It's very good, but it could have been even better. The authors managed to reach the quality of Little Nightmares II, but in my opinion, they didn't surpass it. That's still enough of a recommendation to give the third installment a try.

The game lacks AI-controlled competition (you’re alone on the map) and therefore is not as addictive as 22-year-old Transport Tycoon. [01/2017, p.41]

After ignoring the lackluster graphics and when the game failed to annoy me with a bug for the last 15 minutes, I did have some fun with it. The series is still experimenting and looking for its identity, and yet falters when it comes to basics. [13/2019, p.42]

The joy of exploring new worlds quickly gives way to monotony, especially that a lot of them are disappointingly empty, while trade, mining and piracy are as basic as they can get. [10/2016, p.44]

The only game that offers all four Grand Slam tournaments also boasts interesting controls. I expected better animations though and the AI also needs some tweaking. [March 2012, p.61]

Beat Cop’s gameplay foundations are very interesting, but the initial tension fades quickly, the game becomes repetitive and its humor is crude to the point of being embarrassing. [06/2017, p.42]

With its entertaining combat system, solid story and enjoyable puzzles Masters of Anima would’ve been excellent if it weren’t for small but irritating bugs and occasionally absurdly high difficulty level. [06/2018, p.62]

Once again Rebellion did not step outside the familiar, comfortable zone of games that are interesting but not outstanding. [08/2014, p.60]

The attempt to tell a more mature story in the Pokémon universe is commendable and Pikachu is really cool as a bitter, hoarse-voiced detective, but the game itself is mediocre and despite its genre never treated me as an intelligent being. [06/2018, p.65]

I doubt that Everything could be of interest to anyone who isn’t already a gamer – or win over someone that doesn’t agree with its message. For it the game itself is too weak. And although I spent a pleasant evening with it, I won’t come back because there isn’t much to come back to. [03/2019, p.58]

All Star Battle might not win any new fans for the franchise but will make existing ones happy. [07/2014, p.71]

If you expected Screamride to be a theme park tycoon, think again, because it’s just a collection of three casual minigames. [05/2015, p.59]

Compared to the original released on 3DS in 2017, the Switch version of Miitopia looks better and offers a couple of additions, but it is pretty much the same thing. I had a lot of fun with it once again and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a funny (but not necessarily hilarious) game with an extraordinarily enjoyable gameplay loop. [08/2021, p.66]

Jupiter’s icy moon of Europa failed to make a good first impression on me, but the longer I played, the more I enjoyed the new map. I do not miss Mars or Mercury anymore. Returning players may not be happy about Bungie getting rid of some content and making a substantial part of old gear obsolete, but I understand the need to do some cleaning up before evolving the game. At its core Destiny 2 remains the same thing you loved (or hated) and its shooting mechanics are still among the best you can experience. [01/2021, p.78]

Foregone lured me with its beautiful art style just to disappoint me with repetitive levels, shallow story, uninteresting combat and total lack of originality. [05/2021, p.52]

A parade of oddities that’s definitely worth checking out, because the impressions – whether positive or negative – are unforgettable. Terrible visuals are improved a bit in The Director’s Cut (so now it can compete with average PS2 games), but scarcity of new content is disappointing. [CD-Action 07/2013, p.61]

The idea behind Dice Legacy is great, however the developers focused on unnecessary elements and, as a result, created an engaging city builder but a poor roguelike. [12/2021, p.48]

This game should particularly appeal to fans of „Judgment Day”. It plays well on nostalgia, briefly presenting the most important scenes from the film. However, it is too short, and the additional game modes only mask the growing monotony.

It’s a game that does some things really well and other really badly. If you’re willing to endure the latter and you’ve already finished Wastelands 2, you can give Dead State a chance. [03/2014, p.78]

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.

