The best parts of Under the Waves are the moments when you can peacefully explore the depths of the sea and observe the creatures that inhabit them. The story about an evil corporation and a man who can’t cope with loss is clunky and introduces an unnecessary emotional weight that spoiled the whole experience for me.

Initially, the game is solid, but it quickly starts to lose its identity and alternates extremely difficult moments with childishly easy ones. In addition, an interesting setting and nice-looking environments are dragged down by outdated graphics and poorly designed gameplay mechanics. Achilles: Legends Untold had the potential for greatness, but ended up being a middling game that you can enjoy only if you’re ready to constantly turn a blind eye to its flaws.

RoboCop: Rogue City is an uncompromising shooter that became my guilty pleasure. It might lack high production values or the spark of ingenuity, but you can clearly see heart and soul put into it. The game was obviously made by RoboCop buffs for RoboCop buffs, because the amount of fan service it contains is overwhelming.

You may dislike walking sims, you may have never heard of Stanisław Lem or you don’t care for his books. In all those cases The Invincible extends a hand to you. Firstly, it tries to vary the gameplay as much as possible. Secondly, it doesn’t require knowledge of the novel it draws from. Thirdly, it makes Lem’s hard sci-fi accessible even for people who are not fond of his work. Above all, The Invincible is a neatly told story, suspenseful till the very end and supported by an absolutely brilliant soundtrack.

Alan Wake 2 looks like a true AAA game, but experiments with form and content like an ambitious indie title. Since it sounds like typical Remedy, are there no surprises? On the contrary! In my opinion, despite some annoying bugs and clunky combat, it's the best game the Finns have released since the first Max Payne.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is not a safe addition to the franchise, it’s a new spin on Nintendo’s platformers. The Japanese developer delivered amazing graphics, smooth gameplay, and a multitude of previously unseen features, while the effects caused by wonder flowers are more exciting than riding a roller coaster. A must-have for Switch owners.

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.

I see a parallel between Lords of the Fallen and Dark Souls II: there’s something amiss here and there, but the game is trying its best. Everybody knows there are better, more polished titles in this genre, but what LotF lacks in terms of gameplay or technical execution, it makes up for with interesting ideas, solid boss battles or the unique atmosphere of Umbral, the realm of the dead. I recommend giving it a chance, because in most part it is a decent game.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series works well as a tie-in, because it recreates the atmosphere of the series and explores the past of a loved character (Cara Gee as Drummer is amazing as always!). However, as a whole, it is a middling game that ends before it really gets going. I also regret that the developers missed the opportunity to delve deeper into The Expanse’s universe, as this setting has a lot to offer.

This expansion doesn’t need an introduction or a recommendation, because it’s been on Resident Evil fans’ radar for a long time. Ada is great as the main character, the campaign (expanded compared to the original) does not disappoint, and I was pleased to see the return of some bits cut from Leon’s adventure.

The biggest advantage of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is that it lets you play the early installments of the series on modern platforms. As a fan of the franchise, I enjoyed additional content such as Master Books, screenplays, visual novels, and the soundtrack, but unfortunately this is not enough to rave about this bundle. Konami could have done much, much more for these classics but didn’t and missed the opportunity to reach younger players with them.

Ghostrunner 2 is not the sequel I expected. Instead of just “bigger and improved”, I got a real rollercoaster of crazy events, brilliantly designed levels and new additions that turned a one-dimensional story into a futuristic anime. From rushing down neon corridors to riding a motorbike through wastelands to exploring cyberspace – everything offers incredible experiences.

The sequel is bigger and better, sometimes truly epic. Two cool protagonists, a story full of twists and turns, sparks of humor, well-designed side activities – what more could you want? There are some shortcomings, including significant departures from the Spider-Man canon established in other stories (if things like that bother you), but overall, I had a great time and didn’t skip anything the game has to offer. Spider-Man 2 is undoubtedly one of this year’s top titles.

The gameplay of EA Sports FC 24 differs from FIFA 23 in nuances only and the overall changes are minor. While the game can be impressive thanks to the most realistic animations to date, it is just as often irritating due to its erratic physics engine. All that’s left for football fans is to hope that next year’s edition will be bolder, because this new start under the altered title is underwhelming.

