Open world is sadly underutilized: there’s no need to explore it to find new races, and unlike original The Crew, mini-activities like slalom are few and far between. [Issue#232, p.54]

It’s Part 3 of the trilogy, so if you’ve missed the previous two, there’s no reason to play this one first. But if you’ve been anxiously awaiting the finale of the story that began 4 years ago – The Banner Saga 3 won’t disappoint. [Issue#232, p.58]

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]

Most of the time our heroine needs to race from floor to floor to complete given tasks. Along the way she’ll meet other students and teachers that have some interesting stuff to tell, but there isn’t much time to chat – the clock is ticking, and if the time runs out, you’ll have to start over. [Issue#232, p.66]

You’d think that in a zoo, there would be a team that handles healing of animals on its own (at worst – after getting chewed out via intercom). But in Jurassic World Evolution, director has to personally oversee that process, as well as numerous other tasks. [Issue#232, p.62]

Early on, it’s not that burdensome to personally lug around materials and process them into useful things, but as the technology marches on, you’ll have to do more and more menial tasks to make that new sword or casket that you need. [Issue#232, p.70]

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]

NeocoreGames masterfully channels the grimdark atmosphere of Warhammer, but the actual gameplay is very barebones. There are three different classes, but they play pretty much the same, and most of the perks only add 1% to this or 1,5% to that. Oh, and that "open-world sandbox" you see on Martyr’s Steam page? It actually means "procedurally generated missions with simplistic objectives." [Issue#231, p.60]

It feels like the script was written by three different people. One’s responsible for all these cringeworthy lines, another came up with some truly interesting characters, and the third one thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to preach his values: for example, at one point our strictly-rational atheist doctor will have to confess his sins. [Issue#231, p.56]

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]

Although the narrative is fairly linear, there are enough branching paths over the course of the game to make it feel like your actions matter. That allows Detroit to still be fun even on multiple playthroughs – and for an interactive movie, that’s a rare praise. [Issue#231, p.68]

Since you can’t have more than a dozen units at any time and defensive buildings can only be placed in pre-determined spots, your tactical options are extremely limited – and no matter what you choose, you’ll end up playing whack-a-mole with enemy troops. [Issue#231, p.72]

Despite the cuts, plenty of controversial stuff did make it into the game – for example, there’s a sinner who uses a baby like a mop. But here’s the thing: while unquestionably disgusting, it’s not scary. And coupled with lackluster gameplay mechanics, Agony quickly becomes a chore. [Issue#231, p.64]

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

Once you find a winning tactic, you’ll be able to stick to it in almost every situation. Only bosses require some improvisation, because if don’t kill them in a rather specific way, they’ll destroy you in their death throes. [Issue#230, p.60]

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

Just like the real car, Jalopy teaches you to always be collected. If you leave your engine running while you’re rummaging through the roadside junk for stuff to sell – it can easily burn through half of your gas. And if you run out of fuel and have to walk to the nearest gas station – don’t forget to take your wallet with you, or your day will get much, much worse. [Issue#230, p.58]

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]

Two-minute trailer of Extinction that shows an epic battle against a giant ogre might make you interested in the game, but the thing is – if you’ve seen it, you’ve seen everything the game has to offer. Literally. [Issue#230, p.64]

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]

Procedural generation is another thing that’s killing this game. Each level is an agglomeration of rooms, streets and passages with no rhyme or reason behind it. Of course, new types of traps and monsters are being added to the mix all the time, but every new map ends up looking just the same. [Issue#230, p.62]

I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with BattleTech. Maybe that happened when I’ve spotted an incoming Hunchback 4-P. That modification, while not the most widespread, is dear to anyone who’s ever participated in tabletop BattleTech tournaments. For me, such attention to details means that developers tried not only to make a BattleTech for XXI-century, but to keep it within existing context. [Issue#230, p.44]

For the first few hours, Ni No Kuni 2 looks like an ordinary JRPG: it’s very linear, story-centric and rather naive. But as soon as our protagonist gets his new kingdom, it shows its true colors – those of an unholy crossbreed between an Asian grind fest MMORPG and a mobile “strategy” game that’s all about making players wait. [Issue#229, p.62]

Gravel’s cars handle like shoeboxes no matter the surface: mud, snow, asphalt or stream bed – in this game it makes zero difference. [Issue#229, p.56]

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]

It’s not as memorable or unique as some of its predecessors, but incredibly detailed open world makes Hope County a destination worth visiting. [Issue#229, p.46]

Pikachu is shown as an assertive man who can’t live without his espresso, loves to crack jokes and speaks in deep baritone of a hard-boiled detective. In short, he’s charismatic to the point of instantly becoming one of the best characters Nintendo ever made. [Issue#229, p.58]

Normally, the fact that you can’t play the campaign without another player would be a downside, but A Way Out is an experience that simply won’t work without a friend by your side. [Issue#229, p.66]