The developers of Aztez had great inspirations and clearly understand what made them great, but that was not enough for Aztez itself to become great. The game is really solid in terms of gameplay mechanics but at the same time derivative and repetitive. I can only recommend it wholeheartedly to those who enjoy exploring and cracking open complex combat systems. [11/2017, p.74]

Hands down the most original (in terms of setting, at least) first-person shooter of 2017. Slaughtering microbes inside a human stomach or liver is fun, but numerous bugs and repetitiveness in terms of enemies and gameplay itself made it impossible for me to thoroughly enjoy the game. [11/2017, p.72]

A brilliant idea for a simple, procedurally generated strategy game, held back by repetitiveness. [11/2017, p.71]

A window into the weird era of FMV games, a rich fountain of charming kitsch and a chance to experience the game which inspired the creation of ESRB, therefore changing the landscape of electronic entertainment. [11/2017, p.70]

A charming, well-designed puzzle game that you will probably forget minutes after you quit it. [11/2017, p.68]

Campaign consists of scripted battles for two players tops, fought against moderately bright bots on well-known maps. It really doesn’t offer much more than previous training missions. War Stories are simply a terrible waste of time. [11/2017, p.67]

A great hybrid of a puzzle game and a shooter that comes with wonderful visuals and a couch co-op, but gets repetitive by the end and sometimes annoyed me with uneven difficulty level. [11/2017, p.66]

Darkwood’s developers have an expert grasp of what terror is, where it lurks and how to frighten the player to make him come back for more. They couldn’t decide whether they’re making a story-driven game or a sandbox, but their effort is still worth recommending to everyone who enjoys good horrors. [11/2017, p.64]

The first episode is really good (in some aspects even better than the original Life Is Strange!) and despite being rather short (ca. 3 hours) full of positive surprises. [11/2017, p.62]

The Lost Legacy is a great, breathtakingly beautiful action adventure game and its only substantial weakness is that it fails to reach the stellar level of A Thief’s End while heavily relying on old tricks. [11/2017, p.60]

A simple and quite enjoyable tactical game perfect for short sessions. It could have squeezed much, much more out of the Wild West setting though. [11/2017, p.58]

With this brilliant game Sonic at last reminded us why he was once a worthy rival for Mario. [11/2017, p.56]

If you need more relaxation and laughter in your life, Slime Rancher is the game to choose. [11/2017, p.54]

Apart from brilliant, genuinely funny dialogues West of Loathing’s biggest strength is its simple but satisfying turned-based combat. [11/2017, p.53]

Player’s impact is limited in Miitopia, as you rather watch the gameplay than participate in it. Despite that the game is never dull, just like similar Tomodachi Life a couple of years ago. The difference is that Tomodachi Life was genuinely funny in an absurd way, whereas Miitopia often made me smile but never caused a burst of laughter. [11/2017, p.52]

Yakuza Kiwami is so much more than just a remake of the first game in the series. Sega rebuilt the original from scratch using a much more powerful engine, with the help of completely new artists, and enriched the script with tons of references to subsequent Yakuza releases. It’s not a perfect game but it does a great job at tying up loose ends from Yakuza Zero. [11/2017, p.50]

The game, heavily inspired by Steve Wilson’s “Drive Home” music video, deals with feelings we all experience at some point – grief and helplessness after losing a loved one. It does a great job for most of the time but stumbles at the very end, as the last 15 or so minutes are unnecessarily bloated and unbearably metaphysical. [11/2017, p.49]

Redeemer has its moments, but they are so scarce that the only thing that kept me going was my obligation to finish the game before reviewing it. [11/2017, p.48]

Ubisoft acquired Nintendo’s license, added some Rabbids in the mix and entrusted the game to its Italian studio that never developed any large game on its own. What’s more, neither the studio nor both IPs had anything to do with tactical games. I still don’t understand how Kingdom Battle turned out so good. [11/2017, p.46]

By combining a unique method of connecting players, complex character creation and development, and solid combat mechanics, Absolver delivers something that no traditional fighting games can offer. What it lacks is variety. [11/2017, p.45]

All those who enjoy flexing their brain muscles will enjoy Archaica. If only it offered more levels and a larger variety of beautiful realms to stare at. [11/2017, p.44]

Volition played it much too safe with this Saints Row spin-off, making a game that trails behind Saints Row IV in every aspect. [11/2017, p.42]

