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.

The phenomenal combat system is not enough to rave about Rise of the Ronin. The chaotic storyline, boring open world, clunky gameplay and outdated graphics distract too much from what works well in Team Ninja’s latest game.

Dragon’s Dogma II is a fantastic sequel. The greatest strength of this game is, once again, the abundance of unusual ideas, mechanics and various cool little things that give it a unique feel. However, it’s a shame that Capcom didn’t find the courage to make a bolder step forward and ditch some annoying outdated elements. While it’s a very good game, it’s easy to imagine it being even better.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is a unique, beautiful and realistic simulation of driving through a wilderness untouched by civilization. It poses an even greater challenge than the studio’s previous games and while it will make you sweat, possibly bring you to tears, the reward will be an incredible sense of satisfaction.

A quarter of a century ago, the original Outcast made its mark on games, but since then its core strengths have become commonplace in the industry. Its sequel is merely an average title done by today’s standards. The overall quality of execution is there and the developers were obviously committed, but A New Beginning doesn’t offer anything that will make you remember this adventure for years to come. However, as soon as the bugs are fixed, you can give it a chance, as long as you have some time on your hands.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a musical adventure game that draws skillfully from the rich world created by Tove Jansson. I only wish this perfectly designed, charming and warm title with wonderful visuals and sound was longer, because it took me just 4 hours to complete everything it has to offer except one bugged side task.

Alone in the Dark is a mid-tier title that successfully blends together elements of survival horror and adventure games, dripping with atmosphere but full of discouraging bugs. If you’re able to turn a blind eye to the noticeably limited development budget of this reboot, it can be really enjoyable.

The Outlast Trials is a solid co-op horror game that develops the ideas from previous installments in an interesting way. However, it’s a pity that the story is fragmented so much that it becomes unengaging. Plus, it’s a title you should experience with your friends, because it can be tiresome when played with randoms.

Balatro is seemingly simple, seemingly trivial, yet it’s impossible to tear yourself away from it. Each attempt goes a little differently, your strategy needs to evolve constantly and even after a couple of hours you’re still being surprised by new modifiers, ideas and the need to change your approach. It’s a great game that simply doesn’t get boring.

The Inquisitor has some decent moments, but as a whole it doesn’t work at all. The adventure elements are passable, but the rest, from action sequences to technical aspects, leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t praise this game, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the developers to come back with a better-designed and more skillfully-executed sequel.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an action RPG with a beautifully designed, dynamic combat, set in a world full of flying islands and zeppelins. Its story might not be stellar, but brilliant boss battles and interesting level design completely make up for it.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden aims high, attempting to reach the level of AAA titles. It borrows the combat system and exploration from God of War, side quests from The Witcher, and a whole lot from some slightly worse high-budget games. The result is really good and the storyline in particular shines through – even if it could have been more emotional, it puts emphasis on not-so-easy decisions.

Clash 2 has some advantages, including great music and neatly designed tactical combat, but it still needs a lot of work (especially in terms of AI and difficulty level) before it can challenge titles such as Heroes of Might and Magic or King’s Bounty. It’s quite enjoyable though and didn’t frustrate me even once.

Inkulinati fits very well in the turn-based strategy genre but at the same time stands out with its distinct style and charm. The satirical approach to the convention is strongly evident, but is not over the top.

Last Epoch has a good chance to compete with Path of Exile and Diablo IV. The game offers extremely diverse character development options and an endless number of builds that encourage you to immerse yourself in the vast world of Eterra for a long time.

An unusual roguelite, a hardcore survival game, and at the same time an unconventional driving game where going slow matters more than going fast – yes, Pacific Drive is a multi-genre beast. It offers numerous mechanics and systems, provides detailed gameplay settings for you to delve into, and gives you a lot of freedom as you explore the roads. However, its complexity causes some balance issues.

Was this remake necessary? Probably not, because the original still looks and plays pretty well. However, it’s available and definitely worth your attention, as Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a simple yet beautiful game with a poignant finale.

Not as bad as some claim, but also not as good as its supporters believe. Skull and Bones is, above all, a solid base for further development, because it is through the prism of the announced improvements that we will judge this project in the future. For now, the game is okay, but only okay.

Quite an enjoyable remaster made with respect for the originals. However, the first game in the series was released almost 30 years ago and there’s no way to hide it, so you’ll endure some jarring here and there, sometimes painful. The collection will probably attract veterans and retro enthusiasts, but I doubt younger gamers will find it appealing.

The Thaumaturge is a game of undeniable cultural value, and the opportunity to explore early 20th century Warsaw (realistic, but enriched with fantastic elements) alone made it worth my time. I wish I could tell you that the rest of the game – the story, the mechanics – is on par with the unique setting, but sadly, that’s not the case, as we’ve already seen all of it done much better elsewhere.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trumps the first episode in every way and deserves much better than being reduced to a remake. Above all, it’s a huge and varied adventure, in which every element seems to be conceived to be as fun as possible – and not just to the fans of the original, but to all players. Additionally, it’s one of the most beautiful games of the current generation.

Helldivers II is an incredibly exciting cooperative shooter that has benefited greatly from abandoning top-down view in favor of third-person perspective. This change made battles against bugs and robots even more spectacular, while gunplay and using stratagems became much more fun.

Suicide Squad is neither a very good single-player game nor a convincing multiplayer title. You can give it a chance if you like the DC universe, just don’t expect to be blown away. Kill the Justice League scores points for humor, a couple of fun battles or the opportunity to see iconic heroes portrayed differently and Metropolis razed to the ground, but in my opinion this is not enough.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an enormous RPG with a setting that’s unusual for this genre. It offers dozens of hours of fun, including engaging and wacky side missions. The TV series-like directing, the group of believable characters, and the exploration of US and Japanese locations all make a tremendous impression. Some occasional problems do not obscure the game’s strengths, especially if you’re a fan of the series.

Tekken 8 emerges as the king of modern fighting games. The Heat System turns the intensity of battles up to the max, the abundance of options and game modes won’t let you get bored for a long time, while the focus on new players should help convince even your most resistant friends to duel with you.

It’s one of those moderately necessary remasters, but at least it’s reasonably priced, especially if you already own the game. It offers higher-resolution textures, an opportunity to experience three levels cut from the story campaign, and a quite extensive roguelike mode. These additions won’t blow you away, but they do justify paying 10 bucks for the PS5 upgrade.

The latest Prince of Persia is a well-designed and masterfully executed game with smooth and satisfying gameplay, challenging platforming elements, demanding boss fights, and a combat system that offers a lot of possibilities. It’s only January and I already have a candidate for the list of the best titles of 2024.

I criticized War Hospital quite a bit, but I enjoyed this game. I don’t have any major complaints about the gameplay, but I was bothered by the sometimes annoying flaws, missing features, and bugs, as well as ugly cutscenes. It’s obvious that the developers ran out of time to properly polish the game but the overall concept and the most part of its execution are great. I felt similar discomfort while playing This War of Mine and Frostpunk and I think that speaks well for War Hospital.