The Switch edition of Gothic offers comfortable controls, improved inventory system, a quick save feature, and everything the game’s admirers love about it. If you’re a die-hard Gothic fan and you’re enthusiastic about crossing the Barrier again on Switch, go for it. Everyone else should bear in mind that it’s a pretty basic port of a 22-year-old game and carefully consider spending their money on it.

How good Starfield is depends on how much you’re willing to forgive it. Skyrim developer’s new RPG caters to a specific audience and although you can feel at every step that the eons-old “Bethesda game” formula is wearing out, Starfield can still be an extremely addictive experience.

The latest entry in the heist series has the potential to become a worthy successor to Payday 2 which managed to bring together a huge community of players. We just need to wait until the developers provide more content and add some pretty basic online functionalities that are missing (e.g. voice chat), because the game’s current state leaves a lot to be desired.

The Crew Motorfest is a very satisfying, constantly surprising racing game with a great single player campaign and an engaging multiplayer mode. Sadly, microtransactions significantly slow down the process of unlocking new vehicles and the interface can be distracting while driving. The developers of the Forza Horizon series can still rest easy, but they need to be aware that a worthy rival has joined the race and in some respects overtook their creation.

Mortal Kombat 1 is not a revolution but rather an evolution that continues the franchise’s good streak. Excellent combat system, solid story mode and some truly noteworthy additions (like Kameo or Invasion Mode) make it really difficult to tear yourself away from the controller. Sometimes you can feel that the series is starting to chase its tail, but for now it’s hard to find a similarly accessible fighting game.

Lies of P is a solid, well-thought-out game that – apart from some minor touches of originality – sticks closely to the formula developed by FromSoftware. Although every aspect of this Soulslike could be better, I believe fans of the genre will have a lot of fun playing it (if you can call dying 30 times in a row a lot of fun, that is).

Sea of Stars is a flavorful game that tries to imitate jRPG greats with varying degrees of success. It has some obvious flaws and treads a beaten path in terms of the story, but it is also beautiful and boasts an interesting combat system. I recommend it especially to newcomers to the genre. Sabotage Studio seams to be heading in the right direction and if it decides to evolve their gameplay mechanics in a sequel, the effects may be impressive.

More a movie than a game, Fort Solis surprises with top-notch acting and creates a pretty decent atmosphere, but doesn’t offer any real challenge. It focuses on exploration but the protagonist’s sluggish movement effectively discourages it. This walking simulator will either captivate you enough to finish the story in one sitting or bore you in the first fifteen minutes.

Ride 5 proves clearly that when it comes to motorcycle physics, Milestone currently has no equal. It’s by far the best installment to date and while the pace at which the series evolves may not be fast, the most important thing is that the Italians are heading in the right direction.

Turbo Overkill is an action game that throws in pop-culture references at every step and draws heavily on the genre’s achievements but combines everything it borrows in a surprisingly creative way. And unlike many retro shooters that end after four hours, you can actually get your fill of this one.

With its atmosphere, brilliantly written characters, action-packed missions skillfully set in the open world, and multitude of side activities, Red Dead Redemption can still rival games released years (and console generations) later. I recommend it even to those who don’t much care for the Wild West setting.

This is exactly how legendary games should be revived: with respect for the source material, enhanced and expanded, not tarnished or turned upside down. Quake II Remastered offers the main campaign, two original mission packs, a completely new expansion and Quake II 64, and thanks to a handful of improvements plays even better that 26 years ago.

At first glance Blasphemous 2 may look just like its predecessor, but it offers much more content and significantly improved gameplay. It’s a polished, addictive metroidvania that every fan of the genre should play.

Forza Motorsport lets you enjoy the atmosphere of racing and recreates driving sports cars brilliantly, but it definitely needs updates that would introduce more tracks and some graphical improvements. However, minor shortcomings do not take away from the pleasure of experiencing the game’s excellent driving model which is close enough to a serious simulation but at the same time accessible to mass audience. In terms of gameplay it’s undeniably the best Forza ever.

