As demanding as it is gratifying. People with low frustration resistance are better off skipping Aiko's Choice.

Overwatch doesn't reinvent the wheel, but mixes well-known mechanics to create one of the best games of the genre in years.

Doom is a great tribute to old times in a modern form. If you like fast shooters, there's nothing better at the moment.

All in all, F1 2019 has become an outstanding racing game, but not because of this year's innovations, but because of the sovereign basis that Codemasters has built up over the years. With Formula 2, this basis has become even more stable.

Intense but challenging action spectacle that rewards you with unforgettable experiences if you're willing to fight your way through.

A completely renewed Dragon Age that struggles with some ifs and buts, but above all plays on a very high narrative level.

Age of Empires 4 brings classic real-time strategy back in top form, but misses the chance for a rousing campaign.

A brilliant narrative RPG that’s a must-play, and not just for fans of Disco Elysium.

A successful addon, with which WoW works on its foundation and responds to fan requests.

Black Ops 6 is CoD at its most fundamental level: smooth, fast-paced and extremely cool, but definitely not visionary.

Action fans who are not bothered by the bloody presentation should definitely get the game. If you can find a friend to play the ingenious Co-Op mode with, Gears of War is a must-have.

Like its predecessor, Fantasy General 2 captivates from the first mission.

The Whispered World is a stunningly beautiful adventure game with a great story for adults. It makes you smile, touches your heart, makes you sad and thoughtful. A little masterpiece with a small, but great hero.

It's better, bigger and more sophisticated than the predecessor almost everywhere - except for the controls and business model.

It's fun, beginner-friendly and thanks to the addictive level-up mechanics it offers lots of replay value, too.

Children of Morta proves for me with flying colors that we have to focus on the indie sector in terms of innovation. At least when it comes to playful progress away from photorealistic graphics.

At first, this looks like just another Counterstrike clone. But there’s more depth and variety, despite the lack of content.

Trackmania 2 builds on the strengths of the predecessors and offers even more fun, experimentation, races decided by milliseconds and a powerful track editor. There's fun for months in it.

V Rising is a captivating vampire fantasy with atmospheric survival mechanics, despite the sometimes tedious hunt for resources.

Almost identical to XCOM 2 in visuals and gameplay, although not as polished. Hit zones provide more tactical depth, though.

The best Wolfenstein so far. Interesting places, remarkable characters, drama, humor and a story that should make some Hollywood blockbusters feel ashamed.

A successful sequel with intense stealth gameplay, believable characters and only minor story deficiencies.

The White March improves the game in some areas and offers an interesting story, but it may disappoint veteran players.

Grim Dawn takes the best of a lot of other action RPS and creates well thought out and yet original hack & slay fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

Tactically demanding genre mix that won't get boring any time soon, despite weaknesses in the story.

It's not just a really good adventure game, it's got something to tell about the innocence of a child and the human trait to ignore inconvenient truths. It's more than just entertainment, it's art.

Rarely has extinction been more fun. Frostpunk shows that successful build-up-strategy and a captivating story need not be a contradiction.

Quotation forthcoming.

The action-based battle system is still a lot of fun. No skill, no kill, that's a lot more entertaining than standing around and clicking to rotate certain actions.

Another magnificent Anno game that sets new priorities and offers greater freedom, but does not quite reach the design heights of its predecessor yet.

This new version with polished graphics manages to beat the competition easily. Monkey Island is still one of the best adventures around, maybe still not a 100 percent up to date, but once you're in the Caribbean, you won't care anymore.

What a comeback! Finally the FIFA series has overcome its form crisis and is celebrating modern football (soccer) again, both graphically and gameplay wise. Not everything is new, but most things look better. Pro Evolution Soccer may be the better simulation, but the fast action of FIFA 09 is just as much fun. EA Sports is back in the top league.

MH Rise refines the combat system with clever innovations that both veterans and newcomers will enjoy - if they can overlook the low-grade graphics and story.

