Pacer is a glorious return to the F-Zero-style arcade racer. Mixing both familiar and new ideas, this racing game offers new tracks, events and upgrades constantly and keeps us coming back for more. While the menus could have used a bit more polish, the racing itself is stellar. Rarely ever has racing felt this intuitive and fun.

While it has its rough edges here and there, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a must-play for any fan of deep and heavy RPGs in the style of Pillars of Eternity or Divinity Original Sin 2. The underlying system of Pathfinder gives the game incredible complexity at the cost of having to read through item and ability descriptions that sound like they’ve been written by the nerdiest accountant in the world. If you can manage to push through the obtuse calculations and the vastly fluctuating difficulty, you’ll find an incredibly immersive story that branches in unexpected and impressive ways, allowing you to forge your very own path through a demon-infested crusade.

We love the more realistic story approach and character set of The Devil in Me as well as the expanded gameplay mechanics. Don't expect a totally different experience or an absolute genre high flier from the season's finale, but in any case the best episode inside The Dark Pictures Dye Anthology so far.

Ride 6 delivers a solid evolution of Milestone’s motorcycle series, with improved visuals, flexible handling options, and a more engaging career structure. The AI can feel overly aggressive at times, and the presentation isn’t always top tier, but overall it stands as the most complete and accessible entry so far.

With The Quarry, Supermassive Games isn't reinventing the interactive story genre. Much is reminiscent of Until Dawn or The Dark Pictures Anthology. However, the developers have refined their storytelling again. So The Quarry offers more branches within the given story paths than the previous titles. With great actors and some surprises at the end, even the sometimes ugly facial animations can hardly spoil the fun of the very entertaining teen horror game.

Thanks to its simplified controls, Once Upon a Katamari is a skill game that even genre newcomers can enjoy. It's colorful, crazy, and truly Japanese-cheesy: an addictive combination that never gets boring thanks to the variety of settings.

Kirby Air Riders had a lot of potential as a fun racer, but it squanders much of that potential through an excessive reliance on randomness and questionable controls. Is it a totally bad game? No, it isn't. But it's not a truly great one either, and so far, it's the weakest exclusive title for the Switch 2.

By offering a fun and well-designed core gameplay loop, Apex Legends Mobile succeeds at bringing the popular battle royale title to mobile. A good supply of features and game modes as well as the controls ensure that fans of the game can enjoy Apex Legends on the go from now on.

Horizon: Call of the Mountain is nothing less than one of the best VR games so far and a fantastic start title for PlayStation VR2. The visuals are just amazing, the gameplay is very dynamic and gets in top form especially during the spectacular fights. It is not a perfect game in any aspect, a VR high flyer close to the quality Valve has delivered with Half-Life: Alyx.

Pacific Drive is an extremely atmospheric survival game that draws its appeal from the exuberant inhospitality of the exclusion zone. Loneliness and threatening anomalies turn our old station wagon into our closest ally. If you like roguelikes and crafting, you'll find plenty to do in Pacific Drive

Great RPG skirmishes, depth of gameplay, ideas that still seem fresh and varied gameplay make Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven irresistible, and not just for retro fans. However, some elements such as a certain lifelessness of the game world and repetitive sequences are no longer really up to date. Whether you appreciate unique features such as the generation change or reject them outright is certainly a matter of taste.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a great crossover that combines the best aspects of Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. The mass battles are varied and spectacular, while the well directed story sequences deliver an exciting atmosphere and a deeper look into Hyrule's origins.

Looks like NBA 2K finally gets back on track: While problem like the microtransactions remain omnipresent, the overall gameplay was been refined. Once you got used to the changes, NBA 2K25 is a damn good basketball-simulation.

Not perfect, but still a great racing game: Codemasters delivers on the track and give players tons of amazing looking racing-action. The revamped career-mode brings in fresh ideas, but feels flooded with side-quests and numbers. Nonetheless, "F1 24" is a treat for every racing-fan.