I wish Mirage were the game I’ve been waiting for as a fan of the franchise, but it’s not. The developers’ desire to make it similar gameplay-wise to classic installments of the series is obvious and welcome, but as a whole, this is a surprisingly bland product with an average story, poorly written NPCs and embarrassingly weak dialogues. Moreover, Basim’s adventures do not bring anything valuable to the series. It’s a hollow, shallow and basically unnecessary game developed to showcase the Middle Eastern setting.

It’s a pity that Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t look like this at launch. However, Phantom Liberty works great not only as a showcase for the Update 2.0 which completely overhauled the game, but also on its own, as a powerful spy story with tough choices and outstanding Idris Elba as Solomon Reed. Overall, CD Projekt Red has again released a DLC superior to the base game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of those games that become part of the generational experience. Just like its predecessors, it will be included amongst the greatest cRPGs for many years to come. Not only is it engrossing and immensely entertaining, but perhaps for the first time in history, it offers players the impression of participating in a real-life RPG session.

Immortals of Aveum’s quality is very uneven and for every well-executed element there’s a “but” of some sorts. The combat system is great but not as unique as the developers claimed. We get 60 fps but at the expense of blurry graphics. The game’s intriguing lore deserves attention but is obscured by silly humor.

Armored Core VI is not your typical action game. It’s a game about building robots, going into battle and verifying the effects of your engineering efforts. The enormous possibilities of modifying your mech, the undying joy of combat, and the hefty challenges you need to overcome greatly outweigh the little flaws on this diamond.

Dave the Diver is the best thing I’ve played this year and I wish I had more such stellar games in my life to help me escape the grey reality. Its gameplay loop is terrifyingly addictive and the “one more dive syndrome” lies in wait for anyone who decides to check out this dark horse of the GOTY race.

Lifting heavy things was never so fun! Moving Out 2 is a very enjoyable game that truly shines in the local or online co-op mode. The level design is stellar, while the variety of objectives makes this gem difficult to put down.

The beginning of Atlas Fallen is simply awful but later, when the story unleashes the player on the open world, the adventure becomes more interesting. The game features a clever character development system, dynamic combat and very enjoyable exploration, but the developers forgot to polish all the other elements, which sadly represent the level of lower-budget sandboxes from a decade or two ago.

Requiring creativity and spatial imagination, this puzzle game draws you in from the very first minutes. If only it told its story better and dared to be more difficult and bolder, it would be nearly perfect.

Ratchet & Clank’s first-time PC appearance is a great occasion to revisit the amazing adventure or get acquainted with the duo. There’s a condition though – you need a monster computer to truly enjoy this port. Although Rift Apart works surprisingly well on Steam Deck, on an older desktop PC (i7-3930K, GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB RAM, HDD) I experienced significant framerate drops and sometimes even crashes. On a powerful config (i9-13900K, RTX 4090, 64 GB RAM, SSD M.2) it ran perfectly and looked insanely good, defending the title of one of the most beautiful games in history.

Unholy’s puzzles are trivial, combat is very basic, and stealth elements are simply annoying. There’s also a seemingly tangled story which I stopped caring about after the first hour. Unholy had potential, but I feel like the developers weren’t entirely sure what kind of game they want to make and went overboard with excess ideas.

Pikmin 4 is an example of a perfect sequel. The designers introduced relatively small changes which turned out to be crucial in terms of gameplay, thus proving that you don’t need a revolution to create a game that lets fans rediscover the series.

The latest expansion pack has a couple of shortcomings but brings a whole lot of fun. It enriches the game’s world, provides many activities, offers different ways of running a backyard business, and gives a lot of freedom in how you handle the horses.

This game could have been on par with Theme Park or Rollercoaster Tycoon and maybe someday – after numerous patches – it will be. But for now, it is a disappointment to all the fans of amusement parks, rollercoasters, and haunted houses.

A worthy successor to Jagged Alliance 2. It’s a pretty, long, complex and difficult game where tactical turn-based combat meets tycoon and RPG components. JA3 requires a lot of time and full concentration, and although it can be frustrating sometimes, finishing it is highly rewarding. Give it a try!

