When The Unfinished Swan was released back in 2012 on PS3, it was unique. Today, upon its arrival on PC, it’s lost in a sea of much better indie games. [12/2020, p.66]

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]

The only thing Godfall has going for it is its great combat system. Everything else just came along for the ride. [01/2021, p.42]

Right now it looks like an advanced beta but in a couple of months, reinforced by patches and mods, it could be a really good game. [13/2019, p.60]

Lichtspeer is a repetitive one trick pony but still I’m curious what the developers will think of in the sequel (if they ever make one, that is). [13/2016, p.75]

One of those indie games that in theory do everything right but lack a spark that make them memorable. [07/2015, p.65]

The story is decent but lacks a spark. Supporting characters and dialogue are flimsy and uninspired. Shooting is solid – especially the slow-mo moments – but that pretty much exhausts the topic of the core gameplay elements. I have to admit though dual wielding is fun. There are a couple of car chases that were supposed to raise your adrenaline level but their execution is poor. And there are bugs and run-of-the-mill graphics that add to the smell of low budget that hangs over The Cartel. I hope Call of Juarez 4 returns to the Wild West, because it seems that's where Techland feels much more confident. [August 2011, p.42]

Cool graphics are the biggest strength of this modest platformer, because its gameplay is repetitive and essentially primitive. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.79]

I was not unhappy playing Ancient Space, but I don’t feel like playing it again, because at some point during the 15-hours-long campaign, the gameplay got boring. [13/2014, p.68]

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

A decent Zelda-like game which needs some time to really get going and won’t dazzle you with its beauty. [09/2017, p.73]

F1 2014 is not a bad game, it was built on solid foundations of its predecessors, but it doesn’t offer anything new and is clearly just an appetizer before the next-gen F1 2015. [13/2014, p.71]

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

The developers were so fixated on nostalgia that they failed to offer anything to modern gamers. [07/2015, p.72]

The gameplay of this timeless classic hasn’t aged a bit but the game itself deserves a Switch version much, much better than this disappointing, hurried and cheap attempt. [08/2017, p.64]

It can be fun, but only in co-op mode. If you’re planning to play alone, there are much better ways to spend the money. [06/2015, p.55]

The only thing still attractive about RE5 is Sheva Alomar. Everything else – the design, the mechanics, the visuals (it’s a port, not a remaster) – aged to various degrees, but always noticeably. [09/2016, p.63]

Until you get bored with characters and arenas, fun can be had. Updates will decide whether The Showdown Effect stays with us for longer. [CD-Action 05/2013, p.69]

A solid game that can’t hold a candle to NBA 2K15. [13/2014, p.74]

The rhythm game developed mainly for the Kingdom Hearts fans recycles old material (the story consists of cutscenes from previous games of the series), but makes an interesting use of it, offers plenty of content and is overall well-designed. [01/2021, p.66]

A bunch of interesting characters, polished visuals and a decent soundtrack are not enough for me to remember The Night of the Rabbit. Writers missed a couple of opportunities to astonish the player and therefore wasted the potential of a promising story. [CD-Action 08/2013, p.72]

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.

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]

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]

For me it’s more of a prototype, a demonstration of a living open world and some clever gameplay mechanics. There is not enough of real game in it and on the other hand too many various bugs, nuisances and repetitiveness. Whether you’ll enjoy State of Decay depends on how much you like sandbox games and looking for fun on your own. [CD-Action 08/2013, p.74]

Chinatown Detective Agency accurately shows that a detective’s work consists mainly of research but the developers forgot that puzzles alone, even fresh and creative, are not enough. The game could use a better designed world and a more interesting story that doesn’t fizzle out after a decent beginning.

The game is most engaging when it doesn’t actually try to flood us with visions straight from a low budget scary movie. It shines most when Mars itself and the base’s secrets get to be in the center of our focus. [13/2019, p.92]

Despite its very low price SOL: Exodus is a surprisingly good proof that even today a solid space combat sim might find its place on the market. [September 2012, p.63]

It’s just alright choice for a pizza evening with friends in front of a TV and console. [04/2020, p.74]

There's a lot to improve and mend in Brick-Force – like weapon balance, frequent crashes and ugly visuals – but the game is still young. It's worth a try but, for God's sake, turn off that awful music. [September 2012, p.65]

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

Avowed delights and disappoints. This mix of RPG and action adventure offers a great deal of freedom in terms of exploration and character development in the beginning, only to fail to exploit the full potential of the systems implemented later on. Such a shame.

