Pac-Man World Re-PAC is a faithful remake of the 1999 platformer with all the strengths and weaknesses of the original (the former prevail). It’s a fun game with enjoyable graphics and almost no violence at all, so it’s a good choice for kids. However, grown-ups will enjoy it too, especially if they are nostalgic for Pac-Man.

The journey through Unmechanical's underground complex is an engaging and enriching experience. [10/2012, p.66]

A poorly animated, unbalanced game that I didn’t enjoy at all. Although it does offer a lot of different punches, kicks and throws, its gameplay resembles a long, boring QTE. [13/2013, p.74]

After RE6 I was convinced that there’s no hope for the series. Luckily there are still people in Capcom who try to preserve Resident Evil’s unique personality as a survival horror where every bullet and every dodge count. Revelations is the best Resident Evil in years. [CD-Action 07/2013, p.58]

The first F.E.A.R. was scary and good. The second one was scary-ish and good-ish. The third one is... well, indistinct. F.E.A.R. 3 is a generic shooter devoid of atmosphere, built correctly step by step but lacking any quality that could prevent you from forgetting this game. [August 2011, p.52]

An interesting mix of a stealth game and a point’n’click adventure, set in the Wild West. As a six-year-old boy, you have to cleverly use the environment to escape from bandits and find out what happened to your mother. Enemy AI could be better and some minor technical issues spoiled the fun a bit, but every puzzle in the game can be solved in many ways, and that’s something I always welcome with open arms. El Hijo is a fairly easy but satisfying game that you can play with your kid, as there’s not a drop of blood here. [02/2021, p.40]

Brilliant visuals, great music and unusual user interface will score points with people who like games that have a soul despite being very complex. However, to reach a broader audience, the developers would have to significantly improve the transparency of gameplay mechanics and iron out rough edges. [10/2021, p.40]

While it starts exceptionally strong, towards the end the game gets boring and the finale seems as creative as something I myself could have written in ten minutes. [04/2020, p.52]

Just like the tabletop original Mordheim is very difficult. It needs 12 tutorials to introduce you to its complex tactical and strategic layers. [02/2016, p.65]

It blends Zelda with roguelikes, but manages to add some elements of its own. If you enjoyed Enter the Gungeon or Crypt of the Necrodancer, you should definitely check The Swords of Ditto out. [07/2018, p.83]

The game spent last two years in Early Access and a few months more would not be a steep price to pay for more polish. Still, its AI and physics do successfully infect the players with the ‘one more turn syndrome’. [06/2020, p.60]

Phantom Doctrine is an addictive mix of improved combat mechanics from Hard West and XCOM’s strategic layer (but you also manage particular soldiers, not just your base). I recommend it if you revel in silent executions and infiltrating enemy facilities without leaving any traces, especially if you enjoyed Invisible, Inc. and don’t mind a game being somewhat rough around the edges. [10/2018, p.48]

The gameplay is still great, but Amplitude’s content is scarce and electronic soundtrack (half of which was composed in-house) is simply boring. [03/2016, p.61]

From the start The Secret World absorbed me like the best of Stephen King's novels – it proves that an MMO can set up a great mood and tell intriguing stories. It needs some polish in many respects but it's definitely worth a try as a surprisingly good and fresh blend of an MMORPG and an adventure game. [September 2012, p.48]

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a worthy representative of the soulslike genre. For fans of digital suffering – probably the most interesting premiere of this year next to The First Berserker: Khazan. For the rest – a worthwhile title.

Some quite clever puzzles, a couple of collaborating characters and constant changes of scenery are enough to elevate Yesterday Origins above mediocrity. It’s a shame that its story is subpar and characters are rather shallow. [02/2017, p.42]

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide makes a great first impression. Unfortunately, over time, some flaws come to light, like an awful main story or scant content. It’s still a good game that WH40K fans should play, but it could’ve been much better.

