That "I did my best but failed..." accompanies Grey Goo in almost every aspect. The game is really good but constantly stumbles on small, but noticeable imperfections. Excellent re-creation of the C&C game mechanics without the inherent C&C drive. Lovely base management with solely battle tactics of "grasp all units with a frame and send them to attack". High complexity, which is based on the cheating AI. Balance of a game from 1995 in a year of 2015. [Issue #195, p.82]

It feels like a StarCraft mod where unit models are replaced with Warhammer figurines. Grimdark and gore that are synonymous with Warhammer 40k were carefully gelded. Intro cutscene aside, this game could easily get 6+ age rating. [Issue#219, p.64]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Breath of the Wild set the bar for the genre, and since Link never got around to visiting Ancient Greece – there’s no shame in sending Fenyx there instead. [Issue#251, p.56]

When Ubisoft brought forth subscription service Just Dance Unlimited, it became the focal point of Just Dance experience, and every new game basically adds new songs to it, albeit with a timed exclusivity. [Issue#234, p.48]

iOS and Android versions of TWEWY couldn’t handle the unique combat system with two different fights on two different DS screens, so they cut one of them. Switch port mutilates the game even further. [Issue#234, p.74]

With Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate developers shipped so many game modes and new features that most of the hopeless fastidious fans of the Dynasty Warriors genre just had nothing to complain about. In fact, very rarely under the guise of the new revised and enlarged edition of the old title developers offer as many as three different games. [Nov 2014, p.89]

Game Builder Garage offers enough tools to make everything from a simple platformer to a racing game to a space sim. The only downside is that it’s hard to discover games made by other players. [Issue#254, p.64]

Before the Storm doesn’t feel like a proper prequel – it’s too short for that. For example, Rachel-Chloe relationship progresses too quickly and smoothly, they didn’t even have a big quarrel. Sure, writers did show just how much Rachel meant for Chloe, and we did get some nice family drama, but Rachel’s eventual disappearance and events that led to it are completely sidestepped, leaving kind of an empty feeling. [Issue#226, p.42]

Bravely Default II has some technical issues, but Claytechwork managed to make a good JRPG that deserves to stand alongside genre’s finest (well, at least those of the recent years). [Issue#252, p.68]

D4 is a silly and frivolous game, but charming in its awkwardness. Part of the charm lies in the fact that it blends the absurd and serious things in equal proportions, so absurd ones look even more grotesque while serious ones suddenly became more meaningful. The selected method of narration with trips in time and space is able to reveal the most non-standard locations, and the author's story can go in an absolutely incredible jungle. [Nov 2014, p.94]

Even at first glance, it is clear that it is an expensive and very ambitious project from a team of highly skilled professionals. But the lack of an exciting plot and thoughtful combination of RPG and FPS can’t be compensated for by just a huge budget. [Oct 2014, p.76]

It’s still the same fun and crazy fighting that demands from the player exactly as much as he wants to give. You can gather your friends and simply mash buttons to enjoy bloody spectacle, or you can spend hours perfecting your techniques to compete with professional players. No matter how you choose to play it, MKX will find something to offer. [June 2015, p.64]

Single player campaign turned out to be a disappointment, but for CoD series, story mode is usually just a warmup before you go online. In multiplayer Cold War performs exactly as expected: it has a lot of modes, but suffers from poor performance and weird matchmaking. [Issue#250, page 48]

Ship designing demands a lot from the player. Empty shell of any ship, from tiny fighter to space fortress, has to be filled according to its future role in the fleet. Every square inch of space matters: if you manage to squeeze in an extra generator, you’ll be able put a more powerful gun into pylon. [Issue#208, p.74]

I’d like to believe that in time, with a few DLCs, Imperator will become a worthy Antiquity simulator. Still, it’s a worrying sign that a brand new Paradox game has basically no original features at its launch. [Issue#238, p.66]

A quality remake of a 2004 game that will keep you entertained for many evenings. [Issue#263, p.53]