The developers from Hakama tried to brush up the series’ formula somewhat and push it more decisively in the direction of serious RPGs, but at the same time they are clinging to old mechanics, even those highly annoying. However, if you can tune out the game’s flaws, you’ll get many hours of decent fun that resembles Zeldas to some extent.

The game almost plays itself, which is a shame. It’s still made well enough to keep players engrossed in the mystery and scared of the Ripple Man. [04/2020, p.80]

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

A decent, quite complex city builder that would benefit from more variety, larger scale and losing some unnecessary mechanics. [10/2017, p.56]

A really simple but fun co-op action game resembling a team-based hack’n’slash. If you played one match you played them all. [06/2015, p.76]

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]

An inexperienced team made some simple mistakes in Hoodwink, but well written, funny dialogues are accompanied by cleverly designed puzzles. [September 2012, p.78]

Over half of available levels were taken from the original game, which is not a bad thing, but the price of the game is simply inadequate. [10/2017, p.66]

The first of four chapters is remarkable, but the next two are worse and the last one is simply pathetic. [05/2017, p.45]

Its biggest merit in the eyes of purists is arguably also its biggest flaw – Scythe: Digital Edition offers nothing that the original board game wouldn’t. The attention to the detail in some ways is even harmful to the game’s design. [03/2019, p.54]

It could’ve been a great single player title. The publisher chose to go down the game as a service path though, and those who prefer to play solo need to tackle run-of-the-mill co-op missions. The multiplayer on the other hand is messy, chaotic and in the long run boring. When the developers manage to fix the most pressing bugs and find a way to bring more variety to co-op, this might become a solid game. Right now, I can only recommend it to the biggest fans of the Avengers. [11/2020, p.26]

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]

It's hard to rate this game as it is very inconsistent. Good impression made by the music score is destroyed by terrible voice acting. Evading traps is fun but a moment later you're forced to use a simplified stealth system to trick dumb enemies. The sceneries can be really charming but the thrill is gone when a lifeless cut-scene kicks in. [June 2011, p.74]

Tales of Kenzera: Zau offers a typical metroidvania experience and it’s a shame that the team led by Abubakar Salim lacked the courage to put some kind of a twist on the genre’s formula. Surgent Studios has the potential to create amazing games, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.

After the first hour I really wanted to hate this game, because it hated me and did not teach me how to play. Don't confuse high difficulty level with realism though as the latter is sometimes questionable. After all I gave Men of War: Vietnam a second chance and it returned the favor with a couple of satisfying moments. Only Men of War fans prepared to be driven into the ground by enemy forces should play this. [October, p.62]

When Unravel did not annoy me with its poor level design and shortcomings related to gameplay mechanics, it was really enjoyable. [03/2016, p.38]

Unique aesthetics and fun time travelling mechanics are not enough to make up for a bunch of design errors, repetitive procedurally generated environments and at times amateurish execution. [06/2018, p.74]

It brings back memories of Painkiller and Serious Sam – again and again you get drowned in enemies. From time to time Hard Reset will beat the hell out of you but it does it in a quite pleasant way and graphics are very nice. The game has two substantial flaws – the single player campaign is short (ca. 6 hours) and there is no multiplayer mode. [October, p.66]

Despite new setting it’s obvious from the start who made this game. If you enjoyed Gothic or Risen series, you will probably have fun with Elex, because you’re used to turning a blind eye to numerous problems infesting Piranha Bytes’ titles. You will just have to give the story enough time to pick up speed, because the beginning is painfully slow and boring. [12/2017, p.74]

Multitude and diversity of interactions between characters are Dead in Vinland’s notable strengths but excessive impact of RNG on almost everything I did both disheartened me and robbed me of satisfaction. In addition random failures have negative effects on your characters, so you get caught in a spiral of hopelessness. The noose tightens. Despair knocks on your door. Death looks you in the eye. If you enjoy such pressure, give this Nordic tale a try. [06/2018, p.76]

This Gloria Victis spin-off is literally a This War of Mine gone medieval. It’s a tale of a bunch of civilians trying to survive a war, and many gameplay mechanics were clearly inspired by the 11 bit studios game. I really liked the fresh concept of helping to defend the stronghold by supporting soldiers with resources instead of actually participating in battles, but awful enemy AI and dull story made it impossible for me to truly enjoy the experience. [08/2021, p.40]

