I spent 25 hours with Lightning Returns and most of them were pleasant, but it was mainly entertainment for my eyes and fingers rather than my brain. I reckon it to be the best game of the XIII trilogy, but it’s far behind those really outstanding Final Fantasies. [04/2014, p.60]

I had huge expectations and was nearly certain that the game would fail to live up to them. Fortunately I was wrong – From Software miraculously managed to improve on nearly perfect Dark Souls. [04/2014, p.56]

An inconspicuous game that really surprised me – it’s enjoyable, funny, great from the technical point of view. It would have been perfect with a better balanced undead team and more gameplay modes. [04/2014, p.54]

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]

As a hard core South Park fan I had tons of fun with The Stick of Truth, I appreciated lots of cool ideas and laughed hard. This is how licensed games should be done – literally every gameplay element was built around the source material to create the illusion of taking part in an episode of the series. [04/2014, p.44]

There’s no place on the market for mediocre games that distinguish themselves only with visuals. Gomo will be quickly forgotten, even by indie enthusiasts. [03/2014, p.75]

It’s not a particularly good horror, but if you’re not fed up with zombies, you can download the first episode for free and spend a reasonably enjoyable evening with it. [03/2014, p.75]

For the Dragon Ball fans only. Others won’t understand the theatrical exaggeration or will get bored by the convention and its limitations. [03/2014, p.74]

A specific game for a specific subgroup of hard core gamers. [03/2014, p.73]

At first I was delighted with the dark atmosphere, but it’s not the story of madness that drove me crazy, but pixel hunting, repetitive objects, weak character models and slow movements of the protagonist. [03/2014, p.73]

It might be unpolished, but it still is a gem among slashers, especially on a platform that lacks this kind of game. [03/2014, p.72]

I think you won’t be disappointed if you choose to return to Albion. Of course some gameplay mechanics are old after 10 years, but it is still a charming fairy tale. [03/2014, p.71]

Tim Schafer’s Kickstarter game is finally here and it does not disappoint. After finishing Broken Age I spent an hour coming up with theories on how the story will unfold in the second act – and that is the best recommendation. [03/2014, p.70]

I must admit that developers hit the spot with the title of their Spellforce 2 expansion. It’s still good, old Spellforce, but the emphasis should be put on ‘old’. [03/2014, p.69]

The gameplay is very simple, but I got hooked on it, mainly because of a great soundtrack. [03/2014, p.69]

Easy puzzles resemble irrational conundrums from old point’n’click games and are accompanied by pop-cultural references and absurd humor. Turn a blind eye to subpar visuals and treat this game as a fun, undemanding break from serious titles. [03/2014, p.68]

A game that could have been released 5 years ago and even then wouldn’t be anything special. [03/2014, p.66]

Turn-based combat – especially later in the game – is enjoyable, but too easy on the normal difficulty level. Visuals resembling old Disney movies are wonderful and music is excellent. It’s a shame that the characters have no voices though, because it would make them easier to attach to. [03/2014, p.64]

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]

The variety of weapons is once again Dead Rising’s biggest strength, but despite it being a sandbox game it quickly reveals all its secrets and becomes tedious. [03/2014, p.60]

Repetitive, boring and pretentious. It’s not how you make an ambitious game. [03/2014, p.59]

A very simple game with a very enjoyable, addictive gameplay – especially if you play it online. [03/2014, p.59]

Even a low budget Assassin’s Creed is more enjoyable than most AAA games. There’s not much to do besides the main story and you can deal with Liberation in less than 7 hours, but it will be time well spent. [03/2014, p.56]

It seems like the high quality of the first Lords of Shadow was accidental, because the sequel looks like three different games unskillfully stitched together. The beginning is great, but then suddenly the pace is gone, making room for long, boring cut-scenes (telling an extremely stupid story) and annoying, unnecessary stealth elements. [03/2014, p.50]

A weak attempt to suck some cash out of Saint Seiya fans. [02/2014, p.75]

It can interest all those who like curious games, but it wears you down with its slow gameplay. [02/2014, p.74]

If you like games in the vein of Stars! or Master of Orion, you can sink into Stardrive for long hours. [02/2014, p.73]