There’s only one person around, and he’s more interested in making requests than talking, so you’ll have to get your bearings on your own. Push a button, pull a lever, walk and observe, try this and that – to open a door to a new world, you may need to build a bridge in one dimension, use a laser in another and strike a tambourine in the third. [Issue#212, p.63]

Poor matchmaking isn’t the sole reason to dock points off. For example, there’s no deeper layer than “go kill them all” to multiplayer matches, while Faction war is just too global to feel that your actions actually have an impact. Sure, For Honor is a good game still. But it could’ve been a great one. [Issue#217, p.52]

Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is by no means a perfect game, but it’s refreshingly original. Some of its concepts deserve to be adopted even by renowned studios like Creative Assembly. [page 48]

Pokken Tournament has fine-tuned multiplayer and a memorable cast of characters. Unfortunately, the balance is lacking, and there could be more fighters present (remember, in other games there are literally hundreds of different Pokemons) [Issue#208, p.66]

Missions, new types of attacks and Chronicle mode (that promises almost infinite replayability) changed familiar Warriors’ formula for the better. Even veterans of the series will not get that unpleasant sense of deja vu after playing SW4. [Dec 2014, p.86]

Although some trouble or another always crops up in Half-Genie’s world, it’s still filled with cheer: people look ready to burst into dance at the drop of a hat, and Shantae keeps a huge smile on her face even in combat. To enjoy this upbeat world, you don’t need to know the first thing about it – even if you pay no attention to story and flat jokes, the game won’t lose any of its luster. [Issue#216, p.52]

Graphics are rarely worth mentioning nowadays, since most games look good or great. That’s not The Surge 2’s case: sometimes graphics are so bad it messes with gameplay, as it gets hard to tell if it’s a puddle of water, poison or a chasm. [Issue#242, p.50]

New Assassin’s Creed still belongs to the type of games that are worth beating once and never coming back to them. [Issue#203, p.90]

In this “fantasy California” no one dares to hurt someone’s feelings – not even a necromancer or a hired killer. It’s a shame that dialogues are this bad, because the rest of the developer team was actually working hard: combat is fun (if a bit too simple), and some levels are outright gorgeous. [Issue#266]

Complex and unpredictable board game, numerous mini-games and being able to play as your favorite character – those are the three pillars of Mario Party’s success. Neither of these elements was polished to perfection over the years, but together they offer a very enjoyable experience. [Issue#234, p.72]

Although in the new chapter Rufus is once again alive, well and goofs around as much as ever, don’t expect that he’ll get his “happily ever after” this time. On the other hand – who even needs that “ever after” when you’ve got a time machine? [Issue#208, p.57]

Farming Simulator 22 got a whole bunch of new stuff, which makes the learning curve even steeper, but the payoff is so much more rewarding. For example, the game now has proper seasons, with ever-changing weather to boot. So you need to plan your activities ahead and keep an eye on the forecasts – for example, it’s a very bad idea to harvest the crops while it’s raining. [Issue#258, p.52]

It’s the same game as Blood Bowl that came out in 2009, except it’s a tad more beautiful, has a single player campaign and not nearly as many teams. [Issue#203, p.72]

Music is extremely important for Heading Out: even races last only as long as the accompanying songs. So there’s no excuse for such a bland, boring soundtrack – especially for a game set in the 70s. [Issue#264,p.72]

Kingdom Come isn’t perfect, but it’s unique. If its deliberately slow pace doesn’t click with you – skip it, the storyline here isn’t something to suffer gameplay for. But, if it does click, you’re guaranteed to spend dozens of hours in virtual Bohemia, poaching hares and stalking bandits through the woods. [Issue#227, p.36]

It’s one of those cases where it’s really hard to rate a game. It has a great concept and good plot delivery, but actual gameplay is incredibly frustrating. You’re stuck in the loop along with your character, with no way to fast-forward the events, and you have to meticulously try every possible combination, until find the trigger that will open up a new option. And then you re-check it all over again. [Issue#256, p.44]