2014 was not a very good year for Assassin’s Creed but if I had to choose the better game out of two released, I would point at Rogue. [05/2015, p.75]

A charming, addictive game that’s easy to learn but hard to master and therefore appeals both to those who seek some simple fun and those who play games to set records and climb the leaderboards. [08/2015, p.58]

The DLC does exactly what it should be doing – it pulls Warren out of homogenous industrial interiors and transports him into a new, completely different environment (which actually shows how much the game could have gained from more varied levels in the first place). It also loosens up the atmosphere but I felt it does not go far enough with crazy. I was disappointed with its length (ca. 3 hours in my case) and the fact that it does not scale well to New Game+, as my level 90. Warren felt much too powerful for the most part. [02/2018, p.54]

Distance’s biggest strength is its editor which let fans create tracks much more thrilling than those designed by the developers. Chaining showy stunts can be exciting but that does not matter much if the game itself gets boring after two, maybe three hours. [12/2018, p.70]

Darwin Project seems mediocre at first glance but after just a few matches it becomes apparent that it is a surprisingly fresh shooter that offers experiences unheard of by its competitors. [03/2020, p.52]

Still Wakes the Deep’s interesting setting and successful mix of a cosmic horror and a drama are enticing. Although it’s set at sea, the game manages to avoid Lovecraftian tentacled clichés. The great foundation for a survival horror was there, but sadly the final result turned out to be a walking sim that completely lacks any sense of threat and fails to pose a challenge.

You need to look at Devastation as a sandbox that lets you choose your toys and fight battles you dreamed of. [13/2015, p.60]

While WRC 10 will not become a timeless classic due to some flaws, it has everything rally fans need, including a satisfying driving model and stellar design of special stages. [12/2021, p.72]

If H. P. Lovecraft’s fiction is close to your heart and you enjoy retro shooters, you will be delighted by Forgive Me Father. Despite its shallow narrative the game puts a lot of effort into making you feel like a protagonist in one of the works by Master from Providence.

An attempt to blend Fire Emblem with Dynasty Warriors might seem an odd idea. Where’s the common ground between a tactical RPG and an over-the-top slasher, right? It actually worked out pretty well, as the game managed to retain Fire Emblem’s atmosphere. If you’re a fan of the series and not allergic to Dynasty Warriors’ formula, give it a try. [13/2017, p.36]

Even if it’s not Daedalic’s greatest work, Anna’s Quest is still a strong entry in their catalogue. [09/2015, p.67]

Despite obvious financial limitations the developers bent over backwards to provide us with the best game possible. Revelations 2 does not reach the level of the last three main Resident Evils, but I keep my fingers crossed for it to succeed deservedly, because it seems all these guys need to create a top-notch game is more money. [04/2015, p.48]

If you love Portal, The Witness, or The Talos Principle, you’re gonna enjoy Relicta. Its puzzles might get a little tedious in the long run (they are all based on magnetic gloves), but I really enjoyed them throughout most of the campaign. What’s important (to me at least), the story is not just a quick, half-baked addition to the puzzles, but a valuable element of the game. [10/2020, p.90]

A good idea that could have been implemented better. [07/2015, p.57]

It's worth to take a look at this title and its unique art direction. Unfortunately it quickly becomes clear that Rock of Ages' rules are too simple to provide a deep enough gameplay. [October, p.59]

You can point out various Battlefield’s shortcomings, but DICE is excellent when it comes to designing maps and Naval Strike once again proves that fact. [06/2014, p.71]

It could really use some improvements introduced in more recent instalments of the series and it does not look good, but if you get hooked on its addictive character development, you can spend hundreds (!) of hours with Disgaea PC. [05/2016, p.70]

The janky animations of John Wick’s acrobatics spoil the whole movie-to-game experience. And to think that motion capture could have made it one of the most interesting games of this fall. [13/2019, p.65]

A disappointing, lazy remaster of a very good platformer. The developers took the path of least resistance by stretching textures and trying to conceal their blurriness with aggressive lighting, which made things worse. The only advantages I see here are the quality of the original game and the fact that the Ultimate edition brought it to new platforms. [12/2021, p.59]

Retrofuturistic environments are alive, they burst with vivid colors and details, but the game itself is painfully repetitive. [10/2016, p.64]

Samurai Warriors 5, another Musou game developed by Omega Force in recent times, is perfectly executed, but seems too conservative compared to Persona 5 Strikers or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The gameplay is very enjoyable and animations are polished, but I wish the missions were staged in a more interesting and creative way. However, after many years and countless Warriors installments the core of the game still works fine. [10/2021, p.66]

An engaging, intriguing story in which every element seems well thought out and fits in with the rest: from the audiovisual setting, to the authentic characters, dialogue and the plot. It's a pity that the story moves too slowly at first, and when it speeds up, it speeds up too much.