It’s a shame that Finding Teddy is too short to be something more than just an interesting curiosity. [02/2014, p.73]

Even a decade later it’s obvious why SoulCalibur II is regarded one of the best 3D fighting games. The HD version is unfortunately only decent – it’s clear that the game is 10 years old and the online component is very modest. [02/2014, p.72]

Last time I had so much fun with characters built of handful of pixels was probably in the Lemmings era. [02/2014, p.71]

PC version of Injustice is decent, but visuals and the code responsible for online multiplayer could use some tweaking (lags occur sometimes). [02/2014, p.71]

Nippon Ichi tried to develop a game that would appeal to a wider audience but made it too complicated and therefore wearisome. [02/2014, p.70]

A charming tribute to Game Boy that people born after 1990 might not appreciate. [02/2014, p.69]

Shallow gameplay makes you slash and break possessed chairs, pots and other home appliances in a primitive turn-based minigame. [02/2014, p.69]

There’s nothing left from Mattel’s vision of Barbie as a girl who can do anything and pursue any career she wants. In Dreamhouse Party she’s is just a cute, dumb girl on high heels who wastes her time with her equally dumb friends. It’s sad. [02/2014, p.68]

Playing most of the indie platformers is a torment for me but Steamworld Dig was a pleasure. [02/2014, p.67]

Instead of bothering with problems of characters in this not so deep and not so ambitious game, you should go and talk to real people you care about. [02/2014 2014, p.66]

The expansion introducing 12-a-side PvP battles in space lets you modify your starfighter heavily and offers a solid arcade gameplay that works great as a part of a bigger game. [02/2014, p.65]

I love Broken Swords and this one returns to the tradition of the first two games, which are the best in the series. If only this new sword were longer... [02/2014, p.64]

It’s ugly as sin (upscaled 800 x 600 resolution) and there are no animations but this indie rougelike/puzzle game is addictive as hell. [02/2014, p.63]

I couldn’t get over the imprecise gadget controls and quasi-physics that goes wild once in a while. Plus the game is as boring as ‘The Limits of Control’ by Jarmush. [02/2014, p.63]

Calling a game with a gameplay based on shadows a shadow of what it could’ve been is a cheap trick. So is joking that Contrast contrasts with the vision of itself depicted in the previews and press releases. Still I couldn’t resist to do both because what we got is a half-baked mediocrity that has too little good moments but loads of wasted potential. [02/2014, p.62]

A modest DLC for the most hard core Battlefield fans only. [02/2014, p.61]

You often have to turn a blind eye to independent games’ shortcomings to enjoy the gameplay, but Darkout is so sloppy that the only reasonable thing to do is deleting the local content. How about a tutorial that can permanently block your progress even if you closely follow the onscreen instructions? [02/2014, p.61]

A fabulous, wonderfully realized idea that leaves you hungry for more when you finish the game after just 2 hours. [02/2014, p.60]

It has potential to absorb you for long hours and I can recommend it to everyone who likes games that are intellectually demanding. [02/2014, p.59]

If you’re not a fan of the original Cartoon Network series, don’t bother with Omniverse 2, as the game is worse than its predecessor. [02/2014, p.59]

Instead of giving the series a new life the developers buried it and the patches are a classic case of ‘too little, too late’. There’s a lot of things you can forgive this game but not the fact that it’s boring. [02/2014, p.58]

Keeps you on your toes from the first to the last second of a 1.5 hour long playthrough, as usually forcing you to make tough decisions under pressure and dwell on them later. [02/2014, p.57]

A new quick and satisfying campaign that will keep you occupied for 10 hours on a smaller map limited to 18 provinces of Gaul and Britain. [02/2014, p.57]

Warframe is worth your time, especially on PS4 with its limited array of games. [02/2014, p.56]

It has some really good moments but overall it’s just a presentation of Xbox One’s graphical capabilities that bores you with primitive combat and does little to keep you playing. [02/2014, p.55]

