In comparison to Guitar Hero Live the new Rock Band game is way too conservative. There’s a certain tradition in the music business: when a performer grows a beer belly and can’t climb to the top of the charts anymore, you send him to tour Japan, so he can grab some more money from a bit more loyal local fans. After seeing Rock Band’s current shape all I can say to it is “sayonara”. [12/2015, p.63]

EA Sports wants to please everyone, which is why FC 26 is caught between two game modes representing opposite extremes. It's good that the developers are trying, but unfortunately, the results of their work are rather disappointing at this point.

I felt disappointed with Elex II, because while in some respects it is better than its predecessor, other elements are a step back. Gameplay balance, combat, graphics, and interface have improved a bit, but some obvious design flaws are still there and the storyline is just weak, especially the severely underwhelming ending. However, if you love Piranha Bytes’ games, you'll probably have fun either way. I did.

Decent both in terms of gameplay and production values. If only it was more varied in later stages and didn’t insist so strongly on selling you unlimited saving. [03/2016, p.72]

Its mobile origins are too obvious and it’s too easy, but I give Abandoned benefit of a doubt as it’s just the first chapter of a larger story. [10/2015, p.59]

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.

Provides a couple hours of genuine fun but if you have a portable device capable of running anything more complex than Pokémon Red/Blue, there’s no real reason to play Pocket Mortys. [03/2016, p.72]

Not only Codemasters finally managed to release the game in the first half of the F1 season, and not when it ends, but the game itself has such a good driving model and is so fluent that it blows previous console editions out of the water. On the other hand, unfortunately, F1 2015’s content is very modest, with lack of a career mode being the biggest letdown. [09/2015, p.62]

Rising Tide didn’t even try to reignite my faded interest in Beyond Earth. [12/2015, p.71]

It’s not a game you play to relax or have some quick arcade fun – it’s both fascinating and depressing (and sometimes frustrating because of the difficulty level). [06/2016, p.65]

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

Despite vast content and high level of polish I actually can’t find any convincing reasons to play it. [12/2015, p.72]

If I hadn’t known that Kyn was developed mostly by two people, I wouldn’t have suspected it. It’s hard not to appreciate the surprisingly high quality of their work but on the other hand the project overwhelmed them in some respects. [10/2015, p.64]

Stranger of Paradise tries to marry Final Fantasy with a soulslike, while also often reaching outside this genre. The whole idea was great, which makes the poor execution (uninspired level design, run-of-the-mill story, mediocre graphics, boring boss fights) even more disappointing. However, if you’re able to turn a blind eye to the game’s many flaws, you might find it moderately enjoyable.

Taking part in this virtual play was fun, but the story lacks pace (apart from the ending), the visuals are far from stunning and the game could use voice acting. [09/2015, p.67]

Decent fun for an hour or two. [02/2016, p.67]

Maid of Sker was at its best when I was navigating dark corridors unsure of what awaits me around the corner, while unsettling noises of the dreary hotel literally gave me goosebumps. Unfortunately, skillfully built atmosphere evaporated immediately whenever I met one of bland enemies and had to engage in a lame game of cat and mouse that quickly becomes a chore. [10/2020, p.72]

The game looks amazing and is overall very charming, but it seems it lost half of its content along the way, because it ends before it manages to fulfill its potential. I also felt that the designers couldn’t agree on how combat should play out, so it got stuck somewhere between tactical and frenetic. [03/2017, p.62]

The low budget feel is limited to visuals and audio – the rest of the game is a really solid rally racing experience. [December 2011, p.52]

I liked the economic campaign but the historical one is not as good. The AI is awful, the redesigned popularity system promotes building the same structures over and over, the missions are not varied enough, and the game lacks atmosphere, because the whole oriental setting is pretty much just a skin for the original Stronghold. All in all, it’s an enjoyable game but there’s a lot of room for improvement. [05/2021, p.32]

