It’s astonishing how many animations, dialogues and scripted behaviors were made for this game, and how well they work with each other to create such a complex, immersive world. [Issue #233, p.38]

At a glance, Super Mario Odyssey is nothing but a peculiar game. After spending a few minutes with it, you find it oddly fun, and after an hour or two you simply fall in love with it. But even that is just the beginning: any time you think you’ve seen it all, Super Mario Odyssey will find a way to surprise and challenge you. [Issue#225, p.56]

A true milestone not only for Legend of Zelda series, but for the industry as a whole. [Issue#262, p.61]

This rather short, but very eventful journey will send Astro up in the air, out to the deep waters, or even inside gargantuan monsters. [Issue#265, p.70]

At first, we were skeptical about the prospect of open world in God of War, but Santa Monica Studio managed to avoid the typical pitfalls. Here, you won’t find a list of watchtowers to visit, outposts to clear, swarms of respawning enemies to kill. Not to mention that side-quests are far better than typical “kill 10 somethings” stuff. [Issue#229, p.38]

If you loved the original for its great characters and well-paced story – stay away from this game. However, if you’re aching to sink into the depths of depression, or just want to cut some throats and burn some zombies – Part II will deliver. [Issue#247, p.72]

It’s a good thing that Valve didn’t add a digit to the title: from Half-Life 3 we expect nothing short of revolution, while Alyx is “merely” an amazing game. [Issue#245, p.50]

Despite its shortcomings, Original Sin 2 is still a game worth playing, because no other RPG on the market is as comprehensive when it comes to exploration, action and roleplaying options. Sure, the sequel falls short of our expectations – but it’s still miles ahead of its competition. [Issue#224, p.38]

Persona 5 is an incredibly rich, detailed and nuanced fantasy JRPG/school-life sim that may very well take more than 100 hours to complete. A must-see for everyone except people with strongest aversion to Japanese culture. [Issue#220, p.78]

Does Uncharted 4 have flaws? Sure. From time to time, you notice some animation glitches, and in some episodes developers use artistic license in regards to laws of physics too excessively. But the magic of the game is that it makes you forget these flaws immediately.

Beneath the fantastic eyecandy lies a very precise mechanic that rewards tactical thinking, good positioning and ability to make split-second decisions. [Issue#235, p.40]

Forza Horizon 4 sets a new mark: from now on, any open-world racing game that doesn’t feature passing of the seasons will feel like it’s missing something very important both for immersion and variety. [Issue #233, p.50]

The world is incredibly detailed, so instead of rushing to the next quest objective, make sure to take your time and let it all soak in. [Issue#264,p.58]

Veterans of From Software games may find Bloodborne a tad too easy, as it lacks input hiccups, weird hitboxes and other oddities that noticeably raised the difficulty in Souls-series games. [May 2015, p.62]

No one can avoid their fate, especially if they happen to be a witcher with a very particular destiny. Of course, the end of this story depends on your choice between personal happiness and world’s stability, duty and destiny, selfless love and mutual one – but we all know what Sapkowski’s Geralt would’ve chosen. [June 2015,p.56]

In 11 years that separate the original Demon’s Souls and its remake, Souls game formula didn’t change much – but it definitely hasn’t gone stale. [Issue#250, page 46]

Despite its direct relation to Wii U version, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is nothing less than gorgeous, with its scintillating colors, varied decorations and abundance of interesting details on tracks. It’s a perfect game for parties, but online championship is where your driver skills are really put to test. [Issue#220, p.74]

It is gratifying that The Witcher 3 holds the quality bar at the highest level to the final credits of his last add-on. [Issue#210, p.74]

Microsoft Flight Simulator features some really impressive, even groundbreaking technologies that allow it to procedurally create entire Earth. [Issue#249, p.74]

Overwatch catches you instantly due to the hurricane dynamics of matches and the amazing smoothness of the game engine. There are no problems with the network code which can give odds to Swiss watches. It is impossible to get lost in the wilds of the interface. It offers extremely convenient controls. As a result Overwatch is very easy to learn. [Issue#210, p.68]

Not even Bayonetta can last forever. First few levels of the sequel are fantastic, but afterwards it’s all about “floating platforms in space” and “featureless corridors”. Nothing here is as innovative or as provocative as the original Bayonetta. It’s still a solid action, mind you. But we hope that third installation will find some other publisher than Nintendo. [Dec 2014, p.80]