War of the Chosen introduces tons of new mechanics along with various improvements. It refreshes the original game so thoroughly that the campaign is truly worth replaying and the whole package deserves to be called XCOM 2.5. [11/2017, p.36]

The game is obviously still a work in progress but that did not diminish my enthusiasm for both dynamic campaigns. [10/2017, p.77]

A couple of minutes is enough to get the hang of Kingdoms and Castles and become hooked despite lack of campaign or multiplayer. [10/2017, p.76]

The game draws its inspirations from Hotline Miami but fails miserably. [10/2017, p.75]

A good idea flickers faintly somewhere deep, deep inside Fly Simulator, but that’s the nicest thing I can say about this game. [10/2017, p.74]

Without a doubt it’s one of the most original shooters ever created, but I must warn you that if you don’t get hooked on challenges, you’ll be done with the game in about 3 hours, because it’s how long the campaign takes. [10/2017, p.72]

Shallow gameplay, extremely low budget environments (PS2 era, seriously) and story so absurd that it’s hard to take it seriously. [10/2017, p.71]

Ten enjoyable hours, great visuals, excellent combat system, too much repetitiveness. Sundered is no Ori and the Blind Forest, but metroidvania fans should enjoy it. [10/2017, p.70]

The gameplay is simple and brilliant but the game itself shines as it should only in multiplayer. [10/2017, p.68]

Gone Home developers tackle the issue of corporate hell aboard futuristic space station. Unfortunately their sentimental style does not go along with the brutally down-to-earth (oh, the irony!) subject too well. [10/2017, p.67]

Over half of available levels were taken from the original game, which is not a bad thing, but the price of the game is simply inadequate. [10/2017, p.66]

Gigantic offers engaging, fast-paced gameplay and well-designed daily quests system, but needs much more characters. Dividing the PC community between Windows Store, Steam and Arc will not help it succeed. [10/2017, p.64]

The game does not stick closely to the book, but I find it to be its strength – it wouldn’t be fun to simply click through events you remember. What bothered me is that while boldly slimming down the traditional point’n’click elements Daedalic created a game that lacks challenge almost completely, which makes the story the only engaging component. But gosh, the visuals are fantastic. [10/2017, p.60]

A frustratingly difficult game that I couldn’t get enough of. [10/2017, p.59]

It’s a promising start to a new season. The beginning is a bit sluggish, but once the story speeds up, it’s hard to put the game down. If you’re not a fan of Telltale’s approach to games though, be aware that the studio’s hallmarks are over The Enemy Within. [10/2017, p.58]

Black The Fall bought me with its brilliant atmosphere of hopelessness that even Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four would not be ashamed of. [10/2017, p.57]

A decent, quite complex city builder that would benefit from more variety, larger scale and losing some unnecessary mechanics. [10/2017, p.56]

I picked up Yonder without any expectations, as it seemed to be a simple game trying to capitalize on Zelda-like visuals. It won me over in 15 minutes and over a dozen hours later I parted with it with true sorrow. [10/2017, p.54]

I can appreciate simplicity, but in this case I would welcome a wider variety of maps, buildings and units. Still when I launched Antihero to check something while writing the review, I got immediately carried away by its addictive asynchronous multiplayer, forgetting why I launched it in the first place. [10/2017, p.53]

A well-written, lovable story gracefully focusing on things that matter in life. The game’s logo is misleading, as romance and sex are kept in the background. [10/2017, p.52]

Despite low budget Caracal Games managed to fulfill their ambitions to a significant degree. There are few decent games about parkour and Downward is a welcome addition to that niche. [10/2017, p.51]

The last Infinite Warfare DLC is a decent one, but its best bits are recycled (remade Resistance map from Modern Warfare 3 is great!) and some levels are simply poor. [10/2017, p.50]

A great looking game that successfully blends different genres and offers the most distinctive setting from all Supergiant’s titles. Its ending and lack of online PvP along with framerate drops disappointed me though. [10/2017, p.48]

LawBreakers is a very good online shooter that distinguishes itself with a couple of original, spot-on ideas. What makes it trail behind Overwatch are disappointingly forgettable characters. [10/2017, p.46]

During 8 hours I spent with Observer I never felt that the developers’ creativity is waning. [10/2017, p.45]

