Gaijin Games once again managed to find a reasonable balance between trivial gameplay rules and gradually rising, pleasantly challenging difficulty level. [CD-Action 05/2013, p.75]

This action RPG set in the dark fantasy-flavored Wild West enraptured me with its cleverly constructed story with meaningful choices, unique atmosphere, and living, interactive, beautiful world. My delight would have been even greater if it wasn’t for the terrible AI and unintuitive controls.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is by no means a leap forward, but it is in every aspect superior to its already excellent predecessor. For me, it’s a perfect battle royale, although it’s a shame that right now, plagued by countless technical issues, it looks more like a prerelease build than a finished game.

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]

I bow down to writers behind Jazzpunk. I just haven’t decided yet whether I should send them flowers to the rehab or to the mental hospital. [05/2014, p.69]

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]

What a wonderful surprise at the end of the year! Blacktail, a real gem dipped in Slavic folklore, delighted me with its distinct atmosphere, engaging narrative, sense of humor, and excellent music. What did not impress me, was the combat, but as a whole the game is a fantastic experience.

Cuphead is a stunningly looking, wonderfully animated interactive cartoon with three hours of jazz and ragtime playing in the background. Its gameplay however lacks the brilliance of the audiovisual layer. [12/2017, p.46]

This curious mix of a roguelike and a reversed bullet hell shooter will either discourage you quickly or – if you give it a chance – amaze you with gameplay intensity and quite complex mechanics revealed gradually. You’ll either love Vampire Survivors or hate it – I don’t see a middle ground here.

The latest entry in the Gran Turismo series is a safe sequel that’s stuck in the old ways, but thanks to its rich inheritance, the game is also huge in terms of content and shows a spark of pure genius just like its predecessors.

At a time when the biggest companies are shamelessly releasing remasters of titles that are several years old, any fresh IP, especially one set in such a unique universe, is worth its weight in gold. The gameplay and story are compelling, even if it is a production from a bygone era.

L.A. Noire is a new breed of adventure game. It's quality and scale completely eclipse even the most important achievements in this genre and I strongly recommend it as the best interactive detective story of all time. [June 2011, p.52]

Creative Assembly takes us on a breathtaking journey through four of Warhammer’s continents (the map is huge!) and serves all of its gameplay elements in right proportions. It’s a highly addictive game that will consume all your free time one turn at a time. [12/2017, p.48]

No revolution here, but still it’s an absolute must-have for every Wii U owner. [08/2014, p.68]

This game would benefit from one more year of development to iron out some shortcomings but its essence – slaughtering zombies with customized weapons in close combat – is almost perfect. The 'just one more quest' syndrome is here along with fantastic, detailed environments and enjoyable 2-4 players co-op. May the sequel be even better! [October, p.34]

The latest Tropico's sole problem is the fact that the visuals are not very different from the previous game in the series. Other than that it's an immensely absorbing title and the built-in editor along with the ability to share user created scenarios will guarantee its longevity. [October, p.42]

Resistance 3 failed to outmatch its main competitor – the Killzone series – but still is a great game. It's got a tangible atmosphere of threat, a personal story that does not drip with cheap pomposity, a set of 12 fantastic upgradeable weapons that are fun to use and very good visuals (if you don't look at textures up-close). Boss battles are somewhat disappointing though and enemy AI leaves much to be desired. There's also nothing groundbreaking here but good old FPS standards were put together brilliantly. [October, p.44]

Ratchet & Clank’s first-time PC appearance is a great occasion to revisit the amazing adventure or get acquainted with the duo. There’s a condition though – you need a monster computer to truly enjoy this port. Although Rift Apart works surprisingly well on Steam Deck, on an older desktop PC (i7-3930K, GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB RAM, HDD) I experienced significant framerate drops and sometimes even crashes. On a powerful config (i9-13900K, RTX 4090, 64 GB RAM, SSD M.2) it ran perfectly and looked insanely good, defending the title of one of the most beautiful games in history.

The atmosphere alongside with tough moral choices and many other merits makes Frostpunk absurdly engaging. [06/2018, p.58]

Two main new features – tactical defending and physics engine – are a bit disappointing for me. The direction itself was right but the execution leaves room for improvement in FIFA 13. It's still a great game though with a lot of minor enhancements and additions. [October, p.48]

Requiring creativity and spatial imagination, this puzzle game draws you in from the very first minutes. If only it told its story better and dared to be more difficult and bolder, it would be nearly perfect.

If you love interstellar travels, you’ve got nothing to mull over, because right now Elite Dangerous is the best space sim. [02/2016, p.36]

Lifting heavy things was never so fun! Moving Out 2 is a very enjoyable game that truly shines in the local or online co-op mode. The level design is stellar, while the variety of objectives makes this gem difficult to put down.

The wait was long, but it was worth it! LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has a lot going for it, offering plenty of action, many puzzles, rich environments and a very enjoyable co-op mode. It’s still the familiar LEGO games formula we’ve seen many times, but skillfully expanded with new ideas and improvements. A must-play title for both Star Wars and LEGO fans.

The new large area is just a beginning. The car was introduced really well and tweaking it is really rewarding, because all the modifications are meaningful. There are new weapons and enemies (real bosses at last!) and the expansion is well balanced in terms of character development. Lastly there’s a good, skillfully presented story and enough content for 20-25 hours. [03/2016, p.30]

Children of the Sun is an insanely addictive puzzle game cleverly pretending to be a shooter. It’s an excellent title for those who prefer solving problems over spectacular action. The developer knew exactly how to build tension by gradually unlocking new mechanics that increase the difficulty, and as a result this indie gem is more fun than many AAA products.

There are not many games out there that make drifting so enjoyable. But bear in mind that Trackmania may throw you off if you're a fan of traditional racing games. It's also a pity that the puzzles from the previous game in the series are now gone. [October, p.60]

Session: Skate Sim is the best skateboarding game right now. It’s difficult, it’s challenging, but it offers unbelievable possibilities for a video game and is very realistic without going overboard. I’ve been dreaming of something like this for the past 20 years. If you like skateboarding, you must play it.