While the additions don't change the game in any fundamental way, the overall experience is still as amazing as it was last year. If you haven't played Ori before, this Definitive Edition is a must buy.

Miles Morales offers the same excellent gameplay as its predecessor with a shorter campaign, richer side missions and some fun new abilities. While it's more of a standalone expansion rather than a full-fledged sequel, the charming cast of characters and a well done coming of age story make it a must-play for fans of the first game. With the PC port, developer Nixxes Software has once again done a great job. Support for ultra-wide monitors, multiple upscaling technologies, smooth performance and a wide array of options - there's not much more you could wish for in a PC conversion. 

I'm a huge fan of Hexfeld strategy games. Whether it's the Panzer General series, Panzer Tactics HD, or much more complex titles like Strategic Command and Gary Grigsby's War in the West, I've spent several hours of my life playing turn-based strategy games with WWII setting. I liked the Panzer General series and also Panzer Corps the best, because they were quite complex, but with a simple user interface and catchy rules. A similar case is Unity of Command 2, where the logistics gives the usual hex battle an interesting spin.

As a big fan of games like Castlevania and Metroid, this genre is right up my alleyway. Sadly, nowadays I lack the time and patience to take on new games of this genre in an adequate manner. Thus, Guacamelee! was a welcomed exception. The classic gameplay, stylish comic-design and excellent humor were exactly what I needed. The fact that Guacamelee! got such a good PC-port was only the cherry on top. So if enjoy metroidvania-games in the slightest, has to check out Guacamelee!.

A wonderful shooter with a lot of well-crafted details which almost reaches the outstanding quality of its great predecessor.

Finally there’s a reason to delete Civilization 5 from our hard drives. Firaxis has improved on many systems, while adding some clever twists like the city sectors. Civilization 6 is a blast to play and we cannot foresee a time when it won’t be installed on our hard drives. This is the definitive turn-based strategy game of the decade.

Battlefield 1 offers hands down the best graphics of any shooter, nay, any game to date. While its single-player-campaign is – again – unnecessary drivel, as short as it is forgettable, the multi-player-offering is in a league of its own. If you only buy one shooter this year, make it Battlefield 1.

A great remake of the GameCube classic, with a few lingering flaws keeping it from being the perfect remake.

The new "My Team" mode is the biggest innovation (and improvement) in recent years and fits perfectly into the F1 game concept from Codemasters. Apart from that, the many adjustments to the driving experience, penalty system, TV-like presentation and technology add a little extra. F1 2020 is not only the best F1 game, it is also one of the best racing games out there.

With Deadfire, Obsidian delivers a worthy successor to Pillars of Eternity.

Without a doubt one of id software's best. Intense battles, brutal enemies, glorious design, a pulse-pounding soundtrack and a smooth engine all come together in one amazing package.

Thanks to its beautiful pixel art, charming characters, diverse environments and great design, Owlboy lives up to the expectations, even though it is far from perfect.

As far as Metroidvania games go, Ori's brilliant visuals, stunning soundtrack and spot-on controls are unparalleled. An amazing achievement.

The game also utilizes the features of the DualSense controller. When Indy punches Nazis, you can feel the haptic feedback, and thanks to the adaptive triggers, you can feel the pressure points when firing firearms.

When it comes to adult, nonlinear storytelling, The Witcher 2 is in a class of its own. Accompanied by outstanding visuals, carefully written characters and one of the most iconic heroes in the genre, the game exceeds many of our expectations. Unfortunately the ending is a little unsatisfying, there are some noticeable bugs and both controls and combat system leave quite a lot to be desired. The Witcher 2 is not perfect by any means, but it's a huge accomplishment nonetheless and ranks easily among the best RPGs of this year.

Quotation forthcoming.

Subnautica shows an almost perfect mix of survival, exploration and building. The story is so beautifully woven into the game, without being forced on the player.

