Elden Ring is more than a mixture of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro. Its huge game world invites you to explore, and there is much more optional than mandatory content. There are some minor balance issues, but they blench out considering all the strengths. In total, Elden Ring does not quite reach its predecessors on the eye level, but the game is still a need to play for any action rpg fan.

Overall, the PlayStation 5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3 is well done. Some sacrifices in gameplay, graphics, and combat reduce the gameplay experience, especially for players who have already played the PC version.

Nintendo made the seemingly impossible true: Tears of the Kingdom is even better than its fantastic predecessor. There is more freedom in the world, more variety between sky and underground and especially in combat. All four new main abilities enrich the adventure, in particular concerning puzzles, exploring or giving dye player much room for being creative to find different solutions. There are some minor details that are not perfect. But overall Tears of the Kingdom is close to perfection and just a masterpiece you need to play.

The combination of two gameplay styles, the captivating premise along with the presentation and the fact that it all comes together so well make Six Ages 2 a game that is well worth its asking price.

Astro Bot is just one of the best platformers of recent years. The high variety of gameplay and setting, precise controls, great boss fights and several wonderful references to famous PlayStation video games, the game is a need to play for any genre fan with a PS5.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree inspires above all with its memorable boss battles, which are as relentless as they are graceful, and its superb art direction. Those who already loved FromSoftware's open-world epic will fall in love with the action RPG all over again with this DLC.

An undeniable classic refined with modern graphics and controls, as well as a bevy of accessibility options. While it's still an amazing gaming experience, it does raise the question where the two sequels remain. The re-release on the Wii already showed the games' agelessness, even if the new graphical enhancements are welcome. Either an even lower retail price or more substancial changes would have been welcome, but what we got is still enough to make Metroid fans rejoice.

Due to raytracing and 3D-sound the next-gen-version of "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" is a major improvement in comparison to the original. Additionally the DLCs and updates secure hours of enjoyment.

Metaphor ReFantazio isn't a high flyer like Persona V, but with the unique Fantasy setting, the pleasant swift round-based combat and the deep Archetype system it's still a good RPG that's worth playing. Despite all the differences, especially for gamers who love JPRG series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei.

God of War Ragnarök isn't free from weak spots, but the game is better in nearly every aspect than its great predecessor. There is more variety in combat. There are more spectacular boss fights. And you will visit all nine regions of Norse Mythology, all of them looking amazing on PS5. There is no way around this great adventure, if you love the series, action games in general and own a current PlayStation.

The new Resident Evil 4 is just one of the best game remakes so far. Capcom finds a fantastic way between modernizing the game and implementing new (and more comfortable) features on the one hand and staying true to the classic and various elements that Resi fans have fallen in love with. If you're a fan of the original or just like action-based survival-horror games, you need to play it.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best role-playing games of the past ten years and a strong contender for Game of the Year. Developer Sandfall Interactive has created a true masterpiece with its debut game. Clair Obscur is bursting with creativity and emotion, boasts tremendous gameplay depth, and its stories and their mysteries motivate players to keep playing.

The creators manage to maintain the common story thread, but always adapt it so that the result feels fresh and interesting even for dye connoisseurs. This was already the case with the first part of the remake, but in our opinion it works even better here - also due to the open areas that hold many surprises and the excellent reinterpretation of key moments from back then. At the same time, what is on offer is told in such a way that even players without any prior knowledge of the series can find their way in easily.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder might not be as brilliant as Super Mario Galaxy II or similar unique like Odyssey. But the new Mario adventure is a great 2D plattformer with multi-variant levels, perfect control, a huge bandwidth of creative ideas and an outstanding eye for lovely details in any area.

Forza Horizon 5 still offers great open world racing fun, looks great and establishes a dimension of freedom in progress that is unique for the genre. But at its core, the game delivers the same mechanics, the same kind of events, just a little bit differently. These wear marks don't make Forza Horizon 5 a bad game, but they make it less appealing.

There is no doubt that Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is the superior version. The improvements to player comfort alone transform the game already. If you include the new, reworked story that stands alongside the original for two separate playthroughs, as well as a ton of new content to add depth to an already very well-rounded and tactical combat system, you have one of the most impressive outings of Atlus to date. Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance is an absolute treat for any JRPG fan and offers an amazing package for those looking to get into the genre, if they are willing to dive deep into the complex gameplay mechanics.