Nintendo Switch ports of the 2001 and 2004 Pikmin games prove that an original gameplay idea can hold up even after a long time. It is worth helping the tiny creatures in their adventure and experience the legendary childlike joy that’s an integral part of this series.

The latest installment of the popular Formula 1 simulator puts the series back on the right track. You can still have some complaints about F1 23, but improved AI, a new driving model, and more restraint in bombarding players with DLC purchase offers have made the new Codemasters game worthy of attention.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a challenging and extremely satisfying tactical shooter whose music and visual side will make every Alien fan feel right at home. It’s a shame, however, that the gameplay is marred by bugs and chaotically placed save points, which sometimes make missions mercilessly time-consuming and ruthlessly difficult.

Despite its smaller scale, this amazing tribute to F.E.A.R. surprised me with spectacular and devilishly satisfying combat. Trepang2 recycles assets without moderation and sometimes loses momentum, especially in sections where it focuses on its unremarkable narrative and pretends to be a horror game, but those are minor hiccups in an otherwise great FPS. Definitely worth checking out.

Layers of Fear combines both games (properly remade with Unreal Engine 5) and DLCs in a slick, reasonably priced package that binds the two stories together. However, neither the new content nor the graphical upgrade justifies the expense if you’ve already played the originals.

Nightdive Studios did a solid, thorough job of restoring the classic, but I have the impression that the developers focused too heavily on trying to please those who remember the original fondly. Its numerous annoying elements that were left untouched show how much the industry has changed over the past three decades and I’m afraid will discourage many younger players accustomed to modern standards. SHODAN, however, is as terrifying as she was years ago.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about Showgunners, but the game engagingly blends turn-based combat with real-time exploration and uncomplicated yet intellectually challenging puzzles. Despite some degree of repetitiveness, the dragged-out ending, and a couple of other shortcomings, I believe Showgunners deserves giving it a chance.

Planet of Lana is an enjoyable change from large games, a relaxing experience with a couple of poignant moments. It’s not in the same league as Ori and the Blind Forest or Limbo, and its puzzles could’ve been more creative, but in my opinion it’s still a strong debut by Wishfully and I’m curious what the future holds for the studio.

For a series that lets you experience how time-consuming agriculture can be, Farming Simulator 23: Nintendo Switch Edition works surprisingly well in short sessions. However, I can’t recommend it unconditionally in good conscience, because to enjoy it, you need to turn a blind eye to the questionable technical state it was released in. If you’re willing to look past its below-par graphics, poor optimization and less-than-ideal controls, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it.

Final Fantasy XVI is a technical masterpiece with some jaw-dropping scenes, but the game’s genre (it’s a hack’n’slash, not an RPG!) fails to fully support 40 hours of gameplay. I’m happy that I had the opportunity to play it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the developers put more meticulousness and money than heart into it, forgetting a pinch of madness that would have made this undeniably impressive game truly stellar.

Street Fighter 6 boasts a superb combat system and provides a lot of freedom in terms of developing your character. Unlike Street Fighter 5, it offers many game modes from the get-go, but unfortunately World Tour is not as interesting as Capcom had us believe it would be. On the other hand, Arcade features excellent environments and pretty character models, but disappoints with its story. Despite those downsides it is a great game smartly designed to be both accessible to newcomers and appealing to veterans.

The new installment introduces a lot of changes, but does not depart from the atmosphere of the previous entries to the series. It’s an excellent turn-based strategy that offers not only an engaging campaign, but also graphics unmatched across the genre. The only thing Age of Wonders 4 needs, are improvements to the multiplayer, as right now it doesn't work great.

Nintendo has outdone itself again. Tears of the Kingdom is the best game ever made for Switch. It’s a show of developers’ untamed creativity, a huge, complex, well thought-out and intriguing marvel with a unique identity. We will be talking about it for years to come.

Hrot draws from Quake, Duke and Blood but does it half-heartedly and due to the setting resembles the forgotten You Are Empty more than the aforementioned classics. It holds its own in terms of level design, but you can feel it was developed by just one person.

This game is a joke, and not a funny one. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is shockingly ugly, awfully designed and annoying in its many inconsistencies. Let’s just forget this happened.

