As she gains new options, Amicia gradually transforms from a victim into a predator, which doesn’t exactly fit the atmosphere. On the other hand, it assures that you will enjoy the rollercoaster storyline without getting stuck at any particular puzzle. [Issue#238, p.58]

Potentially WoWs has some great gameplay, but problems that were carried over to release version from beta preclude us from giving it a higher score. [Nov 2015, p.58]

A sequel to a story that didn’t need a sequel. A dull walking simulator with puzzles that require very little brainpower to solve. Still, it’s an extremely beautiful game with amazing fight choreography. [Issue#264,p.74]

High difficulty accentuates every problem, like wonky camera, weird timings and unpredictable invincibility frames of enemy attacks. But at its highs, Sifu is incredibly dynamic, picturesque and rewarding, a great companion for a nostalgia trip to the VHS era. [Issue#259, p.52]

Departure from fantasy setting didn’t turn Age of Wonders into a must-have game, neither did it break some truly new ground for the genre. Nevertheless, it’s a very nice strategy/tactics mix. [Issue#240, p.28]

If more attention was paid to story and less to grind, Void Bastards could potentially rival System Shock. As it is, however, it’s basically just another roguelike. [Issue#241, p.50]

Fresh setting and vibrant locations belie some serious gameplay issues, like very uneven difficulty and sluggish movement of the main character. [Issue#265, p.66]

BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! Is easy to pick up and play to the end, but getting the highest ratings will be quite a challenge, as it requires to gather all crowns on the level while using as few boxes as possible. [Issue#238, p.62]

Unfortunately, Dragon Quest VII has so many shortcomings it can’t be saved neither by its good story, nor by its charming characters, nor by the fact that its graphics are good by 3DS standards. A game that was originally released in Japan back in 2000 needs a whole lot of work to look adequate on modern market – and Square Enix barely bothered to give it a fresh coat of paint. [Issue#213, p.54]

This year FIFA had a lot of notable changes, including female teams and new announcers, but most important ones concern game mechanics themselves. [Nov 2015, p.82]

Besides the advancements in story mode, some changes were made to core gameplay. It’s hard to say if they’re for better or worse, but the game definitely feels a bit different. Maybe that was the entire point, as you can’t just update team rosters of FIFA 18 and sell it as a new game. But tweak the balance a bit – and you’ve got FIFA 19. [Issue #233, p.53]

If you want to live out a larger than life sea story, Barotrauma is your game. Here, you’ll have your arrogant captains, jaded engineers, malpracticing doctors, epic adventures and a myriad dumb ways to die horribly. [Issue#262, p.66]

Attempts to crack a joke about every single thing lead to a humor overdose, while overbranching dialogues become a burden. But even if you’ll get bored, it won’t last long: something unexpected will definitely happen to jerk you alive. [April 2015, p.73]

Bloody, brutal and visceral shooter franchise was given a tactics treatment – and the end result is surprisingly good. Gears Tactics is one of the best games in the genre this year. [Issue#246, p.36]

Every race has its own narrative, but it doesn’t work like it did in Endless Legends: tasks feel disjointed and random, and there’s no victory by completing the storyline. Procedurally generated quests are even more arbitrary, and Academy storyline can’t quench thirst for good storytelling on its own. [Issue#221, p.90]

Previous words and actions, reputation with various groups and key people, even party composition – everything matters in the narrative, so dialogues in Tyranny are a real treat. On the other hand, gameplay elements like combat are still “ok” at best, despite considerable improvements since Pillars of Eternity. [Issue#215, p.68]

Soulcalibur had always been relatively accessible fighting series, and now it is even more so: certain moves that previously required multiple button presses are now relegated to shoulder buttons. Still, it doesn’t oversimplify combat, as inertia from miscalculated strike still can drag you out of area boundaries, causing an instant loss. [Issue #233, p.66]

In time you’ll get a whole network of professionals ranging from a demolitions expert to a hacker, with Sebastian as the leader and the designated point man. Yes, now you’re a predator, not prey. [Issue#224, p.30]

Rebirth doesn’t feature any new mechanics, and while the story is pretty good, one of its main themes is pregnancy, which may be hard to relate to for some players. [Issue#249, p.64]

There are far fewer cookie-cutter outposts than in previous AC’s, and most sidequests now offer an interesting story, sometimes even with a less-than-obvious solution. While some anti-grind measures have backfired, Ubisoft is on the right track. [Issue#250, page 56]

Unfortunately, sequel kept some of the problems. The major one is how luck-dependent the progress is, especially when it comes to food: if you don’t get an encounter with a trader in time, you’ll die of hunger, but if you meet him too early, when you don’t have money to spare – again, starvation it is. If you get robbed at the market... well, you get the idea. [Issue#226, p.55]

Even the easiest difficulty presents a considerable challenge, since winning a fight in Battle Brothers isn’t the be-all and end-all, it’s equally important to keep your mercs alive and well. [Issue#219, p.90]

The rice-growing process is very detailed, perhaps excessively so, but the action elements help to break the monotony. Besides, where else can you learn so much about rice? [Issue#251, p.55]

Story and setting were made with absolutely no pandering for western tastes. Not everyone will find such a dose of pure, undiluted anime to their liking, but RPG and fighting system make it worth a try. And for hardcore fans of Japanese culture Tokyo Mirage Sessions may very well become one of the best games this year. [Issue#211, p.66]

Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]

Classic characters, familiar worlds and epic music – the game is like a portal to 8-bit past of the series. But its strength is also its weakness: New Super Mario doesn't even try to surprise you. [Issue#236, p.48]

The game doesn’t look finished. I’m not talking about bugs – it’s almost perfect in this regard. But there’s just not enough diversity, even in ship selection. Such meagerness of content is the main reason why spaceflight bliss doesn’t last forever, even though you have 400 billion of star systems at your disposal. [Feb 2015]

It’s hard to put a genre tag on Expeditions: Rome. It has small-unit skirmishes, clashes between armies, some strategy planning on the campaign map, camp management, crafting, role-playing, and so on and so forth. But the best part is that you don’t need to be Caesar to keep track of it all, because they are perfectly interwoven. [Issue#258, p.46]