Tales of Vesperia is a clear example of Japanese RPGs from days gone by. Its traditional approach will please only the most conservative fans of the genre. Other players should look elsewhere - there is more than enough modern competition.

Svoboda 1945 can do it all - thrill, move, teach and entertain. That it manages to do all of it against the background of an infinitely complex topic, that of the bloody and chaotic post-war years in Czechoslovakian borderlands, is so, so impressive. The only shame is that the central mystery doesn’t work as well as it could.

It's easy to sell goods that are supposed to be good. However, when authors simply copied everything great from the Street Fighter game because they were not able to deal with their own worn-out game concept by themselves, there is something wrong. We want you to better take care of tenderfeet. We want more bonus content. And we want some fresh juice. SoulCalibur is far from going down to the second league, however, there's no play-off this season. Fans of the series will most likely buy it, the rest of you just take it easy and wait for the all-star mainstream: the Street Fighter x Mortal Kombat game.

A splendid trip to a grimdark future where there’s nothing but war. It borrows a lot from XCOM but stands on its own two legs and respects the Warhammer setting which makes it feel surprisingly fresh and original.

It’s lovely to look back at this gem, even today. Skyward Sword feels a bit obsolete and it won’t take anyone’s breath away, but the design work is simply excellent, as is the pervasive playfulness and a ton of creative puzzles.

Wasteland 2 is wasting your time in all aspects of its design, although all of them are capable of being entertaining, at least sometimes. A story of varying qualities that is full of clichés, sheer stupidity but also of humorous moments and references to for about billions of things manages to hardly hold a gamer's attention. On the top of that, there are tons of bugs in the game. If it were not for Brian Fargo along with other anointed heads who have created this piece, it would have flown under the radar as a cheap Russian imitation of Fallout that have been delayed for ten years.

Anno 1800 finally returns to its historical roots, enriched by elegant graphics and complex city management. But other half-baked features drag it down - namely diplomacy, warfare and maritime trade.

Jamestown is an old school hardcore arcade shooter. By its visual approach, its music and its gaming philosophy, it creates an imaginary comeback of the golden age of video arcade games. Its background set in the 17th steampunked century is only strengthening the overall enjoyment drawing young gamers on a peep show at those olden times of video gaming.

It might be a reboot, but Modern Warfare’s observations about, well, modern warfare are entirely its own. Neither the campaign nor the multiplayer are in any way weaker than in the original Call of Duty 4 - and that is quite the praise indeed.

Wings of Ruin can drag on a bit which isn’t helped by its trite story, but you’ll have so much fun all the same. And the amount of content is simply stunning.

This is how you make a retro survival horror game. The graphics are heavily stylized, sure, but the dread is present, as is the unease, a brilliant soundtrack and a story flirting with insanity. The gameplay may be traditional, but it’s also been sensibly and sensitively modernized. If only the inventory wasn’t as restrictive and you weren’t forced to backtrack as much…

The universe of Galactic Civilizations III is so great - gigantic environment, generous editor and ever-improving game balance is hopefully a good apology to fans disappointed that new installment doesn’t change anything.

A great RPG is not afraid of doing things differently. Although graphically awful and even technically not perfect, Age of Decadence still is one of the most original games of its kind. It’s just not for everyone.

A meditative, visually enchanting adventure that draws you into a surreal world brought to life through a lonely lighthouse and its avian companion. It thrives on gentle exploration, interaction through light, and a softly implied narrative, with each location unfolding like a living work of art. While the puzzles are simple and the fixed camera can occasionally hinder navigation, these small shortcomings never overshadow its unique atmosphere and poetic charm.

Planet Zoo will first make you remember Zoo Tycoon and then happily forget it when you realize you’ve got yourself a new game, as good as its ancient predecessor.

A beautiful open world full of fun activities, well-made cooperation with a variety of companions, absolute freedom in how you purge a crazy cult... Far Cry 5 is an excellent, though slightly repetitive, game, until it is backstabbed by a stupid script in combination with unusually annoying bugs.

This is basically Age of Empires II modernized and with asymmetrical factions - and it’s great. The mistakes it makes are relatively minor and can be fixed, the exception being a weird, narrative-breaking choice of framing the campaigns in the style of a documentary film.

SteamWorld Heist II is a sequel done right. It retains the best aspects of its predecessor—turn-based combat with precise aiming and trick shots—transports it to an appealing pirate setting, wraps it in a meaningful storyline, and adds simple world exploration with an excellent class-mixing system that could use just a bit more depth. Regardless, it's a fantastic return for a great game, appealing to both fans and newcomers alike.

Syberia: The World Before doesn’t make the same mistakes as its awful predecessor. Good old mouse controls are back, as is the beautiful architecture and weird automatons the series became known for. The story takes a while to get going but once it does, it’s gripping.

A brilliant arcade game about a bloodthirsty ballet dancer with a deadly aim - could there be anything more awesome? But beware - if you don’t like your stuff very much over the top in the vein of Japanese videogames, you might not be able to tolerate Pedro.

Typical sick humor, clever satire, and underneath all the great RPG with great combat design – this is the new South Park game. Not very good logic puzzles are the only unsuccessful thing in this great game.

Dragonfall brings a brand-new content along with slightly altered "Berlin" feel to it into the Shadowrun saga. Otherwise, it's the same as its predecessor – wonderful, concentrated and also slightly problematic.

One of the surprises of the year. There’s a huge open world full of content waiting for you, and in this world you’ll fight, solve puzzles and enjoy a light-hearted story. And it has Czech subtitles.

The best instalment of the series, that much is without question. There could be more changes, sure, and the graphics feel dated. But the new turn-based strategic map is a great addition which transforms the traditional singleplayer campaign into a massive operation for many an evening.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! manages to combine the mechanical familiarity of the Yakuza series with a unique historical setting. The combat is fun, the story is thrilling, the content is rich enough to last dozens of hours. Technically speaking, though, it could’ve been much closer to a true remake instead of getting stuck halfway between there and a remaster.

Yooka-Laylee is back, waxing nostalgic again. This spin-off celebrates 2D platformers of a bygone age and brings tasteful fun, even though it’s not very original at all.

Great, entertaining hack 'n' slash that could use some trimming and refining of certain design elements. However, its fun combat system and a slew of creatively grotesque enemies outweigh the studio's beginner mistakes.

A hardcore strategy game for hardcore strategists; however, even relatively newcomers are going to be enthralled by it. Ignoring minor flaws such as the military unit price or the extensive military unit range - this is an unconventional and above all an entertaining title that will catch you and won't let you go.