Against the Storm offers an fresh setting and motivating gameplay mechanics. Graphically, this indie game can't really keep up with its glossy competitors. However, the great soundtrack, the original characters, the nasty weather and the dangers lurking in the forest create a very unique, mysterious atmosphere.

Vampire Survivor does not reinvent the wheel, nor does it wow players with a flashy presentation. What it does, however, is provide an extremely rewarding and addicting gameplay loop that can keep you hooked for a long time.

Split Fiction absolutely lives up to the high expectations. Hazelight Studios is further refining the co-op formula from A Way Out and It Takes Two. The result is an almost flawless split-screen hit.

Donkey Kong Bananza is just the best Switch 2 exclusive so far. The destruction system alone offers so much fun and is rounded out by world exploring, a cool combat system, nice puzzles and a high variety of motivating challenges. The bosses could have been a little harder, but ultimately that's just a minor weak spot in a fantastic 3D platformer.

Canadian indie studio Black Tabby Games has already proven with Scarlet Hollow that it can tell very sophisticated, gripping horror stories with memorable characters. With Slay the Princess, Black Tabby Games has now surpassed itself: With every decision you make, the game draws you deeper into its plot loops and narrative levels.

Blue Prince is a masterpiece. All the different elements, the story, the gameplay and the overarching puzzles work in tandem to create an incredible piece of art that can only exist as a videogame. It obviously might not be for everyone but if you can entertain the idea of jumping into an extremely well made puzzle game then it should be Blue Prince without any doubt.

One of the best survival horror games gets one of the best remakes we've seen so far, that is what you need to know about the new version of Dead Space. If you're a fan of the original game or just of the genre, it's a need to play.

Insomniac Games delivers another stellar superhero-adventure. With the lessons learned from the first Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles: Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 turns out to be an epic yet always enjoyable open-world-action-game that satisfies fans with its love for its characters but also with a well-rounded gameplay and interesting and varied mission-design.

Better graphics in both, Fidelity and Performance mode, the audio commentary during the solo campaign and especially the commented and playable dye prototype levels are solely worth the upgrade for owners of the PS4 original. But the best reason for them to play The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the new roguelike mode No Return. If you haven’t played the game yet, you should now get the PS5 version to get one of the best survival action games out there.

Despite some uncertainty about Capcom's "after you buy the full-price game" monetisation plans, I can only recommend the game to all fans. Even those who previously found these games too complicated because of the controls. "Street Fighter 6" lives up to the series' heritage and convinces both in terms of presentation and mechanics. 2023 will be the year for fighting games fans, as there are still some great new releases of well-known game series to come. Street Fighter 6 has already confidently set the bar very high.

On Playstation 5, Tony Hawk continues where we left him last autumn. Thanks to improved loading times, we can now also enjoy the fluid frame rate, grippy controls and great music faster than ever.

Thanks to the brand new heat system, Tekken 8 impresses with even more heated and aggressive duels and thus hits exactly the right mark. Tekken has simply never played so well. A fantastic start to the video game year 2024 for all fighting game fans.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition might not be a remaster like the brilliant PS4 version of Shadow of the Colossus. But the first part of the trilogy, in particular, benefits from the visual update, higher resolution, better textures, new effects and also from its improvements in gameplay and interface. Including the fact that the Mass Effect trilogy itself remains one of the richest RPG scenarios of all time, it's easy to recommend the Legendary Edition to fans and genre connoisseurs in general as well.

Walkabout Mini Golf is a veritable VR hit for a reason: The game offers intuitive, motivating gameplay and varied courses with quite a few challenges. At the same time, it proves that VR doesn't have to be hectic and exhausting at all - but can be a truly relaxing place to return to again and again.

In some areas, the progression system could benefit from a bit more transparency, allowing players to work towards specific goals more effectively. However, thanks to its charming atmosphere, numerous freedoms, a completely stress-free and accessible gameplay, and of course, the Pokémon themselves, Pokémon Pokopia has become a wonderful cozy game – perhaps even one of the best ever.

