This year’s WWE left me with mixed feeling. At its core it’s still a decent game and minor changes went in the right direction, but lack of Showcase mode and wasted potential of addressing the crowd held me back from being really excited. [13/2016, p.64]

Although lack of experience and some unexpected clichés can be painful, The Silver Case is like a debut punk rock album that was way ahead of its time. [13/2016, p.63]

Ride 2 has the ambition to appeal to as wide audience of motorbike fans as possible, so it offers loads of contents (tracks, bikes, competitions) and is very flexible in terms of customizing your experience. It’s the best bike racing game of this generation. [13/2016, p.62]

Imaginators puts a Diablo twist on Skylanders. Pure fun! [13/2016, p.61]

At the end of the season Hitman turned out to be a great game, arguably the best in the series. [13/2016, p.60]

I have nothing against tough games but if instead of satisfaction after overcoming a challenge I’m rewarded with a feeling of relief and humiliating gratitude for stopping the torture for a while – something went wrong. In my opinion Rive’s designers failed to distinguish what’s reasonably challenging from what’s unfair. [13/2016, p.59]

The Moon delights us with its entire glory just once a month – on other nights it looks unfinished. The same goes for Moon Hunters, which has its moments but its story seems incomplete and gameplay mechanics are too simple. [13/2016, p.59]

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]

It’s not just a game. It’s a wonderful journey to the past that revives beautiful memories. [13/2016, p.57]

Owlboy lacks a real challenge and a spark of genius that would elevate this enjoyable, extraordinarily pretty platformer to genre’s Olympus. [13/2016, p.56]

It’s the most enjoyable shooter I’ve played in a long, long time, a brilliant mix of different flavors that you simply need to try. [13/2016, p.52]

The sequel does not introduce significant new features, but it’s an enjoyable makeshift MMO if you’re a hardcore Dragon Ball fan. [13/2016, p.50]

I can only recommend this collection to people who intend to play it with a young Potter fan. Otherwise Lego Star Wars or Lego Hobbit will be a better choice, because these games are simply better. [13/2016, p.49]

It saddens me to see the game that stole more of my time than I’m willing to admit turn into a self-parody. Ashes of Ariandel is like a covers playlist prepared by someone who has never heard the original recordings. Its only truly valuable moment is the wonderful last boss fight. [13/2016, p.48]

You don’t want to spend your night in front of the computer? You have a wife and kids? You cherish your friendships and enjoy parties? Beware of this game. It’s that good. [13/2016, p.44]

Despite some obvious limitations caused by tight budget Aragami is a surprisingly good, challenging stealth game. [13/2016, p.42]

It’s nice to see old friends again and relive fond memories, but if Modern Warfare somehow failed to enrapture you back in the day, it most likely won’t do it now. [13/2016, p.40]

Good old Infinity Ward is back and not just with Modern Warfare Remastered! The single player campaign (the best in years!) alone is enough to give Infinite Warfare a chance. Just like with Doom and Titanfall 2 I expected nothing from the game and was shocked with how good it turned out to be. [13/2016, p.34]

An interesting hybrid of guild management, a board game and a card game, perfectly tailored for mobile devices. For me though there’s a bit too much stress on grind and the initial charm wore thin too quickly. [12/2016, p.79]

One of the best point’n’clicks released on iOS in recent times. [12/2016, p.79]

The levels are generated procedurally and the game doses new opponents and obstacles wisely. If only the enemies were smarter than an average bubble gum... [12/2016, p.78]

A Puzzle Bobble clone intended for kids, judging from the difficulty level and visuals. [12/2016, p.78]

A text adventure game that successfully pretends it’s not a game. The illusion of contacting real people is really immersive at times and I wish the story was longer. [12/2016, p.78]

It’s not the new Generations (that we’re all waiting for), but faithful fans of the series should be moderately happy with it if they can endure a subpar level design. [12/2016, p.77]

Chaos Chronicle is a sinful pleasure – it requires almost nothing except a bit of player’s attention, but is really well put together and microtransactions are not intrusive. [12/2016, p.77]

