The unique adventure with great characters, an emotional story and a brilliant soundtrack was extensively modernized and improved meaningfully, making this a great modern take on an overlooked classic.

While the user comfort within these exceptionally bizarre anime thrillers is reduced due to lack of touch functionality, technically you can expect faster loading times and crisp visuals.

This is not only a Hack & Slay with atmospheric visuals, it offers clever puzzles, interesting secrets and lethal traps behind every corner. Legend of Grimrock is a well executed homage to dungeon crawlers.

I overlooked the franchise for too long, as I am glad that this year I ventured into the Major League ballparks. This is a mode-filled, very entertaining baseball experience that is not quite perfect yet, but nonetheless will eat your time away.

This is a beautiful tactics RPG with an enormous storytelling arc, varied turn based battles and a motivating troop management.

It can’t spark the fascination of its predecessor on 360. But nonetheless this road trip through Southern Europe still is one hell of a racing experience with fantastic driving mechanics.

One thing is certain: Once this game gets you hooked, it will eat away every spare hour you have. The football crazier you are the more you’ll get out of it. But be aware that the new features alone are not necessarily worth it, if you have last years’ version, which serves as the solid foundation for the annual relaunch.

Yes, it is rather short. But Geometry Wars 3 aside I haven’t had that much fun with a twin-stick shooter in a while. Be wary of the spiking difficulty in the middle though where it moves from challenging to frustrating for a little while.

Impressive art design, innovative travel inclusion, decisions and consequences. All the parts that made Banner Saga an impressive turn based strategy gem are found on the iPad.

Strengthening boss battles, endless customization options and excellent gameplay make Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon a successful overall package for mech fans.

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.

Challenging and captivating mix of turn-based tactics and Match-3, somewhere between Puzzle Quest and FTL.

Cretive science-fiction, great dialogue, an open game with decisions and consequences. This feels like a mixture of Fallout New Vegas, Mass Effect and BioShock. Despite some flaws Obisdian delivers a very good role-playing game.

The bold mix of mature themed story-adventure and motivating puzzles works surprisingly well and glues you to the pad. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary you should give Catherine a chance. Most likely you will fall in love with her.

Epic giant role-playing game that stays true to the tradition of the series and creates a distinctive world that shakes your foundations after umpteen hours of play.

The charm of this pixel adventure won me over fast. While it is a brilliant idea to stage it like a theatre with the party sitting at the table with the dungeon master, the role-playing reminds of the good ole days.

Especially in areas where Diablo III disappointed, this small gem from Runic Games displays its strengths: There is more than enough useful loot, thus motivating the hunt for the bigger better item, you need to make decisions when it comes to character development. Choice and balancing of the difficulty levels are also well-conceived.

Incredibly charming psycho trip full of bizarre ideas as well as abilities and a hint of collectable madness.

Dark, intense and brutal: Outlast celebrates classic survival horror.

Compared to last year, this is “just” an evolution, but captures motorsport perfectly once more and gives you one of the best careers in racing games.

While at its core it delivers the same experience as the past-gen-versions the initial hiccups like the license management for the previously bought DLC make this conversion feel rushed.

An absolute recommendation for genre fans. With a great setting and an emotional soundtrack, Jusant climbs to the top.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful adventure. If you are interested in samurai, you can look forward to an aesthetic as well as gameplay elegance worthy of the tradition of feudal Japan.

You like jump&runs and find the world of Little Big Planet adoring? Then there is no way, you should pass this game by. On PS5 the visuals are crisp, while audiohaptic feedback enhances this charming platformer.

Fantasian is an atmospheric roleplaying game - the best of its kind in Apple Arcade. A stylish as well as placid experience unfolds, even with the story taking quite some time and the battles being too easy.

Unique, exciting and clever, Pentiment is a beautiful yet educational adventure - a quiet but valuable gem in Xbox Game Pass.

Age of Wonders 3 gives you challenging 4X strategy within a charming fantasy setting with one of the best enemy AIs I’ve seen in years.

The motion recognition works well, the choreographies are as varied as they are challenging, plus you can import the predecessors' tracks (for a small fee). And even this year Harmonix moved forward in terms of party-play there is still lots of room for improvement in this area. Four players simultaneously anyone?

Jurassic World Evolution 3 exudes dinosaur love like no other game – making its predecessors completely obsolete.

Technically this excellent terror tale is not quite on the same level as the PC version and the constant light show of the controller takes away atmosphere instead of adding to it. But nonetheless this is an intensive survival course in a world reigned by horror and violence.

Fun, extensive open-world adventure with clever puzzle chambers and a lot of focus on building plus crafting - if you already know Breath of the Wild, you will lose some of the fun of discovery.

