It's a difficult case. There's a boatload of good ideas in Game Dev Tycoon which expand one of my favorite mobile games ever – Game Dev Story – to a huge degree. They alone should have made for a far superior experience. Sadly, there's no effective way to channel all the tools the game gives you to produce the perfect videogame. Come on, Game Dev Tycoon, give me some spreadsheets, show me what made my successes and missteps what they became. In short: Talk to me!

All in all, this is a disappointment. It sure is great to see this cornerstone of real-time strategy in higher resolution on a modern PC, and it certainly isn't less fun as it was all those years ago. Still, I would have expected more that slight visual adjustments, especially regarding the steep 18,99 euro price tag. If you're into the multiplayer side of AoE2, this might not really bother you, since, thanks to Steam, this remake has got you covered for months and years to come.

Still, Deadlight has many visually striking and mechanically satisfying moments in store for you... In some ways Tequila Works might just have reached their goal: The punishing qualities of their game does indeed evoke its older cousins – Flashback and Another World. It's just a shame that they had to use the wrong means to do so.

A warm-hearted road trip in a future that is as dystopian as it is optimistic, with very lively and varied dialogue as its greatest strength.

The combat feels slick, the design mirrors the anime really well and there's enough content to keep you going for weeks. Just know that the experience starts to drag after the exciting opening levels.

It's a short and very solid piece of jump and run entertainment, combining a pretty homage to the genre and its own forebear with loving nods to later games in platform history.

Actually, Wreckateer is so good that you can't help to ask yourself why Rovio Entertainment hasn't yet gotten around to launch their disgruntled poultry at Microsoft's motion sensor.

Papers, Please! meets zombie apocalypse: Despite wooden shooter interludes and technical sloppiness, the bitterly wicked charm of this thankless checkpoint assignment is convincing.

In its good moments – of which there are quite many – the fight against 'King Washington' DLC still features some of the most engaging Assassin's Creed gameplay we have played over the last few years.

For just about ten bucks you get a nice little multiplayer game, which could have done with a few more maps out of the box. It's enjoyable enough to slice, bash and shoot your way through hordes of other players, even though beginners see themselves in way out of their heads in the first hours of play. The tutorial doesn't really help and you have to get all your practice in real matches. As soon as you're over this steep hill, it is decent fun. For this to grow into a lasting success, though, the game would need much more content – and some fine-tuning regarding the player movement would be appreciated as well.

Until Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous hopefully re-ignite the space-opera genre, Strike Suit Zero is pretty much as good as it gets.

Ar Nosurge seems like a game that somebody had a lot of ideas for, but failed to find a frame to give it the right form.

Too bad, that the multiplayer offers no online mode. Playing it with a friend is almost fun.

Even before the half-way point you know: just like the old Bond movies, this game lives and dies by its charm. It's pretty, but shallow and doesn't quite feel complete.

For some this will definitely not be enough. RE 6 is an uneven game that plays some dirty tricks on you, holds some of its more debatable design-choices in the highest regard and is way too hell-bent on blowing up each of its separate campaigns to full game length. Funnily enough in the end it's the secret Ada Wong campaign that just barely manages to hold everything together.

Secret Files 3 is a classic point´n´click adventure that will satisfy most of its audience. It stands on its own, walks a good pace and shows a lot of routine. But I seriously doubt that I will remember much if anything about it in six months.

A competent, entertaining strategy realisation of Age of Sigmar, let down only by its penchant for micromanagement and some monotonous mission design.

Atmospheric scenario notwithstanding, this horror story is neither scary nor does it well told. The true horror lies in the atrocious combat against boring enemies.

The Extended Edition doesn't quite deliver on its potential. Still, it's a good chance to experience this classic if you didn't get to play it when it originally came out.

Considering this is their first game, Among the Sleep suggests that a bright future lies ahead for the talented developers at Krillbite.

Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is a faithful successor with fun multiplayer modes. The PC version in particular, though, adds technical issues to a number of unfortunate design choices und glaring oversights.

Death on the Nile builds on the strengths of its predecessor, adds more variety, and convinces with engaging storytelling and a well-executed shift in perspective. Its weak tech and presentation hold it back, but for genre fans this case is still worth taking on.