Even if you’re not a fan of the online competitive scene, Tekken 8 has a lot of content to offer: assisted mode that is great for parties, a story campaign, and an absolutely fantastic Arcade mode that features its own story and unobtrusively helps you become a better player. [Issue#263, p.36]

There was no need for this lifeless open world; Phantom Pain would work much better as a series of “sandboxy” missions that include only the to-be-infiltrated complex and some space around it, like in Hitman: Blood Money. Still, the most important thing of all – stealth gameplay – is top-notch. [Issue#201, p.46]

Forza developers have formulated a recipe for driving game that’s sure to receive high scores, and now they’re exploiting it for all it’s worth. Those who played 2014’s Forza Horizon 2 won’t find anything new here, even though some areas could really use some improvements. [Issue#214, p.44]

Forza Horizon 5 still is a great racing game, but there’s no denying that the series is in a torpor-like state. It’s obvious that Playground is afraid not only to innovate, but to make any sort of significant change to a successful formula. [Issue#257, p.64]

Crusader Kings III is definitely a success. The developers made a huge self-evolving world where the players can do as they please. It’s unrivaled both in scale and level of detail. [Issue#248, p.68]

As far as remakes go, Resident Evil 4 is very solid, but very safe, to the point of losing some of the original’s spark. Early RE games used to be unashamedly goofy, and RE4R seems to be afraid of that legacy. [page 64]

New Horizons always has something new in store. For example, on the way to your regular fishing spot you can suddenly make acquaintance with a hippie, fly to his island and come back with some great photos. [Issue#244, p.58]

Large-scale Monster Hunter works so well, it’s anybody's guess why Capcom waited so long to make this step. [Issue#227, p.58]

A shining example of what remake should be. [Issue#236, p.24]

DMC 5 takes the best from previous titles, like over the top action and nuanced battle system, adds a great new character and makes the best use of modern technologies. [Issue#236, p.20]

If you like JRPGs and own a Nintendo Switch – this is a game you shouldn’t miss. [Issue#246, p.48]

DS3 would’ve made an excellent sequel to original Dark Souls, but, as it is the trilogy finale, we expected something more than simply retreading familiar paths. On the other hand, it still has the series’ best feature – mystery. While other developers happily shove everything of interest in their games in player’s face, FromSoftware consciously conceals important details from casual observer. And for this unique approach, a lot of shortcomings can be forgiven. [Issue#208, p.44]

For the freedom of choice, quality of writing and enjoyable tactical combat a lot of Pillars of Eternity’s blunders can be forgiven, even the lackluster core RPG mechanics. [May 2015, p.82]

Combat is very satisfying: strikes have proper weight behind them, hitboxes are where you expect them to be and controls are very responsive. Procedural generation, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired: from playthrough to playthrough, levels feel too similar. [Issue#232, p.68]

First two hours of campaign are surprisingly boring, since beautiful Typhon nature quickly gets replaced with dull industrial zones. But when it looks like Respawn has once again screwed up singleplayer, Titanfall 2 suddenly picks up the pace and starts delivering one interesting setpiece after another. [Issue#214, p.48]

Mario games still set the bar high for all 3D platformers, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a good remaster of an already excellent game, which will please both newcomers and old-time fans. [Issue#252, p.64]

Every detail in the game shows that, despite the 17-years gap between the original game and its sequel, Raz still holds a very special place in the hearts of Tim Schafer and his team. [Issue#255, p.48]

Large selection of classes, good AI and wide variety of missions make Fire Emblem: Three Houses one of the best turn-based tactics. [Issue#240, p.50]

Josef Fares wasn’t kidding when he said that It Takes Two is unlike any other platformer: it’s amazing how many various mechanics and ideas found their place in this game. [Issue#253, p.32]

Infinite Wealth is a kaleidoscopic parade of everything that made original Like a Dragon great. Except there’s more of everything, and everything is more interesting than before. [Issue#263, p.66]

Guerrilla Games made their first open world game playing straight every trope in the book. In her time off from story missions, Aloy-from-the-future will do the same stuff as Renaissance Ezio and Stone Age tribal from Far Cry Primal did: she’ll capture towers, liberate camps, look for collectibles, and, of course, hunt to craft bigger quivers and larger bags. [Issue#217, p.48]

