Frostpunk is a depressing, beautiful and deeply engaging survival city-builder that forces the player to make difficult choices. The dystopian reality is wonderfully made, and you'll feel cold just staring at the in-game thermometer.

If Total War wants to be able to compete again, it needs to not only take inspiration from its greatest competitors, but seriously needs to look back to its own glory days: Rome and Medieval II.

Battletech is an often fun tactical Mech game, but one that sadly is held back by an overreliance on an intrusive RNG system and long wait times between gameplay.

Whether we're talking about the exploration, combat system, or the story, God of War is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Castle of Heart is a sluggish, close to unplayable mess. Its combat system is almost non-existent, and what little good it has in its level design is quickly forgotten after hearing its awful audio quality, music, and experiencing the repetitive and often awkward movement mechanics.

Extinction might seem fun in the first few minutes, and the combat system might keep you around for a while. But what really frustrates, is the narrow scope of the game, where you do the same things over, and over, and over; killing trolls, killing trolls, and saving civilians and the city by killing trolls.

Ghost of a Tale is a charming and often funny experience surrounding an adorable mouse and scary rats, but the simplistic stealth mechanics are not enough to keep the initial surge of excitement going for more than a few hours.

Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia adds many worthwhile mechanics the British region and beyond. The coolest one is the new mission system, but due to being part of the free 1.25 England patch, its impact on the expansion is lessened.

Far Cry 5 isn't the great departure we might've hoped for, with both gameplay and story playing it very safe, but what's here surely has the potential to be as thrilling, crazy and engaging as always.

It's refreshing to see more split screen co-op on PC, but A Way Out fumbles in delivering on the premise. The clichè-filled story starts out too slowly, and the game is littered with tedious quick time events. The game sort of redeems itself towards the end, but wastes a lot of your time on it’s way there.

The foundation for a good game is there, but too much of the responsibility for the fun is pushed over to the player.

Great combat and engaging mechanics compesate for the fact that the charms and great story of its predecessor are somewhat watered out in favor of more traditional genre tropes.

Even though Assassin's Creed Origins: Curse of the Pharaos does little in terms of new mechanics or strong characters, it impresses with its new environments. The different Afterlife worlds are gorgeous, and the new boss fights are difficult and exciting.

Surviving Mars is a great sci-fi city-builder resembling Cities: Skylines. Its mechanics are many and the difficulty quite steep, but apart from some repetitive gameplay in the long run, it offers a great adventure and sense of accomplished for anyone who dares to venture to the red planet.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 offers a lot of fun action with friends and strangers. The level designs are great and the visuals amazing, but I wish there were some added depth to the gameplay that would spice things up after a certain number of hours other than the Heroic Deeds missions.

Waking the Tiger is a great expansion for an already deep strategy game, fleshing out the experience for large and small nations alike.

Even though a 8x8 battle grid seems like small area, it can hold a lot of tactical decisions. The biggest strength in Into the Breach is the great variety of mechs, weapons and thus strategies. It is comparable with Sunset Games' first game, FTL: Faster Than Light, but is improved by featuring a deterministic battle system, where chance no longer plays any role. It is a game where you'll die often, but still want to play again and again.

Stellaris: Apocalypse brings awesome weapons and new challenges to the Stellaris experience, but is also carried by the massive changes brought on with the new and free Cherryh update. As such, I wish Apocalypse came with the kind of changes we saw with the Utopia expansion last year, because by itself, the expansion lacks the kind of marvel we've come to expect from Paradox's expansions.

Quotation forthcoming.

Fe is a visually beautiful game that also delivers atmospheric audio pieces, but that sadly does not fulfill the promises of a truly great 3D platformer.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a beautiful mess. Its world is gorgeous, but static; its role-playing mechanics deep, but its characters and story flawed, and the combat system is both fresh and clunky at the same time. What makes matters worse is the prevalence of technical errors and crashes, which makes me wonder how the game was allowed to be released in its current state.