Hellblade can disappoint you with repetitive puzzles, linear structure and the fact that it was stripped down to most basic, indispensable mechanics. But Hellblade is not about gameplay. It’s about darkness and fear and despair. The emotional weight of this game is unbearable. Forget about The Last of Us, To the Moon or Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Hellblade is soul-crushing in a way I never thought a game could be. Remember Requiem for a Dream? That’s what Hellblade does to you. I will NEVER forget Ninja Theory’s masterpiece. [10/2017, p.38]

World Series tries to transplant hero shooters basics into a racer and kinda succeeds at that but as a whole is so bland that after an hour I was sure I will never play it again after I finish this review. [09/2017, p.75]

A twin-stick shooter elevated to an art form. [09/2017, p.74]

A decent Zelda-like game which needs some time to really get going and won’t dazzle you with its beauty. [09/2017, p.73]

Deceit’s concept is fantastic and the psychological aspect of gameplay is great, but ugly visuals and Early Access level of polish make the game harder to enjoy than it should be. [09/2017, p.72]

Awfully designed and poorly executed game that could and should have been much better. [09/2017, p.71]

A simple but interesting idea led to a fun, relaxing game which unfortunately restrains your creativity with a very limited set of tools and colors. [09/2017, p.70]

As a fan of tabletop wargames I really loved Acaratus’ potential and really hated how this potential was squandered. [09/2017, p.69]

Hands down the best Black Ops III expansion and one of the best in the history of Call of Duty brings back classic maps (no Mob of the Dead though, which is a bummer) and lets you revive your memories online. [09/2017, p.67]

A truly amazing tribute to H.P Lovecraft. [09/2017, p.66]

FFXII never became the masterpiece it was supposed to be, but it has enough marks of a masterpiece to be worth your time, especially that the remaster was done expertly. [09/2017, p.62]

The Reaper of Souls expansion really shook the foundations of Diablo III, giving us a reason to revisit the game and stay for longer. Compared to it Rise of the Necromancer is a disappointing waste of a chance to make something great again. [09/2017, p.61]

The game is pure fun until it becomes painstakingly difficult. The problem is not even the difficulty level itself, it’s the fact that when you fail, you have to restart the whole huge level and you lose all the character progression you achieved on it. Poof! The last 40 minutes never happened. [09/2017, p.60]

You enter the philharmonic hall, you take your seat and listen to musicians tuning their instruments and the audience whispering. Then the noise dies down and... that’s all, you can go home. That’s exactly how Aerea feels. [09/2017, p.59]

Ultra Despair Girls bravely introduces a new action component to the series, but these sequences are so primitive and repetitive that you soldier through them for the sake of the story rather than enjoy them. [09/2017, p.58]

Ladies and gentlemen, we present you “The Worst of jRPG”. [09/2017, p.57]

It’s still the same brilliant game but this time available on a console that you can take anywhere with you. I expected more, but it turned out that it’s enough for me. [09/2017, p.54]

Short, simple, derivative and somewhat undercooked, but VR does make a difference. Shortage of serious VR games lowers the bar significantly, so you can pick up Farpoint, but do not expect the messiah VR needs. [09/2017, p.53]

The only reason I don’t regret spending a couple of hours with Bloody Days is that it gave me an excuse to watch Tarantino’s movie again. [09/2017, p.52]

I tried, really tried to like The Elder Scrolls as a MMORPG, I gave it a fair number of chances. Now I hoped the Morrowind will be a game-changer, but unfortunately it will not convince those who were unable to embrace TESO earlier. [09/2017, p.50]

NCsoft’s experience pays off in Master x Master, a pretty, modern MOBA with a successfully introduced fresh mechanic of swapping characters midmatch. [09/2017, p.48]

Get Even is more of an experiment than your typical game. A successful experiment, I must add. It might not be beautiful and it’s rather mediocre as a shooter, but the audio is great and the developers managed to skillfully mix various ideas into a coherent game. [09/2017, p.46]

I appreciate the solid research behind Bounty Train and pleasant music, but when I failed at the end of the game I realized I’m not willing to sacrifice over a dozen more hours to try again. [09/2017, p.45]

Adventure on Clover Island is a return to the genre’s roots – it’s obvious that inspiration came from classic 3D platformers, e.g. Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter. Tried-and-true solutions were mixed with some original ideas and the result is an enjoyable game with well-designed levels and accessible gameplay. If you’re not a kid though, you’ll probably find Skylar & Plux way to easy. [09/2017, p.44]

Repetitive, crude gameplay falls way behind Tokyo 42’s gorgeous visuals. [09/2017, p.42]