As more and more strategy games make their way to consoles, Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition brings its unique blend of real-time strategy with deep, tactical combat to a new audience. While the single player campaigns not only offer two vastly different takes on progression and gameplay but varied and exhilarating combat, the multiplayer modes feel like a side offering. Anyone wanting to play this mainly by themselves will have an amazing time, while competitive players should stick to older titles of the series on PC.

Islands of Insight feels like the developers took the Korok challenges from the recent The Legend of Zelda titles and crossed them with The Witness. It’s a wonderful playground full of different kinds of puzzles, some deviously crafted into the environment itself. While there’s little story to latch on to and no real fail-state, the thrill of discovery has definitely kept us going far longer into the night than we thought possible. This review was tested before general multiplayer went live, therefore we can’t speak as to how well the MMO-like aspects blend into general gameplay.

Civilization VII is a great 4X-Game and a fresh start for the series. It however is far from perfect, which harms the overall experience at first. Civilization VII needs time, but gets better with every hour and eventually turns out to be a motivating, complex and enjoyable part of the series.

Herdling is fantastic. It will not be an emotional journey through wonderful environments for everyone but if you can lose yourself in the world and your job to guide these creatures you are in for a treat. The Calicorns are lovely and you will start to care for them. This is all aided by a great soundtrack by composer Joel Schoch and a great look.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger may start off slowly, but it soon unfolds into a rewarding RPG with challenging Titan battles, deep progression systems, and a heartfelt story. Fans will appreciate the familiar themes and the well implemented vibe of the anime, while newcomers can enjoy a solid, content-rich adventure that captures the spirit of the Digimon universe.

The First Berserker: Khazan combines an excitingly directed revenge story with lots of customization options and brutal action to create a souls-like highlight.

Despite the fantasy setting including a stylish table-top overworld, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a typical Borderlands game at its core. That's not a bad thing, if you like the mostly similar look and feel, the typical series' humor or the sweeping loot shooter mechanics, where you get much more scrap than cool stuff. In other words: If you like Borderlands, you'll have fun in Wonderlands. If not, this game has little chance to change your attitude.

With several minor improvements F1 Manager 2023 might be more than just a small update. But overall these small changes don't make the sequel a much better game. In sum, it's enough to keep the pure solid level of its predecessor, nothing more, nothing less.

Overall Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter plays it very safe. It takes what worked in the first game and adds a few bells and whistles in different areas of the game. The combat is still very satisfying and the world is brimming with life and atmosphere. Thanks to a fantastic look and Doug Cockle as the narrator it is easy to get lost in this grim world of rats and frogs.

Iron Harvest is one of the few RTS games on console and it seemingly knows that players won’t have many alternatives when it comes to the strategy itch. This game has an intriguing setting in Jakub RóżalskiIron’s 1920+ fictional universe, but its technical aspects are minimal and unrefined. Despite looking like at least two console generations too late, it’s prone to frame-rate drops and at times even crashes. Those willing to look past the rough exterior find campaign that is definitely worth playing and tells a compelling story, as well as a competitive multiplayer that suffers from poor balancing and extreme snowballing. Iron Harvest is not an easy game to love, yet I can understand anyone who does nonetheless.

If you like Vampire Survivor, but are interested in something more over the top, Pizza Hero might just be what you're looking for. With its well-done game mechanics and progression system, this pizza slice will leave you wanting for more.

Resident Evil Village is quite the achievement for smartphone gaming. With steady performance and lots of settings to adjust everything to your liking, this AAA blockbuster game has found a new home and it will be interesting where iPhone gaming can go from here.

Tormented Souls 2 shows once again that developer Dual Effect can craft an impressive time capsule back to the horror classics of the 90s. While carefully modernized in some regards, such as adding more forgiving difficulty options that include auto-saves, it remains a highlight for those who miss the old school horror of Silent Hill and early Resident Evils. Though the very same adherence to classic game design and tropes may scare off those accustomed to the modern iterations of those series.

Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a charming little adventure that brings back childhood memories of carefree summer holidays. The beautifully drawn landscapes paired with the classic Shin chan humour is bound to put a smile on your face no matter what.

