Where Winds Meet tries to do too many things at once, which ends up in a way typical for this approach – there are many activities and mechanics, but none of them are particularly impressive.

I can recommend this game as a good introduction to the genre for those who would like to start their first virtual career as a football club boss, but it's still not much of a competitor for the Football Manager series. [December 2011, p.54]

It’s a pleasant thing for short gaming sessions, and a rather solid game from the technical standpoint. It could use more narrative polish and quest variety though. [04/2020, p.58]

Rating The Crew is problematic, because you can look at this game from two perspectives. In view of some simplifications and scripted moments it will not delight those in search of pure racing. Those who appreciate large open worlds however will be overjoyed. [01/2015, p.70]

Pumpkin Jack is a charmingly old-school game that would fit perfectly into the PS1 era. It’s colorful, full of humor, and offers huge, well-designed levels. It tries many different ways to mix up the gameplay, which is great, but all these efforts are too safe to bring any real surprises. [13/2020, p.71]

A love letter to Contra, Metal Slug and the likes, Mighty Goose does a really good job at recreating the look and feel of classic side-scrolling run-and-gun games. Of course, high difficulty level comes with the territory, but for me combat plunges into confusing chaos too often (“wait, is this an enemy bullet or just a harmless visual effect?”), somewhat spoiling the fun alongside the unfriendly autosave system. [08/2021, p.65]

Lords of Xulima is ugly, some of its elements are too simplistic and the story is poor but you rarely find an RPG that tests you intellect to such a degree, making you count every coin you spend, thoroughly examine every piece of equipment, keep track of food supply, endlessly tackle puzzles, carefully manage characters’ stats, look for alternate routes and find out how to beat different monsters. [08/2015, p.69]

The Ninja Gaiden trilogy differs from all the other slashers and even today stands out from most of the representatives of the genre. Instead of pleasing the mainstream tastes, the Japanese have created games that require you to master available techniques and are brutally difficult even if you do. Most players will find them much to hard to complete, but that’s why we love these team Ninja’s masterpieces, right? [09/2021, p.36]

The use of stop-motion-inspired animation alongside hand-crafted characters and environments makes playing Harold Halibut a truly unique experience. However, I wish the game was a bit shorter and more interactive.

This game would benefit from one more year of development to iron out some shortcomings but its essence – slaughtering zombies with customized weapons in close combat – is almost perfect. The 'just one more quest' syndrome is here along with fantastic, detailed environments and enjoyable 2-4 players co-op. May the sequel be even better! [October, p.34]

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

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]

It does show that Steep is a game born of passion in a studio located at the feet of Alps, so it is easier to turn a blind eye to some of its flaws, like faulty collision detection. It’s not a perfect game, it will not have a following as strong as SSX 3 did, but if you’re looking for a game that will let you hit the slopes, there’s a chance you’ll be returning to Steep often. [02/2017, p.50]

If you already have the previous edition of PayDay 2 (especially the PC version), you might see the Crimewave Edition as a robbery in broad daylight. If you don’t – it’s the best “robber simulator” there is. [09/2015, p.45]

The problems with framerate and shooting controls made me shorten my playing sessions out of frustration. [06/2020, p.73]

Dyscourse looks great on screenshots and seems like a complex gamebook, but in reality is not that beautiful and gameplay is very repetitive if you play over to see different outcomes. [06/2015, p.73]

Disastrous scoring system encourages some players to cooperate with the killer instead of running from him and reduces promising gameplay to nonsense (e.g. when the killer picks you up, throws you into a trap, resets it, picks you up, throws you into a trap, resets it, picks you up, throws you into a trap, resets it, picks you up...). [09/2016, p.58]

An old-school turn-based tactical game that will never get boring as long as you’re playing it in mobile doses. [13/2017, p.62]

A Temple Run clone (with some additions) that looks good, but got boring in an hour. [08/2015, p.81]

Very enjoyable, even addictive. [08/2015, p.78]

On the one hand I know a couple of better shooters that throw pixels the size of a bouillon cubes at you. On the other hand I had tons of fun with Brain Damaged thanks to its fast, challenging gameplay and tons of pop culture references. Plus, if I ever decide to put together a list of the most twisted game levels, some of new Postal’s maps are sure to be on it.

