Model Builder is time-consuming, rather tedious, sometimes frustrating, but also perversely addictive and relaxing. It offers plenty of models to build both in career and free play modes and provides 20-30 hours of decent fun (if you’re into building models, of course).

Juggling genres is the series’ trademark and the latest game offers much larger variety in that aspect than any of its predecessor. Most of the genres were tackled well enough, but not all ideas are spot-on and almost every part of the game could be improved. It is the best Battletoads game to date though and it would’ve scored higher if it wasn’t for one frustrating and infuriating section towards the end of the campaign. [11/2020, p.55]

Interesting character classes, enticing atmosphere, visual attractiveness, satisfying combat – Lost Ark hit the mark on everything one expects from a good action RPG. I could feel my character’s power from the very first step in this interesting, varied world, and saw potential for one of the best Diablo’s cousins in years. It’s a pity that the MMO aspects of Lost Ark forced some compromises and simply get in the way of enjoying the satisfying Diablo-esque side.

Steel Ocean is a really solid game and I would have spent much more time with it in a universe devoid of World of Warships. [02/2016, p.56]

A really enjoyable, relaxing game reminiscent of old Settlers. [02/2016, p.57]

A runner with a twist – instead of controlling the surfer, you control the waves. [03/2016, p.72]

I approached Death Stranding twice. I spent a couple of hours with the PS4 edition and was fascinated with it. I kinda wish I stopped at that and let the game remain a mystery to me rather than complete it later on PC and be disappointed. There are moments when Death Stranding eludes the traditional 1-10 rating system. There are moments when it sets new standards and becomes a truly special experience. But those are just moments scattered throughout tedious gameplay. Still, it is in my opinion one of those games you simply need to play. [10/2020, p.44]

A simple, lighthearted game about a mean cloud who enjoys spiting people. Some of its 50 levels are genuinely funny and its magic lasts longer than Untitled Goose Game’s or Dinner Date’s. [07/2021, p.48]

God of War returns to the scene suddenly, and in a form that few would have expected. Contrary to first impressions created by the setting, Sons of Sparta turns out to be quite an elaborate metroidvania-lite.

Quotation forthcoming. [02/2016, p.59]

Destroy All Humans! was rebuilt from scratch, but when it comes to the gameplay experience, it is identical to the 15-year-old original game. As a result, the story campaign feels outdated and gets stale after some time even despite the large arsenal of skills and weapons. It still is a fun game though and thanks to new visuals exploring the remade maps is a pleasure. [10/2020, p.52]

It’s still good old Dontnod but Tell Me Why falls short of the studio’s previous achievements. Outdated engine aside, the game lacks interesting interactions or a relationship as powerful as Chloe’s and Max’s friendship in Life is Strange. Its simple story is quite linear and fails to surprise, and supporting characters are rather bland. [11/2020, p.62]

Dredge is a short, humble game full of unrealized potential. The longer I played it, the more I regretted that it offers so little content. Black Salt Games also couldn’t decide whether their debut title should be relaxing or challenging, and as a result it does neither well. However, it is still a fun change from huge RPGs and open worlds that devour weeks.

In terms of its size Dawn of Ragnarok is a full-fledged, traditional expansion we used to see back in the day rather than a typical modern DLC. It offers a surprisingly good story but the mythological setting didn’t bring any substantial changes to the gameplay. It’s just more of Valhalla and while I enjoyed the base game I’ve simply had enough of Vikings by now.

If you enjoy Picross and love Pokémon – get this game. [03/2016, p.73]

Looks good, sounds good and has some cool ideas, especially in the field of level design. [03/2016, p.73]

Godstrike is a well-designed twin-stick shooter, but be aware that it is not just hard, it’s mercilessly brutal. Try it if you dare, but steer clear of it if being butchered is not your idea of an enjoyable evening. [07/2021, p.60]

DungeonTop completely lacks a distinctive style and comes off as amateurish in terms of visuals, but was built around great gameplay mechanics (traditional does not equal boring!) and offers a lot of content, so it’s capable of sucking you in for dozens of hours. [10/2020, p.62]

Looks great, uses motion controls and apart from planes lets you choose a dragon. [12/2015, p.73]

The game is a technological marvel but although David Cage’s storytelling has an ideal pace and the way the story branches out depending on your choices is praiseworthy, his writing is childishly naïve. His vision of Detroit is unconvincing from the ground up and all his characters are merely crude, threadbare archetypes, which made it impossible for me to suspend disbelief. What’s more, the game touches a sensitive problem of discrimination but doesn’t have the courage to take any stand, leaving us with a lukewarm tale about robots, told with clichés and truisms. [07/2018, p.42]

Metro 2033: Wars is unfriendly and does a lot to discourage less determined players but if you can looks past its rough edges it will give you a lot of satisfaction. [02/2016, p.66]

Even if it’s not Daedalic’s greatest work, Anna’s Quest is still a strong entry in their catalogue. [09/2015, p.67]

It doesn’t try to be innovative, but neatly adapts some tried-and-true mechanics. [12/2015, p.74]

A simple but quite enjoyable, fast-paced card game. [02/2016, p.66]

For the first couple of hours City of Brass was lots of fun, mainly thanks to the whip, which is a cool, versatile tool, and the game’s unique setting. Then scarcity of content reared its head and despite the efforts of a very capable procedural generation algorithm repetitiveness became more and more wearisome. [07/2018, p.50]

Worth 15 minutes of your time (that’s how short it is) if you enjoy grotesque. [09/2015, p.68]

Good fighting game poorly ported to PC and suffering from botched netcode. [10/2015, p.69]

R-Type Final 2 is a very enjoyable and pretty shmup, but know that it sticks strictly to recreating “good old times” and don’t expect it to surprise you with anything. As a tribute, it’s a very good game, but in itself it is derivative. [07/2021, p.76]