Solar Sails’ debut captivates mainly with its atmosphere and graphic style – similar to the most interesting works of Zoink! and Image & Form. And that is why, despite some of its shortcomings, I ultimately spent three pleasant evenings with it. [03/2019, p.76]

Looks like Larian Studios had a lot of ideas regarding gameplay but instead of choosing the best one they decided to utilise all of them. As a result Dragon Commander was stitched together from elements that don’t necessary fit each other. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.46]

Over a dozen hours of spatial environmental puzzles consisting of avoiding patrols and finding paths to objectives. Cyanide failed to push the series forward in any aspect but still managed to deliver a solid stealth game. [05/2017, p.68]

If you value interesting co-op Helldivers is worth checking out, but the developers should have used 10 months since the release of the original PS4 versions to improve the camera and tackle the repetitiveness. [03/2016, p.51]

God Mode is a likable run-of-the-mill effort that can offer a couple of enjoyable hours, but nothing more. [CD-Action 07/2013, p.64]

Web of Wyrd is the best Hellboy game, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. It’s an undemanding roguelite that can provide a couple of hours of simple, rather repetitive entertainment. However, it has strong points too, namely the atmosphere and the art style which makes it look like Mike Mignola’s comic book in motion.

Apart from the great Starfighter Assault mode Battlefront II is a mess of conflicting ideas, uneven mechanics and of course questionable monetization practices. DICE is facing long months of salvaging the game and the studio’s good name. [01/2018, p.32]

I liked many new features and I think going back to the roots of the series was a the right decision. Unfortunately it seems the game was published half a year too soon, as it’s underdeveloped, full of bugs (some of which are very serious) and has performance issues. To put it simply – Heroes VII was botched. [12/2015, p.34]

I could not shake the feeling that gameplay changes were introduced only to justify publishing a new FIFA. I launched brilliant FIFA 14 for comparison and could not believe how much the designers lost their way. Why try too hard to reinvent something almost perfect instead of just polishing it? [Dec 2014, p.58]

This crazy, controversial open-world mix of Postal and a geriatric GTA puts you in a role of a senior citizen who escapes from a care facility and starts wreaking havoc in a city that hates the elderly. It’s fun for a while, but over-the-top violence and exaggerated ragdoll get old pretty fast and what’s left are awful controls, outdated graphics, poor optimization and a bunch of various other flaws. [08/2021, p.59]

If you’re a fan of the Leisure Suit Larry series (or at least its previous instalment), you will probably enjoy this game, but it’s hard to miss the fact that the quality of jokes and puzzles is a step back in comparison to Wet Dream’s Don’t Dry. [08/2021, p.61]

When Rise of the Triad is just a shooter, it’s a great shooter. Unfortunately it also tries to be a first-person platformer and these segments are awful. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.64]

A decent platformer that will fall into oblivion sooner rather than later. [01/2018, p.49]

I appreciate the effort put into this game, but OpenTTD is free and still unbeaten. [Dec 2014, p.73]

The game’s cardinal sin is that it painfully limits your creativity. Instead of inventing deadly contraptions you mostly recreate those designed by the developers, so you can meet the level completion requirements. [06/2016, p.43]

Decent fun spoiled by poorly designed, frustrating controls and lack of depth. [09/2015, p.47]

As a homage to 16-bit games Insanity’s Blade is great, but its shallow and repetitive gameplay will not blow your mind. Don’t waste your time if you’re not into retro. [03/2014, p.75]

The DLC offers three missions (one of which is simply awful) and falls short of the captivating, emotional story from Last Light. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.73]

A lot of Hitman’s components are of the highest standard, but in my opinion its episodic nature took a heavy toll. I felt the game is fractured and its narrative lacks continuity, because the campaign is not really a campaign, but a series of standalone challenges glued together with some poor, makeshift story. [01/2018, p.52]

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]

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]

Crossbow: Bloodnight is a fast and smooth arena shooter that doesn’t offer enough content and variety for long sessions, but works well in short, intense ones. Switch seems like a great platform for it but unfortunately neither the Pro Controller nor the Joy-Cons offer the precision that the unforgiving gameplay requires. [04/2021, p.38]