It’s a wonderful gift for Crash fans and platformer fans in general. When I heard the first beats of the reworked Crash Bandicoot 3 theme song, I was literally close to tears. It’s great to see you again, mate, I really missed you. [09/2017, p.40]

The new character class (sadly only one, but it’s just one of numerous additions introduced in The Crimson Court) is definitely worth your money and the DLC as a whole is fantastic. [09/2017, p.38]

Cryptark is built around an interesting idea, offers a wide array of weapons and makes you adapt to variable conditions. What holds it back is the fact that it sometimes crosses the line between demanding and unfair. [09/2017, p.37]

I’m glad that Funcom decided to release Secret World Legends and gave me the chance to experience this unique MMORPG after I missed it 5 years ago. [09/2017, p.36]

If the PS4 edition is you first contact with Elite, you’re in for a treat, as you receive a game that has been evolving for almost 3 years (but hasn’t aged a bit!) along with Horizons expansion. [09/2017, p.30]

Friday the 13th does not overflow with content, but is rich enough to generate varied memories (unlike Dead by Daylight, another example of asymmetrical multiplayer). What it needs to become a truly worthwhile game is some more polish. [08/2017, p.76]

A slow-paced game that requires attention and imagination but repays with stylish beauty and solid puzzles. [08/2017, p.75]

A walk through pretty afterlife spiced up by varied puzzles but lacking in tension and storytelling. [08/2017, p.74]

With its fantastic art direction Inner Chains could have been a great walker. Unfortunately what the developers decided to make is a lame, uninspired, awfully boring first-person shooter that has absolutely nothing to offer in terms of gameplay. [08/2017, p.72]

An awesome, extremely trippy game of a kind we rarely see these days. The speeds are so great here that you need to achieve total unity with the game to avoid obstacles. [08/2017, p.71]

Nintendo loves to reinvent the wheel and this take on fighting games genre is truly unique and intriguing. Motion controls really do work here and both visuals and audio are as good as we should expect from Nintendo. [08/2017, p.70]

When you launch Steel Division, you should be aware of what you’re dealing with. There’s a lot of old school strategy depth here – so much that many may simply drown in it. [08/2017, p.68]

What disappointed me in Omega Collection was the music – barely adequate at best, boring at worst. Other than that Wipeout is back with its unmatched sensation of speed. [08/2017, p.67]

A space sim, an RPG and a 4X strategy mixed together skillfully, but held back by outdated technology and excessive grind. [08/2017, p.66]

It’s a simple and not very tasteful little game, but it’s a perfect party title, as the rules are obvious and there’s plenty of occasions for coarse laughter. [08/2017, p.65]

The story could’ve been more engaging but I intend to come back to D5 regularly for months. [08/2017, p.65]

The gameplay of this timeless classic hasn’t aged a bit but the game itself deserves a Switch version much, much better than this disappointing, hurried and cheap attempt. [08/2017, p.64]

This might be the prettiest space shooter I’ve ever seen, but it suffers from little variety of enemies. [08/2017, p.60]

Perceptions mechanics successfully imitate the feeling of being lost in an unfamiliar place as a blind person, but in my opinion the developers sacrificed too much in terms of gameplay to achieve that feeling. [08/2017, p.59]

If you’re familiar with Torn Banner’s previous title, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, you’ll feel at home in Mirage, as both games are very similar (which of course is not an advantage if you expect something fresh). [08/2017, p.58]

It’s been seven years since Vanquish debuted on consoles, but its gameplay hasn’t aged a bit (which means it’s still impressive as hell) and benefits from 60 fps offered by the PC version. [08/2017, p.56]

Codemasters finally reminded me why I loved this series before Dirt 3 and Showdown happened. [08/2017, p.54]

The most accessible Tekken in ages keeps you on the edge of your seat with its top-notch gameplay mechanics which ensure that what happens on screen is always unpredictable and exciting. A new worthy king! [08/2017, p.48]

The game makes up for its shortness (ca. 4 hours) with an intelligent, well-delivered story, overwhelming atmosphere of solitude, fantastic audio (including voice acting worthy of a AAA game) and overall high level of polish. [07/2017, p.77]

A simple yet addictive rougelike drawing from Hindu mythology. [07/2017, p.76]

When you learn your moves well enough to be able to focus on reading your opponent, InJustice 2 starts to resemble a match of chess, where thinking and anticipating is as important as swift fingers. I’m sure fighting games fans will have a blast with it. [07/2017, p.74]