Dying Light – The Beast delivers a focused, action-packed experience that blends brutal combat, dynamic zombies, and fluid parkour. The new Beast Mode adds thrilling moments, while the smaller, lively world of Castor Woods keeps exploration tense and rewarding. Despite minor issues with climbing and inventory, it’s a must-play for fans and a gripping entry point for newcomers.

Road 96’s narrative may not reach the heights of the best the modern adventure genre has to offer, but it cleverly distracts with a cast of intriguing characters and the promise of procedurally generated road-trips. The novel concept doesn’t always work, but when it does, it offers a very personal and gripping journey through a country on the verge of dictatorship.

Rough Justice 84 contains loads of 80s retro vibes at least in graphics and score. Altough the gameplay is quite simple and seems slightly repetitive in the long run, it offers a lot of good and innovative approaches, of which one would like to see more. It is to be hoped that the courageous overall concept will be expanded in the future - even with a different setting.

It is no big deal that Oxenfree 2 mostly uses the same dye trivial gameplay mechanics as its predecessor. But the new characters do not reach the bunch of friends from the first part and the story itself suffers more from its partly trashy nature. As a fan of the original, you may still enjoy this short adventure. If the first part has already been an ordinary game for you, you should better steer clear of it.

Dune: Awakening has everything a survival game fan would love & like: crafting, building, fighting. But this is also the downside of the game, for being to well known to genre fans. Still a nice choice for survival enthusiast as well as everyone that's interested in the world of Dune.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus introduces a groundbreaking Virtual Reality (VR) experience to the iconic gaming franchise. The game maintains the essence of the series by integrating familiar characters and the Animus simulation. The innovative VR mechanics offer an immersive blend of climbing, running, and combat, providing players with a unique and entertaining adventure. While calibration issues and occasional glitches may pose challenges, the game’s successful combination of realistic movements and engaging gameplay ultimately makes it a compelling addition to the Assassin’s Creed legacy.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a worthy successor to the classic first-person adventures of Samus Aran. The blend of shooter, puzzles, platforming, and exploration works well, although the core gameplay is somewhat linear. What most of the regular combat lacks in style, the superbly designed bosses more than make up for.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a more than solid spinoff for the successful Yakuza-series. With a satisfying fighting-system, tons of side-activities and the typical Yakuza-humor, Like A Dragon Gaiden make veterans happy and gives newcomers a chance to get into the series easily.

NBA 2K23 leaves us torn: On the one hand, it’s an almost perfect simulation of the sport delivering a high amount of detail and gameplay-value. On the other hand, the experience is heavily harmed by microtransactions and in-game advertisments.

The 16:9 format in anniversary mode provides a much better overview when playing, the performance is great, unlimited lives in anniversary mode prevent frustration for newcomers and the numerous extras such as the 60 challenge missions, the new intro and outro cutscenes, the mirror mode that can be unlocked and the museum mode fit in well. Sadly Tails' AI isn’t very reliable, a few features known from fan-remakes are missing (like a save-state function) and the two DLC packages leave a stale aftertaste. What remains is a not error-free, but nevertheless entertaining collection of Sonic hits.

Days Gone has been a great open world action game on PS4, but has been right on the edge on the former PlayStation. On PS5 it's mainly the same game, but with much better graphics, slightly better controls and substantially better performance in each of the render modes with some advantages on PS5 Pro. Content wise there are no big reason for getting the game a second time with just the new Horde mode as a nice contribution.

Afterlove EP is a mix of visual novel, rhythm game and a life sim that teleports us to the beautiful city of Jakarta. There we accompany Rama, a young musician who recently lost his girlfriend and is now trying to find his way back to normality after grief took over his life.

To sum it up: MotoGP 25 is a huge leap for the racing series and the best instalment in ages. Milestone scores points with two major changes: the switch to Unreal Engine 5 and the customization options in Arcade and Pro gameplay. If you were looking for a motorcycle-racing-game, then MotoGP 25 is a very good alternative.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a humorous, ultra-relaxed life simulation with some creative freedom but low gameplay demands. It's fun to connect the Mii villagers, dress them up, feed them, and play with them. However, you're essentially doing the same things over and over again, which is why some will quickly lose interest, while others won't be able to get enough even after weeks.