Monolith Soft stays true to the series at its core, but simultaneously puts in more depth. Especially concerning the combat system Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels trusted to series' lovers, but with all the new mechanics it also takes along players, who did not get warm with the fights. It's not enough for being a masterpiece, but for the best part of the series so far.

Bowser's Fury is much more than just a bonus. Despite the fact that it is relatively short, it still feels like a fully fleshed Mario jump and run. Packed with the great main game including the long missed online co-op mode Super Mario 3D World + Bowers's Fury is a must have for every Switch user.

It Takes Two takes a lot of inspiration from Disney Pixar and transports story and emotion into a 3D-puzzle-platformer. The level designs work perfectly with co-op-gameplay, which also is reflected in the story of May and Cody. It Takes Two comes at a perfect time and is an adventure that will warm your heart.

Death Stranding 2 is looking better, increases comfort and reduces annoying gameplay aspects of part one. But although the story is better and there is (potentially) more spectacular combat, the appeal of something totally new that the first game could have claimed for itself is mostly gone.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is not only the biggest game in the series to date, but also a real narrative highlight. Admittedly, it takes a comparatively long time for the story to really get going. But then the developers bombard us with twists and turns that surprise and emotionally thrill. The development studio does not reinvent the basic gameplay concepts, but the bottom line is that Infinite Wealth offers enough innovations and improvements that all make sense and fit nicely. However, the fact that the New Game Plus mode is not included in every version is indeed a disappointment.

Resident Evil Requiem is technically impressive, but above all, the ninth installment in the series essentially delivers two games in one: a classic survival horror adventure with Grace and gripping survival action with Leon. The story is pure fan service. It's different from the last two installments, but clearly a strong contender for the top spot in the series.

If somebody had an inkling to return to Destiny 2 then The Final Shape is the perfect opportunity to get back in there. Maybe too obtuse for newcomers it still offers smooth and fantastic feeling gameplay paired with a satisfying end to the first saga of Destiny. It starts to feel a bit too long in the tooth but thanks to the amazing work of the artists in all the departments it doesn’t shine through too much. Even if one might not be interested in the upcoming ongoing seasonal content The Final Shape is still an absolute joy to play.

Split Fiction is a brilliant co-op experience on the Switch 2 - whether you're playing on a TV, in handheld mode, or online via cross-play. And thanks to Game Share local, wireless co-op play can be realised with just one full version of the game. However, it's disappointing that Hazelight and EA weren't able to fit the entire game onto a Switch 2 cartridge, and even the physical edition ultimately only contains a download code. It also loses points for some missing basic accessibility options, such as the ability to adjust the font size of dialogue texts.

Yes, Alan Wake 2 is very linear and we have actually seen more dynamic fights. But the two main characters are just as compelling as the profound story, which in its best moments reminds us of great role models like Stephen King or Twin Peaks. If you're more interested in interactive artful storytelling than breathless dye action, you're in the right place.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expands Night City with a new district and a storyline right out of an espionage thriller. While the additional missions are among the best story-wise and the new district is a delightful mess of winding paths and shady alleys, the true star is the free 2.0 update attached to the release of the expansion. It overhauls nearly every aspect of gameplay and even delivers on some of the promises made for launch. It doesn’t fix the many issues with pacing, mission design and freedom of choice plaguing the main story, but improves nearly every other aspect of gameplay. Sadly there’s still many features missing from the original advertisement of the game and performance even after version 2.0 is still spotty to say the least. „Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty“ and the 2.0 patch would show a promising future, if this wasn’t also the last content planned for the game.

The Last of Us is still a great survival-action game with a captivating story, intense action and two of the best main characters you've ever seen. The new version looks mostly amazing and quiet deserves being considered as a PS5 native. But because it remains the same game experience at its core, first and foremost The Last of Us: Part 1 is interesting for people who did not play the original before or who are hardcore fans of the series.

20 years of consistent development lead to the biggest and most beautiful Monster Hunter ever. New ideas refresh the gameplay without taking the dye axe to proven trademarks. Outstanding game development craftsmanship meets a unique artistic vision - an irresistible experience.