Combat in Rise of the Ronin is far more nuanced than in Ghost of Tsushima, so even after many hours of gameplay you may discover a new aspect to it that will come as a pleasant surprise. [Issue#264,p.68]

During the middle-game the process becomes blatantly boring: as your colony steadily grows, your biggest struggle will be with interface and lack of automation for certain tasks. After hours of going through the motions, you’ll wonder if moving to Mars was a good idea in the first place. [Issue#228, p.48]

There are plenty of unusual or downright bizarre situations in Get It Together microgames: for example, you might need to shave the armpits of a statue of Zeus when all you have is a robo-singer. But every game lasts only a few seconds, so no matter how weird it is, it never outstays its welcome. [Issue#255, p.64]

For some reason, we believe that if Tim Schafer will launch another Kickstarter project, he’ll describe is as “from creators of Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango”, while Broken Age (if it’ll even get mentioned) will be placed somewhere at the end of the list. And it has nothing to do with chronological order. [June 2015, p.82]

What would happen if you take a mobile game concept and scale it up to a PC release? Well, Fishlabs tried it with Chorus, and the results are rather mediocre. [Issue#258, p.62]

You can’t help but feel that Mortal Shell is a fan-made mod for Dark Souls – however, it has accordingly low price. It also shows promise: a few more tries, and Cold Symmetry could make something really good. [Issue#248, p.34]

Great level design, dangerous enemies, good gunplay and intriguing story come together to deliver an unforgettable game. [page 38]

Hyrule Warriors – not the kind of game that fans of the series expect. But while the new Zelda is forged under strict secrecy in the Nintendo workshops, why not revisit the familiar locations with the sword and bombs? The storyline with clashes during different eras of Hyrule and meeting of the characters who could never meet is rather entertaining and capable to provoke the idea to finish at least a Legendary mode. [Nov 2014, p.102]

Hardcore fans of action games or tactical RPGs will probably grow bored with Color Splash pretty soon, since it’s mostly about running around and enjoying jokes. But what it lacks in terms of engaging combat, Mario more than makes up in level of detail. [Issue#214, p.62]

Although each fight has multiple stages, they’re pretty much the same for each enemy: ranged combat, melee clash, bullet hell – and even their order mostly remains the same. For a game that revolves exclusively around boss fights, that’s quite a shortcoming. [Issue#212, p.55]

No matter what stars you have on defense, it always resembles Swiss cheese. So, the most difficult task isn’t to win the match, but to keep score is more or less true to real football – i.e., no more than 4 goals per game on average. [Nov 2015, p.89]

Armello is unpredictable right to the last turn, making it fun to play both on your own and with friends. [Nov 2015, p.88]

Thrones of Britannia must be the first Total War not to have any new mechanic that actually works. [Issue#230, p.36]

2K delivered exactly what it promised: a derivative game which nevertheless deserves to be completed in single-player for the story. And then maybe one more play through with a friend or two, just to shoot stuff and kid around, before setting Pre-Sequel aside until DLCs come. Just as it always is with Borderlands. [Dec 2014, p.64]

Origins is a surprisingly good successor to the famous trilogy. There’s a big galaxy to explore, choices to make and memorable characters to meet. Dialogues are great, and arcade parts are simple, yet fun. Together, they make a game that will easily keep your interest for a week at least. [Issue#234, p.54]

Original Outlast’s setting worked well with its linearity – after all, no nuthouse is built in a way to make it easy for a patient or a visiting journalist to run around. But it’s simply impossible to make a believable rural setting in the same manner, as evidenced by Outlast 2: there’s too many fences and too little everything else. Even the cornfield that was a point of pride for Red Barrels is about as big as your average backyard lawn. [Issue#220, p.68]

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit can be a lot of fun even for the people who usually aren’t interested in video games. The only drawback is that you need a console and a kart for each player. [Issue#249, p.78]

