I do appreciate the large diversity of challenges A Rite from the Stars has up its sleeve, but their quality is very uneven and some of the ideas should have been scrapped mercilessly. The gameplay is not very intuitive and the dark, obscure visuals are a trip back to the year 2000. [09/2018, p.64]

With its easy combat and simple quests the new Adventure Time game provides around 10 hours of relaxation for the fans of the animated series but does not excel as a game. [09/2018, p.62]

This technically superb tribute to Destruction Derby could use some more insanity (especially in terms of unimaginative, repetitive arenas and challenges) and a broader color palette. The default driving model (with active assists) is both believable and satisfying and the destruction model is very detailed. [09/2018, p.60]

As rather ugly and targeted mainly at children The Incredibles is definitely not the best game Lego series has to offer. [09/2018, p.59]

A short and simple walking simulator that’s worth your time not only because of unique, surreal visions it presents, great visuals and phenomenal music, but also because it tackles a difficult and rarely brought up subject of religion. [09/2018, p.58]

It’s a shame that Corey Cole’s and Lori Ann’s (you do remember Quest for Glory, right?) return to active service goes unnoticed, because despite being archaic and flawed (lots of minor technical bugs, poorly designed combat) Hero-U deserves a chance, as it effortlessly brings together RPGs and point’n’clicks and offers lots of freedom. [09/2018, p.56]

Good audio, distinct visuals and a spark of creativity here and there are not enough to outweigh bad design choices, annoying camera, sadistic level design and poor attempts at humor. [09/2018, p.55]

By finding extraordinary in completely ordinary situations (there are no supernatural elements in The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, and there are actually no real adventures either) Dontnod reminded me why I fell in love with the studio. [09/2018, p.54]

I rarely had fun playing The Crew 2 and usually after 20 minutes tops my mind was drifting away towards anything more enjoyable (e.g. Forza Horizon 3, which is a better game in every way possible). Once again the developers bit more than they could chew, putting quantity above quality. Yes, there are 250 licensed machines and you can switch between them instantly, but there’s no joy in driving or flying them in the huge but empty and boring world. Plus the AI is very poor and the career mode did little to keep me playing. [09/2018, p.52]

For a game that was created as a short-lived parody Totally Accurate Battlegrounds is a surprisingly competent battle royale shooter with a huge map (maybe too huge, actually) and good physics. [09/2018, p.51]

Changes this remaster brings are limited to textures, lighting and higher resolutions. After a decade that brought us an array of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Just Cause games the only thing that more or less stood the test of time in Red Faction is the destruction system. [09/2018, p.50]

The game is pretty much as bad as a game can be, so the title is spot on. [09/2018, p.49]

Playing Die pig die is roughly as enjoyable as using portable toilets on the third day of a huge music festival. [08/2018, p.87]

I honestly don’t know why someone thought Shaq Fu needs to be reborn and how the word “legend” fits the picture. [08/2018, p.86]

Agony is a game of insane contrasts, both fascinating and embarrassing. Therefore I still don’t know whether its developers are geniuses or amateurs and although I believe it deserves a relatively high score, I actually cannot recommend it unconditionally. [08/2018, p.84]

Onrush takes full contact racing to another level and it is thrilling at times. The problem for me was that there’s very little actual racing left in Onrush. It was replaced by chaos and I hate racing games in which my triumph or defeat does not depend entirely on my skill. [08/2018, p.83]

One of the fullest and most clever realization of the DLC concept I have ever encountered. Instead of lazily rearranging old bricks Mooncrash takes familiar elements and really squeezes new quality out of them. [08/2018, p.82]

Despite tricky subject and intention to shock this rather simple adventure game (with some stealth touches) managed to escape unintended comicality by delivering a solid, mature tale set in a twisted and internally consistent (therefore believable) world. [08/2018, p.80]

This game is a bit like meditation. During first couple of minutes some random thoughts of work and responsibilities keep running through your head, but over time ambient music and calming sights make you forget about all your worries. If you’re looking for something relaxing, you’re knocking on the right door. Otherwise Shape of the World doesn’t have much to offer. [08/2018, p.79]

It’s one of those little indie games that rely on an interesting concept. Illusion’s bargaining chip are its environmental puzzles. Just like in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, you have to manipulate the character and the camera until the elements of the environment come together to create the symbol you’re looking for. The puzzles are creative, but the camera sometimes hindered my attempts to find the solution. That’s Illussion’s biggest flaw, smaller being arcade elements that seem forced into the game. What makes Illusion really worth your time is its unique artistic direction. [08/2018, p.78]

I have no clue how Villa Gorilla came up with an idea to combine a platformer with a pinball (was there a hat full of cards with genres on them involved?) but it works like a charm. Instead of jumping you use numerous flippers, which fit into the game world surprisingly well along with other elements that usually belong on the pinball table. In addition to being super fun to play Yoku’s Island Express looks and sounds great and is one of the most charming games I’ve come across. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. [08/2018, p.77]

Even though the AI is unable to learn from its failures and crack the player’s tactics, which makes later battles too easy, Thrones of Britannia is a game no strategy fan should overlook. [08/2018, p.74]

Thanks to authenticity of its physics engine, appealing visuals, and fairly glitchless drivers’ AI, Bus Simulator 18 pretty much achieves what it was supposed to: relaxation through casual driving. [08/2018, p.73]

Antigraviator is as fast as a Wipeout clone should be, but it’s not enough to make it a great game. It simply doesn’t offer enough content to keep you interested for more than a couple hours. [08/2018, p.72]

The ending turned out to be a huge disappointment but I will not let the last fifteen minutes or so overshadow my generally good impression. Over 20 hours that led to it were engaging, the pixel art is cute and the music is even better. [08/2018, p.70]

You die often and spectacularly, but failures are not frustrating in the slightest, because you lose a couple of minutes of progress at most and gameplay mechanics are fresh and very satisfying. [08/2018, p.69]

Nightfall is a decent add-on which I properly enjoyed, but it’s a shame that the developers lacked the courage to experiment with gameplay to greater extent. [08/2018, p.68]

NeoCore noticeably put a lot of effort into Inquisitor – Martyr, but sadly that does not change the fact that the game lags two divisions behind the genre’s greatest. [08/2018, p.66]