All in all, it's just the shadow of a bigger, more ambitious game and proof that it's not always sensible to listen to that angry mob on the internet. Sometimes you just have to stay the course, weather the storm and trust that your vision was right all along. Otherwise you end with something that – solid as it may be – is missing consistency, direction and identity. It's just a shame that it had to happen to this one.

Rise of Venice is conservative in the best sense of the word. It's a classic simulation, German through and through, brimming with detail, depth but still accessible to players new to the genre.

Park Beyond is a solid theme park simulation with little depth, but one where you can build in a relaxed and varied way. While it's fun to play, it doesn't offer very much that similar games haven't done before, or anything that will leave a lasting impression on the genre.

From a technical standpoint, there's a decent foundation here for an entertaining trip into a dark parallel world. The initial question of what happened between the two timelines alone keeps the suspense going for long enough. I therefore find it all the more regrettable that this horror trip is told like a bedtime story, written with remarkably little care and also offers little incentive to get involved for longer.

Payday 3 expands on the familiar concept, but doesn't go far enough to completely inspire. There's equal parts light and shadow here.

If you get into it, you can spend a few entertaining hours with Master Detective Pikachu Returns, even as an adult. Think of it as a kind of meditative experience that is more about entertainment and less about cracking difficult cases. These are set up very simply, and will only have children do a bit of mulling. On the whole, it's not a very long game, but it shows that the Pokémon world has more to offer than just the same pattern as in the main games.

Some of the events simply are too basic, others seem tacked on and gimmicky. But even with its unexpected simplifications compared to the Wii edition, the 3DS-olympics can be fun, when played with some friends.

If you go through a few fantasy books every week, love long texts or maybe even text-adventures and feel the urge to be the master of the battlefield for a day, then this might be the one for you.

Even though it follows the series' tradition in terms of core gameplay tenets maybe a bit too closely, Liberation's New Orleans is still well worth a visit.

It's three games that are not coincidentally phenomenally successful, all rolled into one batch. And it really is a winner, as long as you enjoy the HD graphics and are willing ignore that it is a bit pricey and you always have to cram out the disc if you want to have a go. It doesn't take much away from the quality on offer, but it's up to you if you need the prettiest and most expensive version of this.

99 Levels to Hell gratuitously borrows elements from a lot of other games. It might not succeed in making them something genuinely new, but it still evokes a feeling of its own.

I have to admit that my expectations were much lower, but it's fun to cower in the shadows and work out the perfect way to the target and then get the timing just right.

Most of the mistakes like the visuals or the faulty physics can be forgiven. One does to just forget about them after a while. But while the skating is just plain fun and veterans will almost be swept away by the nostalgia there is just not enough content in this one.

In any case, the simple concept can be quite a bit of fun, which is in no small part thanks to the well-tempered difficulty curve. Still, it could be a lot better in many regards, which keeps this entry in the long running series from reaching the must-have status SEGA's monkeys once had among sociable Gamecube fans.

Even though the devs go overboard with the difficulty at times, what we have here is a well-playing space action game that will bring back fond memories for everyone who grew up on the classics of the genre. If you've got a soft spot for those and can deal with occasionally frustrating missions, this is well worth your time and money.

Even with a few minor glitches, in the end F1 2011 is a quite competent conversion of last year's title to the Vita. And anyway, it´s not like you´ve got a lot of choice, when it comes to F1-Games.

Being able to bypass many encounters and having multiple paths at your disposal is a genuine highlight of this RPG – and not just because I prefer to avoid the miserable combat at all costs. While an outright recommendation might be a stretch, fans of the first game might find enough here to justify a purchase.

Expressive design like this might get you into the MOMA, but in the end good looks aren't all that matters.

You get a fascinating vision of the future, in which you have to fill a few gaps yourself, if you don´t want to fall into its holes. But at the core it is a very solid story, entertaining, with a few fresh ideas – something that can’t be said about every work in this genre – and would not have been misplaced in one of the books by Gibson/Sterling. As it is, I experienced Remember Me first as this story and only second as a game of decent climbing-passages and solid brawling, which I enjoyed more as a nice form of diversion.