No surprises here – and that’s why I’m somewhat disappointed. Diablo IV is a really well-designed game with many undeniable strengths, including dark atmosphere, attractive graphics and decent story, and it’s going to appeal to many fans of the series. What I regret is Blizzard’s lack of courage to push the boundaries and deliver something refreshing.

As a whole, Wartales might not be a masterpiece, as it suffers from repetitiveness and lack of polish, but it provides lots of fun. Built on a foundation established by classic RPGs, it offers a varied world that feels alive and is rewarding to explore. The combat is dynamic despite being turn-based and the multitude of available skills lets you develop thousands of builds for your band of mercenaries. Overall, Wartales has huge potential and is definitely worth coming back to.

Delighted with the game’s art style and fascinated by its atmosphere, I spent dozens of hours with Darkest Dungeon II and I will probably spend dozens more. It is undeniably a great game with many strengths, but it differs significantly from its superb predecessor and it will never take its place in my heart.

Redfall’s design is disappointingly safe and the whole thing is painfully unpolished. It’s a patchwork that draws inspiration from multiple games, but does it ineptly. Many of Redfall’s elements feel unfinished, ill-considered or deliberately pushed aside as if acknowledged as unnecessary by the developers. The game will not surprise you in any way, but there’s a good chance it will annoy you with generic quests, laughable AI, repetitive gameplay and botched optimization. I definitely did not expect something like this from the studio that gave us Dishonored.

Skinny & Franko’s surprisingly deep combat system is not enough to outweigh the long list of game’s flaws that includes exaggerated difficulty, amateurish voice acting and infuriating bugs sometimes forcing you to repeat dragged out levels with no checkpoints.

Burning Shores introduces an amazing new region that takes advantage of the flying mount and lets the Decima engine shine to the fullest. Although the DLC doesn’t expand Horizon’s lore, it’s an elegant bridge between Forbidden West and the upcoming next game in the series. It’s a shame, though, that such a large map offers so little side activities.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game Star Wars deserved. Even if you were not convinced by the previous installment, the sequel is still worth giving it a chance. Not only does it further improve those elements that worked well before, but it also fixes some of Fallen Order’s flaws with minor changes and makes Cal more interesting as a character. It’s the best Star Wars game published by EA and one of the best ever created. However, it could’ve used more polish, because various bugs and shortcomings spoil the fun too often.

Copying your own ideas is not a sin, but what worked well in a larger open-world adventure, doesn’t necessarily hold up paired with a linear story. A remake created from scratch, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a decent game but also a significant step backwards compared to Chapter One.

An exciting idea and a great execution. The joy of watching vegetation regrow successfully replaces the satisfaction of seeing your metropolis thrive in traditional city builders. Terra Nil is a pretty and rewarding game with a valuable message and it’s a pity it offers nothing besides the campaign that left me with overwhelming feeling of emptiness.

Dredge is a short, humble game full of unrealized potential. The longer I played it, the more I regretted that it offers so little content. Black Salt Games also couldn’t decide whether their debut title should be relaxing or challenging, and as a result it does neither well. However, it is still a fun change from huge RPGs and open worlds that devour weeks.

I didn’t expect much and I’m still disappointed. We were promised spectacular gunfights and breathtaking heists, basically an interactive gangster movie, but instead got a mediocre game with some interesting ideas (e.g. roguelike elements) that failed to outweigh dated overall design, awful AI and poor writing. Well, at least it has co-op.

Dead Island 2 does not pretend to be anything more than just a video game, even for a moment. Its every element, from the bland story to the environments, serves the purpose of making smashing zombie heads fun. The problem is, after a couple of hours this fun starts to give way to repetitiveness.

Everspace 2 is a great space combat game infused with the spirits of Descent, Freelancer and Elite: Dangerous. To some degree it also resembles Diablo or Skyrim in space. You roam around planetary systems and complete missions, while upgrading your ship with heaps of varied armor pieces, weapons and gadgets. Overall, it is a very good game with tons of content, but sometimes you can notice that the developers had to cope with a limited budget.

