Dave the Diver is the best thing I’ve played this year and I wish I had more such stellar games in my life to help me escape the grey reality. Its gameplay loop is terrifyingly addictive and the “one more dive syndrome” lies in wait for anyone who decides to check out this dark horse of the GOTY race.

Without a doubt it’s one of the most original shooters ever created, but I must warn you that if you don’t get hooked on challenges, you’ll be done with the game in about 3 hours, because it’s how long the campaign takes. [10/2017, p.72]

A shooter with a roguelike’s soul, Risk of Rain 2 is pretty much devoid of any deeper meaning, but at the same time perfectly executed and brilliant in its simplicity. [11/2020, p.33]

My infatuation with the game didn’t fade after tens of finished levels. And even if it’s safe to say that it looks like Poly Bridge’s winter DLC, the developers introduced so many innovations to the genre that every bridge builder fan will surely love splattering the innocent skiers blood on the snow. [03/2019, p.60]

It’s the best Persona game to date and when you reach end credits after a hundred or so hours, it’s hard not to feel the pang of sorrow when you realize that the huge, multilayered story is over and you have to say goodbye to virtual friends you’ve made. [06/2017, p.34]

Arkham City is a wonderful game that we expected it to be but regrettably despite all the enhancements it introduces it is not clearly better than Arkham Asylum. [November 2011, p.36]

Attractive gameplay mechanics resulting in a unique flow, flashing neon visuals, crazy level design, quick pace and trance soundtrack make Octahedron hard to resist. [06/2018, p.68]

The only thing this brilliant game lacks is the ability to race at night or in the rain. Apart from that it offers almost everything – trying out hundreds of detailed cars on numerous beautiful tracks I felt like a kid in a candy store. [November 2011, p.44]

All Dragon’s Dogma’s drawbacks (i.e. repetitive quests, occasional boring backtracking, poor checkpoint system) become irrelevant when you focus on what this game does well (i.e. truly impressive combat), because it does it better than any other action RPG. [03/2016, p.36]

Insomniac made us wait long for new Ratchet & Clank adventures but it was worth it. Looking like a Pixar movie, Rift Apart is the first truly next-gen title and the first proper reason to buy a PS5. It is absolutely stunning in almost every aspect – from guns and story to optimization and use of adaptive triggers. It’s a pity though that inter-dimensional portals were not used to their full potential, and both playable characters (the second one being the female lombax Rivet) differ only in appearance. [08/2021, p.28]

It’s not just a game, it’s a phenomenon. It lets you explore literally the whole planet – cities, mountains, lakes, rivers, even my house was there – from the cockpits of 20-30 (depends on the version of the game) airplanes. Flying experiences are also great and vary from machine to machine. I’m sure I’ll be returning to MFS for years to come. [11/2020, p.38]

Ghostrunner 2 is not the sequel I expected. Instead of just “bigger and improved”, I got a real rollercoaster of crazy events, brilliantly designed levels and new additions that turned a one-dimensional story into a futuristic anime. From rushing down neon corridors to riding a motorbike through wastelands to exploring cyberspace – everything offers incredible experiences.

Conversations with your comrades are more meaningful and have a stronger emotional charge than combat or solving problems. Citadel is a great way to bid Commander Shepard good-bye. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.58]

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York was an introduction to the World of Darkness, whereas Shadows of New York is a specific story with a predefined protagonist, that would allow the writers to really show their craft. And show their craft they did! I was falling asleep playing Coteries, but Shadows held me in its grip for 10 hours straight and finally convinced me that being a vampire is awesome. [11/2020, p.40]

A miniature work of art, full of radiant colors. A pixel perfect animated film. Unbelievably well polished. A candidate for the biggest surprise of the year. [03/2019, p.74]

Black Ops 6 is a Call of Duty unlike any other: smarter, longer, better thought out, offering far more options and playing with all sorts of genres. A successful redemption after the flop that was Modern Warfare III.

The old guard sent us a beautiful postcard from the year 1987 and I don’t hesitate to announce that Thimbleweed Park features Gilbert’s best script in at least two decades. [05/2017, p.66]

A unique game for connoisseurs that still weep over Fallout’s fate. The Age of Decadence is minimalistic in terms of technology, but its depth in almost every gameplay aspect is astonishing. [03/2016, p.48]

Every time I recall my favourite scenes from Grim Fandango I’m flabbergasted by how much life the developers breathed into their story about the land of the dead. It’s just throbbing with energy and creativity and it’s one of the most spectacular games I’ve ever come across. [03/2014, p.60]

Restored Land has transformed Dying Light: The Beast from a very good game into an even better one. The issues I complained about after launch have been fixed, and the addition of survival mode offers a great opportunity to revisit Castor Woods.

Great port of a great title. Zombie games are all around us, but Bend Studio managed to squeeze every last drop out of this worn out setting. Everything is well-designed and polished in Days Gone – the believable world and characters in it, the distinct post-apocalyptic aura, the crafting, the thrilling combat and spectacular encounters with bloodthirsty hordes. In addition, this version is well-optimized and runs smoothly on a mid-range PC. [08/2021, p.48]

I thoroughly enjoyed playing through Ghost of Sparta for the second time and Chains of Olympus for the third time, in Full HD for a change. A must-have for all Kratos fans and for action games fans in general. [October, p.78]

What it lacks in storytelling, it makes up with sheer brilliance in something far more important – the gameplay that pushes the 2D platformer genre to its limits. The game sparkles with creativity and the developers’ clear love for games. [03/2019, p.82]

If you haven’t played Fast Racing NEO on Wii U (or you have and you want more of the same, but prettier), if you miss F-Zero, if you can’t wait to get your hands on the new Wipeout, don’t think twice about buying Fast RMX. [05/2017, p.71]

Some say God of War Ragnarok is a below-par effort from Santa Monica Studio, because in reality it’s just a glorified PS4 game. You know what? Just ignore those voices. It’s an excellent sequel whose story perfectly sets the evolving relationship between Kratos and adolescent Atreus against the backdrop of key events from Norse mythology. The scale, the visceral combat, the end of the world looming on the horizon… Play this game, it’s worth it.

I was flabbergasted by what two largely unknown studios managed to achieve. Lords of the Fallen is not just a creative take on the formula introduced by From Software, but also a game that can rival the greatest recent RPGs and looks like Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau from their best years. [Dec 2014, p.40]

This game convinced me to buy Xbox One and for me FH2 is the only racing game that should be taken into account this year. [Dec 2014, p.54]

The shield and melee weapons haven't changed the character of Doom, it's still fast, furious and brutal. Despite my initial misgivings, The Dark Ages swept me away completely, which I particularly appreciate given that Eternal is, in my opinion, one of the weakest instalments in the series.