There are multiple ways to complete each mission, and to spur player’s imagination, developers offer additional challenges – for example, a playthrough with no firearms, or a pacifist one. So, even though Blades of the Shogun only has a dozen missions, it will keep you entertained for a long time. [Issue#216, p.40]

While holding hand on the sacred Mario cap we should admit that SSB is not the most suitable game for small screen 3DS, even for XXL versions. It is so difficult to follow flickering characters on the background of richly animated arenas. Especially when opponents flee in different corners and the camera drives away. [Nov 2014, p.104]

A lack of new ideas is compensated by solid design and the simple story is diluted by charming humor. Yacht Club Games managed to create a distinctive game in intriguing world offering old-fashioned exciting adventure for a few hours. [September 2014, p. 80]

Developers reused a lot of assets from the first game, did nothing to address its shortcomings, and probably hope that combat alone (which is as good as it was before) would be enough to sell the game to the public. [Issue#245, p.54]

Both games deserve much more than a simple re-release, but it’s great to be able to play these masterpieces on the current-gen consoles. [Issue#243, p.54]

Compared to the original game, digging became a far more linear experience. That doesn’t mean that exploration element is gone, but it’s definitely different: now you need to keep an eye out for cracks in the rock that can be cracked open to reveal secret areas. [Issue#226, p.48]

“As is always has been” is a major problem for the series. Just to list a few issues that it lovingly keeps since PS2 era: unwieldy save system, clumsy camera, a separate loading screen for every shop and venue even though the “open world” is so small they could’ve been easily integrated into it, and, of course, abrupt transitions from lovingly rendered cutscenes to plain text dumps. Still, it you can stomach all that, Yakuza is worth a look due to its uniqueness. [Issue#217, p.78]

The setting is intriguing, but the story is bland. Open world promises exploration, but there is nothing to find. The combat has all the beats – but it just isn’t interesting. [Issue#254, p.68]

Thanks to some new content and numerous little tweaks to its gameplay, Pikmin 3 has become even better. It’s an unparalleled mix of RTS, adventure and puzzle game.[Issue#249, p.80]

In some respects, R&C remake all but copies original game: same mini-games, same fighter flights, even some locations are basically copy-pasted. Still, Insomniac realized that industry standards have moved on, so it follows the original formula only when it holds up well. [Issue#209, p.70]

There’s a definite focus shift from tactics to strategy – which is risky, considering that tactical combat had always been a staple of Total War series. It couldn’t be avoided, though: unlike Medieval and Rome settings, China simply lacks variety in troops types. So fights end up being very predictable – while Chinese politic field is anything but! [Issue#239, p.48]

Thronebreaker drifts ever further from Witcher 3 version of Gwent: now there’s only two rows, for example, and victory conditions vary from battle to battle. But on its own, Thronebreaker is a very enjoyable experience. [Issue#234, p.36]

It’s a mass-market game: extremely well-polished, reasonably difficult and very safe. It doesn’t break any new ground and doesn’t take any risks, so once you’re done with The Lost Crown, you’ll hardly remember any of it. [Issue#263, p.40]

The first half of the game takes place in believable, but not exemplary colonial buildings on Mars. Only when Marine gets to Hell does the game really get into gear: the number and strength of opponents begins to match Marine’s phenomenal murdering skills, and Doom finally transforms into a fierce, high-speed shooter that’s all about holding your own in the middle of a demon’s horde and making sudden comebacks when all seems lost. And yet, even in Hell the game manages to give you breathers to explore and look for secrets. [Issue#209, p.52]

We can’t say that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has no other issues besides graphics: some people won’t like weird scenery of the Mushroom Kingdom, others will be annoyed by somewhat blunt humor. But there’s no doubt about the bottom line: Switch owners got a good brand-new tactic game. [Issue#223, p.68]

If you like platformers, Crash will suck you in for a week or more – and you’ll keep finding things you’ve yet to complete or unlock. [Issue#249, p.50]

As often is the case with Codemasters, Dirt Rally 2.0 failed to properly build upon the success of its predecessor. Even if we disregard the blatant DLC-milking, there’s still the issue of quirky physics and poor sound effects. [Issue#237, p.42]

It doesn’t really bring anything new to the Hitman formula. Still, Hitman 3 offers the biggest and the most intricate levels in the trilogy, as well as the satisfying conclusion to the current story arc. [Issue#241, p.52]

After you get used to the world of Shadow of Mordor understanding comes: there is nothing to do in it. Chieftains – pretty serious opponents at first – in the end due to the lame balance become the whipping boys. Storyline is buried under muddy reasoning about rings, elves and dark lord. As a result you like the Shadow of Mordor gameplay but you do not want to go to the finish. [Nov 2014, p.64]

If you have a Switch and at least 50 hours of free time, if you can handle the stress of losing progress due to manual saves, if you like complex story, nuanced mechanics and turn-based combat – you definitely have to play Shin Megami Tensei V. [Issue#257, p.72]

Alas, developers were way too eager to copy FromSoftware’s ideas, so Salt and Sanctuary never became anything more than “2D Dark Souls”. Nice concept, but a forgettable experience. [Issue#208, p.73]

343 Industries managed to rectify some of Halo 4’s mistakes, but most of its shortcomings are still present. [Issue#203, p.56]

Turn-based combat aside, it’s the same old Yakuza, with aged graphics, long-winded dialogues and kooky sidequests. [Issue#250, page 64]

Budget deficit is the main problem of DD – you’re all but forced to replay the same dungeons over and over. On the other hand, that gives you ample time for experiments with party composition and skills. [Issue#206, p.65]

When you push the restart button, you know that it wasn’t a single disaster or a mistake that cost you the campaign, but a whole bunch of wrong decisions you’ve made in previous hours. But when you start over, you’ll discover that path to victory is unfortunately narrow – not to mention that most of the challenges you face will be exactly the same as the last time. [Issue#230, p.40]

It’s no secret that beat ’em ups are better in co-op, but it’s especially evident with SoR4. If you’re playing on your own, prepare to get juggled to death, but if you bring a friend or two – you’ll be the one having a party. [Issue#246, p.54]

Developers compare HDL to Legend of Zelda, but their biggest similarity is that the world is split between surface and dungeon “halves”. In HDL, you don’t explore dungeons, you clean them out: enter a room, kill everyone, proceed to the next. [Issue#209, p.72]

Shredder’s Revenge is one big nostalgia trip that doesn’t even try to do something more – like offering actually good and nuanced beat’em up experience, for example. [Issue#260, p.52]