For the first few hours KF2 really holds your attention with dynamic gameplay and constant gore-fest. But soon it turns stale, as there’s only one mode (plus a variation of it in which other players can join as monsters), there’s only so many types of enemies, plus, maps don’t offer sufficient variety. So every battle basically follows the same scenario. If Killing Floor 2 was a cheap indie game, it would’ve been forgivable, but at $30 price point players really have a right to expect more. [Issue#215, p.54]

Every kind of shot from flat to backspin, various environmental objects and special abilities of characters – Mario Tennis Aces might very well be the most complex and difficult Nintendo game of this generation. [Issue#232, p.64]

Track list ranges from Boney M and Queen to Shakira and PSY – about 40 songs in total. Thankfully, each PS4/Xbox One/Switch copy of Just Dance 2018 comes with a 3-months access to songs from previous titles, bringing total count to several hundred – more than enough for a party (and to drive your neighbors completely nuts). [Issue#225, p.66]

Like most beat’em’ups, Scott Pilgrim really shines in co-op, so poor netcode really is a disadvantage. On the other hand, the gameplay is good, and chiptune soundtrack is great for fans of this genre. [Issue#252, p.52]

Minimalistic controls. Huge freedom of choice. Loads of fun. The only time something isn’t happening in Rebel Galaxy is when you pause it to go brew another cup of tea. [Issue#203, p.78]

Money’s always in short supply in Beholder: Karl has to pay for repairs, buy food and medicine, give his kids some pocket money. To stay in the black, Karl can report activities of his tenants to authorities, steal from them or blackmail them. Each decision impacts lives of those around him, and even well-intended actions may lead to unfortunate consequences. [Issue#215, p.57]

McGregor’s presence on the cover is symbolic: just as real UFC becomes less about the sport and more about the money and the show, the virtual UFC eschews gameplay in favor of lootbox profits. [Issue#227, p.42]

Despite completely original story, Man of Medan feels more like an Until Dawn expansion pack than game of its own. It also is noticeably shorter and less varied, although still fun to play. [Issue#240, p.32]

Just like tactical classics of Commando series, you have to take down enemies one by one, dodging patrols and security cameras. Or you can go in guns blazing – might work out too, though enemy has no concept of fair fight, bringing in as much guns as they can muster. [Issue#201, p.70]

It’s rather short and there’s no replayability at all (even the loot in chests isn’t random), but if you like the magic of walking square by square, solving puzzles, and dungeon-delving in general, give Vaporum a try – it won’t disappoint. [Issue#224, p.58]

Nemesis is a one-hit wonder of a mechanic. Everything else in Middle-earth is mediocre at best, but Nemesis makes it all worthwhile, since every playthrough is truly unique – a feature none of its triple-A competitors can offer. [Issue#225, p.38]

If the developers had packed their unusual fighting system in a linear adventure instead of half-baked openworld, it would’ve been a win-win situation for everyone. [Issue#224, p.57]

Resident Evil 2 Remake shows how to properly blend old-school horror ideas with modern action to create a great game. Tormented Souls ignored all that and tried to copy the original one-to-one, with predictable result: it’s a bland clone of a game two decades old. [Issue#256, p.38]

One does not enter a wonderland by good luck. Last time Noah came to Silentia, he was in deep coma. Now the journey will be triggered by a military-grade explosive. Fortunately, this wonderland is forgiving – it’ll be glad to see Sadwick back and it will welcome little Reny with open arms. But it doesn’t forget anything either – Noah destroyed it last time around, so now it’s time to face the consequences. [Issue#215, p.62]

After lingering way too long in development, GT Sport came out amongst competitors that spent previous years on constant self-improvement, iteration by iteration. Forza Motorsport 7, for example, is bigger and better in almost every regard. That doesn’t mean that GT Sport won’t find its share of fans, but it definitely lost a lot of luster. [Issue#225, p.46]