Onslaught is a decent package with some nice maps – 'Bayview' being a new personal favorite – and a good start when it comes to the badly needed fresh content for the games' 'Extinction' mode.

In terms of content there's little to complain about. But the technical shortcomings that already plagued Pokémon Crimson and Purple have by no means been fixed.

Finding your way into the game is harder than it should be. But once you're in, this is one of the best download titles on the 3DS.

The reworked Unreal Engine 5 outing feels like an untamed beast that’s neither sim nor arcade as a lack of driving aids makes it hard to enjoy its convincing physics including dynamic ruts.

Pac-Man really wanted to go dark and chose a genre in which the bar had been set very high over the last decade. In the end, Shadow Labyrinth is a generally solid experience, but of little relevance to Metroidvanias overall.

UEFA Euro 2012 is a nice little extra if you just have to have a game for the tournament, but it´s by no means an essential buy for FIFA 12 players.

15 years ago its systems were a step forward for the genre. Since then, games have come a long way, though. Still, there's some consolation to be had in the fact that, for all its faults, in its own way Risen 3 still ended up an endearing game.

It's a competent platformer, and fun without question. But it's also lacking identity or a personal touch.

Compared to more recent fighters, Tekken Tag Tournament doesn't hold up too well, but it still offers a good deal of fun with it's old-school team-brawling.

Star Trek Infinite is basically exactly what I wanted. And yet, I am not entirely happy with it. You could criticize the game for being too reminiscent of Stellaris, but then again the price of 30 euros is quite fair What bothers me more than that is that it feels like there's still a lot to come in DLC form. But well, it's a bit annoying, but it doesn't ruin the fun of the game for me. And I had a lot of that with Star Trek Infinite and regularly forgot the time while exploring and conquering the galaxy.

Starship Troopers Extermination may have left Early Access, but it still feels like it could use some work and fine-tuning in some areas. Behind the still somewhat rough surface is a thoroughly entertaining multiplayer shooter, which (as is so common in the genre) lives or dies depending on your comrades-in-arms.

Defiance does more things right than you might initially think. The MMO shooter does take its sweet time until it gets going, but the collecting of weapons and the massive battles kept me engaged even when not doing some quest. It's a surprisingly eclectic title, that managed to do away with my skepticism and that still holds my attention, even after many hours of play. If the team behind this one doesn't let up, Defiance could realize its immense potential – even without a TV show to back it up.

This is not a real simulation, but there is also very little action to be found. ... Nothing here is really bad, but it looks more like the basic structure for something that one day may be… well, something. I hope Microsoft has a plan of what this future game might be like, because I don´t really have a clue. But it sure would be sad to see this time-honored franchise just fade away like this.

At this point, though, you already know, if Killer is Dead is for you. It's shrill, chaotic, stupid and quite simply all sorts of genius. Finally, Suda did that one final step to grow as a game designer, no longer banking solely on the weird.

Fans of Silent Hill will enjoy it more, because they'll find many allusions to the games of old that'll influence the experience in a positive way. Anyone new to the franchise, but interested in this brand of horror should, give it a look, too. (…) This game definitely restored my belief in the series, and that's perhaps the biggest compliment I can give this game.

If you’re like me and have to play every Metroidvania out there, then yes, God of War: Sons of Sparta is decent enough. But in a genre this strong, 'decent' just means it’s below average and ultimately not worth your while.

A nice re-release of the PS2 original with slightly improved graphics and PSVR2 support, but without new content it doesn't quite live up to its potential.

An only seemingly amusing parody of survivor and roguelike games, which quickly runs out of steam in terms of both gameplay and content.

In the end, it's quite a shame, because whenever you think you've seen enough of One Piece: Pirate Warriors all of the sudden Ruffy and friends make your belly ache from laughing again or dazzle with superbly choreographed special moves that fit the Dynasty Warriors formula quite well. I'm not usually one to judge a game on basis of what it could have been. But this material just begs for a title in which you get to live the actual adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, instead of just their battles in a solidly playable but ultimately mind-numbingly generic fashion.

