Take on Helicopters is an attempt to prove that civil aviation does not have to be boring. The problem of this game is that it sits on a fence between mass accessibility and hardcore simulation. It's competent in both cases but I'm not sure it can win over either group of players. [February 2012, p.56]

Delicious art style, excellent music, varied tactical combat – Snowhound’s tactical RPG got some things right, but there’s a strange dissonance between the game’s atmosphere of dark sci-fi and its absurd humor. Had the game offered a deeper strategic layer and something besides exploring wreck after wreck, I probably would have spent more time with it than those 14 hours after which it simply became boring. [12/2018, p.73]

An interesting, solid genre hybrid that could use a greater weapon variety and would benefit from adding more content. [11/2021, p.76]

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]

Repetitive, crude gameplay falls way behind Tokyo 42’s gorgeous visuals. [09/2017, p.42]

Darksiders III feels like a trip to a museum, which of course doesn’t have to be a drawback. Its antiquated design has a certain charm and made me realize that I miss simplicity and compactness in bloated modern open-world games. Unfortunately Gunfire’s effort is messy – it’s rough around the edges, it made a step backwards in terms of RPG elements and environmental puzzles, some design choices are dubious, the combat system is imprecise, and there are a lot of bugs and glitches on top of all that. As a result Darksiders III can compete neither with modern action titles, nor with previous games in the series. [01/2019, p.82]

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]

It’s a classic initiation story. Unfortunately the quantity of content wins over its quality so it may seem that the game drags on while simultaneously being too short. [03/2020, p.78]

I appreciate the game’s originality, appealing art style, replayability and combat mechanics that leave some room for tactics. I find randomizing the difficulty level irritating though. Sometimes you get to fight softies, sometimes the same level greets you with enemies that kill you with a single punch (hello, permadeath!). Loosing simply because you were unlucky and had to face an impossible dungeon does not feel great. [03/2021, p.39]

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]

It’s a pity that this magical, beautiful journey inspired by Contrast comes to an end after merely two, three hours tops, and gives no incentive to relive it. [02/2019, p.58]

It’s a shame that because of the limited processing power Hyrule Warriors lost much of its visual attractiveness and fluidity, but other than that it’s one of the best games in the series. [05/2016, p.75]

There are no apparent bugs and all gameplay mechanics are very transparent. The reason for that is not the brilliance of the developers though, but rather the (let’s say) modesty of each and every element of the game. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars is as plain and sad as a crypt of some lowly countryside vampire. [12/2020, p.48]

A reimagining rather than a remake, Operation Galuga is a fun way to rediscover the 8-bit classic. The developers kept the gameplay foundations of the original, but included a lot of welcome additions. For Contra veterans, it’s a great sentimental journey, for younger players – a blast from the past in a bearable, modern form.

It might look like a Gunpoint clone but instead of stealth you have to rely on your swordmanship in turn-based combat sequences. [09/2015, p.49]

It still drips with style, but in terms of gameplay this return to the past is rather painful. [12/2012, p.87]

Do you know how it feels to experience a sequel to a game you played (and loved!) 26 years ago on your Amiga? Do you know how it feels to realize that it was worth the absurd wait? I do now. Beyond the Steel Sky is not perfect but it reminded me why I used to enjoy adventure games so much back in the day. [10/2020, p.66]

One of those little things that would work much better on a bus to work. It’s got simple mechanics, the turns are short and it can help you stretch out your brain. [05/2015, p.67]

If you enjoy strategy games and on top of that have fond memories of Dungeon Keeper you should definitely buy Dungeons II. [07/2015, p.50]

A must-have for all Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics fans. Not because it’s as good, but for its price it emulates them surprisingly well. [10/2015, p.77]

Despite an average story Fran Bow was an interesting journey that even left me feeling uneasy in dark places. [11/2015, p.40]

Everything that was good in the original Dead Island and Riptide (like the combat system and the co-op) is still good in the new versions remastered with the Dying Light engine. Unfortunately everything that was bad (like the writing and repetitiveness) is still bad. [08/2016, p.59]

Immortal Redneck requires some stubbornness at the beginning and its repetitiveness might be annoying if you get stuck in one pyramid but once the just one more pyramid syndrome kicked in, I had some decent fun. [07/2017, p.50]

There are some improvements and some progress in WRC 7, but if you own WRC 5 or WRC 6, it’s hard to justify buying this year’s edition. [12/2017, p.73]

A surprisingly fun game full of nuances related to numerous fishing techniques and choosing gear suitable for specific conditions. [11/2018, p.75]

An unusual mix of a lot of playability, some seasoned and some fresh ideas, an interesting world, and a huge dose of clunkiness. [07/2020, p.70]

The world of Batuu is very polished, the environments are detailed, and there’s a story to play through, but there are also some issues that mar the experienced. You can’t edit lots without using codes, some missions are bugged (I couldn’t finish the evil storyline because of that!), and once you reach the pinnacle of your career, there’s not much left to do beside side missions. [12/2020, p.51]

Red Koi Box’s debut puzzle game ambitiously tries to follow in Portal’s footsteps, but to no avail. Quite an interesting concept and creative puzzles were not enough when the over-the-top difficulty level, lack of a hint system and various flaws launched my frustration into the red alert territory. However, if you’re a hardcore fan of puzzle games, you should be satisfied with Faraday Protocol. [11/2021, p.34]