Hitman 3 is the epic finale for the reboot trilogy, which started 2016. The different locations are breathtaking and long term satisfying. The game includes also two of the best Hitman missions of all the time. Dartmoor and Berlin are different to any other previous scenery and really amazing to play. A profound and dark story rounds off this great stealth adventure. There is only one big weakness in Hitman 3 and that’s the annoying and chunky gun handling.

A complex and great remake with only small weaknesses, but the age difference to the masterpiece Persona 5 can be seen in the game structure.

Silly microtransactions, but fantastic gameplay - a must-have for every NBA-fan.

Charming, innovative, complex, and finished with a high-gloss polish: Pragmata proves that Japanese action game design is in a class of its own.

The famous Burnout-series finally finds its way on to the PC. On the one hand the synonym for an arcade-racing-game gets a little monotonous because of its open-world-concept and the repetitive missions. On the other hand the action and the furious, iconic moments you will live through make up for that, which in the end make Burnout: The Ultimate Box to one of the best arcade-racers you can get at the moment.

Quotation forthcoming.

Great action role-playing game with an exciting storyline, epic moments, fast-paced combat and a dark setting that is light on RPG elements.

Polyphony Digital’s latest outing puts itself into pole position with a game that brings the series back to its roots. The amount of content is gigantic, the driving feels great and the graphics are superb. A true winner.

Saros shines in precisely the areas where Returnal already excelled. Unfortunately, however, its gameplay suffers from the same issues as the original. Regarding the story, though, the criticism has been addressed; following the narrative is now far less disruptive, as it no longer interrupts the gameplay flow of individual runs.

It only took about 15 minutes for me to realize that Baba Is You truly is an extraordinary game. Its concept as well as its mechanics are refreshing and nigh perfect. Within the first level, the game teaches you how to play it without having to use even one explicit tutorial-line. And it only goes uphill from there. Sure, not every puzzle is impeccable, and I did manage to get stuck on some, but the overall joy I felt - if one of my solutions actually worked - outweighed all of that. If you’re a fan of puzzle-games, you should definitely check out Baba Is You.

In terms of content and gameplay, there's pretty little to criticize about Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. Both games perform well on the Nintendo Switch, and especially on the Nintendo Switch 2. However, to call them remasters or even remakes would be an exaggeration. They're essentially optimized ports. But is that really so bad if the gameplay is still fun? Well, considering the price, it's a bit. Charging almost €70 for games that are 15 or 18 years old, respectively, and offer hardly any notable innovations, is a bit outrageous. If you already own Super Mario Galaxy through the 3D All-Stars Collection, you don't really need to buy this version again. There's simply too little new to offer. And visually, the 3D All-Stars Galaxy still looks pretty good. For Super Mario Galaxy 2, however, you have no other alternative besides the Wii version. If you're not familiar with either game yet, this bundle is a great way to catch up. Even though the price remains controversial, the decision is ultimately yours.

The Great Circle is not your average action-adventure game, but a true Indy experience through and through. It does have its shortcomings and the story sometimes goes a little off the rails, but none of that should stop true fans of enjoying the hell out ouf it.

Despite the new setting Max Payne 3 captures the cynical dark atmosphere of the series perfectly. New gameplay elements like the cover-system are implemented very good, but the lack of innovation makes the action a bit tedious towards the end. Nonetheless Rockstar delivers a good game and even more important: it deserves the name Max Payne.

Almost two years after its initial release Rise is still an amazing Monster Hunter game and a great way for newcomers to enter the franchise. Technically it is everything you can ask for in a console port. And with all the free title updates of the main game it delivers a package, that even veteran Rise players will find enjoyable to play through once again.

Simply one of the best metroidvania games in years. With its beautiful art style, well crafted gameplay and huge game world to explore, Hollow Knight offers amazing value for your money.

OlliOlli World is pure fun. It is well structured and offers both experienced and new players multiple ways to enjoy the game to their liking. Great music, a wonderful artstyle and a motivating leaderboard system make Olli Olli World an incredibly enjoyable experience, regardless *of* experience.