Trials would have been able to survive the free to play treatment. But coupled with the downgrade in precision and, consequently, the lacking will to challenge the player, Frontier just doesn't manage to 'wow' in the usual Trials way.

It is a pretty game based on an intriguing idea, which just would have needed to be utilized to a deeper extent. Still, in a group of friends it manages to stretch its wings quite a bit for a few rounds. Playing alone, you'll never get to experience three quarters of the game.

So what do we have? A Good presentation, a multiplayer concept which is definitely not for everybody, technical issues galore, tiny maps and recurring problems with the servers... There are irritations in the basic mechanics and some bugs that are just not acceptable. As much as I, a fan of the series, want Maxis to succeed in fixing all of this over the next months, I fear those are not the sort of problems that you can do away with a couple of patches. In this state, SimCity is a real letdown.

The score alone doesn't fully mirror how I feel about Gods will be watching. It represents what I think about it as a fair and entertaining game, which is what most people will be looking for. As an experiment and a lesson in adventure design, though, it's worth so much more.

A nostalgic time capsule with a minor flaw: hardcore fans may sorely miss the original soundtrack. Nevertheless, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition offers a fascinating look at a milestone of the platforming genre.

Narratively dry, mechanically unrefined, and entirely devoid of surprises—Aphelion fails to live up to the high standards set by previous Don’t Nod hits.

A lot of The Crew seems hardly thought-out, almost chaotic but there is still a lot of good hidden underneath these problems.

The zombie-invasion is by no means a cheap bridge to motivate some western gamers to cross over to the eastern side, but the means to add some variety to SEGAs gangster-soap and at the same time provide a little bit of insight in some of the less common aspects of the Japanese Yakuza.

The breezy combat with lots of spells and the beautiful acrobatics are fun — it’s just a shame the same can‘t be said of the story or setting … Still, I find myself wishing that Luminous get the opportunity to build upon what they have, working towards a more modern, lively adventure.

The first two thirds are a contemplative puzzler with dreamy art direction, beguiling music and sound effects you can turn off, should you so desire. It's a small idea, but one worth playing. Had the developers withstood the urge to go a bit overboard with the action in the last bits, this would have been a really great brain-teaser. In any case, you should give it a chance to enchant you before it'll almost inevitably spite you a bit. Sometimes there's something to be said for that, this is not one of those times. But what can you do? Weather and seasons tend to come and go as they please.

It isn't perfect, Sonic never was. But if you accept it for what it is, you'll find this to be a very fresh new take on the famous hedgehog.

It´s best not to question the relevance of Sonic in the world of modern gaming, but as a retro-flashback as well as a strong representative of its genre, this is a convincing game.

Mato Anomalies is a JRPG with a good battle system and interesting ideas. Unfortunately, their implementation remains mediocre due to the monotonous gameplay.

It's all terribly tense and perfectly entertaining until you're two thirds through. At that point, unfortunately, a routine kicks in that you hadn't quite expected from this type of procedurally generated sandbox.

Gameplay-wise this is mediocre, it's got some rough edges and only a few truly great moments. It really is action from the assembly line, nothing more, nothing less. The meta-humor on the other hand is fantastic and well delivered, if an acquired taste. Deadpool aficionados might just enjoy their five to six hours with this.

Still, I do kind of like Quest for Infamy, even though it doesn't hold a candle to the original. For a price of almost 15 Euros, that's a bit sad.

You wanted more of the same? Then Crossfire has got you covered. It's an add-on that doesn't bring much new to the table and does little to enhance the core strategic gameplay. That notwithstanding, it still is perfectly solidly playable and quite challenging.

The Inquisitor has a lot of interesting things going for it, but its shoddy execution makes it hard to recommend.

In the future, the community could mod this to be a truly outstanding experience. And I sincerely hope the developers pitch in some new things as well. So, is it a game for everyone? Absolutely not. But if you're looking for something that's really, really out there, you'll enjoy this quite a bit, if only for a while.

It´s not a really an aggravating game, but one that could have used six months of extra development time, to make it an organic and natural extension to its PS3-counterpart. As it stands, Sony is leaving the ModNation Racers community hanging in the air – not a big surprise after the announcement of LittleBigPlanet Karting, though.

Quotation forthcomning.