Mewgenics is surprisingly difficult to unpack. Not because it reinvents the rogue-like genre, but because it finds new twists on the formula repeatedly within its own playtime. There's new discoveries, new combinations and new ways to horrifyingly lose your cats around every corner. It strikes an unusual balance of frustration and motivation, where you always feel like fighting an unfair fight, but have just enough agency to blame yourself instead of the game.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is nothing less than the best part of the series so far. And that means a great deal after several great predecessors on PlayStation consoles. It is not just concerning the next-gen dignified technical implementation on PS5 or Rift Apart's humorous story with its likeable heroes. Just every aspect of the game, including gunplay and riddles, works well and neat together.

Horizon Forbidden West simply surpasses its predecessor in every aspect. The well-directed story is as motivating as the complex systems for skills, weapons, and other equipment. The thrilling (boss) fights provide a great mixture of action and tactics. And if you take a deeper look at the graphics you'll feel the slobber running down your chin – even on PS4.

As most of the former Arkane titles, Deathloop is far away from being a game off the rack. The unique setting with its great artstyle makes it stand out. The fast paced Dishonored-like gameplay is fun as well as if you choose the action or the stealth path. If there weren't some issues concerning balancing or the overall poor AI, Deathloop would be close to a masterpiece. As it is, it's just another great game from Arkane Lyon that's worth to play.

Metroid Dread is a dignified sequel to a sacred games series. The almost invincible E.M.M.I. can be annoying, but other than that, you get a fully-fleshed metroidvania that combines new mechanics with traditional Metroid gameplay in the best sense.

Even after its fantastic predecessor Monster Hunter Rise is far away from disappointing. The Palamute feature proves itself as an enrichment, making things faster and more comfortable. The wirebug enhances the variety of brute monster combat and exploration. There is just one weakness preventing the game from reaching outstanding Monster Hunter World on eye level: Overall, it's a little bit too easy for experienced gamers, especially related to the dual buddy system.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is still a great mixture of RPG and platformer with fine papercraft graphics and humorous story. But in terms of content, the visually advanced Switch version delivers nothing new for dye connoisseurs of the GameCube original, which makes it less interesting for them as for players who experience the remastered version for the first time.

If you haven’t had a chance to jump into the new Final Fantasy VII trilogy then Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the perfect starting point. It includes not only everything that has been released so far, is now available for all modern platforms but also benefits from the fantastic Streamline Progressions (which will be available everywhere) that offer more accessibility than ever for the title.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a well refined sequel that remains very faithful to its unique predecessor. That's great for fans of part one, because here they get what they like, just bigger, better, and more technically mature. But if you did not get warm with part one, there is little hope that will change dramatically with part two.

Whether it’s the great scenario design packed with routes and opportunities, the well written story missions, the many funny surprises, the attractive presentation or the motivating reward system - Hitman 3 combines familiar strengths with some new ideas like the shortcut system and the sadly PlayStation exclusive VR mode. Still, Hitman 3 is not free from criticism. This mainly concerns AI quirks, smaller logical errors and missing PlayStation Move controls in VR.

Persona 3 Reload is a fantastic remake of an already great cult game. All kinds of clever gameplay innovations and an enormous amount of style make this a gripping JRPG that you shouldn't miss out on. The remake of the PlayStation 2 classic is even now a hot contender for the best role-playing game of the still quite young year.

Ghost of Tsushima – Director’s Cut is the best way to play Sucker Punch’s samurai-adventure. Especially PS5-gamers receive to full Next-Generation-experience, enjoying a visual masterpiece supported by great features for the dualsense-controller. The “Island Iki”-expansion on the other hand doesn’t deliver too much new stuff, but feels like a “Best of” of Ghost of Tsushima and fits well into the game.

Optically completely convincing 2D fighting game, which especially wants to give beginners a platform to get into the franchise.

With Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Lizardcube has created an excellent 2D action-platformer with a great combat system and cool platforming, featuring some rather tough scenes at times, but ultimately always remaining fair. Furthermore, the audiovisual presentation is almost beyond reproach, making the game a more than worthy heir to the venerable Shinobi series in virtually every respect. Anyone who likes this kind of game even the slightest bit has to get it.

Not only by abolishing the most frustrating function, Pikmin 4 becomes easier than its predecessor. But that is just one negligible part of the truth. The other is that Pikmin 4 delivers the best, biggest and most complex overworld levels including a diverse set of underworld dungeons with very special challenges. Beside all the other minor and major improvements, Rescue Pup Oatchi dye alone is a huge enrichment by itself. The game also does a great job concerning all the things that made Pikmin such a beloved series with its clever, often puzzle-like strategy gameplay or its sweet and just wonderful presentation. For series' lovers and fans of the genre, Pikmin 4 is a need-to play.