20 years ago Parkasaurus would have been a huge success but compared to contemporary games by Frontier (Planet Zoo or Planet Coaster), it looks like, well, a dinosaur. Actually, even RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999!) was deeper, more complex and better designed than Parkasaurus. [11/2020, p.44]

To use its whole potential you have to dig deep into your pockets to unlock premium content. The only thing left for the fans of the series is to hope for Age of Empires IV. [November 2011, p.80]

Crossing Souls is brimming with cultural references to the 80s but does little more than that. [04/2018, p.75]

Last Stop is an adventure game, but I find it hard to recommend it to every fan of the genre, because there are basically no puzzles here. It’s more of an interactive movie than a game in a strict sense. The story is more than solid and fun to follow, but you have no influence on it, and many will find pushing some buttons on a controller from time to time not engaging enough. [10/2021, p.48]

A complete, very well put together experience in which story, visuals and music blend into something exceptional. [01/2020, p.55]

Lego Horizon Adventures is a heartfelt attempt to retell Aloy's story. It can get tedious with short and not very varied levels, but it also offers a lot of fun in combat and co-op. It's a shame that it all only lasts a couple of hours, and that Sony went too far with the release price.

Although it’s not very impressive as far as graphics are concerned, this old-school tactical RTS is a game that all fans of Paul Verhoeven’s "Starship Troopers” are going to enjoy.

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]

On paper, Pacer has everything a racing game needs, including a multitude of game modes and customization options, decent physics, nice sense of speed, and a lot of varied, visually attractive tracks. In reality I got bored pretty quickly due to its lackluster career mode, questionable AI, and overall derivativeness. [02/2021, p.63]

PC gamers had to wait whole year to get their hands on Dead Rising 3. It’s hard to tell what Capcom Vancouver was doing all that time because the quality of Apocalypse Edition leaves much to be desired. It has all the problems of the Xbox One version, the frame rate is locked at 30 fps and the loading times are disgraceful. [Nov 2014, p.74]

Take on Helicopters is an attempt to prove that civil aviation does not have to be boring. The problem of this game is that it sits on a fence between mass accessibility and hardcore simulation. It's competent in both cases but I'm not sure it can win over either group of players. [February 2012, p.56]

Delicious art style, excellent music, varied tactical combat – Snowhound’s tactical RPG got some things right, but there’s a strange dissonance between the game’s atmosphere of dark sci-fi and its absurd humor. Had the game offered a deeper strategic layer and something besides exploring wreck after wreck, I probably would have spent more time with it than those 14 hours after which it simply became boring. [12/2018, p.73]

An interesting, solid genre hybrid that could use a greater weapon variety and would benefit from adding more content. [11/2021, p.76]

Code Vein has its heart in the right place but I really wouldn’t want to spend my time playing stuff that have been already done better somewhere else. If a potential sequel finds its own identity, it would be an interesting addition to the genre. [13/2019, p.58]

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

Darksiders III feels like a trip to a museum, which of course doesn’t have to be a drawback. Its antiquated design has a certain charm and made me realize that I miss simplicity and compactness in bloated modern open-world games. Unfortunately Gunfire’s effort is messy – it’s rough around the edges, it made a step backwards in terms of RPG elements and environmental puzzles, some design choices are dubious, the combat system is imprecise, and there are a lot of bugs and glitches on top of all that. As a result Darksiders III can compete neither with modern action titles, nor with previous games in the series. [01/2019, p.82]

Yet another story about ordinary people turned into monsters by uniforms, but one of few games that manage to tell such a story really well. [06/2015, p.74]

It’s a classic initiation story. Unfortunately the quantity of content wins over its quality so it may seem that the game drags on while simultaneously being too short. [03/2020, p.78]

I appreciate the game’s originality, appealing art style, replayability and combat mechanics that leave some room for tactics. I find randomizing the difficulty level irritating though. Sometimes you get to fight softies, sometimes the same level greets you with enemies that kill you with a single punch (hello, permadeath!). Loosing simply because you were unlucky and had to face an impossible dungeon does not feel great. [03/2021, p.39]

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

It’s a pity that this magical, beautiful journey inspired by Contrast comes to an end after merely two, three hours tops, and gives no incentive to relive it. [02/2019, p.58]

