Charming and colourful pixel action-adventure with a lot of heart, solid combat and puzzle dungeons, yet apparent deficiencies in the narrative pace.

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

Where Origins and especially Odyssey still had a clear mission towards roleplaying, Valhalla seems like a half-hearted step backwards. Yes, there is now real action again, and deadly sneaking. Yes, in its best moments Valhalla has exactly what I want from an Assassin's Creed. But instead of focusing on the highlights, Ubisoft buries the strengths of the game under boring open world stuff.

It's half-time for Tales of Monkey Island. The third of five episodes is good entertainment, but the puzzles are getting worse. Most of the fun comes from comical situations and the weird characters, not from the game itself. Instead of getting harder, it gets easier.

Of all the current space strategy games Sins of a Solar Empire is my favorite.

It looks like a chartered accountant but it's a real revolutionary, because it starts the online age for manager games. You're not managing an existing club, but one you create from scratch. Then you choose an association that fits your style of play, e.g. the Casual Weekend Association. The games are shown on 2D maps, so all you see is few circles running after the ball. Despite the meager presentation FM Live manages to be an entertaining game, even if you only play a few minutes a day.

Quotation forthcoming.

Midnight offers more content than its predecessor and features many improved systems. However, it lacks that final touch of ambition and polish.

No, The Outer Worlds is by no means the biggest, most complex or epic RPG of recent years. But the latest coup from Obsidian Entertainment has its heart in the right place.

Quotation forthcoming.

Cult of the Lamb is an excellent genre mix with lots of black humour, a challenging layout and delightful combat. Highly addictive.

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.

Standalone expansion of a fabulous survival game that equals its predecessor.

Straightforward linear butcher spectacle providing top tier presentation and high entertainment value in both campaign and multiplayer.

It's a great game with a good story and presentation, but maybe it could have been even better with a bit more of development time. Nontheless, Dragon Age 2 is a new masterpiece from Bioware.

Pyre is a picturesque little masterpiece that impresses with its dense atmosphere as well as with its gameplay qualities.

What makes The Banner Saga 3 fantastic is the feeling of its predecessors. The whole series is traversed by a certain despair and sadness, which belong to the inevitable end. The finale drives this melancholy to the extreme, motivating me through struggles and decisions but at the same time to continue.

I was most impressed that Legend of Grimrock treats its players seriously and as thinking beings - not as blunt consumers.

If you are looking for a simple and entertaining shooter, that's not a Call of Duty clone, which offers lots of humour and a great story, Bulletstorm could be for you.

Battlefield 6 is a great multiplayer shooter and a solid foundation for the future. Don't buy it for the campaign, though.

It's an interesting scenario and the fight's are really challenging. With five new character levels, new perks, weird weapons and a huge world to explore it's a good DLC and worth its money.

Quotation forthcoming.

Enjoyable fighting game with a well presented story, slightly outdated multiplayer system, and weak invasion mode.

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

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

Only in one aspect I would have expected more from Fifa 15, namely in the game modes.

As far as technology and gameplay are concerned, Forza Motorsport 7 wins the cup - the new reference for demanding arcade racing games.

The story is pleasantly complex.

The seventh C&C strategy game is a wicked mix of funny ideas, great cut scenes and comical military units. The Soviets have changed the time line again to weaken the USA, but the change also made Japan a super power. The game is great fun, especially the new co-op mode, even though the KI and the graphics engine are not really up to date.

Personally, I'm counting the days until the appearance of even the next episode.

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

DSC: Black Shark is full of technical details and you should read the 488 pages of the PDF manual, because the tutorials only show a handful of the functions. It's a tough and realistic simulation with 130 missions and a mission editor and especially fun in co-op missions over LAN or the internet.

Sequels showing up after less than a year while not showing FIFA in their name usually are a reason for concern. And, for sure, there are only a handful of improvements in this sequel. But each of them makes sense. The dragon is funnier and can do more compared to the spirits of fury, successes have real consequences and shorter ways give the game a new kind of flow.

MH Stories 2 suffers from limited variation but is a tactical role-playing game with cool monsters and a lovely storyline.

Goodbye Settlers, welcome Pioneers: Finally, a game as bustling as Settlers 1 & 2, but cleverly expanded and modernized.

Ingenious fights, well-done missions and the motivating class system make up for the somewhat shallow game mechanics.

As an action blockbuster Gears 5 is outstanding.

A sweet love story, mixing humour and romance just right to enchant female and male players alike. Like in most new Ubisoft games it's necessary to accomplish the same tasks over and over again, but it's not as annoying as in other games. The unusual graphical style is beautiful.

I just like them, these "Great scenery with lots of freedom and story-snippets" games. Whether underwater ideology as in Bioshock, transhumanist dystopia like in Deus Ex or magic steampunk as in Dishonored - as long as I am allowed to explore and experiment, I am happy. Prey satisfies both needs perfectly.

It may have some old fashioned charm, but its age clearly shows. Controls and game design are out of date.

Refreshingly simple and original genre mix. Impresses with its scope, accessibility and an immensely captivating gameplay loop.

Citizen Sleeper is a cyberpunk gem that tells an extraordinary, profound story and makes you think.

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

Quotation Forthcoming.

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

As far as gameplay is concerned it's a huge step forward - and a step back for AI and graphics.

When does this game start in earnest? The puzzles are so easy and the story so superficial that it feels like an intro to a game - until die credits roll. It's fun, but lacking substance.

If you like classic online RPGs, battles full of action and weird humor, you can't go wrong with this one.

If you liked FlatOut, you'll love Wreckfest. Drily presented, but wonderfully brutal full-contact racing with impressive physics.

Burning Shores has a beautiful map and some fun new features. However, the DLC suffers from a goofy villain.