Chorus may just be the surprise hit of 2021 for anyone who loves space combat and a surprisingly deep and interesting sci-fi story with cosmic horror elements. Thanks to slick movement and a variety of fun powers, combat never gets old and remains challenging through the surprisingly long and varied campaign. This already great package is rounded off with great visuals and sound design as well as a solid technical performance throughout the game. The fast-paced combat may scare some less experienced players off, but for anyone who enjoys blowing up enemy ships at break-neck speeds, this is a very easy recommendation.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a tightly crafted real-time tactics game that blends stealth, puzzle-solving, and emotional storytelling. Set in a beautifully rendered, dystopian city, the game follows a trio of characters with complementary abilities who must work together through intricately designed missions. With its smart level design, intuitive isometric controls, and a surprisingly personal narrative, Eriksholm stands out as a hidden gem in the genre. Minor frustrations aside, it’s a strong debut from indie studio River End Games.

Few fictional universes are as dense and impenetrable as that of Warhammer 40k. Owlcat Games (previously known for Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have managed to create a gripping story of the darkness that lurks in man, accentuated by stellar writing and a combat system that masterfully increases in depth as the game goes on. Despite some bugs and technical issues, this easily counts among the very best delves into the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium.

EA Sports UFC 5 is a great MMA-game and a solid successor of the series. Thanks to the Frostbite-Engine, fights became more intense and gruesome than ever before. However, all the blood serves a purpose and underlines the overall gameplay. "EA Sports UFC 5" does lack in career and overall options though.

In Sound Mind offers a varied and unique horror experience that aims to unsettle you without the reliance on gore or jumpscares. Instead, this deep delve into the human psyche offers creative puzzles, interesting monsters and story that you won’t want to put down. The game’s presentation does suffer from outdated textures, an occasionally choppy framerate and some odd lighting issues. But the experience as a whole far outweighs the mistakes made along the way.

While Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is absolutely a product of it’s time it mostly doesn’t feel like it in the parts where it counts. The gameplay is fluid and varied. The story itself is mostly cliche but the dialogue and its treatment of women is very outdated and sometimes even gross. On the other hand the dialogue between Garcia and Johnson is raunchy and crude but still gives me a good amount of chuckles.

The iOS port of this PS2 classic is well done and also includes some features from later games. Even after so many years, Hitman: Blood Money is still a game absolutely well-worth experiencing if you haven't yet.

Banishers: Ghost of New Eden isn't a perfect game, but a great example, why games are much more than a sum of their single components. The dual character combat is fun and just one of the aspects, where Red and Antea form an inextricable unit. The world looks nice and is worth exploring. The heroes are pleasant and there is a lot of room for experimenting in the skill and perk system. What's partly absent is the moral dilemma within the decisions, which could have intensified this unique action journey.

WWE 2K26 still delivers entertaining wrestling action with plenty of content and familiar strengths inside the ring. However, the game is increasingly overshadowed by aggressive monetization, a slow progression system, and only minor gameplay improvements. While fans of the series will still find moments to enjoy, the lack of meaningful innovation and the heavy focus on microtransactions make this year's entry difficult to fully recommend.

While the technical leap is rather meager, developer Game Freak demonstrates great courage in terms of content with the switch to real-time combat, successfully enriching the gameplay. If this radical change for the series isn't a no-go for you, you should pick it up.

FIFA 22 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is definitely the next big step for the series – thanks to its better graphics, overhauled gameplay and a more realistic approach to football. However, Electronic Arts still has to sort out some balancing-issues that come along with the next-gen-technology.

Nine Noir Lives is a nearly purrfect point and click adventure from Silvernode Games. You play the cat-detective Cuddles Nutterbutter and his assistant Tabby Marshmalleow to investigate murder. Dark and fun at the same time, a bit messy here and then but overall, if you have a lot of time to resolve all the riddles, a great game.

Little Kitty, Big City has a lot of problems with its controls and other technical aspects. In the end those problems did not bother me too much though. Guiding the Kitty through the city, meeting cute little animal friends and just doing what cats are known to do was very pleasant and fun. The game is never too challenging or also never puts any animals at risk, which makes it perfect for a cute little romp over one or two play sessions.