Cities: Skylines 2 meets most of the expectations, it is addictive and gives you incentives to keep coming back. It’s an impressive new standard for the genre, essentially an ultimate city builder with a great potential to become even better. However, there’s a fly in the ointment, namely some graphical glitches, poor optimization, and balance issues involving a couple of features.

Catalyst is a triumph of form over substance. At first the city looks huge, shiny and perfect but soon turns out to be just a lifeless, empty mockup, where you distinguish the districts mainly by background colors. The character development system feels artificial and redundant. The story and characters are so shallow and badly presented that I quickly lost any interest in them and focused on what the game does quite well – on parkour. [08/2016, p.60]

By constantly comparing their game to “Twin Peaks” and “True Detective” the developers set the bar so high that they could not fulfill expectations. Nevertheless Virginia is an interesting experiment worth your time (especially that it only takes two hours to complete). [13/2016, p.58]

Multitude and diversity of interactions between characters are Dead in Vinland’s notable strengths but excessive impact of RNG on almost everything I did both disheartened me and robbed me of satisfaction. In addition random failures have negative effects on your characters, so you get caught in a spiral of hopelessness. The noose tightens. Despair knocks on your door. Death looks you in the eye. If you enjoy such pressure, give this Nordic tale a try. [06/2018, p.76]

In ‘horror’ category The Beast Inside is my biggest and most pleasant surprise of this year. Almost all of its cogs are in the right places and the occasional grain of sand doesn’t interrupt the the game’s steady rhythm. [13/2019, p.56]

Don’t expect a revolution. The PS5 version of the latest FIFA looks better, runs at 60 fps in 4K, and loads matches much faster, but the only feature truly worth focusing on is the creative use of haptic feedback (e.g. as your player gets tired, triggers gradually become harder to press). [02/2021, p.61]

BPM’s developers managed to bring together their love for classic first-person shooters and a fresh idea. The result of their ambitions is a hellishly fast FPS with procedurally generated environments and a twist. Good reflexes are not enough to complete even the very first level, because to survive, you need to sync your actions to the beat of the music (the soundtrack is fantastic, by the way). For instance, if you pull the trigger at the wrong moment, your gun will misfire. Once you get used to it, you’ll be rewarded with intense, satisfying gameplay. [12/2020, p.71]

Playstation's most hardcore fans will appreciate the number of familiar characters but I doubt anyone will be really thrilled with All-Stars Battle Royale. [CD-Action 1/2013, p.59]

Narita Boy’s art direction is spectacular, and the story is fun, but the adventure itself is disappointing – shallow, repetitive and stretched out. [06/2021, p.45]

A great revival of an old, crazy game and a very pleasant, fast FPS providing many hours of enthusiastic mouse torture. [12/2013, p.58]

To survive in Morkredd’s deadly darkness, you need light, and its only source is a huge glowing ball that you have to roll in front of you as you navigate environments full of obstacles. The game’s puzzles are simple yet clever, the journey is engaging, but the whole thing is very short (ca. two hours) and sometimes it is annoyingly easy to die. [02/2021, p.43]

My experience with Arma III contained equal doses of pleasant surprise, delight, feeling of emptiness after finishing single player missions, and longing for more. If you’re mainly interested in the single player campaign, I advise you to wait at least for the first DLC before buying this game. [CD-Action 11/2013, p.58]

I’ve had a weak spot for tactical games since 1988 (Laser Squad!) and during all this time I had my share of occasionally frustrating titles. Partisans 1941 is far beyond occasionally frustrating – it was infuriatingly hard even on lower difficulty setting, and additionally unfair due to chaotic combat and disheartening bugs (spotted by a sentry through a solid wall? Mission over!). [13/2020, p.34]

Generally it makes a pretty good impression but fails to thrill. Letting players create new adventures is a great feature (I already found some real gems), but the game lacks a proper open world, microtransactions are pricey and the animations look worse than in old World of Warcraft. [CD-Action 09/2013, p.60]

Maybe I was spoiled by Civilization, but Master of Orion struck me as scant in terms of bells and whistles. It also doesn’t look and doesn’t sound particularly good, but transparent rules, well-designed interface and variety of paths to victory make it a very reasonable proposal for the fans of classic 4X games. [11/2016, p.68]

I love PC gaming – despite all the inconveniences it’s the only platform that offers such genuinely unconventional games. [CD-Action 03/2013, p.74]