Cyanide Studios surprised me by making a game that’s genuinely worth recommending. What kept me from giving it a higher rating were some technical issues that I encountered. [01/2015, p.58]

It’s a toy that you buy to show to your friends. Completing the game takes about 2 hours and then at best you can occasionally laugh with your buddies at the mess you can make with the saw, scalpels, hammer and your bare hand. [CD-Action 07/2013, p.79]

Lacks polish and shows obvious signs of cuts, compromises and overall unfavourable circumstances in which the game was made. [01/2014, p.64]

When SaGa Frontier was first released in 1997, it was not magnificent, but it was memorable for its interesting attempts to do many things differently than the time-honored jRPG tradition demanded. When I played the remaster, I was pleasantly surprised how well the game stood the test of time. I wouldn’t call it an essential title every jRPG fan must play, but it is charmingly unpretentious and I enjoyed my time with it. [07/2021, p.42]

A solid expansion that lacks a wow factor. It failed to surprise me but I found two (out of three) new maps to be really good. [04/2018, p.48]

If you enjoyed the original Titan Quest, I believe you will enjoy this at least 10 hours long expansion. It still is a great hack’n’slash, but Ragnarok does little to enrich the experience, looks old and certainly will not delight you with its story. [02/2018, p.55]

In terms of improvements and the overall quality of the remaster, Nightdive Studios did some really solid work. The problem lies in the game itself – Acclaim was overly fixated on Valve’s success and as a result published something that was neither a good Half-Life nor a particularly satisfying Turok.

A platformer with a distinct graphic style. Gameplay-wise it resembles Sonic as the character can accelerate to great speeds. Real fun starts in multiplayer mode. [August 2011, p.72]

I haven’t seen such an interesting combat system in any other jRPG game. Who would’ve thought that I would await the next game of the Tales series more eagerly than the next Final Fantasy? [Nov 2014, p.72]

Omega Force keeps releasing the same game over and over again and some like it this way. But if you’re not a fan of the One Piece anime, I suggest picking up Dynasty Warriors 8 instead. [11/2013, p.86]

How to design an indie game to have it published on Sony’s platforms? It’s easy. The game just has to look nice and there may be some crumbs of gameplay in there somewhere. But not necessarily. If there’s no gameplay, you just call it ‘an experience’, not a game, and everything’s fine. [Nov 2014, p.73]

It’s a game for kids, therefore it doesn’t surprise you with complexity, but the figures are awesome. [13/2014, p.43]

A typical representative of the indie scene with intriguing visuals and one notable gameplay idea. Simple yet enjoyable. [05/2017, p.64]

Heliborne’s biggest problem is that it’s still far from the state of completion that would justify calling it a final release. [13/2017, p.55]

The remaster skillfully combines different versions of Powerslave and captures the style and atmosphere of first-person shooters from the 90s. For me, the game itself is not that great though. If you’re looking for a retro shooter, be aware that the action kinda takes a back seat in Powerslave, while you’re forced to complete platforming sequences, collect tons of necessary items and backtrack.

Goat Simulator 3 is a more extensive and technically polished but also less charming version of its predecessor. It’s perfect for co-op or brief relaxation, so the ideal course of action would be to buy it discounted and play it in short sessions.

Origins can be a lot of fun, but the game lacks freshness and boldness. The mechanics turn out to be underdeveloped and glaring with numerous bugs. Commandos fans will find something to enjoy here, but it is not the refreshing breath the genre needed.