Even though the original game released back in 2017, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard looks and runs very well on Nintendo Switch 2.

Reaper of Souls may not be the most original expansion, but it's definitely a good one. The Crusader is fun to play, the Mystic adds depth to the crafting system and Act V is beautifully designed. However, for its price tag we expected a little more content. But in the end it all comes down to treasure hunting and this is where Reaper of Souls really shines: The new adventure mode combined with the revamped loot system offers many satisfying hours of monster-bashing fun.

Original Sin is a lovingly-crafted homage to some of the 90s best CRPGs that in terms of story and characters isn’t up to par with the likes of Baldur’s Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment. Nevertheless it’s Larian Studios’ best game yet with one of the most intricately designed, interactive and atmospheric game worlds of all time.

A commendable adventure thanks to its rich characters, creative stories and stylish visuals, even though the puzzles and choices leave much to be desired.

Blood-curdling horror - weapons, gameplay, enemy design and visuals are all at their best. However, the performance drops are a real annoyance.

Return may not be the best in the series, but it is still a fun, relaxed adventure with lots of good puzzles and a surprisingly heartfelt ending.

The masterpiece is back. A great story and dense atmosphere meet modern graphics. The remake of Silent Hill 2 is the best horror game of the year so far and can compete with the remake of Resident Evil 4 and Alan Wake 2. Great times for fans of horror.

The campaign is a lot of fun. Sadly, there is very little story to it, but powering up your car nevertheless feels great. The other game modes are also great, delivering challenges, legendary races, Grand Prix and a very robust multiplayer mode. As every year, the developers deliver the full package.

A worthy expansion with great scope, exciting characters, great mission design and an absolutely fantastic spy thriller story.

Gorgeous from start to finish, highly polished and sometimes deeply unsettling, Inside is not only a worthy successor to Limbo. It's one of the best games of 2016.

Dispatch marks a triumphant return for episodic adventure games, with tons of charme, wits and style. While we would have hoped for more impactful decisions and a bit more depth in the strategic layer, the amazing cast and likeable characters easily make up for this. Can't wait for Season 2!

There’s always something happening, constantly I have to decide, consider and proceed tactically – and sometimes even accept devastating defeat. A healthy mix of challenge, tension and reward is what makes a great game – Total War: Warhammer 2 is such a game.

Spider-Man is one of the best superhero games of all time with some of the best and most satisfying movement-systems ever seen in an open world title. While most of the side stuff consists of your typical Ubisoft-style fetch-quests, this movement makes even those enjoyable. Throw on a very fluid and enjoyable combat system along with a well paced story and you've got yourself a game that hasn't lost much of its luster since releasing in 2018. The new PC post is very solid with a wide array of options, impressive raytracing and support for three different upscaling systems, enabling good performance across many configurations. The only downside is having to pay full price for it, although if you've never played Spider-Man, the PC version is worth the asking price.

After the big success of Elden Ring the developers of From Software now celebrating the release of their new game Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. In our review the Mech-Shooter convinced us immediately with spectacular action paced robot fights. Gameplay, controls, graphic and soundtrack working perfectly together and also the mission design brings a lot of variety into the game. But we have to say, AC6 is not made for beginners. While most enemies are not really hard to beat, the bossfights kept us a very long time on our toes. Armored Core 6 is not perfect, the menu navigation is very laborious and there are a few unfair moments while fighting the big bosses, but nevertheless fans of the franchise and the genre will be satisfied.

A spectacular arcade racing game with brilliant graphics. The driving feels terrific, the amount of content is staggering and the faux Australia is joy to explore. Need for Speed, take heed.

This clever finger exercise in storytelling satisfies our joy of searching through the lives of others. But its narrative is not strong enough to let us overlook the simple graphics or limited depth of gameplay. But it is an enjoyable experience – especially for gaming-crowd over 30.