After having spent over 80 hours with Inquisition I was tired of it and Jaws of Hakkon did absolutely nothing to reignite the flame. [06/2015, p.57]

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but Wild Run introduced so many vital improvements that in my case it caused love at second sight. [01/2016, p.63]

The way the story branches out depending on your choices is really impressive, but experimenting with it becomes repetitive after a while due to scarcity of levels and too easy (but otherwise enjoyable) combat. [06/2016, p.47]

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]

Severed Steel left me conflicted. On the one hand, it’s a pity that a couple of truly brilliant ideas were implemented in a generally unpolished game. On the other hand, despite all its flaws it’s a fun, engaging shooter that kept me in front of the screen for hours. [12/2021, p.39]

An enjoyable parody of low budget sci-fi movies from the 50s. [03/2016, p.55]

It's been years since we were treated to such a thrilling detective story in a game. It's the best point'n'click title by Frogwares. [12/2012, p.58]

11-11 is neither an example of good impressionist art, nor a good war movie or a good video game. It’s unbearably pretentious and so shallow it does not reach beyond simple platitudes (“not all Germans were evil”, “global conflicts affect ordinary people too”). It’s sad that brushing against a mature subject and going for an artsy feel is enough to make many people overlook obvious flaws of a game (in this case poor gameplay, among other things) and the fact that games as a medium are light years behind movies in terms of storytelling. [01/2019, p.74]

Shadow Fall does a great job when you want to show your friends what the PS4 is capable of –it looks gorgeous, especially on a big screen. But the visuals are where the whole next-gen thing ends, as gameplay-wise it’s just an old, traditional shooter, solid but not breathtaking. The writing is poor, there’s absolutely no breakthrough in terms of the AI and there are no memorable moments in the campaign, which by the way drags on for longer than it should (it took me about 9 hours to finish the game and I spent the last 2-3 hours eagerly awaiting the credits). The multiplayer does not disappoint though. [01/2014, p.56]

The House of the Dead 4 is enjoyable but also a couple of years late. If you like light gun shooters I advise you to pick up The House of Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut (if you haven't done so yet). [July 2012, p.82]

There’s no way to get bored in Life Goes On. Partly because it frequently introduces new obstacles and other elements of environment, but also due to the fact that it only lasts for three hours. [06/2014, p.67]

Tides of Tomorrow transforms narrative adventure games with its asynchronous multiplayer mode, offering a fascinating world and gameplay, but at the same time it suffers from significant ludonarrative dissonance.

Far: Changing Tides might be too easy for an experienced gamer, and its sailing mechanics require too much attention and get tiringly repetitive, but this somewhat melancholic puzzle platformer undeniably has a unique atmosphere and charm to it. Overall, I enjoyed Far: Lone Sails (Okomotive’s previous game) more.

It’s one of the most beautiful MMO games and it offers a really cool combat system, but as a whole it is simply boring and most of the time I spent with it I was considering going back to ArcheAge. [05/2016, p.46]

Worth checking out, especially if you're interested not only in racing with your kid on split screen, but also in tackling the powerful but not very friendly editor. [1/2013, p.65]

It's not a DLC that you need badly, especially if you still have something else to do in Skyrim. But if you already know it inside out and are hungry for more, Dawnguard will quench your thirst. [September 2012, p.66]

I treated Motocross Madness with reserve but then spent half the night with it enjoying its pleasant driving model and nice visuals but also wishing it had more content. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.75]

The game is so good that you need to control yourself around microtransactions to avoid a financial hangover. [13/2015, p.72]

It's a shame that the developers didn't have a few more months to finish their masterpiece. Despite the shocking number of bugs and flaws, Stalker 2 is an insanely addictive title that you just want to come back to. It's one of the most atmospheric open worlds I've ever experienced.