The Bard’s Tale IV is like a beautifully composed song performed on out of tunes instruments. There are moments when it borders on genius, other times it actively encouraged me to uninstall and forget it. For every strength it has a weakness. Good writing, superb puzzles, great music, outstanding voice-overs and solid mechanics are counterbalanced by quite awful visuals (how can Unreal Engine 4 look so bad?), some examples of bad design, a truckload of bugs (how about skills that don’t work or the ability to loot a chest through a ceiling?) and frequent crashes. For me the advantages were what mattered more, but I completely understand scores in the region of 4/10. [12/2018, p.58]

Shadow Warrior 3 is a no-holds-barred shooter dripping with humor and full of spectacular moments. Sadly, it’s imperfect in almost every aspect. The sum of all flaws prevents it from shining really bright and reaching the level of Doom Eternal. Such a pity.

Why can't Activision approach Spidey seriously, invest enough money and time and finally make a game that all Spider-Man fans are waiting for? The Amazing Spider-Man ain't it. [August 2012, p.64]

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet somehow manage to be the best entries to the series and the worst ones, at the same time. Even though there’s plenty of fun to be had in Paldea, awarding these unbelievably buggy games a higher score would be a disservice to everyone, including Game Freak.

Double Dragon Neon can be very frustrating, because it's unforgiving, fighting mechanics are a bit clumsy and the main character is sluggish. That's how you played games back in the day. Fortunately you don't have to anymore. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.79]

It’s evident to me that HD Trilogy was cooked up quickly, without investing neither sufficient means nor heart and soul. [CD-Action 04/2013, p.80]

A short and simple walking simulator that’s worth your time not only because of unique, surreal visions it presents, great visuals and phenomenal music, but also because it tackles a difficult and rarely brought up subject of religion. [09/2018, p.58]

It’s hard not to notice that free World of Warcraft patches offer you just a bit less content than Rise of the Hutt Cartel. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.71]

Song of Iron doesn’t offer a unique story or fresh gameplay mechanics, but it is still memorable for its great art direction inspired by Norse mythology. I was very impressed by how consciously the developer makes use of light, shadows and perspective. During the 5-6 hours long adventure you will slay hundreds of enemies and while the combat system is well-executed, the game’s intensity can be a bit tiring. [11/2021, p.52]

In terms of gameplay RCR is rather simple, but it's a wonderful voyage to the land of classic games – all main missions are inspired by at least one oldie and there are plenty of references to both retro gaming and popular culture of the 1980s. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.72]

Sand Land is a very enjoyable action RPG focusing largely on driving vehicles, but neatly combining a wide variety of gameplay mechanics. Although the limitations of the not-so-high production budget sometimes manifest themselves, the whole game is a well-done tribute to Akira Toriyama.

Stardew Valley fans will feel right at home in this charming and beautiful game. Unfortunately, the more I played, the more flaws I noticed (e.g. fetch quests being the main course) and the more I was annoyed by poor optimization. Problems with the latter intensified as my base grew and they’re the main reason I couldn’t rate Cozy Grove higher. [07/2021, p.70]

Thanks to its unique setting (mythology of the East meets Däniken) and off-the-scale panache Asura's Wrath is a very interesting experience, but there's just not enough... game in it. Gameplay is very shallow, repetitive and easy. [April 2012, p.59]

The Fall of Dungeon Guardians might look like a shameless copy of Legend of Grimrock but it turns out to be a solid, surprisingly innovative dungeon crawler with an interesting combat system. [01/2016, p.60]

At first I was charmed, but Song of the Deep failed to rise to my initial expectations, because apart from an unusual setting and delightful fairy tale atmosphere it lacks something that would make it memorable. [10/2016, p.50]

At first glance, The Sims 4 Lovestruck is a very good expansion, inviting players to delve deep into gameplay and explore the new mechanics. However, the closer I looked at it, the more shortcomings I noticed. EA took a step in the right direction, but still failed to offer us a full-fledged add-on worth its price.

