A mysterious detective tale filled with bizarre moments and occasionally overly convoluted storytelling. However, it oozes personality and charisma by the gallons. Remedy crafts their peculiar universe on a solid foundation, resulting in a fantastic and original game. It's just not for everyone.

A superb bite-sized experience with an excellent combat system, enchanting graphics, and fantastic flamenco-infused music. En Garde! oozes humor, its fencing duels are action-packed and truly satisfying. Regrettably, it falls short in terms of its relative brevity, simplistic platforming, and uninteresting storyline.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is unequivocally the best Hellboy title to date. It's captivating, featuring an intriguing world and a narrative that pays homage to the universe crafted by Mike Mignola. However, the slow and monotonous combat system significantly hinders the game's overall appeal.

An adequate port of a classic that will mostly delight fans. Gothic still shines brilliantly after twenty years, thanks to its story, atmosphere, and open world. It's a pity that the abysmal combat system didn't receive an overhaul, and it still falls short on the technical side.

Cities: Skylines II bears a striking resemblance to its predecessor, but the developers have significantly deepened, expanded, and improved its mechanics in almost every aspect. While it currently offers slightly less content, its foundation is as solid as a rock, and from a gameplay perspective, we are treated to an outstanding city-building strategy experience. Unfortunately, the overall enjoyment and impression are mercilessly shattered by the dismal technical state.

Playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a pure joy. This triumphant return to the franchise's 2D platforming origins showcases Mario and his companions in their best form. Wonder artfully blends nostalgic elements from earlier titles with tasteful innovations, resulting in a harmonious fusion that's virtually foolproof and won't get old easily.

A fantastic pocket-sized turn-based strategy game that you can play almost endlessly thanks to its rich content. Wargroove 2 captivates with its beautiful design, new mechanics, and an excellent roguelite Conquest mode. While I might opt for more complex strategies on PC, it's definitely among the gems on Switch.

We'll still have to wait for successors to giants like Medieval II or Rome II, but even so, Pharaoh is the best attempt at a historical Total War since Attila, despite borrowing many systems from Warhammer or Saga-labeled titles. Add an extra point if you have an affinity to ancient Egypt and can be satisfied with two or three completed campaigns. On the other hand, if you expect extensive entertainment for hundreds of hours or units that rival the fantasy branch of the series in diversity, you may soon start to get bored with Pharaoh.

Spider-Man 2, unlike its protagonists, remains grounded in terms of innovations and doesn't swing the series forward. It stands on a very solid foundation, subtly tweaking it, usually in the right direction, and tells a story that, while lacking in surprise, remains quite enjoyable. It's once again a great action adventure, but next time, the series would really benefit from a more significant shift.

A breath of fresh air into the stagnant genre and a big surprise. Lords of the Fallen is an example of a game into which a lot of love and carefully thought-out ideas have clearly poured. The result exceeded my expectations.

At its core, a rather likable and enjoyable adventure game marred by exceptionally low difficulty levels and unimaginative gameplay. The lackluster audio-visual elements further compound its shortcomings. The overall presentation resembles a dated attempt at a children's detective story, catering exclusively to a kids' audience.

A fun and great simcade with an unrivaled fleet of cars, lively artificial intelligence of opponents and an excellent driving model. Although Forza Motorsport does not push the bar of racing games graphically and technologically, it basically has no rivals on its platforms.

A new Fate, a new era, fresh gameplay, but familiar concepts. The epic story, as if borrowed directly from an anime, is enhanced by outstanding music and voice acting. It's regrettable that the boss battles lack depth, and encounters with standard enemies could be shorter. Nevertheless, Fate/Samurai Remnant does justice to its renowned name.

EA Sports FC 24 represents yet another safe, conservative continuation of a well-established formula. For those willing to invest time and enthusiasm into Ultimate Team, it promises year-round entertainment. However, it's challenging to make a compelling argument for offline players to not miss it this year. The football gaming scene is still in desperate need of a fierce competitor for EA's franchise.