I wish the devs from Chaosmonger Studio could decide whether they’re making a funny and cute game or a dark and depressing one. Encodya tries to be both and is not great at it, as it pulls its punches when it has a chance to tell something more meaningful, only to bestow some cheap wisdom a bit later. Apart from that, it overwhelmed me with the amount of useless junk you hoard in your inventory (I didn’t use most of the items even once), and disappointed me with uninteresting puzzles. [04/2021, p.55]

With its limited controls, sluggish protagonist, unnecessary, frustrating deaths, and overall tendency to cling to the past too much, Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection is a game either for masochists or die-hard fans of the franchise. There are plenty of platformers out there that are much better at bringing the old-school look and feel into present day. [05/2021, p.36]

LOUD is very polished and offers light, quick gameplay perfect for a handheld. I’ll be surely coming back to improve my score on some levels, but due to the game’s disappointingly simple story and bland songs the primary feeling I was left with was the urge to dust off DJ Hero.

Tohu won surprisingly many awards, but in my opinion its only element that truly deserves praise are the visuals. The game looks great (the hand-drawn environments are wonderful!) but is much to infantile for my taste (especially the dialogues) and not creative enough in the puzzles department, while the awful narrator does a lot to destroy the atmosphere. [04/2021, p.59]

Paradise Lost offers an engaging story set in a fascinating world, and it’s hard not to notice and appreciate all the work that went into polishing the environments. Sadly, there’s very little actual gameplay here and while the first two hours made me feel like an explorer delving into the unknown, I only reached the end because I had to. [05/2021, p.39]

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]

The Sword of the Necromancer tells its love story in an interesting way and may surprise you with a plot twist, but its not enough to outweigh the game’s repetitiveness or the fact that you can’t control your undead and need to rely on their random, silly AI. [04/2021, p.63]

Truly hilarious, brilliant dialogues are not enough to compensate for random, grind-oriented gameplay. [07/2018, p.74]

I did not enjoy the new PES. Players are unresponsive, their AI is weak, refereeing is sometimes questionable and the automatic passing system often annoying. Match commentary is simply awful. There is almost nothing new in the modes department and as usual team licenses are a problem. But there is a good new engine at last (along with new physics system) and I see some hope for the series in the future. [12/2013, p.50]

The DLC’s undeniable advantage is its impressive length – I needed eight hours to finish it. The problem is that the story, though well-written, doesn’t actually need you. It is absolutely linear and doesn’t even pretend not to be, so no matter what you do, you’ll get roughly the same ending (the final decision seems crucial but its impact is small). Other than that Murder on Eridanos is more of the same, but you’ll be shooting less than you did in the base game. [05/2021, p.45]

Avernum 2 guarantees dozens of hours of fun for all aficionados of old school RPGs. [10/2015, p.77]

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]

A beautiful but merely competent beat ‘em up, which becomes repetitive after around five hours played with the first character. [07/2018, p.76]

The quests are painfully repetitive, you wouldn’t also call them creative exactly. But throughout the 15 hours of gameplay the ‘one more mission syndrome’ was more than apparent. [07/2020, p.44]

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]

The dialogues in this visual novel are surprisingly good (but maybe it’s just my inner cyberpunk and science fiction aficionado speaking), but as a whole Synergia is disappointing – too short and too shallow. [10/2020, p.89]

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

An intense and pretty game dragged down by repetitiveness and scarcity of bosses. [07/2017, p.62]

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

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]

Bland story, repetitive quests and overall lack of depth made me feel like I was wasting my time. [01/2016, p.55]

A real flight simulator for the consoles. It has good flight model and huge number of planes, but sadly isn't a great game as a whole. [June 2012, p.68]

For its price The Deed is a surprisingly good game, but it’s ugly and its content is so scant that it doesn’t even last one whole evening. [01/2016, p.55]

The game’s testers deserve having their butts kicked more than the creatures of Dungeonland. [CD-Action 04/2013, p.81]