It’s a shame that because of the limited processing power Hyrule Warriors lost much of its visual attractiveness and fluidity, but other than that it’s one of the best games in the series. [05/2016, p.75]

There are no apparent bugs and all gameplay mechanics are very transparent. The reason for that is not the brilliance of the developers though, but rather the (let’s say) modesty of each and every element of the game. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars is as plain and sad as a crypt of some lowly countryside vampire. [12/2020, p.48]

A reimagining rather than a remake, Operation Galuga is a fun way to rediscover the 8-bit classic. The developers kept the gameplay foundations of the original, but included a lot of welcome additions. For Contra veterans, it’s a great sentimental journey, for younger players – a blast from the past in a bearable, modern form.

It might look like a Gunpoint clone but instead of stealth you have to rely on your swordmanship in turn-based combat sequences. [09/2015, p.49]

It still drips with style, but in terms of gameplay this return to the past is rather painful. [12/2012, p.87]

Do you know how it feels to experience a sequel to a game you played (and loved!) 26 years ago on your Amiga? Do you know how it feels to realize that it was worth the absurd wait? I do now. Beyond the Steel Sky is not perfect but it reminded me why I used to enjoy adventure games so much back in the day. [10/2020, p.66]

One of those little things that would work much better on a bus to work. It’s got simple mechanics, the turns are short and it can help you stretch out your brain. [05/2015, p.67]

If you enjoy strategy games and on top of that have fond memories of Dungeon Keeper you should definitely buy Dungeons II. [07/2015, p.50]

A must-have for all Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics fans. Not because it’s as good, but for its price it emulates them surprisingly well. [10/2015, p.77]

Despite an average story Fran Bow was an interesting journey that even left me feeling uneasy in dark places. [11/2015, p.40]

Everything that was good in the original Dead Island and Riptide (like the combat system and the co-op) is still good in the new versions remastered with the Dying Light engine. Unfortunately everything that was bad (like the writing and repetitiveness) is still bad. [08/2016, p.59]

Immortal Redneck requires some stubbornness at the beginning and its repetitiveness might be annoying if you get stuck in one pyramid but once the just one more pyramid syndrome kicked in, I had some decent fun. [07/2017, p.50]

There are some improvements and some progress in WRC 7, but if you own WRC 5 or WRC 6, it’s hard to justify buying this year’s edition. [12/2017, p.73]

A surprisingly fun game full of nuances related to numerous fishing techniques and choosing gear suitable for specific conditions. [11/2018, p.75]

An unusual mix of a lot of playability, some seasoned and some fresh ideas, an interesting world, and a huge dose of clunkiness. [07/2020, p.70]

The world of Batuu is very polished, the environments are detailed, and there’s a story to play through, but there are also some issues that mar the experienced. You can’t edit lots without using codes, some missions are bugged (I couldn’t finish the evil storyline because of that!), and once you reach the pinnacle of your career, there’s not much left to do beside side missions. [12/2020, p.51]

Red Koi Box’s debut puzzle game ambitiously tries to follow in Portal’s footsteps, but to no avail. Quite an interesting concept and creative puzzles were not enough when the over-the-top difficulty level, lack of a hint system and various flaws launched my frustration into the red alert territory. However, if you’re a hardcore fan of puzzle games, you should be satisfied with Faraday Protocol. [11/2021, p.34]

Despite a pretty good story I left this garden with a sigh of relief, really tired of poor combat and repetitiveness. [11/2021, p.60]

Warcraft Rumble has solid gameplay mechanics and very nice audiovisual side, as expected from Blizzard. However, its economy is rather unfriendly. While it’s not a pay-to-win situation, the game forces you to grind heavily and turns fun into a chore.

It is strange to call Farming Simulator 25 the next instalment when –in terms of content – it is a rather large update. On top of that, it's incomplete, ill-conceived and also suffers from poor optimisation. If you're a fan of the series, you'd be better off waiting for the big sale.