The Old Republic gives me exactly what I expect as a fan: Star Wars atmosphere till the cow comes home. I can flail around with lightsabers, fight spectacular space battles and roam around on the famous planets from the template. And indeed, the quests comply with genre standards. And well, the combat system is not particularly innovative. But on the other hand I get a customised story for myself, which drives me with the aid of the the dialogue, really cool AI companions and the freedom of choice into the game in an outstanding wise – this is something that I never witnessed in an online role-playing game in this way. I can already see myself levelling up all eight classes to level 50, just to experience the terrific story.

It's quite confusing: Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is the third game of the series, but at the same time it's the PC conversion of the Xbox 360 game, which was a new version of the PC game Flatout 2. Basically Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is a remake with better graphics and more cars. If you already own Flatout 2, there aren't many new things in the game to justify buying Flatout: Ultimate Carnage, but if you don't, go ahead and get it.

Extensive and entertaining content that will delight fans of alternative histories in particular.

Old school stealth tactics game in a modern style with motivating and great level design that requires strategic finesse.

A successful successor, which will satisfy all fans of the predecessor.

Extremely difficult platformer with a wonderful cartoon look, requires a lot of patience and offers rich rewards in the end.

Atlas Fallen convinces with its unused scenario and innovative gameplay. Only the staging lags behind.

Heavy mech action with plenty of variety. If you like challenges, you won't be able to avoid this game this year.

NBA 2K18 is currently the best sports simulation. However, the weak technology and the omnipresent virtual currency are very disturbing.

Sickly sweet and sophisticated 3D platformer, which is close to best titles of the genre and offers lots of creativity and great level design.

After playing hundreds of hours there is one thing we can say for sure: this is a good MMO, a very good one, maybe even the best. It offers great quests and great PvP and the fact that both help to gain levels is very motivating. Technically, the graphics are not that good, but landscapes and other places are full of details.

If you own the original game, you may be disappointed about the lack of changes. But if this is your first Street Figher game or you just like the genre, there's just no way around this one.

Total War: Three Kingdom.s is the perfect contrast to the Warhammer games

Quotation forthcoming.

The crowning glory of a ten-year saga.

Thanks to improvements to details and the extensive solo mode, Soul Calibour 6 is a very good continuation of a Beat'Em Up classic. Soul Calibur is alive! Also on the PC.

An excellent addition to the main game, providing especially experienced knights with a few extra hours of entertaining gameplay.

Silksong is a unique, fantastic gaming experience - though it may not be suitable for everyone.

Call of Duty: World at War goes back to the battlefields of World War 2. The game delivers well staged nonstop action and looks good, but the missions are barely connected, just like in the first three games of the series. It's still a good, maybe even a very good FPS, but not fit to hold a candle to its predecessor.

Although stylistically different from its predecessors, the fantastic combat system retains the core essence of the classics.

The first Sims had a holiday add-on, the second Sims had a holiday add-on and now Sims 3 has one, too, and it’s the best one so far. The touch of adventure works miracles for Sims 3, but the stories are goofy and some missions boring. It’s still great, because it’s full of new things to explore.

It's a trip to the countryside with incredibly motivating game mechanics. Once you're there, you won't come back very soon.

Miles Morales can keep up with Peter and sometimes surpasses him. However, you have little time to savor this action fest.

A lot of minor improvements and the official UEFA Champions League license make sure that Pro Evolution Soccer can defend the number one spot - but this time it has to share it with FIFA 09. Despite the license, not all teams carry their original name and the Champions League is called European Championship. The online-mode works for the first time, but it's still too complicated and unclear. All in all, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is a bit better than last year's version, but only as good as FIFA 09.

A well rounded mix of construction strategy, survival, worker placement and roguelite. Gloomy, without fights, sometimes hectic, always exciting.

Bombastic battles, huge campaign, thrilling multiplayer. A triumphant comeback for Dawn of War.

Forgotten Gods is a very good addon to an equally good Hack & Slay with that certain something, but nothing more. After all, who - like me - only wants to play through once, comes here still at his expense.

A clever mix between management, strategy, action and exploration. It’s not only very relaxing, but also has some heartwarming moments.

