror’s Edge, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic or Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath.

The fighting mechanics work well, collision detection is right on the money, online duels are as accurate as offline battles. The narrative though suffers from incoherent styles and a tendency to be drawn out.

It starts as an ambitious roleplaying game drawing me in with its’ opening sequence and fresh scenario. The battle system works well, so does the crafting. But too soon the plot loses its grip, the characters get stale and overall the visuals seem outdated.

Quotation forthcoming.

Soul Sacrifice gives you a huge amount of content while constantly confronting you with decisions. It is hard not to get lost in the easy to control, yet challenging and frantic battles, even though the core mechanics get repetitive too soon.

Classy design, comfortable handling, challenging turn based strategy. This is the best board game conversion far and wide – 4X at its best!

The seemingly simple puzzler quickly becomes an avant-garde masterpiece asking clever questions and challenging you with a hard to master and astonishingly complex principle.

The levels are small but challenging, the hunt for carrots surprisingly motivating. But what looked charming in the beginning, soon became redundant.

As good as the concept was three years ago and as entertaining a successful coop session may be, in the end this is little more than an interesting design study.

What happened to Digital Extremes? This bland shooter with Kirk and Spock looks and plays unfinished, even though some design ideas look promising. The visuals remind me of the first 360 games, the reptilian opponents’ AI is way below standards and sometimes the not much better partner AI puts me into dire straits.

Soccer management meets The Movies – while the concept seems intriguing, the execution isn’t. The mechanics are superficial and for every aspect the game introduces there is another game that does it better, the mix just doesn’t add up.

There are zombies? Really? I don’t care. I’d rather die than to stay on the beautiful island Panai where all I can do is participate in a boring fight for survival, filled with collectable overkill and horrible quest design.

In theory Overclocked is a successful remake of one of the DS’ grand role-playing games. Unfortunately preventable technical glitches like regular freezes and occasional crashes take a lot away from its’ theoretically well deserved glory.