Fascinating experiments with spheres are clouded by the vastness of locations, the lack of clues and ingenuity of puzzles. And if you get used eventually to the intricate brain-teasers with their dreamlike logic, then boring mumbling narrator keeps you annoyed until the very end. Hero spits stamps like a fifth-grader and cites quotes on about everything. But this is forgivable minus, because Carlos Coronado did programming, game design, script and music himself. And games that made with love are rarely bad. [Nov 2014, p.75]

Art deco noir cyberpunk world has a lot of little details that really nail that “high tech, low life” feeling. But with the story so bland and by-the-numbers, it’s hard to recommend Nobody Wants to Die as anything but an interactive artbook. [Issue#265, p.54]

What OnRush needs is tighter controls and physics. While you can get some impressive smash-downs, they’re mostly random, instead of being the result of planning and skill. [Issue#231, p.66]

There are only a few changes over the original game, and almost all of them are for the worse. Not to mention that the increased amount of busywork made me feel more like an evil genius’ butler than the big man himself. [Issue#253, p.48]

Although Victor Vran lacks traditional character statistics, some customization options are present – for example, there’s a bunch of passive perks in form of cards. Still, the action itself is closer to twin-stick shooters than action-RPGs. [Sept 2015, p.84]

Night chases are the best moments of the game: a horde of zombies is stomping behind you, much more agile hunters are breathing in your neck and ahead you see the pack of undead, who has not yet realized what is going on. You have a split second to decide if you will try to break through the crowd, or turn to the alley and pray to all the known gods in hope to escape from pursuit. [Issue #195, p.64]

A game that’s far more pleasing to look at than to actually play. [Issue#226, p.67]

The biggest reason to finish the game is its multi-layered and complex story that’s prone to turning everything you know upside down at the drop of a hat. From medical drama to corporate intrigues to family problems – Get Even delivers what’s expected from a psychological thriller. [Issue #222, p.60]

No matter how pretty and nuanced Paris level is, when you have nothing else to play with for a whole month, you’ll get burned out. If Square Enix followed their original plan and released at least three sandbox levels at once (or, better yet, the complete game), it would’ve got a much better reception. [Issue#208, p.52]

Just as in GRID 2, gloom of single player races diluted by adrenaline of online modes. They offer not only the same five career disciplines, but also essential management, easy tuning, leveling and weekly competitions on the RaceNet site. [September 2014, p. 62]

Ghost of a Tale’s biggest problem is its quests: the world is enchanting, the characters are charming, but in the end you’ll still be collecting ten bear asses over and over again. [Issue#229, p.44]

We could praise riveting races, unforgiving opponents and spectacular destructibility – but all that was already present in the original game. So what does remaster bring to the table? The answer is “nothing”. [Issue#250, page 52]

Nominally, our task is to collect stars, but Ode isn’t as simple as it looks: each planet is filled with music. With a touch, you can make things like mushrooms and corals join your orchestra and throw a party the world has never seen. [Issue#226, p.40]

A choice between two evils or two truths was a good fit for The Walking Dead because that’s what the series was about. But “A Song of Fire and Ice” isn’t about such decisions; its characters solve rather primitive dilemmas actually, but they solve them wrongly. Therefore, choices that you make in this game just don’t feel right; they don’t leave that “Westeros” impression. [Jan 2015, p.71]

It’s ironic that the original game used to satirize the stagnation of video games industry, but now, No More Heroes 3 is afraid to leave familiar ground. Still, long-time fans will enjoy this new chapter of Travis Touchdown’s adventures. [Issue#255, p.54]

Troy can’t hold its own against the main entries of Total War series. But its purpose is to introduce new players to the series, and in that regard, Troy is more than adequate. [Issue#248,p.44]

As promising as Iron Harvest’s setting is, the story just can’t keep up, while gameplay is a straight copy/paste from Company of Heroes 2. [Issue#248, p.50]

A great way to dive into the folklore of the Russian North. The setting is remarkably fresh, the story is well-written, and while the card battles are rather mediocre, the game doesn’t penalize the player for skipping them. [Issue#255, p.50]