Sokoban meets programming language logic – probably the best puzzle game 2019.

Arc Raiders is a technically stunning, atmospherically dense, and easily accessible extraction shooter that impresses with its excellent AI.

With Pentiment you journey to the late Middle Ages for a thrilling story and experience the dramatic fate of an entire town up close.

Quotation forthcoming.

Enchanting and motivating JRPG with a varied genre mix and a inspiring fantasy world.

Those who appreciate emotionally gripping sci-fi stories and moral decisions should definitely give The Alters a chance.

The directional blocking, the new fighting styles and combos, the improvement of the drone abilities and a still highly motivating looting system have inspired and motivated me.

I am very satisfied with the package that is the Definitive Edition. Especially since the price of around 20 euros is really fair.

This adventure tells a fantastic story with exceptional characters, lots of humor and allusions to well-known fantasy stereotypes and logical puzzles. The 3D landscapes are beautiful and the world made us feel right at home. We had to smile at little details very often and when we finished the game after 20 hours it was actually was a melancholy moment - the hallmark of an excellent adventure.

Quotation forthcoming.

The PC version seems to have some technical problems on some machines, but if you don't mind that and the career mode full of cliché then this is a monster slam dunk.

The LS25 is a content powerhouse with technical improvements. But buyers of its predecessor may be disappointed.

The abundance of details about politics, technology, planets and the different alien races create an unparalleled depth for a role-playing game. The story is captivating right until the impressive and dramatic finale. If it wasn't for the more or less necessary but repetitive side quests, the game would be exceptional. There is room for improvement, but as far as story telling is concerned, Mass Effect wipes the floor with the competition.

Quotation forthcoming.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is a source of joy as long as everything works as intended and Lara follows the controls, leading the player to beautiful panoramas, seamlessly moving from gameplay to cut-scene. But at the same time, the game can be quite depressing if Lara doesn't reach moving platforms, the camera plays up and it's hard to solve a problem. It's an emotional roller coaster and great entertainment.

The GTA-clone has his strong points in lots of action and the thrilling setting of occupied Paris during WW2. Amazingly, a GTA-clone can be a great game, too, and if you like a hero fighting Nazis, then this is your game.

Quotation forthcoming.

It's still not the most realistic simulation and all those little improvements can't change that. But it's still a lot of fun due to its sheer size and huge amount of details.

The Binding of Isaac is the reference for the rogue-like genre - even if you already know the "old" Isaac inside out.

It offers a lot of different play styles. Let's play in arcade mode or with more realism with g-forces and limited ammunition - or let's play in a more complex simulation mode.

Ghostrunner really grabbed me for two reasons: On the one hand, thanks to the ingeniously playful level design, I feel like a child on the adventure playground again. And on the other hand, Ghostrunner lets me feel that there is no need for superpowers to gamble through, if you just really dig into the mechanics and levels.

Would you like an inexpensive getaway from the video game matrix for a few hours? Here's your ticket.

Is Bloodstained better for me than the Castlevania template? Probably it fails very close because Symphony of the Night keeps a very special nostalgic place in my heart.

It represents a genre that I can not praise too often: the parody games! Just the Mass Effect allusions are worth gold.

Split Fiction is a must-have for all co-op fans and demonstrates why we love video games in a creative and impressive way.

Quotation forthcoming.

Gripping and atmospheric Souls-like that scores with a gloomy atmosphere, exciting world design and precise combat system.

Clever and engaging, funny and exciting. An Adventure in the typical LucasArts tradition and thus a piece of video game history that is worth seeing.

I won't stop until I've seen every little clip and then I'll hope for another game. The concept will work two, three or even four times. Agatha Christie didn't only write one book either.

Quotation forthcoming.

The new fantasy setting offers huge and spectacular battles and new strategies, but the world map has been greatly simplified.

Counter-Strike's great and ageless gameplay gets a much-needed tech update, but still lags CS:GO in precision and scope.

Undoubtedly the new racing game benchmark on the track, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.

A thoroughly integrated and refreshing mix of classic 4X turn-based strategy, role-playing elements and varied events.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.