Simon the Sorcerer Origins is not a perfect adventure, but with mostly beautifully designed puzzles and typical Simon humor, it is a worthy successor that clearly breathes the spirit of Adventure Soft's originals.

Elden Ring Nightreign sets itself apart from the award-winning main game with its fast pace and co-op focus. While several issues still need to be addressed, if you crave challenging co-op action, you should definitely join the Nightfarers in their fight against the Nightlords.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nostalgic trip to the past, dressed into a modern graphic robe. It combines a more lineare action-adventure approach while providing a lot more freedom than in its role models like Assassin's Creed II. This way, Mirage is made for long-term fans of the series. But because of some inauthentic gameplay mechanics in combat and stealth, it cannot fulfill the highest expectations.

Anyone who loved "Left 4 Dead" and can accept that special zombies in co-op mode are not controlled by other online players will have a lot of fun with "Back 4 Blood". Difficulty spikes, the lack of a split-screen mode and problems with the bot AI do however lower our overall impression.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a great combination of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario in a unique floating island world. Although it is a solo game, the RPG succeeds in preventing an inimitable co-op-like experience with a high variety in combat, puzzles and skill based challenges. Just one of the best Switch games in 2024 and a must have for any Mario fan.

With the HD-remake Donkey Kong Country Returns remains an excellent platformer that still shines related to its gameplay and its (improved) visuals. If you already played the versions on Wii or 3DS, the new version on Switch seems a little bit too expensive despite the mostly visual upgrades. But if you love the genre and did not play the original game yet, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a must buy.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos unlocks a universe in which there is a lot to discover - be it the ever-changing monster variants or the bizarrely beautiful landscapes. The cel-shaded look of the game is a feast for the eyes, the soundtrack skillfully emphasizes the sometimes threatening, sometimes almost idyllic atmosphere. However, iIt takes a bit of getting used to the fact that the world can't be explored completely freely, but rather guides us through circled areas.

Ufouria: The Saga 2 leaves you with mixed feelings, even if you can get something out of the cute felt graphics and nostalgic fans will certainly get their money's worth, the game does have some negative points. Unfortunately, the music is absolutely annoying and for inexperienced jump and run players, the game experience quickly becomes repetitive and frustrating. It is therefore only recommended for experienced or very patient players.

A new protagonist, a new environment, but the same engaging gameplay loop that players loved so much about the original game returns in this standalone expansion. If you have any interest at all in exploring and crafting, then Subnautica: Below Zero will absolutely scratch that itch.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has been a great game on 3DS with highly varied gameplay with action, exploring, puzzles and humorous staging. With the HD version on Switch all these strengths remain, while Nintendo ensures contemporary graphics including the visual update.

Another Crab’s Treasure proves to be a creative and playful entry in to the Soulslike genre. The colourful look makes it a stand out between all its dark and gloomy counterparts. Although it could do with a bit of honing, its core gameplay provides the (sometimes punishing) learn and repeat mechanic us Souls fans are after.

Humankind is a solid strategy game, which doesn’t change the underlying formula of building and management games. The visuals are pretty and the systems deep enough to sink some time into it. Where it shines is the possibilities to design your own culture, society and religion - with all the implications this has for diplomacy, trade and war. Genre fans should have a look at this interpretation, but if you don’t like these kind of games, there won’t be anything for you here regardless.

Retropolis 2 is a very successful indie game. It pleases with good puzzles, a coherent game world and an exciting story. If the whole thing gets bigger in scope, we might even have a system seller with part 3.

Gory: Cuddly Carnage is cute and a bloody good time. It’s a fast and brutal 3rd-Person action game that excels in its fight and high speed chases. Unfortunately the camera is often fighting against the player which makes some of the later fights exhausting as well as precision platforming unnecessarily difficult. Gori is a lovable protagonist though and thanks to the fast paced levels it won’t get boring despite its technical issues.