A barely interactive horror film about typical American teenagers. You know, with a cabin. In the woods. And a psychopath. We’ve all seen that, we’ve heard these dialogues, we all know these characters. Still Until Dawn has a pretty good story and is a nice homage to horror flicks and despite being a collection of simple QTE’s can both engage and surprise. [11/2015, p.44]

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 story of Firefall’s development (9 years!) is much more interesting than the game itself. [Nov 2014, p.54]

It’s more of a DLC than a real stand-alone product. Fetch is likeable and the game evokes some pleasant memories of Second Son, but I had no desire to stay in virtual Seattle any longer than I needed to finish the 3,5 hour long story. [Nov 2014, p.56]

Hitman’s less gifted cousin has a lot of flaws that I need to point out, like a poor story that I didn’t care about, stupid AI painfully reminding that you’re playing a game, and dated visuals. Surprisingly, despite all that I do not regret playing Alekhine’s Gun, because its mechanics are solid and eleven locations are varied and well-designed. [05/2016, p.50]

Although the single player mode bored me to death, I found a lot of excitement in co-op. That, unsurprisingly, is what the game was built for. [07/2020, p.66]

Let’s not kid ourselves – Scanner Sombre is a one-trick pony. It’s a great, memorable trick though, as one could expect from Introversion Software. It’s a shame that the game is so short (ca. 2 hours) and linear and that the story is almost nonexistent. [07/2017, p.67]

A tasty but ultimately low-calorie addition to the excellent Kirby and the Forgotten World.

There are no surprises here. If you are looking for a hail of lead, you will find a drizzle at most. Plus inexplicable performance issues on the console. [07/2020, p.68]

Those who played Life Is Strange will surely feel similar vibes in Dontnod’s latest release. However, this game has even more sluggish pace and although I enjoyed reconstructing events in the mind palace, I was annoyed with the fact that I had to find every single piece of a puzzle even if the solution was already obvious. The story is decent, but some of its potential was wasted and the characters are not as well-written as in Dontnod’s previous games. [02/2021, p.32]

A full-fledged entry to the Sniper Elite series, with 18 missions and a story that binds them together and lasts a couple of hours. It’s decent (if you consider the fact, that PS VR is not a cutting edge gear), but be aware that it resembles a low-budget version of Call of Duty and the graphics are average at best. I’ve seen many PS VR games that were much more impressive in terms of visuals. [10/2021, p.39]

Do not expect depth similar to Capitalism 2, you will not have to care for share prices or company’s reputation, but if you enjoy tycoon games, Big Pharma is a well-designed one. [11/2015, p.55]

I see two principal flaws in Hob. First of all, none of the game’s elements is outstanding. The second problem is the repetitiveness of goals, puzzles, combat. Hob might relax you, but it will definitely not excite you. [13/2017, p.52]

“Measure thrice, cut once”, my shop class teacher used to say. It’s a shame no one told these words of wisdom to the guys from Frozenbyte. The addition of the third dimension turned out to be very costly, both literally (the game ends abruptly because the developers ran out of money) and figuratively (gameplay and puzzles are shallow in comparison to Trine 2). It’s not a bad game, it looks great, but it is a mediocre Trine. [11/2015, p.56]

Edge of Time would really benefit from a more varied gameplay and less confined levels. Other than that it's a decent game with a silly but entertaining story that Spider-Man fans should dig. [December 2011, p.62]

To say the game is already doomed may be premature but it has no chance with Overwatch and will probably share Battleborn’s (which was a much bigger game itself) fate in the upcoming months. [06/2020, p.46]

A tactical game in the vein of Commandos (but with active pause), rather ugly, schematic and a bit too easy, but despite all enjoyable. [11/2015, p.59]

A great way to enter the world of Magic: The Gathering, but due to some simplifications and design choices that’s pretty much all Magic Duels is good for. [11/2015, p.59]