Final Fantasy XVI is a great RPG in nearly any aspect, concerning atmosphere, graphics including spectacular effects, twistful story or the fantastic soundtrack and voiceover. But the real star of this epic adventure is the combat system with its fast, fluid and diverse action, inspired by Hack-and-Slash dye games. Any fight is fun peaking in overwhelming bosses and mind-blowing Esper battles.

Better graphics, great 3D sound, nice Dual Sense optimizations and noticeably improved loading times - the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is currently the technically best way to again enjoy "Uncharted 4" and "Uncharted: The Lost Legacy". It’s just a shame that the multiplayer complex wasn’t remastered too, that the developers did not add any new content extras and that the upgrade concept does not work out for everyone.

Gran Turismo 7 is a great driving-simulator that offers much more variety and content than previous outings of the series. With its gorgeous looking graphics, tons of options and enhanced online-options, it offers tons of replayability. It, however, isn’t perfect: In-game-transactions, overall presentation and bad AI mar the overall experience.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 are rightfully considered among the best 3D platformers of all time. This remains true in the Switch remakes. While the visual enhancements could certainly have been improved considerably, the extremely creative, varied gameplay beats everything else. Anyone who enjoys the genre and isn't familiar with the originals should definitely pick this up.

Saros is one of the strongest Game of the Year contenders of 2026. While it features typical roguelite frustrations, it never feels unfair and instead rewards persistence. Housemarque refines what made Returnal great while making the experience more accessible. The result is an intense, atmospheric shooter that stands out in the genre.

With Psychonauts 2 Tim Schafer delivers the sequel every fan has been looking forward to. It's creative, diversified, funny, tremendously motivating and good looking, too. But you don't need to be a fan of the first part. Even if you don't know much about Raz, his family or the psychonauts, the game is an engaging action adventure everybody needs to play.

Death’s Door fails to live up to its intriguing premise. The quirky, wonderful world to explore full of unique characters is held back by uninspired gameplay and repetitive combat. In a world where games like Hollow Knight and Hyperlight Drifter attempt a similar mix of Zelda and Souls-like elements, Death’s Door simply doesn’t offer anything new aside from its interesting personalities. The game is still a fun experience for fans of this style of game, especially at the low price, yet the journey won’t be nearly as memorable as others.

Wildfrost manages to be one of those "easy to learn, hard to master" type of games, as the core mechanics are simple enough, yet the game ramps up the difficulty substantially, so a lot of runs will take a bad turn quickly. It is a testament to the games gameplay loop that you always want to come back for one more round.

Dotemu, Guard Crush Games and Supermonks have delivered a delightful mix of 2.5D Beat’em Up and Roguelike. Especially the combat, the controls, the fantasy world itself as well as sound design and soundtrack are just superb. The Roguelike elements are lacking in places and some upgrades feel either too weak or entirely pointless. Nevertheless “Absolum” absolutely rocks, is pure joy in moment to moment gameplay and offers great sounds and visuals that shouldn’t be missed. While cooperative play obviously trumps solo runs, the game is still a blast even when played alone.

Designer and producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and his team once again proves that they are among the best at what they do. Again they take a simple yet addicting and deep gameplay premise and infuse it with sound and visuals that create an almost unique experience. While it has some small flaws outside of its main draw it is stunning, gorgeous and always exciting.

Neva is an action-adventure game that tells the story of Alba, a swordswoman, and Neva, a fantasy wolf. Together they save the world from dark creatures that are polluting and poisoning the world. The story is very reminiscent of Princess Monoke, similarly emotional and very visually stunning.

Surprising twists and turns, a more serious story and the picturesque graphics entice Tales of Arise with many hours of JRPG fun in a slightly lifeless and linear world.

Halo Infinite delivers stunning firefights and a great shooter-mechanic. Yet, the single-player experience suffers from the lifeless and uninspired open-world.