It’s hard to give new Forza a balanced rating. It has a great driving model, innovative gamepad controls, drivatars, point awarding system acknowledging the fact that even the best drivers don’t win all the time, and Full HD visuals so detailed that even the indicators on the dashboards work. It could have been a 9/10. But on the other hand we have small choice of cars and tracks, tons of microtransactions and long loading times. [02/2014, p.50]

The driving model is better than in the previous WRC game and is surprisingly solid. Despite that it’s hard not to notice that the developer’s budget was very limited. [01/2014, p.72]

New Ratchet & Clank does not bring anything fresh to the table in terms of gameplay, but it skilfully borrows from other games and offers something interesting all the time. It’s unpretentious, charming and fun to play. [01/2014, p.71]

It’s hard to leave this game – it’s beautiful, sound great and is extremely involving. A must-have for the fans of Day of the Tentacle, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. [01/2014, p.70]

There are two problems with Tearaway. The game is too easy and poses no challenge whatsoever and is not as pretty as one would expect (the technical aspect is fine, but the colours lack intensity). Anyway – Tearaway is worth checking out but it’s not a must-have. [01/2014, p.69]

The title sums the game up pretty accurately. It seems the developers didn’t know why they are making this game and how to make it. [01/2014, p.68]

Crytek’s game fails to differentiate itself from other free-to-play shooters. I find Ghost Recon Online, Warframe and even PlanetSide 2 more interesting. [01/2014, p.68]

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

An awfully boring, repetitive and uninspired game that does absolutely nothing to show PS4’s capabilities but a lot to ruin your day. [01/2014, p.66]

One of those games that you can play, but you don’t miss anything if you ignore it. [01/2014, p.65]

If you haven’t played the original edition, prepare for one of the best stealth/shooter games of recent years and above all a really good story and incredible music. [01/2014, p.65]

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

A great shoot ‘em up born of passion for the genre. [01/2014, p.63]

It’s not the best Castlevania game ever, but for a digitally distributed minor title it’s really decent. And the visuals are surprisingly good for a game initially created for the 3DS. [01/2014, p.62]

Despite some shortcomings (a couple of minor technical issues, ugly cut-scenes) The Inner World is a charming point’n’click game that blows Memoria out of the water. [01/2014, p.61]

The rich Marvel Universe and Traveller’s Tales’ Lego series is a match made in heaven – instead of dozens of bland droids, pirates or guards this time we got the roster of over 100 interesting and varied characters. The gameplay remained mostly unchanged and is rather easy but there is always something cool going on to keep you interested. The best Lego game to date. [01/2014, p.60]

Shadow Fall does a great job when you want to show your friends what the PS4 is capable of –it looks gorgeous, especially on a big screen. But the visuals are where the whole next-gen thing ends, as gameplay-wise it’s just an old, traditional shooter, solid but not breathtaking. The writing is poor, there’s absolutely no breakthrough in terms of the AI and there are no memorable moments in the campaign, which by the way drags on for longer than it should (it took me about 9 hours to finish the game and I spent the last 2-3 hours eagerly awaiting the credits). The multiplayer does not disappoint though. [01/2014, p.56]

GT6 might have seemed dead on arrival – it’s built for an 8 years old console and even if it looks great for a PS3 game, it can’t even be compared to Forza Motorsport 5 in terms of visuals. But the key to Gran Turismo’s success is its wonderful driving model. There was no better driving game on Sony’s platforms and there won’t be a better one on PS3 ever. [01/2014, p.54]

Firaxis did a good job at translating air battles into turn-based strategy gameplay. [01/2014, p.52]

One of those games that you sit down to play for half an hour and end up spending whole night with. It’s not flawless (e.g. it lacks a multiplayer mode) but you will not regret investing time in it. [01/2014, p.50]

Bland visuals, poor audio and no multiplayer mode in a game that screams for one. Still it can provide a couple of enjoyable hours to those who cherish their memories of the original Talisman board game. [01/2014, p.49]

Next-gen FIFA is a step in a good direction, although it’s not that different from the FIFA 14 released for PC, X360 and PS3. New animations are visible throughout the whole match and the veterans will also appreciate new, more realistic ball physics. [01/2014, p.48]