I was actually surprised that it still plays reasonably well, although of course it still shows its age. In this respect, it's a piece of history to replay if you like.

In the end, Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends would be a decent merchandise to get at the check-out of the Ferrari World. After all, enthusiasts can appreciate it for the wide variety of the famed manufacturers' cars. But if you're looking for a good simulation or arcade game respectively – this doesn't quite manage to be either; or a well done blend of both, for that matter.

Do you need to have played these games? No. But it's nice that Aspyr offers the opportunity to do it on modern systems with a few improvements. As always with Aspyr's releases, it could have been taken even further. In summary, more could have been done, but it's good entertainment and a chance to reminisce. As long as you don't expect miracles from it and know what you're getting yourself into.

Beautifully wrapped but hollow inside: Bloodlines 2, dazzled by its own shine, forgets what once made the series special — depth and the courage to take risks.

It might not yet feel as complete as the 'official launch' label on its Steam page suggests. But still, you have never seen anything remotely like this. And Uber Entertainment's game loses no opportunity to remind you of that.

In a desperate attempt not to scare anyone away with their choice of style, Insomniac made a game that will have a hard time getting anyone to love it. Don't get me wrong, the basics are there. And when a team of four unleashes an eardrum-busting cacophony of powerful weapons effects, you do feel solidly entertained. But it's never more than that. Nothing will ever stick out and it's only the passably rounded basic mechanics that pull you through the campaign, never to return once you finished it. The old art direction would probably not have saved it, but at least it would have had an identity.

A flashy and demanding character action game with challenging boss fights and plenty of combo freedom, but undermined by a generic story, shallow characters, and uneven polish. Fans of precise, skill-driven combat may enjoy its encounters — everyone else will likely struggle to look past its flaws.

This won't have it all that easy to shine, being up against the likes of Sonic and Sackboy. Whose idea was it anyway, to release all these fun-racers so close to one another? Still, it is perfectly solid fun to zip around these nice tracks in little, stylized F1 Karts, even if it could have used more tracks and a few good ideas of its own.

Even though Sacred Citadel isn't an offensively bad game by any stretch, I find it hard to say anything positive about it. Sure, it can be pretty, isn't frustrating and works on a base level. But that's about it. Every mechanic is half-baked and heedlessly thrown in.

In Journey I bonded more with my playing partner than any virtual café ever could facilitate. Bientôt l'été feels like a few steps backward trying to mask its emptiness with pretty pictures and French language. It screams for attention, eager to appear stranger than the rest, just foundering in the process.

Going back to Arulco may not be the vacation of your dreams, but it´s still a worthy adventure. One that leaves a lot of possibilities for improvement, nonetheless, but if you´re into tactics it´s still worth your attention.

It's all good and well, but what does it help if the controls are imprecise, glitches abound and the save system gets on your nerves?

The atmosphere of the rundown City of Kowlong and the disgusting depiction of the Slitterheads show potential despite the outdated technology, but the game fails to create genuine horror. What remains is a somewhat stiff action game with horror elements that never really scare or disturb you.

Immersive gameplay, but only few interaction options. Winter Warrior delivers more of the same, but in a good way. If you don't set your expectations too high, you'll be well entertained for the 15 bucks.

It's totally okay that WRC 3 doesn't have the finely-tuned stylings of the bigger racing brands. Real rallying has become somewhat of an endangered species, so I'm fully prepared to even overlook the career mode that is all but completely absent here. Where a game like this absolutely cannot fail, though, is in the connection of car and road, which sadly is what WRC 3 does. Theoretically this could have been much, much worse, to be fair. And WRC 3 might even find some friends amongst the most starving of Rallye fans. But that's only because this is basically their only option right now.

I love the visual style of the game, so as an Asterix fan I can forgive it for not having a huge amount of depth to offer. In this respect, Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All 2 should particularly appeal to fans, but it is also interesting for anyone who doesn't want to be overwhelmed by a wealth of game options or movesets.

As an old pen and paper enthusiast, I got the feeling that this would have been a better fit as an expansive campaign for the 'real' Dark Eye. That's where it could have been something really special, something with more staying power than this okay, but ultimately forgettable RPG.