A distant cousin of Flappy Bird. When you get used to controls the sessions begin to last longer than 10 seconds and the game becomes really enjoyable. [12/2016, p.76]

For its price ($5, free on iOS and Android) Ambition of the Slimes definitely stands out among other tactical RPG’s. [12/2016, p.76]

The best kind of remake – it show the game the way you remember it, not the way it really was. [12/2016, p.76]

A complete sports game package tailored to any kind of player, if they’re at least casually interested in basketball. [12/2016, p.75]

Thanks to Mystery Chronicle I finally understood why people get addicted to roguelike games. [12/2016, p.74]

The Final Station’s gameplay is divided into two parts that fit together rather loosely. The first one is travelling from station to station by train and it offers almost no challenge. The game shows its true colors when it makes you leave the train and turns into a wonderfully creative and perfectly balanced 2D shooter. [12/2016, p.73]

My initial fascination with Event[0] quickly turned into disappointment. How am I supposed to build a relationship with an AI that would fail to trick a four-year-old in the Turing test? What’s more, the game lasts for 3 hours at most. It does offer various endings, but you influence them in the final stage of the game. [12/2016, p.73]

It’s a competent, accessible sim, but there is nothing special about it, so I didn’t miss it after I stopped playing it for the sake of this review. [12/2016, p.72]

The story mode (this year’s biggest selling point) is not perfect, but I was surprised how much I was invested in this idealized adventure every little boy dreams of while playing football with his pals. None other mode in FIFA or PES provides such experience. In all other departments – licenses, visuals, sound, atmosphere – the new FIFA is as strong as ever. [12/2016, p.67]

The PC version of Pro Evo stayed way behind the console editions and obviously exists only to squeeze some cash out of fans. Don’t buy it – either try FIFA 17 or keep playing PES 2016. It seems we need to wait until Pro Evo PC’s corpse decays completely and turns to dust to see it thoroughly overhauled. [12/2016, p.67]

If you can look past the usual scarcity of licenses (e.g. just two English clubs are licensed), you’ll see a great game – unpredictable, spectacular, deep, satisfying and engaging. It just needs time to show its advantages, because they might not be instantly obvious when you pick up a controller for a moment at a party. [12/2016, p.66]

The multiplayer mode is still excellent but I can’t stand how much this game as a whole is stuck in the previous generation both in terms of design and form. [12/2016, p.62]

In my opinion only masochists could possibly enjoy this game with its horrible AI, annoying micromanagement, chaotic battles and absurd difficulty level. [12/2016, p.60]

Apart from its great art style, I honestly don’t know why I should choose The Tomorrow Children over a crowd of similar survival games. [12/2016, p.58]

Apart from wonderful visuals Seasons After Fall has little to offer – it’s just another indie platformer built around one idea (a good one, at least). [12/2016, p.58]

The idea for this roguelike is great, but in my case The Curious Expedition’s charm wore off too quickly. I took the first place in my fifth or sixth attempt and though every time the game managed to surprise me, I needed just three hours to do it. [12/2016, p.57]

A huge disappointment. I can recommend The Collection only to those who never played the original games, because the quality of the remasters does not justify paying for them again (even old bugs were left intact!). [12/2016, p.57]

After all these years Dead Rising’s design is still absolutely unique. There’s no way you’ll finish the game in the first attempt. You’ll have to repeat it over and over again to work out the optimum scenario, but Dead Rising is so good you won’t mind that at all. [12/2016, p.56]

The new Forza Horizon is even more enjoyable than before and its only real fault is that it looks more like a large patch for Forza Horizon 2 than a full-blooded new entry in the series. [12/2016, p.54]

They say first impression matters the most. In case of Shadow Warrior 2 this first impression is terrific and lasts almost to the end credits. [12/2016, p.52]

It could have been a really great sandbox for one evening. It’s a shame the developers decided to extend it by over a dozen completely redundant hours, because they had fresh ideas for around one fifth of the campaign and made the rest of the game repetitive as hell. [12/2016, p.48]