Factions is a teaser of a bigger game and does a rather lousy job at encouraging to check out the main dish. It’s simply boring. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.81]

Gameplay is repetitive, level design is not too good and the player's influence on what's happening is limited, so the game gets boring very fast. [November 2011, p.83]

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]

I like games that let me know that what I do matters or at least build a believable illusion of my indispensability. The Order: 1886 did not need me at all. It seems it was made by people who would rather do movies than games and the player is a hindrance for them. When it becomes available for free on PS Plus though, it will be worth downloading because it looks great and offers 5-6 hours of decent, even if derivative fun. [04/2015, p.60]

If you want to practice fast typing, Nanotale seems like a good choice, because that’s how you cast spells in this game. Unfortunately, the story is not engaging and fights become tedious after some time. [06/2021, p.69]

Unlike Dynasty Warriors 9 released in 2018, Empires focuses mainly on free play. Battles took the form of conquering enemy fortresses – it’s a breath of fresh air, but the AI copes with this new premise poorly. The graphics are disappointing as well, but despite many flaws the game is highly addictive.

Dragon Age: Veilguard leaves us with the impression that we bought the wrong title. Instead of a true RPG, we get a mediocre action adventure game. A scenario stretched to the limit, a poorly constructed world and monotonous gameplay bored me to tears.

While Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a decent introduction to the world of Eiyuden Chronicle, it fails to use its full potential. More complex combat and varied side quests would have made it a much better experience.

I do not mind simplicity as long as there’s something valuable underneath it. Samorost 3 can only offer great visuals and for me that is not enough. [06/2016, p.57]

There are some well-designed and well-realized elements in Dead Age II and at first I was certain it’s going to be fun. After 8 hours I was already tired of repetitiveness and relentless grind which overshadowed everything that was done right. [06/2021, p.70]

Usually I’m not into artsy little indie games, but I was ready to fall in love with Feist. Unfortunately it didn’t want to love me back. Its difficulty level turned tension that I welcomed in the beginning of the adventure into frustration that prevented me from enjoying this beautiful, atmospheric game as much as I hoped to. [10/2015, p.53]

After insanely intense Doom Eternal it was somewhat strange to revisit much calmer Doom 3. Back in the day I loved its slower pace and horror atmosphere though, so I was excited to return to the UAC facility. It is still a decent game, but it’s quite ugly even compared to other PS VR shooters and it was hell-bent on giving me motion sickness (there’s no option to replace fluid movement with teleportation). [06/2021, p.71]

If Skydive’s flight ends in a bargain bin, you can give it a try. Otherwise there are so many great games to play. [13/2013, p.71]

Stitchy is a decent game, but way too conservative. It doesn’t even try to peek outside the genre’s basics and standards. I think younger players will enjoy it, but older platformer fans will probably get bored. [07/2021, p.41]

The game failed to win me over because its simplicity was taken too far. [12/2015, p.64]

Released 16 years after The Guild 2, the third entry in the series disappoints. Dated graphics, simplified gameplay, unintuitive interface and various other flaws greatly diminish its substantial potential. The Guild 3 spent six years in Early Access and judging by its state, it should have spent there an additional year or two.

An enjoyable F2P fighting game that’s a bit scant in terms of content and reaches into your wallet as often as possible without crossing the border into the pay-to-win territory. [09/2015, p.58]

Candy Crush Jelly Saga will not replace a balanced gaming diet. [03/2016, p.73]

A tribute to Dark Souls done with a deep understanding of the original game, but ugly and derivative as hell. [06/2016, p.61]

I love the game’s visual style, but the developers’ idea to essentially get rid of written text and make the player work out all the gameplay mechanics by himself sometimes works fine and sometimes feels like an unnecessary nuisance. I was also annoyed by the awkward menu and the fact that a game with such simple graphics can’t maintain a stable framerate. [07/2021, p.54]

Lightning returns for the last time, as a PC port, and wow, Japanese do not understand computers at all. Not even mouse support!? [02/2016, p.59]

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.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is still a very good fighting game, but this new version is not even a remaster. It’s a simple port that further exposes weaknesses of the original game’s aged graphics (forget about a dedicated PS5 version, by the way). Putting a heavy emphasis on the story is not a problem per se, but the way P4AU tells it doesn’t fit the genre and will confuse those not acquainted with the main Persona series.