EA Sports FC 26 isn’t a revolution, but it’s a noticeable step forward. The split between “Authentic” and “Competitive” gameplay adds welcome variety, the AI feels smarter, and the presentation is more immersive. However, career mode still lacks depth, balancing issues remain, and Ultimate Team continues to lean heavily on microtransactions.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code overall does a good job combining elements of adventure games, visual novels and mini-game-based action titles, with a minor lack of being too less demanding. The cases could be very suspenseful, but for this, the storytelling is too lengthy. In the end, not least the game lives from its exaggerated characters and its, in parts, twisted humor.

Samurai Warriors 5 doesn’t do much to change up the Warriors-formula, but instead distills the pure, casual fun of slicing your way through thousands of enemies to its core. Thanks to a new graphic style and an excellent technical performance, this series has never run or looked better than on the Series X. It is a bit disappointing that the roster of 37 heroes is limited by the 16 weapons they all share, but when standing on its own, without the knowledge of past titles, this game absolutely offers enough content to justify its price and is an absolute blast to play for fans of this particular niche.

Mandragora is sidescrolling-action combined with Dark Souls with great combat, nice exploring and atmospheric graphics. It's not perfect, but still an indie pearl you should play if you love games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or the classic Castlevania entrances.

Projected Dreams is a cozy puzzle game that slows down the stressful everyday life and comes up with creative game ideas. A great game for puzzle fans who want to play without time pressure, with suitable music and a sweet background story.

New World: Aeternum is a good MMO addition for console players. The combat works great with a controller even though that leaves it with a relatively low number of usable skills per weapon. Being class agnostic makes it so you can do whatever you want whenever you want. It also means that everything can just be overwhelming cause you are constantly leveling up different jobs, weapons, regions and even your own house. While the PVE side plays it relatively safe and almost boring New World offers a fascinatingly deep PVP aspect that you can really dig into.

Spellforce 3: Reforced is a competent mix of strategy and RPG that even manages to tell an interesting story. With many ways different to play, from cooperative campaigns to competitive matches, this should have been an easy recommendation. Sadly, our extended test period was suffering from several progress-blocking bugs, some dating back all the way to the game’s original release. No matter how refreshing the game is when it works, the knowledge that the next broken quest and mission isn’t far away leaves a bitter taste in the end. We sincerely hope the developers can fix enough of the issues to let the game shine for the gem it can be.

While drawing you in with an original setting, interesting art and a fun, albeit shallow combat system, Helvetii quickly deflates as the rogue-like elements harm the game more than help it stand out. The reason being that there simply isn’t enough variations to make each run feel distinct, making for an incredibly repetitive experience. The foundation is solid, but Helvetii either needed more content to make runs feel unique or ditch the rogue-like elements to deliver a more hand-crafted brawling experience and deepen the combat with new moves and abilities.

Hell is Us impresses with its dense atmosphere and, to a large extent, its blend of action game and classical adventure. Initially, the lack of the excessive hand-holding of many other current games is appealing. However, later on, or for those who simply don't like puzzles or have trouble finding their way around, this enticing approach becomes increasingly lost. Overall, however, it's still a good action-adventure game that has a lot to offer, especially for old-school gamers and adventure fans.

Tales of Berseria Remastered is a successful re-release of the acclaimed action RPG hit, offering welcome modernizations. Although some old weaknesses remain, this is still a dark fantasy adventure that will stay with you for a long time.

Your view of Sniper Elite 5 highly depends on what you expect of a good sequel. It delivers the same semi-open-world stealth shooting that its predecessor did so well. However it fails to add anything significant to the formula aside from a graphical update. In certain areas it even feels leaner than the 2017 Sniper Elite 4. It’s still an enjoyable experience and certain additions like the new invasion mode that combines PvP and PvE do offer new takes on the formula. The core gameplay however remains a little too far in the comfort zone for our taste.

While inevitably overshadowed by its big brother, Persona 5 Tactica definitely has its own legs to stand on. The accessible, yet engaging combat system, a new story with its own twists and turns, as well as the excellent art style make this an easy game to pick up and play. What it lacks however, is anything truly outstanding. While competent at all aspects of the game, nothing stands out as particularly new or captivating, dooming this to remain forever trapped a shadow in the metaverse that is Persona 5.