It’s easy to get overpowered to the point where you can enter a melee completely naked, and emerge victorious. But still, you’ll find yourself putting on your best armor just because it feels right. KCD2 isn’t about powergaming – it’s about immersion in a very unique setting that’s obviously a labor of love. [Issue#266]

Leisurely exploration of the estate is interspersed with stories about the last days of different Finch family members – and these moments show that developers didn’t just proclaim their love for H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman and other masters of magical realism, they really know that stuff. Giant Sparrow draws you into the little girl’s dreamworld just as easily as it paints a picture of kingly ambitions of a factory worker. [Issue#221, p.81]

You’ll have to deal with people who grew up with no understanding of morality and civility, gain their respect (by force, if necessary) and build bright post-nuclear future with them. Wasteland domination is just a step away. [Issue#203, p.46]

There’s no leveling (in Soulsborne sense of the word), no covenants, no multiplayer, no variety in armor and weapons. It could be written off a stylistic choice, if the rest of the game didn’t feel very similar to the previous FromSoftware games. But it does, so Sekrio comes across as rather shallow. [Issue#237, p.28]

From suborbital flights to satellites to ISS to colonization of Mun and interplanetary travel – creative potential in KSP is basically limitless. [Issue#199, p.76]

Engaging, difficult and charming metroidvania with an amazingly low price. [Issue#244, p.54]

The experience is so captivating, you’ll probably want to blast through the entire 10-15 hour story in one go. But the final is really disappointing: basically, the entire game is just a warm-up, while the important events will happen in the next one. [Issue#254, p.36]

In the sequel, battles became more tense, but at the same time more controllable. As you unlock more tactical options, you all but eliminate influence of RNG on your anti-alien campaign. [Issue#206, p.56]

It’s a great hardcore game that can enrage even the calmest person on Earth. Cuphead is difficult and unforgiving, but at the same time you can’t help but come back to it over and over until you learn the patterns of yet another boss and finally manage to knock him on his back. [Issue#224, p.34]

Despite some silly dialogues and animeish looks of characters, Fates has two (three, if you throw in DLC campaign) well-made tactical games with RPG elements, both with distinct flavor and unlike one another. [Issue#209, p.80]

Well-designed metroidvania elements, prominent storyline and dynamic action – Metroid Dread delivers on almost every front. [Issue#255, p.28]

In addition to constructor mode, the game also has a solid single-player story with over 100 levels. SMM2 will have you race, fly, explore labyrinths, solve puzzles and fight monsters – every interesting concept of the past 30 years found its place in this game. [Issue#239, p.72]

Music and design is the strongest suit of the game. At the same time it’s unfriendly to newcomers and suffers from slow battles and tedious craft. It’s one of those cases where love and pain go hand in hand. [Issue#252, p.60]

Districts are surprisingly autonomous: temples generate faith without believers and campuses don’t require scientists to produce science. Sure, you can take some people off fields and put them to work in factories – but each “pop” will give you only +2 production, while the same pop working a forest hex brings back 3 production and some food to boot. [Issue#214, p.76]

Smoke-filled skies, destroyed buildings, ever-present dirt, trenches and heavily armored beasts, clouds of poisonous gas and panicked feeling that you’re being shot at from every direction and there’s not a square inch of ground that’s truly safe. The setting feels not just grim – more like apocalyptic. [Issue#214, p.52]

Graphics, UI, gameplay, combat mechanics, character interactions, story – sequel does everything better than the original Pillars of Eternity. [Issue#230, p.66]

Fast-paced brutal action that still requires you to think ahead and utilize every tool at your disposal – we've been waiting for a shooter like that for a long time. [Issue#244, p.44]

Anthropomorphic animals of Night in the Woods are far more humane, honest and touching than human-like robots of many other games that try to tell a simple, down-to-earth story. [Issue#218, p.58]

At first, Ori looks like a very easy game. But that’s a deception: the further you go into the forest, the louder cracking of your thumbs will become. Our condolences go to anyone who will try to beat Ori on keyboard+mouse combo instead of gamepad. [May 2015, p.71]

Years of experience in slasher-making helped Team Ninja create captivating, nuanced and difficult combat system, which is good enough by itself – but then they sweetened the deal further with Diablo-style equipment hunt. As a result, it’s really, really hard to put Nioh down. [Issue#217, p.62]

