Demon Scourge conjures up an incredible DLC from the strengths of the base game, encouraging a new playthrough.

A daring reboot for the horror franchise that does many things right, but hinders itself too often with poor design choices.

A fantastic driving experience, but the career mode is disappointing and there's no weather system.

Machinarium is the most unusual adventure of 2009. It's part of the game to find out how everything works and what you have to do. What happens if you turn this machine on or pull that lever? Bit by bit everything makes sense and only at the end of the game you'll understand it. This game is a step in the right direction to evolve video games.

If you win, it's because you planned your moves right and not because you've been lucky. And if you lose, then just because of your bad planning. This makes Frozen Synapse different and so motivating.

Quotation forthcoming.

Nioh 3 impresses with open levels that combine familiar ideas with a dynamic and unrestricted combat system.

The interesting characters and the thrilling story were worth the wait. Now let's hope the second episode can keep up this kind of quality.

It's a better game in all respects. It also digs itself into your heart with lots of charm and variety.

Sweaty showpiece shooter for Virtual Reality that impresses with graphic splendor and high immersion and precision.

FM 2022 remains undisputedly the best choice for PC soccer management, but we are missing some groundbreaking innovations.

Oxygen Not Included is a challening, complex survival building game for creative tinkerers and fans of automatisation.

Far Cry 2 scores right in the core area of first-person-shooters: action. Players who like some logic and a good story even in a first-person-shooter will have their problems with Far Cry 2. Ubisoft's Africa is beautiful, but life in all its glory is missing most of the time. Travelling takes a long time and you are forced to make absurd detours because of mountains and valleys. Far Cry 2 can be reproached with a lot of things, but once the Savannah is burning they are forgotten, at least temporarily, because fighting the APF and UFLL is so much fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best and most beautiful story role-playing games - even on the Switch 2.

Great anime fighting game with a scalable and very dynamic combat system that should thrill beginners and professionals alike.

Death’s Door is an exceptional action-RPG that delights with challenging combat and cleverly thought-out game design.

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

Quotation forthcoming.

Echo Point Nova thrills with its fast pace, freedom of play and outstanding dynamics - a highlight for shooter fans.

Quotation forthcoming.

Europa Universalis 5 is brilliant, but still very buggy.

FM 2021 offers no groundbreaking innovations, but this year it is better than ever where it really matters: on the pitch.

A less onerous version of the courier epic with some useful innovations for novices, not quite as sweet to experts.

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

The staging is more reminiscent of old-school role-playing games, the quests and storylines could sometimes be a bit more expansive and the balancing needs fine tuning. Nevertheless, I can recommend Thronebreaker in good conscience to every witch fan. I was so carried away by the story about Queen Meve that I gave her two nights in a row with just three hours of sleep - what more could you ask for?

Very good mix of sneaking and fighting, which allows many tactics because of the free team selection. Beautifully detailed and animated.

Bikes, speed and fat explosions - one thing is clear: Trials Evolution: Gold Edition had me from the first second.

It may be due to the charming look and the likeable DIY approach of the hobby astronauts of Holzkamin, but Outer Wilds reminds me in the best sense (probably idealized) childhood experiences: the feeling of discovering something new at a ramble, finally on the top of the tallest tree Climbing in the woods or just getting to know something new that enhances your own horizons - I have that feeling in every corner of Outer Wilds.

Captivating mix of Metroidvania, beat-em-up and platform action - the Persian prince is in top shape.

Quotation forthcoming.

It shouldn't be fun to be a small cog wheel in a huge dictatorial gear box but it's fun to find out where your personal limits are, where the fun ends and when it's time for reflection.

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

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.

A strong story add-on with a beautiful new map, but few gameplay innovations.

Quotation forthcoming.

Chaos Rising is great addition to Dawn of War 2 and manages to impress with speed, thrilling battles and a motivating story – at the cost of less complexity and strategy.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

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

Fun museum construction with funny artifacts and creative ideas, which suffers from the repetitive, random-based expedition mechanic.

I'd be lying if I said that I did not have fun with Shadow of Mordor, because it kept me entertained for 30 hours. Not on a superior level, but on a good, technically flawless one, whose objective quality one must be soberly recognized. But it has never affected me emotionally in that time, never surprised me, never gave me the feeling that I'd just played something special, something unique, something remarkable.

If you like those kind of games, it's probably the best of the last 25 years. It's a game of extremes, the graphics are simply annoying, but it can keep you playing one level for a whole day.

Horizon still has its weaknesses and sometimes feels overloaded with all of the open-world activities, crafting systems or an annoying fast travel system. If I ignore all of this, I have a world open to me that shines above all because it really has something to say - be it within its history or even how we deal with each other and our planet in reality. That is exactly what I miss in many open world games, in which the story likes to degenerate into a breadcrumb trail for all kinds of filling tasks.

Quotation forthcoming.

The amazingly beautiful theme park lacks some management options and more complex gameplay.

An emotionally addictive adventure with simple gameplay. Its moving story will stay with you for a long time.

Sulani is definitely the most beautiful neighborhood in the game so far.

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.

Quotation forthcoming.

Beautiful, hand-drawn puzzle game that enchants the player with elegantly nested puzzles and a story without words.