If I were to rate the original game after all these years, I would still give it 9 out of 10. The elements added to the Enhanced Edition would score 6,5, maybe 7 on a good day. [01/2014, p.46]

Not only will World of Tanks fans enjoy Wargaming’s new game. The gameplay is simple yet satisfying – you can feel the differences between planes, but some crude elements distinctive to hard core simulators were avoided. [01/2014, p.44]

EA managed to end the bad run of Need for Speeds released in odd years. But even if it’s the best NFA in a long time, it could have been better. Rivals looks and plays really good but it could use a properly working multiplayer or a real single player mode. And if you remember Most Wanted, Rivals looks quite familiar. [01/2014, p.38]

For those who enjoy puzzle platformers and dying a lot. [13/2013, p.77]

The best Pokemon game since Gold and Silver. It’s worth buying a 3DS. [13/2013, p.76]

A poorly animated, unbalanced game that I didn’t enjoy at all. Although it does offer a lot of different punches, kicks and throws, its gameplay resembles a long, boring QTE. [13/2013, p.74]

If you want some painless and enjoyable guitar lessons, go buy Rocksmith 2014 Edition. [13/2013, p.74]

While the developer’s previous game – The Walking Dead – bought me with difficult relations within the group, The Wolf Among Us captivated me with its mood, much darker than in the original comic books. It’s simply dripping with noir. [13/2013, p.73]

Dear Kung Fu Factory, please try harder next time, because you showed some potential, but I had to look for it through a microscope. [13/2013, p.73]

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]

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]

One of those heavily scripted games that make you go from point A to point B through corridors built of visible and invisible walls. Even taking a bath in a creek kills you, and there are two weapons available. [13/2013, p.70]

Some levels of this music game resembling bullet hell shoot’em ups are simply beautiful. [13/2013, p.69]

There are a lot of games better in terms of technical execution, but How To Survive makes up for that with interesting gameplay. [13/2013, p.68]

Is it worth it to pay for a new version of a an old free mod? The visuals are of course better, but it’s not important in a game with the story as a centerpiece. And the topic that was fresh in 2011 doesn’t have such an impact nowadays. [13/2013, p.66]

This is how you restore a classic game – it’s old school, but with modern presentation and some great ideas. [13/2013, p.66]

One of the best looking 2D titles of this year and a game that you can spend 50 or 100 hours with and still not have enough. And if you have three friends to enjoy the co-op mode with, Dragon’s Crown is amazing. [13/2013, p.64]

The developer failed to eradicate all the bugs from the previous game but it doesn’t change the fact that Enemy Within can be honestly recommended both to veterans and those who want to check out a tactical turn-based game for the first time. [13/2013, p.62]

The best hack’n’slash I've played in recent years. If the visuals are not the most important aspect for you and what you crave is a juicy adventure in a growing world (subsequent acts are on their way) full of monsters to slay, skills to acquire and loot to collect, you need to give Path of Exile a try. [13/2013, p.60]

I really hope that Rocksteady can still teach an old bat new tricks, because WB Games Montreal failed to advance the series. What we have here are old gameplay mechanics – which still work fine by the way – sold to us for the third time and supplemented with a bit of fresh ideas that don’t have a sufficient impact on the whole game (and sometimes are simply bad). [13/2013, p.56]

All the distinguishing features of the series – the Templars, parkour and brutal assassinations – are here, but now they are not the core, they are just elements of the best pirate game ever, of a Red Dead Redemption at sea. [13/2013, p.52]

FM 2014 unnecessarily tries to be two games in one. Instead of investing in the intentionally limited Classic mode, the developer should work on increasing the role of the assistants in the primary mode. Changes in the tactics system are sensible, but would be more valuable if the game did a better job at explaining what all the options mean and what the consequences of using them are. [13/2013, p.50]

It’s not the second coming of Christ, it’s merely another good product in a different wrapping. Ghosts is a great FPS but this time it’s not necessarily a great Call of Duty game. [13/2013, p.46]

A truly next-gen game that I will invest dozens of hours in. You will not find another shooter like Battlefield 4, so complex, with such verve and so full of goodies. [13/2013, p.40]