Was it worth the 10-year wait? Well, the game itself was, because it is still good, but the port is straight up awful, which is kinda funny, because it was made by the same studio that developed the infamously terrible PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight. There are moments when the graphics are impressive, but optimization is horrible and the game will surprise you with crashes more often than it will with story twists.

Anno 1800 is a stellar strategy game and while the Console Edition has some flaws (e.g. large interface windows cluttering the screen, some technical issues, the lack of major expansions available on PC), they’re not so annoying as to suck the fun out of the experience. However, it seems the PS5 and Xbox version of the game was developed with novices rather than veterans of the series in mind. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with Anno 1800 Console Edition very much.

The beloved highlight of the Resident Evil franchise returns in a form that makes it even easier to love. Capcom did a great job with the remake and it shouldn’t be hard for new players to understand why RE4 is revered by the fans of the series and considered one of the greatest achievements in the genre. Veterans shouldn’t expect changes as far-reaching as those introduced in remade Resident Evil 2, but I believe they will appreciate some well thought out improvements, welcome additions and pleasant surprises.

A “Souls with guns” type of game (think Returnal), but more forgiving than most representatives of the genre. It looks barely decent and its level design is obsolete (invisible walls!), but it turned out to be quite enjoyable, although in short sessions only. A couple of original ideas make Scars Above distinct enough and ultimately it’s a shame it is so modest. It would definitely benefit from a bigger budget and more boldness on the part of the developers.

Historical fiction served as a game full of swordfights, content and design choices straight from the past. Apart from some shortcomings arising from the fact that we’re dealing with a remake of an almost decade-old title, it’s hard to point out any major flaws of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s latest offering. More than just an engaging action game, Like a Dragon: Ishin! lets you experience an incredibly romantic era and a charming story of a warrior with a heart of gold, who’s always ready to put his quest for vengeance aside to go fishing, cook a dinner, pray at a shrine, help someone write a love letter or show kids how to find Japan on a globe. Although it’s a spin-off, it works great as in introduction to the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.

After devoting almost 40 hours to Company of Heroes 3, I’m having serious trouble rating this game, as I could easily justify any score between 6 and 7+ out of 10. Overall, it’s a solid strategy game that provides a lot of content in the form of two campaigns – linear and dynamic. I enjoyed them both but found neither of them outstanding.

Inspired by Quake and other classics but devoid of any distinctive qualities that would help it stand out among other boomer shooters, Dread Templar is pretty fun but ultimately forgettable.

While the VR Horizon is targeted mainly at the fans of the series, I believe others too will enjoy the game’s large world, great close encounters with machines, fun archery, and a number of other activities that highlight PS VR2’s capabilities.

New visuals look great without completely ditching the distinctive style of the original Pharaoh, more fluent animations add to the positive experience, while the gameplay is still demanding and addictive. Overall, Pharaoh: A New Era lives up to expectations for remakes of classic games, but Triskell Interactive should have worked much harder on the interface, as its new version makes the game harder to enjoy.

An engaging story about a group of dirty cops in cyberpunk Hong Kong, Wanted: Dead is a modest but highly enjoyable game dripping with the atmosphere of violent B movies and full of intense, memorable shootouts and swordfights. Be prepared to die often, because the game’s difficulty level is a throwback to the PS2 era.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty features some really cool ideas – unusual mechanics related to combat, a rich array of spells or a reputation system that rewards exploration. Its outdated, linear level design trails behind Dark Souls, not to mention Elden Ring, and sometimes I was annoyed with uneven difficulty level but I still believe every soulslike enthusiast should at least take a closer look at Team Ninja’s game.

I appreciate the new interface (it needs getting used to though) and talent system (those dilemmas!), as well as changes to crafting that raise its importance. I enjoyed dragonriding a lot and found quests to be engaging, but was disappointed by dull dungeons and repetitive endgame content. World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is a pretty safe expansion and I expected a bit more from it, but I do feel it has a huge potential that could be fulfilled in the near future.

Choo-Choo Charles is short and flawed, but you can give it a chance if you enjoy silly, kitsch horrors that are a motley of bizarre ideas which miraculously work together in some absurd way. Not for a full price though.