The Touryst is a small, ressourceful and exceptionally adorable adventure.

Land of Lions is a great expansion and the best additional content for Anno 1800 to date.

Quality rules over quantity. Overwatch might be a little short on the content side. But other than that, you get a well-balanced, varied and beautifully-designed online shooter with a remarkably diverse hero selection.

If you like your realtime tactics with a flavor of old school like Commandos or Desperados then you can look forward to intense infiltration with challenging missions and superb AI.

Immersive, intensive and enhanced with cool motion controls only the lack of content is holding this VR shooter back.

It lacks variety in the long run, but with the right group of people around you Evolve is a great romp with beautiful visuals.

Yes, it might be a little too easy. But the cuteness, the funny ideas and all the hidden collectables are as Yoshi as Yoshi can be.

It is loud. It is silly. It is wonderfully weird. The mixture of frantic action and skate acrobatics still delivers a very unique arcade action experience.

Great fusion of brawling and shooting in 2D environments. A clear action gem, even if the visuals are an acquired taste and the amount of content is a bit on the short side.

Infinity Nikki hits the nail on the head. It may be a little harsh in a few points, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with this game. The possibility of squandering real money doesn't change that - I didn't have to use it.

What a comeback. Wasteland 2 is a perfect example how to renew a tradition and continue it gracefully. All you need is devotion. And even though this post-apocalyptic experience has its share of problems like balancing, visuals or inconsequences regarding character decisions this is an epic role-playing game with soul, great atmosphere, a good script and surprising situations.

Intense tactics with a very unique pace.

The cutscenes with their clichees are embarrassing at times, but nonetheless this is a gorgoeus finale to the series embedded in a breathtakingly lively setting.

If you want to show off the technical capabilities of your new mobile system, go and get Drake's new adventure. But this is more than a techdemo. The concept with puzzles, action and climbing is as exciting as on the PS3. The story isn't, though.

If you look at Dear Esther as a dark audio book Proteus is like looking at an interactive painting. Taking in every detail in this 8-bit world you realize the emotional power with which visuals and audio can create a poetic artwork.

Emio – The Smiler: Famicom Detective Club is presented as an authentic detective experience with which Nintendo has fulfilled each and every one of the expectations. Both its plot, the characters and the development of the same are a real treat for players who are fans of the interactive visual novel genre. If the game already seemed attractive on its first appearance, as soon as players start playing it, they will not be able to stop until they finish it. Will Emio be a simple legend or will he end up being a cruel murderer who will have to be stopped so that the full weight of the law falls on him?

Inventive, challenging and extremely well playable platform action.

Once you dive into the campaign, you can’t take your hands off this turn-based tactic gem, despite some downfalls in the story department with its’ sometimes corny dialogues.

This is a very good expansion pack. Arkane shows off a creative variation of the main campaign - diverse and challenging.

This is thoroughly entertaining, surprisingly well conceived fantasy tactics with a focus on depth. This is a breath of fresh air that doesn’t rely on the typical rock-paper-scissors mechanics.

Tense hunt for dangerous creatures in an interesting setting.

Not without its minor flaws, but certainly one of the biggest surprises of the year: If you like to explore freely and don't want everything spoon-fed to you, you shouldn't miss Hell Is Us.

Slick 2d-action in the likes of Metal Slug. Plenty of explosions with cool boss fights and loads of entertaining upgrades.

The rousing, fantastically beautifully animated firework of action is occasionally marred by technical and performance problems on the PC.

It is as motivating as it is relaxing to take the charming mushroom on a treasure hunt filled with puzzles. Nintendo delivers a strong start into the new year.

While it is easy to lose yourself in the intense multiplayer skirmishes, the solo campaign is merely solid.

The soundtrack is great. The conceptual mix of rhythm game puzzler and dungeon crawler is ingenious. Games like this show that the indie scene is still dancing to a different beat.

Back on PlayStation 3 this was a unique as well as challenging mixture of rhythm game and realtime tactics. Thankfully nothing has changed. It feels and plays as good as always.

This might as well be Platinum’s most ambitious game yet. And while they definitely don’t hit every mark, the technical achievement and the mix of varied elements will help you over a few shortcomings.

The brilliant visual novel is almost as good as its predecessor, once again offering a thrilling case for fans of mystery and crime with great puzzles and an overall fantastic presentation.

This is plain and simple a very good action adventure for all fans of Dark Souls, Sekiro etc.

Mechanically Virtua Fighter 5 still is an outstanding Vs-fighting-game that looks better than ever. But it lacks singleplayer content as well as a modern netcode.

Silly, yet extremely entertaining two-dimensional real-time tactics spectacle.