Gearing process works like a charm to keep the player addicted – after all, who wouldn’t want to get new pauldrons for Batman or a whip for Catwoman? [Issue#220, p.40]

If you were a fan of the original FF VII, go ahead and add another 5 points to the final score. It’s a perfect remake: it faithfully follows original game’s storyline, is filled with fan-service, but remains approachable by complete newbies. [Issue#245, p.38]

Every aspect of Astral Chain is captivating in its own way. [Issue#240, p.42]

Type-O used to be the darkest and most mature game in the franchise, but now this title is usurped by Final Fantasy XVI. At times, the amount of blood, swearing and sex rivals even The Witcher’s. [Issue#262, p.48]

What trailers failed to convey is that Machine Games managed to replicate the golden ratio of the classic Indiana Jones movies. Stealth, action, puzzles, dialogue and beautiful scenery are perfectly measured and mixed in a way that gives you a taste of a true Indiana adventure. [Issue#266]

Awakening’s world is much smaller than Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule. But within the island’s depths lies something that was missing from the last game – eight difficult, multi-layered dungeons, each with its own theme, traps and puzzles. [Issue#241, p.66]

Insomniac definitely went overboard with collectibles and routine side activities, which is definitely detrimental to game interest (especially since equipment upgrades are directly tied to them). But they nearly made up for it with attention to details and quality of cutscenes. [Issue #233, p.74]

As classic JRPGs slowly die off, usually insular Pokemon brand offers unexpected hospitality. Moon/Sun is about as difficult as its predecessors, but it doesn’t drop newcomers straight into deep water; instead, it helps players get their bearings and offers a story to follow while they grow accustomed to the world. And once you develop an interest in Pokemon, it’s simply impossible to put down. [Issue#216, p.50]

This game is fast. So fast you don’t see levels, just splashes of color and sound cues, – like “ding” of an upcoming crystal, which means that you need to perform grab. There are no two ways about it – you either do the grab, or you faceplant. [Isssue#259, p.56]

When arcade spin-off Forza Horizon first appeared, it seemed that Motorsport series will steer towards more realistic simulation. Unfortunately, FM6 still hangs somewhere in-between. [Nov 2015, p.76]

It’s hard to recommend Deathloop to anyone. By action standards, the game is plainly boring: it’s basically the same 4 maps over and over again with no variety in enemies or weapons. Cause-and-effect timeloop puzzle gameplay is underwhelming as well: aside from the proper solution, there are very few things to try. [Issue#255, p.56]

Jonathan Blow’s new game is not another messiah; it’s more of an experiment – a big-budget puzzle game where your only reward for overcoming difficulties is the process of puzzle-solving itself. [Issue#206, p.75]

Let's not go around in circles – the secret of Divinity: Original Sin and Larian Studios’ success is pretty simple. They took best practices from MMORPGs and carefully placed them into their own cozy co-op for two. That was a clever decision because all the innovations appeared after the heyday of RPG in the late nineties in one way or another were made in the MMO. [September 2014, p. 56]

If you want to replay first Dead Space – the remake will scratch that itch. But don’t expect any meaningful improvements over the original. [page 54]

Despite being a little inexperienced, Bloober Team delivered a remake as great as Resident Evil 2 (2019). Long-time fans of Silent Hill won’t be disappointed, while newcomers will get to experience one of the best horror games ever in all its terrifying glory. [Issue#265, p.56]

Although Inside’s aesthetics are great, its storytelling methods aren’t reprehensible. There’s no narration or dialogues; all information is conveyed through environment and gestures of characters, so unless you’re willing to go on wild interpretation sprees, Inside’s story won’t make any sense. But even if you do, it will still leave a lot of unanswered questions. [Issue#211, p.62]

By the end of the game, Inaba will feel like home to you. [Issue#247, p.50]

Nomada Studio is very open about Neva being inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s works. And I have to admit – they’ve really hit the mark: the game is very heartwarming and emotional. [Issue#265, p.82]

The problem of Warhammer II’s campaign is that it’s not a grand-campaign. Traditionally, numerical Total Wars offered an expansionist gameplay, while intermediate games experimented with things like special victory conditions and new mechanics – and stuff that works best found its way into next numerical installation. With Warhammer II, Creative Assembley eschews that practice in favor of from drawing board straight to the game approach. [Issue#224, p.64]