A quite brutal dark fantasy RPG that forces you to rethink, lets heroes die and thus creates a very intensive experience.

Electronic Arts and Will Wright send you on a unique journey through Evolution. But it's less of a game and more of a colourful biological construction kit. Spore is sophisticated and rich in details, but all this is rarely noticeable because of its uninspired game play and lack of a story, which is such a pity. It's a paradise for creative gamers, but an expensive one, too. Electronic Arts asks 10 Euros more than usual - that's a rip off.

Great atmosphere and story as before, but visually it's a great step forward and recommended for new players.

Enter the Gungeon offers fresh and always fair pixel action and will be a thrill especially for Isaac fans.

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

Hundreds of vehicles, hundreds of square kilometers – Avalanche has created the largest level for an action game so far. Some of the open world gameplay just seems to be there to add playtime, but the missions make up for that.

The Football Manager is again this year the first choice for all who want to lead their favorite club on the home computer to success.

With Nex Machina, Housemarque managed to create a balancing act between retro and modern gaming, thanks to precise controls and impressive effects.

Streets of Rage 4 is a dream come true for nostalgia addicts of the fighting game genre. It consciously rejects the modern era and will therefore not appeal to everyone.

Telling the story of Psycho, who appeared in Crysis, too, the game feels a bit like playing deleted scenes from the first game. But lots of things are improved, there are more scripts, even better graphics and the cut-scenes are better, too. If you like fast action and couldn't care less about the story then Crysis Warhead is for you. If you haven't played Crysis and don't know what's going on, you may feel a bit lost, though.

Stellar Blade is a fantastic game on the PC as well, which Asia-affine action fans should not miss out on.

Quotation forthcoming.

Retro action with fantastic presentation and high difficulty - an indie gem for professionals with resistance to frustration.

The best soccer game in a long time is not EA FC or Football Manager. Inazuma Eleven is a monster of a game and the most fun virtual ball game of the year – penguins included.

Shredder's Revenge is a reminder of why good co-op brawlers are timeless.

There Magic Arena is with its fantastic game mechanics just front runner for me.

I've been playing Gordian Quest way longer than necessary. [Early Access Review]

A traditional, but also very good JRPG that at first unnecessarily conceals its strengths and only shows what it can do after around 15 hours.

Reasonable innovations and a completely new Xen complement the authentic Half-Life atmosphere: This is what a remake should look like.

Quotation forthcoming.

The addon is overshadowed by major changes behind the scenes. The new class is great, but overpowered, and the story ends abruptly.

A fascinating underwater world and a deep story exploring human fate. But if you are looking for pure horror, this is not for you.

Ubisoft and Massive have created a new reference on how a loot shooter can look at release. I had more fun with The Division 2 at launch than with any other loot-ballerei. And I'm curious what the future holds.

A profound jewel of an action game that deserved a better PC port.

The Reforged Edition of Broken Sword gives the classic story a substantial visual makeover, but leaves the rest untouched.

Captivating and challenging action RPG in the spirit of Dark Souls, but the PC conversion includes bizarre blunders.

Groovy, sarcastic and pleasantly crazy. Icey is basically an action-filled spiritual successor to The Stanley Parade.

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

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

Funny time travel to the beginnings of the genre. Veterans will like the allusions to the classics and the 80s setting.

It’s an end times RPG with a huge atmospheric world, but with fewer odd stories than Fallout 3 and full of standard quests. Even the main story falls a bit short.

The game blends the complexity of Battlefield 2 with the speed of Quake - but doesn't satisfy fans of either game, which is a shame because the class-specific missions are great.

With its licences, extensive game modes and a clean pc port, FIFA 17 is a great package, but doesn't offer much new.

Quotation forthcoming.

RIFT doesn't repeat the mistakes of Age of Conan or Warhammer Online, where high-level players had nothing to do except being bored. Lots of quests, PVP, exploring, crafting and instances – there's a lot to do right from the start and even after level 50.

One thing is for sure: My laptop camera will remain taped for the time being.

Project Cars 2 will make fans of racing simulators of almost all motorsport classes happy. The prudish career mode is bothersome, though.

The game experience is too intense, it really feels like sitting in a real racing car. Due to the high difficulty Shift 2 should be avoided by beginners or casual racers. Everybody else can enjoy a huge and diverse racing game.

Brutally difficult and thrilling 2D platformer with Metroidvania innuendos, a crazy scenario and motivating learning curve.

Gris is an arty platform adventure that combines sophisticated platform mechanics with a dense, emotionally charged atmosphere.

Assassin's Creed: Origins doesn't overcome the Ubisoft formula, but perfects it for an outstanding open-world adventure.

FM24 refines proven mechanics, surprises with useful innovations and is worthwhile despite the promised mega upgrade in FM25.

A good PC remaster for those who do not like mods. Dark Souls remains awesome, but don't expect a leap like comparable to the CoD remaster.

Genshin Impact is a very good and entertaining action role-playing game, which manipulates itself with its monetization in the endgame.

You'll hardly ever find a settlement game that feels as natural as Foundation, but you'll have to accept compromises in terms of graphics and mechanics.