After the wonderful I am Setsuna, Lost Sphear is a huge disappointment. Too many dull conversations, and not nearly enough action.

The Rise and Fall expansion is a welcome addition to Civilization VI. While the Loyalty, Ages and Alliance mechanics stand out as the best additions, the newly added governors seem somewhat lacking, and the AI needs more work in order to properly cope with the new Alliance and Emergency mechanics.

Fishing: Barents Sea is unfortunately somewhat boring. It manages to introduce an enjoyable progression system, where you get larger boats based on your actions, but the mechanics behind the fishing and tasks are nothing special.

Subnautica is a great survival game that is totally unique. Despite some small issues it captivates and ensures that the player has a need to explore its ocean.

Quotation forthcoming.

A timeless masterpiece that has gotten the respect and love it deserves in this new version.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a literal blast to play. The game's visuals (the attention to detail, the amazing style and the colorful cast) are clearly it's most impressive feature, but the fighting itself is no slouch either. The experience could really do with a better and more interesting story mode, but nearly everything else in this game is superbly well made.

Monster Hunter: World throws you into a dangerous and beautiful world where lethal beasts lurk around every corner. Capcom has made many improvements that turn this into the best game in the series.

An excellent platform game with great mechanics that also offers a heavy story.

Quotation forthcoming.

Though roaming the game's beautiful open worlds is bound to amuse more or less anyone for a few hours, the Xenoblade games will mostly appeal to the kind of JRPG player who enjoys the genre for its challenge and complexity rather than stories. In this light Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is somewhat surpassed by its more ambitious and polished Wii U predecessor.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files has a few technical problems, and a rather empty world, but shines in it's detail oriented implementation of VR. Driving, the handling of weapons, fighting, and investigating seems immersive and satisfying.

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is ultimately greatly entertaining, and offers adrenaline filled action of the best kind. Sure, the performance is still not perfect, and the developer need to work more on that, but seen as a whole the experience is fantastic.

Fallout 4 VR delivers a vast, living world, with a great atmosphere that was made for exploration in virtual reality. Some of the game mechanics like the menu system needs polishing, but Bethesda has given us a viable alternative to playing the game on a PC or console.

Finding Paradise is another well-told and profoundly meaningful story in the To The Moon saga. An amazing soundtrack, great artwork and clever, realistic writing all come together to bring this charming, touching and deeply human tale to life.

The Empire Divided campaign partially succeeds in being a fun new addition to the Total War universe, but it quickly becomes clear that the old shortcomings of the Rome 2 engine and a lack of great new mechanics, music and voice-overs make for an experience that feels older than it should.

With another deep expansion, the team at Paradox delivers yet again. It has never been more fun to play outside of Europe, with the Muslim factions gaining deeper mechanics and new ways to play. Even though the expansion does little outside of the Middle East, the new army professionalism mechanic and merchant options help to deliver an expansion that changes the game for every faction, regardless of religious affiliation.

Clunky controls and lack of free locomotion puts a serious dampener on this VR-port. Doom is appealing and entertaining in a new form, but id Software have taken some unfortunate shortcuts.

Even 20 years after its original release, there is still nothing quite like Outcast. I do prefer the HD version from a few years back, which has more distinct visuals and provides a smoother experience, but it hardly matters when you have a game with such a powerful vision.

L. A. Noire deserves a second look. The new version is mostly a couple of new text lines and camera angles, and the game still has the same flaws, but I enjoyed the journey anyway after not having touched it for six years.

Football Manager 2018 is still an engaging manager experience, but focus on realism over fun combined with a lack of innovation leave the game less interesting over time.

Need for Speed: Payback is a fun romp, but the micrtransactions are a bit on the invasive side.

Quotation forthcoming.

Some of the best combat encounters in the entire game takes place in The Frozen Wilds, making this expansion essential for all who are fond of the core game.

Call of Duty: WWII gives the impression of being prematurely published, and has a plethora of serious flaws. It’s return to the series roots is in setting only, and the game pales in comparison to the classics it draws inspiration from.

Quotation forthcoming.