Championship Edition DX+ was brilliant, because it was deep enough to satisfy hardcore high score chasers, but also offered straightforward fun even to casual gamers. Championship Edition 2 is so fast a lot of people will be overwhelmed by it. [12/2016, p.46]

The biggest obstacle on ReCore’s path to greatness is the uneven pacing of the campaign. First couple of hours, when the game gradually unveils its secrets, are almost perfect, but then it becomes unnecessarily hard and the story gets watered down too much. [12/2016, p.44]

On mobile devices Hybrid Wars would be a pretty good game for a morning commute. On PC it’s a run-of-the-mill futuristic twin-stick shooter that can’t hold a candle to Helldivers. [12/2016, p.43]

MRB’s most notable aspect is its nice pixel art, but I don’t think that’s enough to recommend this game, especially if you’re thinking on playing it alone. [12/2016, p.42]

A much needed radical change of setting worked great. It’s still obvious you’re playing a Battlefield game, but it offers a lot of period specific elements you won’t find in other war themed shooters. I was delighted with Battlefield 1’s multiplayer, but unfortunately the single player campaign is very uneven and leaves the aftertaste of squandered potential of a great setting. [12/2016, p.36]

What if we take Ninja Gaiden and make the protagonist run automatically? We get NinjAwasome – a game that’s really enjoyable in short sessions. [11/2016, p.75]

Square tried to give us a modern game heavily inspired by classic Final Fantasy titles, but lost its orientation somewhere on the way. The only advantage of Brave Exvius is the wonderful music during battles. [11/2016, p. 75]

It’s just Clash of Clans redone to make some easy money. [11/2016, p.75]

American Dream is not only a mockery from players who pick it up, but also a probably unintended satire on celebrities and the bubble of vanity they live in. [11/2016, p.74]

A Harvest Moon clone that just multiplies the amount of clicking instead of expanding the mechanics (as opposed to terrific Stardew Valley for example). [11/2016, p.74]

Buying Crypt of the Necrodancer is one of the most rewarding investments you can make while holding a mobile device. [11/2016, p.73]

Wow, what a strange phenomenon – a free mobile game based on a movie is much better than the movie itself. [11/2016, p.73]

Do yourselves a favor and buy Planet Robobot. Both its gameplay and wonderful visuals are worth it. [11/2016, p.73]

Despite some rough edges Deus Ex GO is a definitely recommendable puzzle game. [11/2016, p.72]

A humorous, easy to pick up kingdom simulator inspired by... Tinder. [11/2016, p.71]

The studio behind Slender: The Arrival tried to combine Mirror’s Edge with a first person shooter and inject it with Ori and the Blind Forest’s atmosphere, but only managed to prove that it’s often better to focus on one thing and get it right. [11/2016, p.70]

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]

Distinct visual style was the reason I noticed Winter Novel and sadly turned out to be the only thing worth mentioning. [11/2016, p.67]

At its core 7 Mages is a really decent dungeon crawler but it was ported from mobile devices sloppily, to say the least. [11/2016, p.67]

In comparison to beautiful, fluid, rich Forza Motorsport 6 Assetto Corsa seems amateurish and I see no point in wasting time on looking for its alleged awesomeness when every platform offers at least one better racing game. [11/2016, p.66]

If you worry you’ll get stuck because of all the hacking (done by typing in commands), rest assured that Quadrilateral Cowboy turns it into pure pleasure. [11/2016, p.65]

Grow Home’s sequel is still charming, enjoyable and cute as a button, but increasing its scale was completely unnecessary. [11/2016, p.64]

Due to its offensive simplicity and repetitiveness Champions of Anteria looks more like some mobile bull than a real strategy game. [11/2016, p.62]

A poorly written, ugly interactive crime movie that fails to even properly imitate freedom of choice and actions. [11/2016, p.61]

It’s the best Worms game in recent years, maybe even the best ever. It goes beyond rehashing fun from previous renditions and adds some cool new weapons and ideas. [11/2016, p.60]

Mocap team, the dancer and the choreographer did a great job, and it’s a pity their effort was wasted on such a mediocre game. [11/2016, p.58]