As short as its lovely heroine's skirt, not particularly pretty and rather shallow in terms of gameplay. Still you might enjoy it if you're in a mood for some Japanese insanity. [August 2012, p.70]

Creative Assembly did their best to make Halo Wars 2 accessible without dumbing it down too much, but as it’s a console game at heart, some simplification to the RTS formula was inevitable. Apart from that the PC version is more than decent, as it features a different UI and the game’s pace was tweaked. Besides the single player campaign (13 really good missions) it offers a multiplayer mode, which unfortunately is tainted by a pay-to-win factor. [04/2017, p.70]

Inspired by the works of Giger and Beksiński, Scorn is a visual masterpiece that will leave you uneasy, feeling defiled, possibly horrified. And worst of all – it will probably make you brood over uncomfortable things. It’s simply not a game everyone will enjoy. It will discourage some by exceeding the limits of good taste. Others will be too goal-oriented to take in the atmosphere, intellectually engaged in solving puzzles so much they’ll miss their consequences, too excited by encountering enemies to notice their weapons have an umbilical cord. But I’m sure some will appreciate Ebb Software’s captivating creation deeply.

It’s solid, it has its moments, but as a whole Thief is incoherent, seems to be stitched together from different visions of the game and falls short of the expectations aroused by the previous games of the series. [04/2014, p.50]

With every upgrade I felt more and more like the king of the underworld. [10/2015, p.68]

Portal is still the champion in the category of ‘first-person puzzle games’ but Magrunner enters the ring without shame. The idea of infusing a futuristic puzzle game with horror elements (Cthulhu!) did not work out that well, but the problems for the player to solve are clever and demanding. [CD-Action 08/2013, p.78]

The problem with the new Super Meat Boy is that it’s not the old Super Meat Boy. We have waited a decade for the sequel and it turned out to be an autorunner, which is not necessarily a welcome surprise. Two buttons is all you need, which makes CMBF very easy to grasp, but limited control over the protagonist can be maddening, especially that the game is even harder than the original. Having said that, the developers managed to squeeze a lot out of the simplified control scheme, and while I understand the game disappointed many fans, I still recommend it to those of you looking for a serious challenge. [02/2021, p.58]

Puzzles are quite enjoyable, although detached from the story, but the characters are soulless blockheads and the interface is horribly unresponsive. Sometimes you have to click a couple of times for the game to notice it. [03/2014, p.62]

An enjoyable game that unfortunately gets repetitive in a long run. [13/2017, p.63]

Maquette’s central mechanic is brilliant and leads to some cool (but also repetitive) puzzles. The game itself is pretty rough around the edges though and I felt the developers could have squeezed so much more from this great concept. [05/2021, p.60]

The longer I played this game, the less I enjoyed it. [05/2014, p.72]

The game induces sleepiness here and there because of its low tempo and repetitiveness but it does so for a reason. It helps that the art style is both flexible with color tones and insanely modest. [02/2020, p.45]

My first impression was great and early on I was sure this pretty action adventure game will score higher. Then the difficulty level rose drastically and allied itself with frustratingly imprecise controls to murder all the fun. [04/2021, p.62]

Pokémon Unite is the first attempt at creating a MOBA with the pocket monsters – and I must admit it’s a successful one. The game is fast and intense, but also easy to get a grip on. I don’t expect it to take the esports scene by storm, but it’s very enjoyable and works great in a doctor’s waiting room or on the bus. As for me, I can’t force myself to stop playing Pokémon Unite and hope the developers will keep updating it. [10/2021, p.61]

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]

In terms of gameplay mechanics it’s a very simple game but it does much more for understanding democracy than any citizenship lesson. [13/2013, p.72]

In terms of gameplay mechanics UFC is a complex game that will keep fans satisfied for months. It’s a shame that the dev team lacked someone who would use a flying knee to launch the animators and guys responsible for physics into the next-gen era. [08/2014, p.58]

Not as innovative as previous games from the series, but 24 maps, 8 types of towers, 6 special abilities and 10 variants of enemies are enough to provide a couple of days of fun. [Sept 2014, p.70]

Beyond fails to convince the player that what happens on screen really depends on them and therefore make them contemplate what would they have done in Jodie’s place. What saves the story is great acting. [12/2013, p.54]

When I look at fantastic Schim screenshots, I wonder if I was too harsh. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a pretty and charming game. However, a moment later I recall that after the first 30 minutes of euphoria from playing it, monotony and disappointment took over. Completing this game was neither a relaxation nor a cool challenge for me.