To increase gameplay speed, Stardock had to sacrifice a lot; perhaps, too much. Building variety went down the drain, you don’t have to balance the budget because concept of money is gone, and tech trees regressed back to Master of Magic-style magic books. [Issue#201, p.66]

It feels like interface was developed by a saboteur, while another one was in charge of the tutorial: it barely covers the basics before dumping you right into a sink or swim situation. And even if you do manage to swim, you’ll face a myriad of annoyances. [Issue#227, p.50]

While some of the wood-and-metal pinball tables are true mechanical marvels, video game environment allows for a far richer experience, with actual enemies, leveling up, items and even a nice storyline. [Issue#259, p.58]

Nice remaster of an unusual game that successfully blends together platformer, strategy and god-sim genres. Playing as an omnipotent deity is a rare treat these days, and the great soundtrack makes it even better. [Issue#256, p.59]

Echoes of moral ambiguity are still noticeable: for example, supposedly democratic president is definitely disappointed to hear that dictator’s WMD research is getting destroyed. But it seems that Avalanche got scared at some point and tried to cut it all out, so now populace is universally enthusiastic about Rico raising hell in their country. Result is weird, and not exactly in tune with previous JC’s mood. [Issue#204, p.58]

If the first Blackguards was practically rail RPG with a well-developed tactical battles, then the offspring suddenly revealed some features of Jagged Alliance. After capturing the town in the lower right corner of the map the following Cassia’s trip to the capital can be laid as one please: horizontally, vertically, diagonally or as cunning sinusoid. [Issue #195, p.75]

On its own, HM2 could be classified as an ‘indie hit’: it has challenging gameplay, great soundtrack and even a nuclear blast, – but it cannot hold its ground when compared to the first Hotline Miami. [May 2015, p.70]

Until now, Famicom Detective Club duology had never been officially released to the western market. Now these adventure games from late 80’s are here with new graphics and full localization, and they’re well worth your time. [Issue#253, p.68]

Looks like Crazy Monkey Studios sacrificed quantity for quality: Guns, Gore & Cannoli lasts only four hours and doesn’t have alternative modes (besides coop in the same campaign), but the time you’ll spend with it will be a blast. [June 2015, p.85]

Frankly speaking, it’s just a collection of short stories. But what it lacks in action department, it makes up for in atmosphere: if you’re longing for campfire tales, pour yourself a big mug of tea and launch this game. [Issue#228, p.45]

Previous game from Logic Artists, Expeditions: Conquistador, didn’t leave lasting impression on me, so I didn’t expect much from Vikings either. As it turns out, I was wrong – developers really nailed the setting and gave some mechanics a much-needed makeover. [Issue#220, p.52]

Primitive gameplay cycle of Far Cry, placed in primitive world, suddenly starts to make sense, and even story doesn’t feel as barebones and perfunctory as usual. Here, you’re not playing as a skinny frat boy who suddenly discovers a talent for killing hardened soldiers but ultimately just wants to get back to civilization – you’re a hunter who simply wants to become respectable leader of his tribe with a personal luxury cave. [Issue#207, p.46]

Although you can blunder you way through first few missions, soon Crookz turns into a challenging tactical game that requires careful planning and individual approach to every mission. [Nov 2015, p.81]

It’s disheartening to see that Codemasters wasn’t even trying. On its own, new Grid is an okay arcade racing game, but it’s hard to ignore that the previous one was far better. [Issue#242, p.56]

Experiments with “add as you go” model of development (for example, it means that we won’t get arcade mode until June) may very well spell doom for the project – which is too bad, because basic mechanics and battle dynamic of SFV are almost perfect. [Issue#207, p.52]

Back in the 90’s, a lot of games were made by small teams or even a single person who did what felt right, creating entirely new genres in the process. It’s hard to imagine something like that happening today. But with Highfleet,it did happen: it’s a truly unique blend of arcade, strategy and fleet management. [Issue#256, p.46]