Additional proof that it’s better to relive fond memories in your head than resurrect them and be disappointed that turning back time went wrong. There’s a reason for the evolution the RPG genre underwent. 20-year-old gameplay mechanics today are wearisome and frustrating. And Legacy does not even serve them in modern wrapping, because the visuals are a decade old. [03/2014, p.62]

Eight years of development, a team consisting of even 250 people at some points, budget reaching hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a pity that this ‘Skyrim Online’ disappoints both fans of previous Bethesda games and MMORPG veterans who expected some fresh air in the stale genre. [06/2014, p.44]

It’s an enjoyable game that will win the hearts of children, but it’s far from breathtaking – it’s short and lacks a spark (e.g. a protagonist that is not only cute but also charismatic) that would make it memorable. [06/2017, p.66]

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]

Relics of War made me realize how much I need a Civilization game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Gladius is not there yet, but it is on the right path. It ditches trade, diplomacy, religion and cultural development and focuses on the military side of things, which of course is in line with the setting. I did miss other strategic layers a bit, but the game’s main problem is that it offers merely four factions. Other than that it’s very decent. [10/2018, p.86]

Infernally fast vehicles racing and blowing each other up on numerous, well-designed tracks where distinction between floor and ceiling is often purely formal. If you still remember Rollcage fondly, you will probably turn a blind eye to average visuals, annoying music and some AI problems to simply enjoy the sensation of speed. [01/2019, p.79]

It’s not your typical Battlefield, but if you don’t mind trading military uniform for a police badge, you can buy the game and enjoy long hours of fun playing cops and robbers online. The single player campaign is not worth your time. [05/2015, 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]

It requires you to precisely repeat exercises it gives you but Kinect sometimes fails to read your movements correctly (I would say it works fine 66% of the time). [CD-Action 02/2013, p.71]

A Normal Lost Phone is neither terrible nor thrilling. It doesn’t offer a truly interesting story, an engaging gameplay or a fresh outlook on the matters it touches. I feel I wouldn’t have missed anything, if I had never played it. [04/2017, p.55]

It’s a quite nice puzzle game with a quirky character and visual design but also which doesn’t actually stand out in any meaningful way. [01/2020, p.74]

There’s nothing surprising or novel in 9 Monkeys of Shaolin, but when I defeated the last boss, I thought “that was exactly what I needed”. It’s a simple, old-school beat ‘em up that got pretty much everything right – the combat system, the enemies, the difficulty. It is quite short (ca. 5-6 hours), but I see it as an advantage – the game ends before its simplicity and mild repetitiveness become real downsides. [13/2020, p.48]

Sadly this is not Kerbal Space Program. Mars Horizon concentrates on economy (somewhat like the old Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space) and you need to be a die-hard fan of tycoon games to truly enjoy it. Also, it could have been better in many aspects, including the visuals. Its 2D graphics are decent, but when the game goes into primitive 3D, it reminds me of 2001. [01/2021, p.74]

For over two decades, Syberia has been moving and thought-provoking, and now it can reach new generations, although I am aware that many new players will bounce off it, unable to swallow a certain dose of naivety in this story.

The sense of speed offered by Driveclub reminded me of the brilliant first GRID and I was having a lot of fun until I realized that cars are indestructible. Whether you stroke a wooden fence or smash into another vehicle at 300 km/h your car drives exactly the same afterwards. [Dec 2014, p.66]

It might be a good enough VR tech demo, but as far as interactive thrillers go (including those low budget), Transference is merely an exercise which falls short of what Observer or excellent Soma achieved artistically, technically and story-wise. [12/2018, p.85]

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]

Not only the first real MOBA game for consoles, but also one of the better ones in this sub-genre. There’s not many flaws I can point out in GoMe. If anything, I doubt its longevity – there are only 22 guardians to choose from and capabilities of building a community are much smaller than on PC. [CD-Action 02/2013, p.42]

It’s a well-made remaster but also one without which we could easily get by. Only for those who didn’t play the original game in the first place. [06/2020, p.58]

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

If you're searching for 'fantasy Civilization' and can look past complete lack of any story within the singleplayer campaign, you may want to check Warlock out. [August 2012, p.80]

The gameplay model developed by Omega Force still works great and if you’re into it, you’ll find it hard to leave this game. It’s a shame that the PC version was ported from PS3, not PS4, and there’s no original Japanese voice acting. [07/2014, p.62]

Hoa’s defining quality is simplicity. No complex gameplay mechanics, no elaborate story, no need to grow a third hand to push through challenging parts. That’s why I would recommend this beautiful, rather easy platformer primarily to young players. [12/2021, p.66]