Assassin's Creed: Origins packs many new tricks, yet feels dated. Its combat is clunky, its story generic, and despite a gorgeous world, Origins fails to live up to the standards set by the games it wants to resemble.

Super Mario Odyssey is a joyous romp through the past, present and future of Mario's extensive history. The game is incredibly fun and charming, with interesting riddles and challenges at almost every turn. A few things could've been done a lot better (looking at you, motion controls and Broodals), but this is still a must-play for gamers of all ages and sizes.

Gran Turismo Sport offers a great driving experience, but its severe lack of content makes it seem more like a Prologue-title than a fully-fledged GT game.

It is fun to prowl through the open levels. The Evil Within 2 is also a sweet b-movie story with many sympathetic characters. On the other hand the game compromises more or less all of the predecessor's strongest suits. The visuals are considerably duller, the action is weaker and worst of all: It's a far more predictable and conventional experience. As a sequel it highly disappoints.

There are improvements over The Stick of Truth, but the positive changes are diminished by the monotone game mechanics.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a lot like its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing. Everything is bigger this time around, with more maps to explore, more missions to undertake and more unique orcs to kill and dominate. It's all great fun (albeit a little repetitive after 40 hours). A more cohesive and memorable main story would've helped the game stand out even more.

NBA 2K18 is an example of everything that is wrong with the modern game industry, and can only be recommended for people who love to give game companies all of their money. The game itself is good, but ruined by micro transactions.

New Pokémon, new game modes and a slight graphical touch up have made a decent Wii U title into a fun, addictive and deep fighting game for the Switch.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is at times a somewhat enjoyable game that feels stuck in the past. The dominating storytelling however, is brought down by a stiff and unnatural translation

Quotation forthcoming.

The great visual style and the hectic gameplay makes Cuphead a game everyone should at least try.

Quotation forthcoming.

FIFA 18 might be the best FIFA ever made, but you can hardly tell, as changes and improvements are becoming increasingly harder to spot. The result is yet another FIFA that is solid, well made and sort of boring.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a vast, masterfully crafted RPG, brimming with creativity. The hunt for divinity is a stunning journey, traversing enormous areas, packed with fascinating content. Larian Studios' newest epic will go down in history as a modern classic.

With new abilities and mechanics such as the Melee Counter, Metroid: Samus Returns feels like a fresh, much needed quality game in the Metroid series. Just too bad its visuals could have been more timeless were it released on the Nintendo Switch.

Total War: Warhammer 2 is more spectacular than its predecessor, but fails to innovate when it comes to depth and strategy. The Vortex mechanic is wonderful and the factions diverse, but with the game's extreme dedication to fantasy, it might be a tough sell for the traditional fans of the series.

Quotation forthcoming.

Despite sharing a whole lot of similarities with its predecessor, Destiny 2 excels where it counts. The shooting and loot hunting is as addictive as ever, and even though the characters and story feel like they're still lacking several layers of dept, the grind has never felt so good.

Knack 2 is kind of more of the same, but at the same time it's so much more than what the original ever was. The combat is more diverse, the environments are more varied and the co-op is way more fun. There's still some jank here, including the dull story and lack of true freedom in both skill set and movement.

Quotation forthcoming.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a triumph, for Mario and Nintendo as well as for Ubisoft. The game bursts with creativity and charm. It’s beautiful, funny, challenging and original. But most of all, it’s a bold risk, and an immensely successful one at that.

LawBreakers is a fun and thrilling shooter, but might become repetitive after just a few hours depending on your need for varied content and customization options.

Daedalic's novel adaptation delivers a great story, beautiful visuals and interesting characters. 12th century England makes for a fascinating setting, but unfortunately far too much time is wasted on backtracking and tedious puzzles.