Victoria 3 is a fantastic business simulation game. But unique and unusual as it is, it will not please everyone.

Classic looks like "Friends" to me: Although I have seen all the episodes x times, every few years I have to go back to Central Perk!

Starbound offers a lot of freedom, diversity and a love for details. An amazingly good game if you love 2D pixel worlds.

The singleplayer campaign is a failure, but the multiplayer is worth it. Looks great, almost perfect sound and it's fun. The levolution feature improves the atmosphere of the game, but has with little consequences regarding game play.

Tides of Numenera requires the will to familiarize oneself with the game, and a passion for reading, but rewards the player with one of the best stories in role-playing games.

It is a pity that these great mechanics are not underpinned by better modes.

Quotation forthcoming.

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.

A great park-building game that makes up for minor flaws with lots of atmosphere. And baby dinosaurs!

Story, characters and dialogues make it a thrilling game, despite the stagnant game mechanics.

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.

Not as groundbreaking as Path of Fire, but a must-have expansion for fans of both the old and the new Guild Wars.

Sunless Sea is special, though it is not for everyone. That's okay.

The Season add-on enriches the Sims Universe with weather effects, holidays and many seasonal activities.

The robotic construction has really scared me off, because crafting combined with the constant electric shock is a nasty time eater - although the servos really have a lot of charm!

Impressively staged action JRPG with fun battles. Story purists will have to make concessions, but endgame and co-op mode are convincing.

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

An extraordinary narrative adventure game that will stay in your memory for a long time, but it would have benefited from more interactivity.

Developer Respawn builds a Star Wars adventure that constantly reminds me why I fell in love with the Skywalker saga as a child. Fallen Order is a love letter to the classic trilogy, respects the clone wars, and shows me the dark era of the Empire like no other Star Wars story before.

At its core, this is a fantastic port oft he Alien franchise into gaming. However, the almost too-strong Alien can be frustrating at times.

The Witcher could have been a much better roleplaying game if it wasn't for it's long loading times, unnecessary traveling, uncomfortable handling and bugs.

Mechanics like the Dragonguard crossbow are a first step in the right direction, but are altogether too seldom used to be really positive. In the long run, the virtues of the game eventually fade away from the uniformity of the scaffolding - and that's just a shame given many good elements.

Mordhau is for me almost something like Asterix for adults.

Short, firm soul-like that keeps you entertained for 20 hours. Learning curve and replay value are low.

Overlord delivers the usual good quality. However, the vassal mechanics in particular will not be equally relevant to everyone.

The exciting story mode, the motivating F1 world and considerably improved handling make F1 23 an exceptional racing game.

In terms of game mechanics, Borderlands 4 is the best installment in the series, but the open world is a bit of a letdown.

Beautiful and moving jump & run with puzzles, solid game mechanics and a great hero.

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.

Everspace 2 is a fun looter/shooter RPG with an engaging yet down-to-earth story that will keep you entertained for days.

Star Wars Outlaws doesn't excel in any particular area, but it's still an unforgettable open-world story.

F1 22 delights with new cars and a perfect Formula 1 atmosphere, but the driveability could use some fine-tuning.

If you were hoping that Tales of Monkey Island would at least end in some kind of fireworks of ideas, you will be disappointed. Dull and without creativity, this is how Telltale ends the series. It's well meant, but disappointing. It's not bad, but just not enough for Monkey Island.

Fortnite has almost perfected the Battle Royale concept and added a touch of its own.

Lords of Shadow is the best action-adventure game in recent years.

Darksiders 2 is larger, more varied and more motivating than the first game, and all game elements - be it story, battle, puzzle or skill pad - engage almost perfectly. I would have preferred a slightly more modern technology backbone and more fine-tuned mouse and keyboard controls. But these are small things that I forgive in such a captivating game as this.

It's rare to find a game that deals with topics like depression in such a mature way. If you want to experience an experimental artistic adventure, you're in for a journey you won't easily forget.

Great content, but also a technically obsolete VR version, with half-hearted and annoying conversion problems in many places.

Despite the courageous setting choices and high standards, Hunt: Showdown is an exceptional shooter that occupies its own small niche in times of dwindling Battle Royale hype with innovative ideas and perfection of balanced gameplay.

Vessel annoyed me at first with the more sub-optimal control, but the more I've played, the more fun but I had it.

Songs of Silence manages to convince with fresh ideas, but their implementation still reveals weaknesses.

Wild, challenging first-person ride with useful additions compared to Part 1, but not every new feature actually works.

It’s like Mario Kart for adults and the best multi-player racing game so far. It’s easy to forget how long you are already playing and there’s enough fun in this game to last for months.

The battles feel like the ones from Darksiders, the dialogues remind of Bioware titles, and the world wants to be as big and multifarious as Skyrim. Reckoning gets this mixture just about right, but misses its evident types in any discipline. I had fun anyway, which is mainly due to the cool talent system and the fascinating tale. Whoever lets oneself into it, receives a successful action-role-playing game that has found its place exactly between linear story-nuggets (Dragon Age) and open-world adventures (Skyrim).

Finding Paradise is a simple game, but convinces with its emotional and unusual story as well as the clever humor.

Sam & Max behind bars! That’s how the third season starts and it’s a great start, too. Lots of comedy, running gags, the return of beloved characters and new ideas - but still a bit too easy.

Gearbox mixed a first person shooter with a role playing game and slightly missed the mark. After 20 levels you've basically seen everything, the story is very thin and still you keep playing to collect more items. The setting and the good graphics deserved more than that.

Defense Grid 2 is not a revolutionary sequel, it plays more like a subtly refined version of the first part. The successor to one of the best tower defense games is no revolution but still in the first class of the genre.