With the Definitive Edition on Switch Xenoblade Chronicles X remains a great Science-Fantasy RPG with a varied and gigantic open world. The gorgeous landscapes and a fantastic soundtrack provide a strong dye atmosphere that just gets torpedoed by the silent main character. If you should have skipped the Wii U original, the refined version on Switch is your best chance to catch up on a great JRPG experience.

The sadly last title of Mimimi Games sends the German developer out in a blaze of glory. While there’s nothing really new or unheard of, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is an absolute love letter to the tactical stealth genre and blends in excellent, varied gameplay with a charming, albeit superficial pirate story and a vibrant, colorful look. The gameplay style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy the idea of planning the perfect heist with a band of undead pirates, this is your dream come true.

The new hero is likeable immediately. With exciting cases, enormous length and witty dialogue we have little to object here. The investigation with Herlock Sholmes falls flat compared to the trial scenes though.

The expansion Void Shadows perfectly highlights the strengths of Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader, the rich and gloriously dark world. Even though this new expansion is entirely set on the player’s ship, it manages to feel varied and rich in lore. Alongside the exciting new archetypes, an intriguing new companion and a heap of themed gear and upgrades, this expansion is a must for fans of the main game and should be installed for all playthroughs.

While one could argue that argue that playing Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition with a controller is needlessly complicated, that would entirely miss the point of a release on console. Consoles tend to draw a more casual-friendly audience that may not have played the original release. As such, this is a great way to make gaming history accessible to as many players as possible, giving them the chance to play however they want. Being over 20 years old, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition doesn't break new ground, but it's a masterful remake with a lot of small improvements and a deep care fort he source material.

Unicorn Overlord is a real tactical role-playing heavyweight with a variety of gameplay mechanics that intertwine very thoughtfully. The countless 'who should I let live and who not' decisions and the characters associated with them make the campaign very attractive and increase the replay value considerably. Other strengths include the early freedom when exploring the game world and the successful German on-screen texts. The twist-filled story also serves its purpose, although Vanillaware often follows familiar narrative paths here.

Straight-forward Gameplay, controller support, and a lot of retro charme in its presentation make sure that Streets of Rage 4 is much more than just a blast from the past. Factor in the additional modes and the good level design, and you have a game that beat-em-up fans should not miss.

The irresistible gloom is now no longer opposed by hurdles in the form of confusing item and skill management. We enthusiastically throw ourselves against Lilith's hordes and once again sink hour after hour into perfecting our character. Overall, however, there could have been a bit more innovation.

Bloober Team delivers a high class remake of the Konami classic. The game makes mostly anything new, but still stays true to the original so that any Silent Hill fan needs to love it. And if you have not played a Silent Hill game yet, but love the remakes of Dead Space or Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill should mark your series' entry.

Rock and stone! But this time it’s from a different view. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor does a great job of capturing the look and feel of Deep Rock Galactic while mostly going a different way in terms of gameplay. The loop of killing thousands of bugs, gathering valuable resources and building your perfect space dwarf on each run and in between is incredibly satisfying. If you are completely new to the genre or even Deep Rock then everything might be a bit too complicated and messy at the beginning. The menus could be cleaner and offer a better overview. This is luckily not too bad because the gameplay feels great and makes Survivor one of those games that make you go for just one more run to unlock that upgrade. Again. And again. And again.

Mario Kart World is a great launch title and a good iteration of the Mario Kart series. But beside the much better graphics and the fantastic new knock out mode the game cannot fully reach its predecessor on eye level.

Nioh 3 is the best installment in the series so far! The dual character system, with its two completely different fighting styles (Samurai and Ninja), makes for thrilling and varied action. The sheer number of spectacular bosses adds to the appeal. But the richly detailed and highly motivating semi-open world also makes the third installment of Team Ninja's action RPG stand out within the series and the Soulslike genre in general.

Be it the masterful design of the semi-open game world divided into 13 dye biomes, the continuous introduction of new hero abilities, the thrilling duels with a huge range of enemy types, the challenging puzzles and boss fights, the scope, which is more extensive than many others genre representatives or the variety of accessibility functions - Ubisoft Montpellier undoubtedly delivers one of its best games in recent years! There are minor points of criticism, but in our opinion they are primarily limited to difficulty peaks in some boss fights and the fact that the story doesn't quite as emotionally engage us as that of Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest, for example.