Song of the Deep is as beautiful as it is challenging, as picturesque as it is magical. This labyrinth exploration gets better with every hour.

This is the total package for all fans of the vocaloid popstar. Over 220 songs, hundreds of costumes, haircuts and accessories as well as the proven and enhanced rhythm game mechanics make this a blast to play – unless you despise J-pop. In that case you should run. Fast.

Saros is not able to outshine the spiritual prequel Returnal in every aspect. But at least when it comes to the most important part, the gameplay, it certainly is an improvement.

This is what remaster should look like. Mechanically it feels slightly outdated, but nonetheless Lancer and Chainsaw Bayonet keep your adrenaline pumping – even without splitscreen co-op.

This is the total package for all fans of the vocaloid popstar. Over 220 songs, hundreds of costumes, haircuts and accessories as well as the proven and enhanced rhythm game mechanics make this a blast to play – unless you despise J-pop. In that case you should run. Fast.

Blacksad is a thrilling adventure with interesting and multi-faceted characters, a great visual style and an atmospheric soundtrack.

Apart from too much focus on the story and a few hick-ups, Monster Hunter Wilds is offering exactly what one could wish from a new game in the series: Spectacular monsters, amazing fights and the feeling to fight for your life with real creatures.

I was very skeptical, but after finishing the first episode I have to give kudos to Telltale. They captured the spirit of the saga in a very convincing manner. The mix of classic point&click virtues and more recent elements like realtime action and quicktime events reminds me of Heavy Rain.

It is not as devastating and dark as This War of Mine. But nonetheless this interesting strategy with its survival aspects plays with moral dilemmas and asks some uncomfortable questions.

Lots of content, high framerates, a crisp port: Burnout Paradise still packs a punch and delivers tense arcade racing in an open world.

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.

Limbo was and still is a thrill ride with an almost perfect assembly of melancholic dark moments as well as challenging and suspenseful platforming sequences.

In a nutshell, this is the best storytelling game in recent years and a sure hit for gamers who like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter or Gone Home. The magical sadness reminds you of Ray Bradbury, the morbid flair of Tim Burton.

Music based Tetris variation with its dynamically changing playing field is as good on consoles as it was on PC. A beautiful enhancement of a modern rhythm game classic.

Unless you don’t like puzzle games, I can’t give you any good reason to stay away from this mash-up of two classics. Yes, the story in campaign mode is basically non-existent, while the art design might be too colorful for some. But you get plenty of modes, on- and offline, solo and versus, making Puyo Puyo Tetris a prime example for “come on, just one more round”-games.

Well executed conversion of the demonic hack&slay that might not look as crisp as the other versions, but manages to conserve the spirit and the motivation cycles woven into the very fabric of the mechanics.

You can overlook Sea of Stars, but you shouldn't. Now or later you're going to need a modern slice of childhood like this.

Kirby Air Riders is clearly the product of a development team driven by passion. This is especially evident in the effort they put into elevating it to so much more than just a simple fun racer. Nevertheless, not every spark ignites.

Forget the tacked on VR (dis-)experience. It is just nuances that seperates Tekken 7 from other beat-em-up heavyweights that seem to be released basically simultaneously . If you can look past a few visual shortcomings and a sometimes weird dramatization you’ll be rewarded with one of the deepest combo-filled fighters out there that will give Injustice’s superheroes a run for their money.

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.

Despite small restrictions on consoles in terms of control, Ion Fury still is a great old-school-shooter.

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

This is hands down the best baseball game available right now - especially if you are willing to ignore the microtransactions that impact some of the game modes.

A beautifully designed action-adventure with great characters, believable dialogue and a clever mechanical mix of stealth, puzzles, fighting and teamwork in a surreal ocean of rats.

Dredge is an incredibly motivating game with great mechanics. Black Salt Games have created an idyllic fishing adventure that never fails to show its sinister teeth.

With all the DLC from the initial PS4-release included from the get-go, this is a content-rich strategy RPG monster that will not let you sleep for months.

Tremendously playable time trials with an extensive editor and a continuous supply of new challenges.

Panzer Corps 2 is a very good wargame reminiscant of Panzer General, strongly profiting from ist new engine as well as enhanced dynamics and terrain variety.

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.

Tense, dynamic, relentless. Even though the campaigns lack a solid narrative this is a refreshingly different real time tactic game that delivers adrenaline by the bucket.

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.

Routine but immensely fun monster hunt with slack environment optics and few innovations. A few real innovations and monster graphics would be desirable.

Despite some pacing issues, Resident Evil Requiem is an excellent entry in the series, delivering on both action as well as survival-horror.

As in the first season the third episode is an emotional highlight.