Eve is one of the best looking virtual reality games, it makes great use of PS VR and its multiplayer mode is brilliant. [13/2016, p.80]

In a nutshell, Breathedge is a Subnautica in space. While it’s not as good as the Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s masterpiece and would benefit from a better story, it’s still a solid survival game, real pretty and spiced up with absurd humor. [05/2021, p.58]

Destroy All Humans! was rebuilt from scratch, but when it comes to the gameplay experience, it is identical to the 15-year-old original game. As a result, the story campaign feels outdated and gets stale after some time even despite the large arsenal of skills and weapons. It still is a fun game though and thanks to new visuals exploring the remade maps is a pleasure. [10/2020, p.52]

Despite clunky animations, repetitive gameplay and some technical issues with the Xbox Series X version, I completed The Medium twice. Its dual-reality design, art direction and brilliant soundtrack often made me stop to take in a view or relish the music. Its mature story and atmosphere reminiscent of Silent Hill helped a lot too. [03/2021, p.40]

Dreamfall Chapters is a satisfactory successor to The Longest Journey and Dreamfall, but not a good enough game in its own right. [09/2016, p.46]

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

Despite some problems with AI the single player campaign is a really solid, interesting set of challenges. It’s a deep, satisfying game with very different factions that forces you to adapt rather than employ universal strategies. [11/2015, p.60]

Guarantees at least a few hours of intensive intellectual training and a substantial exam for special awareness and imagination. If you miss the likes of The Witness and The Talos Principle, definitely put it on your wishlist. [12/2019, p.52]

There are moments when Death’s Gambit is a really good game that intelligently copies Souls and the likes, but to truly enjoy it you need to accept it as a collage of inspirations which doesn’t allow original ideas to shine. [11/2018, p.74]

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is a journey back to the times when people were not offended even by rudest jokes. If you’re sensitive, you should steer clear, because Crypto takes no prisoners and mocks absolutely everyone. I did enjoy the game’s humor, but the gameplay itself is competent at best.

Time travel elements could have been realized better and the levels are uninspired, but YesterMorrow’s biggest problem is that it lacks a feature that would allow it to stand out from a dozen other fantasy-themed platformers. [01/2021, p.34]

A fun battle royale and a viable alternative for Chivalry II and For Honor. Naraka Bladepoint puts emphasis on closed combat, not skulking around the bushes with a ranged weapon. It drips the atmosphere of ancient China and offers a great combat system, but also doesn’t shy away from spells and well-implemented parkour. However, said combat system along with the game’s fast pace sets the bar rather high for newcomers. [11/2021, p.47]

B.I.O.T.A. is an old school metroidvania heavily inspired by James Cameron’s “Aliens”. It is not groundbreaking, but the gameplay is really varied and the art style will surely appeal to retro games maniacs. However, despite its retro look B.I.O.T.A. is very forgiving, which might not be an advantage to everyone – personally, I wish it was more challenging.

Its visuals might be reminiscent of the PS2 era but underneath lies a surprisingly solid gameplay. [10/2012, p.70]

At first glance Cultist Simulator looks like a card game, but in fact it’s a fusion of a puzzle game with a text adventure game. With its extraordinarily atmospheric writing, ability to merge simplicity with depth, and different paths it’s fun for hours. It’s a shame the later stage relies on grinding too much and can become tedious. [07/2018, p.80]

There’s a kind of sincerity in Cibele that we rarely see in games and I would love to play a longer, more developed version. [01/2016, p.59]

The developers took on a difficult subject and tripped. They managed to conjure a proper dystopian setting, but the story is too shallow to make a proper impression. [11/2018, p.79]

It’s hard to treat Rhombus as anything more than an appetizer before Psychonauts 2, but it does make a good use of VR and lets us reconnect with characters we haven’t seen for over 12 years. [04/2017, p.74]

I value the game for its non-linearity and many endings but mainly for the gravity of its theme and how the history – unpleasant as it is – was depicted. [03/2020, p.56]