Pentiment might just be one of the weirdest AAA-games released this year. By stripping gameplay down to little more than walking and talking, this medieval crime drama feels like a visual novel that took the genre’s title a little too literal. The graphical style is heavily inspired by the illustrations of medieval books, which ties directly back into the main character’s background story as an illustrator. With an excellent story, great dialogue and too many mysteries for just a single playthrough, this odd little gem is one that may take some getting used to, but will reward you for your patience with a story more interactive and deeper than most.

Bayonetta 3 hits the same notch like the first two parts, but establishes some new cool features, especially FOR the active use of the Demons. The overexciting action is still fun, but suffers a little bit from being too easy and not well balanced. Overall, Bayonetta 3 is a good Hack and Slay game, but also one that can't fully reach its predecessors.

Ghost of Yōtei is just one of the best PS5 games so far and even better than its predecessor. The varied combat and stealth mechanics are fun. The open world feels much more open and organic than in Ghost of Tsushima. But, beside the fantastic soundtrack and gorgeous graphics, the best thing might be the intriguing plot that delivers much more depth and surprises than you would expect from a game that starts like a simple revenge story.

With Star Ocean: The Second Story R, a JRPG classic is celebrating a glorious comeback. Thanks to its likeable characters and complex gameplay, this is a game that no fan of old-school JRPGs should miss out on.

Silent Hill f shows some good approaches and, in some parts, even presents itself as innovative for the series, without losing sight of the essence of Silent Hill. But the unintuitive, schematic and too sluggish combat system significantly dampens gameplay and immersion. The game, particularly due to its atmospheric strengths, is far from a complete failure. Unfortunately, "Silent Hill f" hasn't become the hoped-for, more or less consistently successful series comeback.

Creative Assembly stays true to Total War's series core - and that’s not to be understood negatively. It guarantees a strategy adventure with dozens of hours of exciting gameplay that brings some interesting new additions to the table: The hunt for the four demon souls. A racethrough the Chaos Realms that offers new dynamics to the Warhammer battlefield.

Sons of the Forest does pretty much everything better than its already very successful predecessor The Forest: The game world is bigger and more beautiful, the enemies are more varied and act more flexibly, the crafting options have been massively expanded - all of which makes this survival horror game one of the best in its genre.

With its mostly poor AI and some minor bugs, Indiana Jones is not a perfect game. But beside its minor flaws and especially how the game breathes the essence of its iconic hero it is just one of the best action-adventures in the last few years and a must-have for everyone who loves Indy or the genre in general.

Monster Stories 3: Twisted Reflection doesn't reinvent the wheel, but with improved gameplay, early access to large monsters, and numerous other detailed enhancements, it still surpasses its neat predecessor. Anyone who enjoys cool monsters and remarkably dynamic turn-based combat will find plenty to like here.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor benefits from some new skills and weapon styles, giving the combat and free running system more variety and depth. However, the sequel can not surpass its great predecessor. The reason for that is much about the partially lame story and not least because of some annoying performance issues.

With Dragon’s Dogma 2 Capcom is offering a mammoth action role-playing game that will delight fans of classic fantasy RPG genre. Driven by missions that can often be solved in a variety of ways, sometimes even pleasingly puzzle-heavy, and an atomically staged game world made up of very varied biomes, you will experience a story full of twists and turns and challenging fights against huge monsters. Sadly, performance-wise 30 fps is the limit here on consoles. Also, sometimes you encounter smaller logical errors and minor visual bugs, but overall it’s a very entertaining title.

Armored Core 6 is a successful sequel, combining the regular series' formula with some huge inspirations especially from Sekiro. It is fast, intense and challenging, later on maybe a little bit too challenging for average gamers.

Dead Nation developer Housemarque doesn't fail with Returnal, but also can't thrill the gaming world with its ambitious Roguelike shooter. Aside from its promising start, the game increasingly disqualifies itself for a more general audience by walking a fine line between being mercilessly tough and frustrating. Nevertheless for hardcore gamers Returnal is still worth playing.

Astral Ascent is stunningly beautiful: The smoothly animated characters dance their lightning-fast combat ballet in front of filigree landscapes that shine in bright, fresh colors. Particularly motivating are the many ways that you can equip and upgrade those characters.