Arcadic extreme sports game with a focus on multiplayer events that gives sports fans exactly what it should: fun in competition with over-the-top tricks.

Empire of the Ants isn't your typical RTS-game. Instead it's a wonderful looking experience, that drags you into the life of insects. Despite the great presentation, the game itself suffers from lackluster controls and camera-issues.

Outside of its setting and enemies [Redacted] doesn’t have much to do with its big brother The Callisto Protocol. It stands on its merits as a very solid Roguelite Twin-Stick Shooter that was inspired by some of the greats of the genre. The rivals let it stand out of the crowd of very similar games to some degree. While the shooting feels great and has some punch the melee system is not satisfying and often seems more like a liability than an asset.

Crimson Desert is a beautiful and technologically impressive collection of various gameplay and simulation ideas that struggle to find together into a cohesive whole. Over dozens of hours the game meanders, only to hit you with a moment where every obtuse element suddenly clicks together, offering a truly groundbreaking experience. Though immediately after you're tasked with something so odd, such as cleaning chimneys that you can't help but wonder if this is all an elaborate social experiment.

The tactical elements still seem a bit unfinished. On the race track, however, MotoGP 21 delivers and meets our expectations. The best edition so far.

The New Dawn has turned out to be a truly excellent survival horror game, with great combat, a motivating progression system, and an extremely dense atmosphere that also skillfully creates a spooky atmosphere and horror terror a la Dead Space. If you like the genre, you have to get it.

Both look and sound are truly excellent. Be it the design of the various locations of the game, the performances of the actors bringing it to life or the absolutely fantastic soundtrack. If you allow yourself to get immersed in the world of “South of Midnight” you will find an experience that feels oddly authentic despite the setting being fairly magical. The weakest points are when “South of Midnight” starts to feel too much like a videogame by placing upgrade points on a path during very emotional scenes or being structurally way too obvious. Nevertheless the experience is one of a kind and can be extremely engaging.

The probably most realistic skateboard simulation convinces in terms of handling and gameplay, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of scope. Due to the relatively expensive price, it is not an unqualified purchase recommendation for the time being.

With scribing, the developers have brought a sophisticated system into the game that, on the one hand, does not influence the current game balance too much, but gives the player some freedom and space to experiment. “Gold Road” also impresses with many funny side missions and a large scope.

Codemasters delivers on the track and features some of the most intense and nerve-wrecking rallye-action of the past years. Considering this is the first outing under the new license and with the Unreal-Engine, EA Sports WRC is a more than solid start, but also has its flaws in career-mode and overall balancing and presentation.

While it differs in tone from other games of the developer, it does have the same high quality we expect from Amanita Design when it comes to adventure gameplay and captivating atmosphere.

Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown is a love letter to the iconic TV series through and through. Fans in particular will love feeling the weight of Captain Janeway's responsibility on their shoulders throughout. However, newcomers to Star Trek may find it quite difficult to get into due to the unspectacular presentation.

Screamer offers good, lightning-fast arcade racing that, despite all the speed and (potential) chaos, also possesses tactical depth. However, the sometimes severe balance issues in story mode result in significant deductions in the overall score. Narratively, the game is only okay, but anime fans will definitely get much more out of the presentation and the deliberately exaggerated characters than everyone else.

As with its predecessors, Bravely Default 2 scores with its unique and complex round based fighting system and an inviting atmosphere. But beside other minor strengths, the game suffers from its strong grinding constraints and its imbalance by constantly toggling between too easy removable and overwhelming enemies.

Mario Tennis Fever offers good and, thanks to its many game modes, varied fun sports entertainment. However, this spectacular, sometimes very chaotic arcade tennis game doesn't quite reach the thrill and scope of Mario Kart World.

Fitness Circuit concentrates on the essentials and offers us an appealing number of exercises. Unfortunately, there is no resistance option for building up muscles, so that overall the game can only be recommended to fitness noobs who want to get back into shape.

EA Sports FC 25 is one of the better successor of the recent EA Sports FC-history. Rush is a pure joy to play and fits the series well. FC IQ delivers more depth and – despite some balancing-issues – impacts the match-flow significantly.