Sundered is undeniably beautiful to look at, but loses its visual charm in repetitive and boring areas, and while the combat system is fun, the fighting always bogs down into chaotic melee situations when hordes of enemies jump you out of nowhere. It's sad that the game itself is so frustrating when its bosses and overall visual style are so well made.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a technical marvel, and offers a lot of great treasure-hunting moments throughout. The characters and their dialogues are also a huge part of what makes the game work – this makes the plot quite enjoyable, despite it (and almost every other aspect of the game) being incredibly formulaic. If this is not the end, but instead a new beginning for Uncharted, I really wish Naughty Dog would make something that's way less shooter-y and way more unique going forward.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Its combat mechanics and puzzles are strong, but its true strengths lies with its ability to tell a story and craft a world that differentiates itself from other titles out there. Together, we're offered an adventure that is equally horrifying and brilliant - a true masterpiece of a game.

Agents of Mayhem is a lot of fun to play in the first few hours, and the gunplay and movement systems are addictive. Sadly, the story is rather dull and there is little offered in terms of immersion, which makes me wish the game offered more to keep me interested in Seoul and the admittedly charming characters in the long run.

Sonic Mania is a brief yet charming tribute to the haydays of the series. Still, the developers holds its source material in such reverence that surprises or new gameplay elements are kept at a bare minimum.

Quotation forthcoming.

Nex Machina is an addicting stick shooter with a great core concept that keeps the player interested for a long time.

When it is fun it is very fun, and because of the short, explosive matches it is easy to fall into a loop of playing match after match.

Yonder is a beautiful and cute game that sadly lacks almost every aspect of a good sandbox role-playing game. The quests are tedious, the farming is undercooked, and the constant gathering of resources - without a compelling combat system or a peaceful equivalent - makes for a title that is fun for about half an hour before it grinds itself into forgetfulness.

Pyre is a beautifully written and designed adventure game with addictive and intuitive combat. The campaign overstays its welcome somewhat during the second half, but that is not enough to tarnish the overall impression, which is of a unique game, filled to the brim with some of the most memorable characters seen in quite some time.

Quotation forthcoming.

In 2006 Final Fantasy XII was ahead of its time. In 2017 it might find a better response from its audience.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a delightful revisit with some of the best platform games from the nineties.

ARMS is a fun and creative game, but lacks the depth and precision to last as long - or remain as exciting - as we'd hoped.

Cooking Mama has grown stale. Both older and younger players deserve something better than this.

An exciting adventure with interesting characters, but the recipe has been used to death at this point.

Full Throttle Remastered is a great versjon of the aging adventure game. If you’re interested in checking out a classic adventure game, this is a great opportunity.

WipEout Omega Collection is a great collection of games for those already familiar with the series, but also for the players who’ve yet to experience futuristic racing.

The fighting system is still solid.

A lackluster remake in every way. A lack of new content and poor presentation calls the price tag into question, while the game's one attempt at something new – a hardware gimmick mode – is outright embarrassing. Turbo HD Remix is still the superior remake of Super Street Fighter II.

Lagoon has become my favorite out of all the TrackMania 2 games.

Tight and challenging combat aside, this remake feels like a step back for a series that with its previous few installments had begun moving beyond the clichéd storylines found here.

If you already own a PlayStation VR set you should consider playing Farpoint, but it is by no means a system seller.

With its innovative map system and engaging battle mechanics, Steel Division: Normandy 44 stands out in the crowd despite a lacking single player campaign.

Superhot VR’s responsive controls and impressive visuals make for a natural transition to VR, and a gripping sense of involvement. While the game lacks content, it is undoubtedly one of the VR-platform’s most interesting experiences, putting player agency on center stage.

NetherRealm har elevated the standard, and it’s rare we see such a complete package.

Portal Knights is a visually appealing game, but lacks the sense of wonder and awe we are used to from the likes of Minecraft. The crafting and building systems might be present, but the game lacks a world worth exploring, which makes it all fall apart fairly quickly.

Rime is an exceptional game. It nails almost everything it tries to do, from the excellent graphics and heartwrenching music, to the interesting puzzles and engaging story beats. What really sets the game apart though, is the environments, with all their stories and secrets. Thus, Rime is a truly spectacular game experience that deserves to be played.