A reasonable driving model and more attention to details would be enough to make this game significantly better. It seems that at some point the developers ran out of time and as a result the new Need for Speed is decent at best. [December 2011, p.70]

This tactical game about dwarves exploring an alien planet will not forgive any mistakes and will boss you around, but is completely fair in its ruthlessness. It’s a shame that brilliant setting was wasted by writers and the game itself becomes monotonous after a while. [05/2016, p.62]

Irrespective of the platform, Kholat is a game full of extremities. Awesome aspect of navigating the area is squandered by invisible corridors resulting from main character’s restricted mobility. Powerful horror scenes are wasted in a story that’s just an empty shell. On a technical side I was disappointed that the game runs in 30 fps and sometimes noticeably stutters. [05/2016, p.63]

It’s definitely a great opportunity to get acquainted with The Settlers, if you haven’t had the pleasure yet. TSHC’s main feature is the ability to run all games on Windows 10 effortlessly, but there are also some other improvements, including widescreen support and multiplayer via Uplay. The score I gave is rather low, because after all these years I did not enjoy all the included games and you can separately buy the ones you’re interested in. [01/2019, p.60]

Quite an enjoyable remaster made with respect for the originals. However, the first game in the series was released almost 30 years ago and there’s no way to hide it, so you’ll endure some jarring here and there, sometimes painful. The collection will probably attract veterans and retro enthusiasts, but I doubt younger gamers will find it appealing.

Dungeons III offers what Dungeons II (a limited clone of Dungeon Keeper) offered two years ago, expanded with simple RTS mechanics. It’s a competent game, but its story (along with the humor) is lame, the interface needed more work and though the dungeons look really good, visuals above ground are... colorful (that’s the only positive thing I can say about them). [13/2017, p.57]

If you enjoy match-3 games, you can give Pokemon Shuffle Mobile a try. You’ll just have to bear with an awful tutorial. [11/2015, p.64]

The story starts with a bang (during the Red Wedding) but fails to keep the momentum and ultimately comes nowhere near the breathtaking twists of the original. [01/2016, p.72]

The game is dripping with pathos, but I couldn’t invest myself emotionally in it, because it all just feels fake. [01/2015, p.42]

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

News about Assassin’s Creed’s return to the roots turned out to be bogus, as the infiltration phase ended up being a bunch of the known tricks with a thin layer of makeup. Unique assassinations are a welcome addition, but the game’s formula didn’t really change. Valhalla’s fans should be content though, because the tried and true gameplay loop is still satisfying and the story is decent. [11/2021, p.59]

F1 Manager 2022 does a terrific job at recreating the atmosphere of Formula 1, but the simulation itself needs huge improvements, because poor balance and terrible AI strip the races of realism.

The biggest disappointment for me was that although you play as a Templar, it has almost no influence on gameplay. The historical backdrop is not exciting at all and it’s pretty obvious that the whole game was designed so that the assets from Assassin’s Creed III and IV could be reused. The whole naval module borrowed from Black Flag is still fantastic, but after having played 7 games of the series I need something better than just more of the same. [01/2015, p.46]

I value games about thieves and regret the fact that there are so few of them, so despite some obvious faults I devoted two intense days to Thief Simulator. Thanks to some simple but solid and addictive mechanics I enjoyed it, even though the game’s flaws are obvious. And now I’m waiting for a sequel. [01/2019, p.72]

Clash 2 has some advantages, including great music and neatly designed tactical combat, but it still needs a lot of work (especially in terms of AI and difficulty level) before it can challenge titles such as Heroes of Might and Magic or King’s Bounty. It’s quite enjoyable though and didn’t frustrate me even once.