Many of the game’s features are limping like a maimed BattleMech but it doesn’t let down in the most important aspect – the one Piranha Games apparently feels the best in – dynamic, satisfying ‘Mech combat. [02/2020, p.52]

Valhalla had many flaws typical for Ubisoft’s titles, but it was easy for me to turn a blind eye to them, because the game was simply enjoyable. Wrath of the Druids lacks that quality. Ireland is pretty but lifeless and artificial, the story is bland, few new features fail to evolve the gameplay, and the whole thing is just more of the same. [08/2021, p.37]

I strongly urge you to give Scrolls a chance, especially that there’s a free demo available and the full game costs next to nothing. [02/2015, p.54]

Nebuchadnezzar is not as great as Pharaoh, the legendary city builder in whose footsteps it follows. However, it’s an interesting game that will satisfy your desire to build ancient cities, even if it relies too much on burdensome micromanagement. [05/2021, p.40]

I still don’t know if I pulled all those all-nighters with the game despite its bugs because of my Stockholm syndrome or because it’s really that good. [01/2020, p.59]

The first story DLC for the truly great RPG is simply okay. Wasteland fans will enjoy the new adventure, although it isn’t long (6-7 hours) and offers almost nothing you haven’t already seen in the base game. Be aware that you can’t play this DLC after completing the original story – you either need a save you made before “the point of no return”, or you have to start over and reach at least level 9. What a nonsense! [08/2021, p.46]

A charming and highly addictive game that can wear you down with its repetitiveness and unavoidable grind. [03/2016, p.49]

A solid traditional point’n’click game with a very distinctive look (inspired by the medieval Danse Macabre art style) and great music. It is a bit too simple though and takes at most two hours to finish. [05/2018, p.48]

Lego Pirates is hardly the best offering from the series but still is enjoyable. I will not recommend it to everyone – because the game's core concept got old – but those of you who love cute Lego parodies by Traveller's Tales' should be pleased. [June 2011, p.72]

It's been a while since I played such a challenging game – combat is fast, rewarding and so difficult that you're gonna grind your teeth to the point of breaking your fillings. The game's cruelty is constant and goes off the charts during boss fights. [June 2012, p.70]

It was pleasant to relive the birth of one of the most important franchise of the PS2 era... but it’s Resident Evil 2 that shows how one should remaster an older game these days. [03/2019, p.51]

Mad Max is this year’s equivalent of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – a really decent open world game that will not disappoint the fans of the franchise and will win over some undecided gamers, but will not be inducted into the industry’s hall of fame alongside Skyrim, GTA, Black Flag or The Witcher 3. [11/2015, p.28]

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is an interesting and partly successful attempt to recall what the first instalment of the series captured players with - full of well-written characters, with excellent voice acting and an atmospheric soundtrack.

An engaging and charming tactical RPG with above average visuals and audio and a rich cast of interesting characters. [07/2017, p.64]

It’s rather short but if you still long for Portals maybe this one could fill the void in your heart. [03/2020, p.73]

If you have a lot of free time (50-60 hours seem like a reasonable minimum) and are in no hurry, if you enjoy very complex, immersive games, if you’re willing to overlook numerous bugs and glitches and don’t mind a bland story – Medieval Dynasty is for you. Even though the constant backtracking might be a pain, I personally found the game’s slow pace relaxing rather than annoying and enjoyed my time with it. Plus there are a lot of options that let you simplify the experience and lower the difficulty level, so you don’t need to be a hardcore survival games fan to have fun with Medieval Dynasty. [12/2021, p.40]

An interesting tower defense in space, but also a one-trick pony. [Sept 2014, p.67]

If you’re really hungry for a metroidvania but you expect something more than “some indie jam stuff” go for a much better Axiom Verge. [09/2015, p.69]

If you enjoy tinkering with your equipment, skills and stats and you don’t mind some old school silliness, give Paper Sorcerer a chance. [05/2014, p.55]

The Missing Link complements Adam's story from the Human Revolution and on the other hand adds some new challenges. At times it even surpasses the original. [December 2011, p.97]

The biggest strength and simultaneously the most notable weakness of Dark Side is the fact, that it’s the first King’s Bounty all over again. It’s still fun, but how much longer? [Sept 2014, p.66]

It’s not the best Castlevania game ever, but for a digitally distributed minor title it’s really decent. And the visuals are surprisingly good for a game initially created for the 3DS. [01/2014, p.62]

Mom Hid My Game! makes up for its minimalistic visuals and simple mechanics with absurd humor and untamed creativity. [03/2018, p.63]

Even though it has no action sequences and lacks tension characteristic for modern TV series, I found South of the Circle to be more engrossing than As Dusk Falls. This narrative game turns out to be more ambiguous than it seems, and uniquely tells a wonderful tale using distinctive art style and a setting that sets it apart from other love stories.