Sea of Stars is a heartfelt homage to classic JRPGs, and beyond its nostalgic appeal, it stands as a commendable game in its own right. It boasts a tightly woven linear narrative, endearing characters, and a sophisticated combat system. For enthusiasts of the JRPG genre, diving into the celestial sea of stars will be an unequivocal delight, but even if the genre doesn't typically captivate your interest, a hearty recommendation is still warranted. Brimming with emotional depth, oscillating between moments of joy and sorrow, and infused with a spirit of hope and adventure, this game is a must-try.

Payday 3 tries really hard, but good intentions alone can't guarantee a fun experience. While many individual elements may seem appealing in terms of audio and visuals, as a whole it just doesn't deliver as it should.

A return to the past with all the pros and cons that go with it, but also a mixture of mechanisms that don't always go well with each other. If you're longing for assassins that used stealth as a prim, you've come to the right place; however, don't expect a novelty that could surpass the older parts of the series.

Unsurprisingly, to fully appreciate it, The Expanse: A Telltale Series requires you to be a fan of both Telltale Games' narrative-driven format and The Expanse series or books. It faithfully captures the essence that drew to the original, even though gameplay innovations are scarce.

Dune: Spice Wars masterfully translates the intricate conflict for Arrakis to the gaming screen, delivering an engaging experience while it lets you delve into conquesting new territories, political machinations within the Landsraad, CHOAM share trading, and forging unexpected alliances. Despite the absence of a significant story campaign and stupid AI, it still offers an addictive strategic journey that can easily make you lose track of time.

Separate Ways kicks off in style and doesn't let up until the end. A great addition that should have been part of the game from the beginning, but for its price pays off many times over.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a job well done, but falls short of fully embracing its reboot. While the narrative restart shines, the gameplay cautiously treads familiar ground, occasionally even regressing. Nevertheless, it offers an enjoyable and accessible action experience that's just as visually stunning as it is entertaining to play.

An online team-based shooter that completely overlooks the potential of VR. Firewall Ultra provides a somewhat shallow experience, with matchmaking times often exceeding the actual gameplay, and meager rewards. Despite the relatively limited library of PS VR2, there are better titles available.

An engaging arcade racer with a wealth of colorful and enjoyable content, The Crew Motorfest slots itself among the great and undemanding racing games. With its satisfying driving model and diverse vehicle selection, it provides countless hours of fun.

An evocative portrayal of the horrors of the First World War, Ad Infinitum manages to intriguingly delve into novel themes of post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, and family trauma, despite its monotonous gameplay, which often feels like a repetition of narrative horror films that have come before it.

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip serves as a spin-off from the main series, presenting an experience that can be completed in a single evening. This two-hour adventure encompasses three meticulously crafted puzzles that intricately rely on cooperation between two players. A noteworthy addition is the introduction of a commendable achievement system, which, ideally, will find its way into the main series too. Whether obtained for free, making it an irresistible experience, or acquired at the cost of a full-price movie ticket, The FriendShip undoubtedly delivers substantial value and engaging content.

A well-executed take on Soulslike genre, which draws inspiration from various sources while also incorporating its own unique elements into the mix. It stands out as a technically excellent and visually stunning game that holds its own in this eventful year.

The first and only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 easily justifies its existence with its captivating espionage plot. The invitation to return to Night City is simply hard to refuse. It doesn't just offer more of the same; with its attention to detail, story, and the multitude of ways to handle every situation, it can be ranked on par with both expansions for The Witcher 3.

Diving into the depths of Under The Waves unveils an immersive underwater world brimming with captivating exploration, atmospheric density, and an emotionally charged narrative. However, the overall execution appears as if the creators were assembling the Titan submarine – a touch rough around the edges. Technical imperfections disrupt the illusion of seamless immersion, and the redundant crafting along with its narrative inconsistency simply break the spell at times. Yet, it undeniably possesses a certain charm underneath.