Éric Chahi created an experience as intriguing, as sleep-inducing. [06/2020, p.65]

Armageddon lacks ideas that could help vary the experience. It's hard to tell the missions apart, because in almost every room and every tunnel you have to do the exact same things. The developer made a mistake of betting everything on just one feature – total destruction. [July 2011, p.60]

Cockroach took the legacy of the intriguing first and second episodes’ stories and just trampled it in the third one. [06/2020, p.66]

Pleasant and absorbing gameplay with minimalistic visuals. Unfortunately content is also rather minimalistic (only 7 types of structures to build and a handful of scenarios). [04/2014, p.67]

Tetsuya Nomura’s latest game resembles Persona to some degree, but offers real-time combat. Similarly to Kingdom Hearts, it goes for flashiness rather than a deep tactical system, but after you unlock enough psychic powers, the game becomes more varied. Overall, NEO is solid, but it needs quite a lot of time to gain momentum. [10/2021, p.64]

The most important thing in Sky Fortress is the jet pack which makes moving around, replaying the campaign and liberating regions a new, even more enjoyable experience. But if you’ve already done everything there was to do in JC3, the DLC will be too short for you, as the story it offers lasts for a mere hour. [05/2016, p.71]

At first contact Ganbare! Super Strikers is off-putting – it is ugly, sounds awful and the interface is a nightmare. It is a full-fledged tactical soccer game though (more competent than Football, Tactics & Glory, by the way) and that alone makes it an interesting proposal for a soccer fan looking for something other than FIFA, PES or Football Manager. [11/2018, p.65]

Colorful, pretty scenery, decent voice acting, lots of interactive objects, and a couple of interesting puzzles give the impression that the game has more to offer than it actually does. The atmospheric first half is good, but the repetitive second part disappoints. The plot makes no sense and the direction it takes is predictable to anyone acquainted with Lovecraft’s work. The further you go, the narrower the path is and you bump into invisible walls all the time. It’s a shame the game’s considerable potential was squandered. [02/2021, p.60]

Your choice of the character (Caddoc, a warrior, or E'lara, a ranged weapon specialist) determines whether Hunted turns out to be a generic hack'n'slash or a quite decent fantasy themed shooter. I was surprised how much I enjoyed scoring headshots with a bow. [July 2011, p.70]

An interesting experiment that’s only partly successful. Betrayer has its moments but in the long run becomes too repetitive. [06/2014, p.51]

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.

It’s fun when your characters gang up against a single enemy, music is fantastic and the idea for searching for a random mole in your team is an original one. Unfortunately tight budget made both the story and gameplay tediously clichéd. [11/2015, p.67]

A minimalistic, good-looking RTS built around a heavily emphasised risk/reward system. It might not be remarkable, but it was still able to make me lose track of time. [01/2019, p.78]

Serial Cleaners is a clever story about mob’s crime scene cleaners, unfortunately spoiled with a couple of annoying flaws, e.g. an irritating save system or the tendency to waste your time by making you wait for something idly. Overall, it probably won’t wow you, but is quite engaging and has a distinct, enjoyable atmosphere backed by an excellent soundtrack.

I expected a Hearthstone clone, but Chronicle is closer to a board game. It's interesting, fresh mechanics need some tweaking though, because now the game is both a bit too random and a bit too predictable. [08/2016, p.73]

Dustforce requires absolute precision but unfortunately has some issues with controls. The level design is unforgiving enough on its own – randomly dying once in a while because that little %&#$ didn't jump off the wall when you wanted him to is maddening. [March 2012, p.47]

Those of you who played Bravely Default should also play Bravely Second, though you might be disappointed, because in my private opinion the previous game was better. [05/2016, p.74]

The phenomenal combat system is not enough to rave about Rise of the Ronin. The chaotic storyline, boring open world, clunky gameplay and outdated graphics distract too much from what works well in Team Ninja’s latest game.

Not as engaging and rich as Microsoft Flight Simulator, but still decent. [08/2016, p.73]

For me Shovel Knight Dig is the blandest of all games starring the blue knight. It does everything decently as a 2D roguelike platformer but fails to impress in any way and I would only recommend it to those fans of Shovel Knight who have already played all previous entries to the franchise.