McPixel 3 is as crazy as it is funny. It demands a grasp of Monty Pythonesque humor, but if this requirement is met, every second with the game is a delight.

Session: Skate Sim is the best skateboarding game right now. It’s difficult, it’s challenging, but it offers unbelievable possibilities for a video game and is very realistic without going overboard. I’ve been dreaming of something like this for the past 20 years. If you like skateboarding, you must play it.

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.

In some respects Forspoken is a truly modern game that ditches the past generation and its limitations. Sadly, it turned out to be no more than a beautiful foundation ultimately used to create a benchmark rather than a compelling experience. I greeted the end credits with some relief and I’ll remember this game mainly as a case of a criminally wasted potential.

Hi-Fi Rush is a wonderful reminder of why we play games in the first place. The point is to enjoy yourself, to get away from everyday reality for a moment, to have an amazing adventure, to feel rewarded when you make progress and to smile at the thought of returning to the colorful world on the other side of the screen. This brilliant rhythm/action game gives you all that and much more.

Avalanche Software made us wait a long time for the effects of their efforts, but today I can only take my hat off to the team behind the game and admit it was worth it. Hogwarts Legacy is not just an amazing gift for Harry Potter fans, but above all an excellent action RPG that provides many hours of fun. It brilliantly fulfills a child’s dream of a journey to the world of magic, for which the credit goes primarily to the gameplay and world designers, because what the writers delivered is sadly no better than fan fiction.

It’s a solid remake that brings back the memorable experience but also enhances and modernizes it through a surprising multitude of subtle changes, giving Isaac’s tale a chance to delight new generations of players. The team at EA Motive clearly understood why Visceral’s survival horror was great and while they rebuilt it from scratch, they managed to retain the most precious ingredient – the tense, overwhelming atmosphere, now even more palpable thanks to stunning lighting and great 3D sound. However, while I did not mind backtracking and repetitiveness 15 years ago, they did bother me now, especially since new optional activities force you to run around the ship even more.

Changes introduced by the update are not far-reaching or crucial, but such improvements as fast loading or more comfortable controls make the experience more enjoyable. Looking at character faces, animations, and some elements of gameplay design, it’s hard not to notice The Witcher 3 was released in 2015, but it plays great in 60 FPS, the Continent is beautiful like never before and it’s still the immensely fun game many people fell in love with.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is an innovative mix of different genres that does many things well. Its combat system is satisfying, characters have depth, the atmosphere is great. However, you have to search for the game’s strengths under a massive pile of bland, tiresome dialogues that constantly keep you from actually playing, lame humor and endless tutorials.

The Callisto Protocol is a strange game in which high production values contrast with serious problems that stem from the very basis of its outdated gameplay design. It looks awesome and sounds great but it is botched in so many ways. Clunky combat, bland weapons, awful boss encounters, heavy scripting, unintuitive interface and run-of-the-mill story built around boring characters with no personalities – it all adds up and amounts to a chore rarely interrupted by some enjoyable moments. What’s more, it’s not even a good horror game, as the designers went for annoying jump scares instead of trying to create real tension.

What a wonderful surprise at the end of the year! Blacktail, a real gem dipped in Slavic folklore, delighted me with its distinct atmosphere, engaging narrative, sense of humor, and excellent music. What did not impress me, was the combat, but as a whole the game is a fantastic experience.

A 15-year old title brought back as a tasty appetizer for those who can’t wait for the second part of the new Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a very good remake with an addictive combat system. You can tell it’s a smaller-scale game designed for PSP, but it was remade with love and although it won’t change anyone’s life, Final Fantasy VII fans will definitely enjoy it.

Need for Speed Unbound has some issues (e.g. in-game economy needs immediate balancing), but is still quite satisfying and I consider it one of this year’s best arcade racing games (not that there’s a huge competition…). You may also like its unusual art style, but I personally think the developers took it a bit too far and should’ve worked harder on technical aspects of Unbound’s visual side.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is by no means a leap forward, but it is in every aspect superior to its already excellent predecessor. For me, it’s a perfect battle royale, although it’s a shame that right now, plagued by countless technical issues, it looks more like a prerelease build than a finished game.