This fitness game will teach you humility in a couple of minutes and prove that in terms of shape you're not very different from your grandpa. Unfortunately UFC Personal Trainer is not so personal – coaches don't notice and can't correct your mistakes and their vocabulary is very scarce so some of their comments are nonsensical. And there's too little game in this game so you have to find motivation to practise all by yourself. [August 2011, p.73]

All I need from such a simple first-person shooter is an array of badass guns and hundreds of stampeding enemies. Siberian Mayhem has that, but it failed to get some important aspects right – its maps are too bloated and the optimization is poor despite subpar graphics. It could have been a great game, but turned out merely decent.

A game based around surveilling squirrels sounded like a guarantee of a boring afternoon, but thanks to its great art style and gripping mystery, Nuts turned out to be almost as good as Firewatch. [04/2021, p.50]

It's not only one of the best looking free-to-play games, but also one of the most interesting and satisfying. [11/2012, p.67]

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

When it comes to storytelling, Root Film is a gem and a great example of how to evoke anxiety and curiosity using written word and spot-on music. Sadly, the story is linear, but vivid characters and a cool mystery to solve make up for it. [05/2021, p.65]

Spend your money on Chronicles HD Collection only if you answer these two questions positively: are you a die-hard fan of Resident Evil and do you feel like playing an on-rails shooter? [September 2012, p.76]

Grinding in its purest form. [01/2016, p.75]

Initially I was more frustrated than entertained by Surgeon Simulator 2. Once I mastered the intentionally awkward controls, I began to appreciate it more and more. If you’re patient, and grotesque, dark humor is your thing, I believe you’ll enjoy this game. [11/2020, p.64]

Grow Home’s sequel is still charming, enjoyable and cute as a button, but increasing its scale was completely unnecessary. [11/2016, p.64]

Immortals of Aveum’s quality is very uneven and for every well-executed element there’s a “but” of some sorts. The combat system is great but not as unique as the developers claimed. We get 60 fps but at the expense of blurry graphics. The game’s intriguing lore deserves attention but is obscured by silly humor.

It’s not an indie blockbuster, but it can arouse some enthusiasm if you enjoy tactical games. [10/2014, p.65]

If you expect a revolution in terms of gameplay, you’ll be disappointed. The developers still experiment in search of the perfect interactive cinematic experience formula, but their attempts are too modest to really make a difference. The Devil in Me is not only derivative, but also squanders the potential of its story and setting, and compared to The Quarry, looks like an unpolished project developed on a tight budget.

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]

A very decent Mystery Dungeon game and the best Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. [06/2016, p.66]

Supermassive’s newest work is a step back from Until Dawn on every level – including visual design which, though solid, ends up monotonous in comparison. [12/2019, p.58]

Trek to Yomi is a marvel that uses its black and white art style, wonderfully designed environments, and Japanese setting to convey the spirit of samurai tales better than many games employing color and full 3D. The game would be perfect if it had better combat animations.

A simple PC port of a good gamebook adaptation released originally on mobile devices. Both parts can be completed in few hours but they reveal their depth on the third playthrough. [04/2016, p.49]

Bishop Games decided to break the "don’t fix it, if it’s not broke" rule and took a swing at an eternal foundation of platforming games, achieving something between a devastating uppercut and a shy slap. The idea to replace predefined platforms with ones created by the player on the fly sometimes works great, but due to inadequate level design most of the time I felt the developers failed to properly take advantage of the concept. Still I enjoyed the atmosphere of a dark fable, surprisingly good writing and pleasant movement physics, until the terrible last act erased the good impression almost entirely. [07/2018, p.78]

A New Frontier is well written and directed, surprising and touching. Along with Tales from the Borderlands The Walking Dead is still the best series by Telltale. [02/2017, p.44]

It’s an admirably ambitious and atmospheric game that sometimes sparkles like a diamond, but the PS4 version I played was so ridiculously underdeveloped I couldn’t believe someone had the nerve to publish it in such a disgraceful state. [04/2018, p.45]

Humans are worse than zombies. Humans are worse than zombies. Humans are worse than zombies. Humans are worse than zombies. More of the same in every aspect. [05/2016, p.65]

A huge, lively space bazaar is overwhelming at first, but you tame it little by little and get into a bitter-sweet routine. It’s a lesson in accepting permanent destitution, limiting your ambitions, and enjoying small things. If you’re after a breathtaking story, you’ll be disappointed – as opposed to those who take pleasure in constant exploration and have a knack for trading. [03/2017, p.68]

A brilliant idea for a simple, procedurally generated strategy game, held back by repetitiveness. [11/2017, p.71]

It’s a competent game but it won’t show you any tricks you haven’t seen in the genre. [06/2016, p.46]

Another example of a game that was not saved by a well-known creator. The author of the excellent Dragon Age has come up with a title that is a tiresome in the long run, although it has some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, the gameplay is too repetitive, and the fun quickly becomes monotonous.

I’m torn. On the one hand it’s Age of Empires as I remember it, atmosphere and spirit intact. On the other hand despite refreshed graphics it’s simply an old game so sentiment seems the only driving factor here. [04/2018, p.61]

Battleborn can be enjoyable, but only with friends and only for so long, especially when there’s a better alternative – Overwatch. [07/2016, p.52]