There’s not much to do in the open world, but thankfully, it doesn’t play a big role either. Infinite mostly sticks to what makes Halo great: first-person action. Smart level design, great mobility mechanics like grappling hook, and good AI make for some really memorable moments. [Issue#258, p.42]

Prequel duology took a long time to reach Western players and it shows, especially since the graphics were originally created for 3DS. But hey, it’s more Ace Attorney with the same humor and the new setting! [Issue#254, p.42]

It’s almost like Diablo 4 developers are consciously fighting against everything that made classic Diablo fun. [Issue#262, p.80]

TW: WH never slips into a routine, gameplay keeps player on tenterhooks from the beginning to the end. And thanks to the diversity of the factions – it’s quite replayable. At least five times. [Issue#210, p.86]

There is no doubt that a number of changes led to better quality. But to play Monster Hunter 4 with a comfort you should obtain the New 3DS. [Issue #195, p.85]

Most obvious are the efforts of artists and designers: Sera after two decades of peace looks much more vibrant, and every location – even local mines – is instantly recognizable. Gameplay, on the other hand, hasn’t changed in its core – but it’s much more polished now (which is especially noticeable if you compare it to recent remake of first Gears of War). [Issue#213, p.50]

On Wii U Tropical Freeze was an enthusiast-only game, but thanks to the addition of Funky Kong, now it can be enjoyed by anyone. And portability of Switch doesn’t hurt either. [Issue#230, p.54]

It’s interesting to see how your playstyle affects personality of your character. Low-chaos Emily remains optimistic and somewhat naive; so an alchemical laboratory makes her remember her childhood and lessons she received. The same laboratory, however, would stir some very different feelings in high-chaos Emily – namely, she’ll start musing about pouring acid down Delilah’s throat. [Issue#214, p.40]

About half of the mechanics don’t work as before and some are simply absent. As a result, people who’ve played the original Homeworld get confused by the remake: it looks like the same game, but the gameplay isn’t. [April 2015, p.68]

Hopefully, by the time Machine Games starts work on Wolfenstein 3, they will find a writer who understands that fast-paced action does not mix well with protagonist’s constant complaining. [Issue#225, p.52]

Selling Ogres as a separate Day-1 DLC is definitely an anti-consumer practice, AI would be best described as “braindead", and some mechanics only work because of duct-tape solutions like “background income”. Yet, CA has managed to capture that certain “je ne sais quoi” of Warhammer: every faction plays differently, but they all feel awesome. [Issue#259, p.42]

Last year’s F1 felt like a stepping stone: new version of engine and updated physics came at a huge cost – many important features, including career mode, weren’t up to par. This time Codemasters presents Formula One properly. [Issue#212, p.49]

Great 4X strategies have a thing called “one more turn” syndrome. With Desperados 3, it’s “one more neutralized lookout” syndrome. Its levels are big and so well-designed you might end up playing until dawn. [Issue#247, p.34]

Resident Evil 7 is the scariest game in the series since RE1. The change to first-person perspective plays no small role in this: if a nightmarish granny chokes the life out of some figure on your screen, it’s one thing; but when she does the same to you, when you can almost feel her spittle flying in your face – that’s on the whole other level of scary. Not to mention that realistically limited field of vision that allows monsters to creep up from behind or jump from around the corner. [Issue #217, p.56]

Tombs are the best thing RotTR has to offer. Compared to the previous Tomb Raider, there really are more of them, but not quite as many as we’d want. Plus, unlike the stealth/combat sequences, most of the tombs can be skipped – although the game would’ve been much better off if it was the other way around. [Issue#204, p.62]

The game is not technically astounding, even against the backdrop of last year's Need for Speed Rivals. Horizon 2 is certainly very beautiful, but its beauty comes not from technology, but from artistic field. There are very soft and warm sunsets, refreshing summer rains, and really dark nights – every detail done in the right color and carefully accentuated. Each element works on a holiday atmosphere and you absolutely do not want emerge from it into the dank October evening. [Nov 2014, p.82]

Dedicated multiplayer modes grow stale quickly, and we wish there were more customization options for controls and camera, but other than this, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a very solid game both for solo and co-op. [Issue#241, p.64]