Militant is amateurish, looks like a dissected specimen from the PS2 era and offers absolutely nothing that would encourage you to bear with its defects. [11/2016, p.57]

How is it possible that Just Cause 3 DLCs are so bland and suck so much?! [11/2016, p.57]

It’s a very poor strategy game and I can’t recommend it even to the most enthusiastic fans of the genre. [11/2016, p.56]

Livelock is a case of a one-evening game: you launch it, annihilate hordes of enemies, kick the last boss’ butt and then you forget about it all. It will not be a life changing evening, but nonetheless a pleasant one. [11/2016, p.54]

A fairly enjoyable tribute to the ancestors of modern computer role-playing, but not deep and varied enough to keep me playing longer than I needed to without the impression that I’m wasting my time. [11/2016, p.53]

At last F1 is a game it should have always been – a feast for both hardcore Formula 1 fans who expect a proper simulation and those who want to pick up such game for the first time. It’s unbelievable that Codemasters’ series needed six years to reach the level of MicroProse’s unforgettable Grand Prix 4. [11/2016, p.52]

Even if the The Turing Test sometimes wanders into the realm of clichés in terms of both gameplay and the story, the developers tackled the subject of artificial intelligence really well and created an engaging game. [11/2016, p.50]

An interesting and well-executed concept sometimes held back by frustrating controls. [11/2016, p.48]

Obduction is scant storywise and in contrast to The Witness failed to gradually teach me how to deal with its puzzles, instead forcing me to use the trial and error method. Myst fans, however, should enjoy it. [11/2016, p.46]

Legion took me back to the times of World of Warcraft’s greatest splendor, to the era of The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. It miraculously revived a game that was already dead to me. [11/2016, p.44]

An abominable turd made to squeeze some money out of Katamari Damacy fans. [10/2016, p.71]

LotB drips with Maiden “mythology”, looks great and offers a decent gameplay, but becomes repetitive too fast and relies on grinding too much. [10/2016, p.71]

Generations is a sort of a greatest hits compilation that will benefit newcomers the most. [10/2016, p.70]

It’s actually a perfect smartphone game, but on 3DS it doesn’t attack you with ads, microtransactions and other annoyances associated with the free-to-play model. [10/2016, p.70]

Less than two hours of playing time is just right for Abzu’s shallow gameplay. The game offers a hefty dose of “beautiful moments” but fails to make any lasting impact. [10/2016, p.68]

Every level of EDF is like a mix of Omaha Beach, Pearl Harbor, Thermopylae and Helm’s Deep. Yes, the visuals might be laughable, but it’s the price for the enormous scale of battles. [10/2016, p.67]

One of the best party games ever made – and I don’t even like cooking. [10/2016, p.65]

Dear Telltale, having to write this breaks my heart, but we cannot see each other again. Please don’t message me, please don’t call me to tell me about Bridget Jones: The Telltale Series (or whatever franchise you’ll turn into a primitive, derivative husk of a game in the future). I’d love to say it’s not you, it’s me, but... well, it’s you. [02/2017, p.54]

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

There’s hardly any thrill in Renegade. [10/2016, p.63]

I found Knot to be a very enjoyable, relaxing change from my usual shooters and other action games. [10/2016, p.63]

Sadly all the words I would like use to concisely sum up Ghostbusters are not admissible in print. [10/2016, p.62]

I was really hoping I Am Setsuna will turn out to be the promised spiritual successor of Chrono Trigger. Instead it’s more of a walk through a museum of obsolete ideas that lack some binder which would make the game as engaging as Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy V. [10/2016, p.60]

The price to fun ratio is amazing, but Starbound’s biggest advantage is the freedom it offers. I took a long break from Elite Dangerous to play this indie gem – it’s that good! [10/2016, p.58]

Necropolis’ highlight is its Souls-like combat based on locking on targets, managing the stamina bar, blocking and dodging. The game’s general minimalism serves it well and permadeath encourages to try harder. [10/2016, p.56]

Atlus does not step outside safe territory charted by Persona. #FE will mostly be appreciated by people interested in the Japanese idol scene and those of you who need some more Persona right away. [10/2016, p.55]