I expected a usual Telltale’s game and that’s exactly what I got – another IP squeezed into a worn stencil. I have to praise it for looking visibly better than Telltale’s previous games though. [06/2017, p.69]

Raji is set in a rarely explored (and therefore refreshing) setting of Hindu mythology that definitely works in its favor, and offers gameplay mechanics resembling a Prince of Persia game on a budget. The protagonist is as agile as Price and the game is generally enjoyable, but the platforming sections are too easy to pose a challenge, and the combat is not meaty enough to be satisfying. [13/2020, p.36]

Mario Golf: Super Rush is a solid game with hints of Camelot’s past RPG prowess. While the new features are hit-and-miss and the story mode is a bit too basic, it’s the core gameplay that has made this series shine, and Super Rush is no exception. [09/2021, p.48]

SG2 has everything that makes space sims great, but despite its complexity is accessible enough to make it a wonderful first step into the genre. [13/2014, p.64]

Vampyr is unique. It’s not beautiful, its combat leaves much to be desired and its limited budget shows, but if you choose to turn a blind eye to these flaws, it will captivate you with its mature, morally ambiguous story and a series of dilemmas that usually lack a “right” answer. [07/2018, p.60]

An enjoyable, pretty and well animated game that lacks any interesting, original mechanics that would justify a long-term relationship. [11/2015, p.37]

Huge disappointment. Undisputed is a much, much worse boxing game than Fight Night Champion, which premiered over 13 years ago.

The Sims 4 is just a foundation of a game. How would you react if you bought a new Elder Scrolls game and realized that half of the cities are unavailable (because TES6: World Adventures is around the corner), there are only 4 weapons (TES6: Accessories), you can’t ride horses (TES6: Pets), there are only 12 quests (TES6: Careers), 2 guilds (TES6: Friends) and 3 spells (TES6: Supernatural)? [Nov 2014, p.50]

Retrovirus is strongly inspired by Descent, so its old school gameplay diverges from current standards, which doesn’t have to be a drawback. The game’s biggest strength is how the world looks. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.81]

This fitness game will teach you humility in a couple of minutes and prove that in terms of shape you're not very different from your grandpa. Unfortunately UFC Personal Trainer is not so personal – coaches don't notice and can't correct your mistakes and their vocabulary is very scarce so some of their comments are nonsensical. And there's too little game in this game so you have to find motivation to practise all by yourself. [August 2011, p.73]

All I need from such a simple first-person shooter is an array of badass guns and hundreds of stampeding enemies. Siberian Mayhem has that, but it failed to get some important aspects right – its maps are too bloated and the optimization is poor despite subpar graphics. It could have been a great game, but turned out merely decent.

A game based around surveilling squirrels sounded like a guarantee of a boring afternoon, but thanks to its great art style and gripping mystery, Nuts turned out to be almost as good as Firewatch. [04/2021, p.50]

It's not only one of the best looking free-to-play games, but also one of the most interesting and satisfying. [11/2012, p.67]

Today Enslaved is still a strong game worth getting acquainted with. [01/2014, p.67]

When it comes to storytelling, Root Film is a gem and a great example of how to evoke anxiety and curiosity using written word and spot-on music. Sadly, the story is linear, but vivid characters and a cool mystery to solve make up for it. [05/2021, p.65]

Spend your money on Chronicles HD Collection only if you answer these two questions positively: are you a die-hard fan of Resident Evil and do you feel like playing an on-rails shooter? [September 2012, p.76]

Grinding in its purest form. [01/2016, p.75]