Thanks to gunpowder and cannons, battles at land and sea are much more engaging than in the original. Add the well thought-out changes on the strategy map and it's purse-friendly price tag and you have one great addition to the Total War-series.

Lacuna is a wonderful indie detective game in which you have to solve the murder of a politician. The graphics are really nice, as are the atmosphere and the sound. There’s a lot of great twists and turns regarding the story, resulting in several different outcomes, depending on the player’s choices. Overall a clear recommendation.

The biggest and darkest Diablo yet, with a huge world to explore, robust mechanics and tons of quests to do along the way. Some features feel a little undercooked, but provide a great foundation for updates and improvements, much more than Diablo 3 ever could. The MMO design does not hurt the experience and the current monetization is easy enough to ignore. However, this might change in the future, as new mechanics, shop items and seasonal content are rolling in. Blizzard will have to be careful not to ruin what has been an amazing launch so far.

Total War: Warhammer cuts out many features that fans of both franchises have come to expect. Personally, it doesn’t really bother me that sea-battles are now decided by the roll of a dice and sieges don’t include the entire city anymore, because the developers of Creative Assembly rather focused on more important elements. The enemy-AI behaves a lot more clever and battles have overall become way smoother. Obviously Total War: Warhammer never comes close to the complexity of a Civilization-game, but Warhammer’s real time battles definitely make up for that fact. What appears to be a bit of a weird decision by the developers though, is that you’re no longer able to paint your troops and cannot upgrade standard-units in any way or form.

This expansion is essential more of the same, but that’s great – Sunbreak delivers impressive new monsters, many great fights and fresh environments as a welcome change.

Especially the new offense AI with its new pathing routines makes FIFA 13 worth buying. But also the other new features like First-Touch-Control and tactical free-kicks enhance the franchise's playability. Add the large variety of game modes and licenses and you get one of the best sports games on the market.

A feast for horror fans. After Alan Wake 2 and the Resi 4 remake, Silent Hill 2 now delivers. The dark season can come.

Excellent graphics, brilliantly designed levels and a chaotic but funny coop-mode: Rayman Origins is a triumphant comeback for Ubisofts limbless hero!

A serviceable campaign is augmented by a very robust multiplayer offering. Gears of War 4 offers spectacular graphics and great PC performance, but the story feels unfinished.

The strategy game offers an insane amount with over one thousand different units and appeals through its neat visual design. The gameplay is fair, but quite challenging and can entice through its depth in mechanics. Rare crashes were only a minor inconvenience.

An intriguing, beautifully acted genre experiment that took me completely by surprise.

Nintendo has done an excellent job of transporting the indestructible Mario Kart formula into the open world. However, there are still a few rough edges in a few places.

While not quite on par with Wings of Liberty, the Heart of the Swarm campaign still comes as a fine package with varied missions and great production values. Multiplayer is as absorbing and challenging as ever, while offering newcomers a good place to get their feet wet.

The new Prince of Persia is a first-class metroidvania that just keeps getting better the longer we play.

Dishonored 2 is a masterpiece in level design, marred by some glaring technical flaws on PC. Smooth-as-silk stealth and cool superpowers make this one a must-buy for any gamer – provided your PC can run it. If in doubt, wait for the first couple of patches.

Platinum Games‘ return to form manages to deliver one of the most action-packed and over the top games of recent memory. Bayonetta's demon slaves enrich the already deep combat even further and are both fun to watch and control. Sure, the story is as convoluted and uninteresting as ever, not all of the game‘s many mechanics and set-pieces are as polished as the combat and the Switch‘s aging hardware doesn’t do the graphics any favors. But if you like your action games fast, fluid and completely bonkers, this is a tour de force that packs enough punch and content to be worth the asking price.

Fantastic visuals, fast combat and clever nanosuit mechanics more than compensate for some linear leveldesign, a mediocre story and unvaried enemy design. It's not as good as the first game in the series, but it's a great shooter nonetheless.

You have to see this amazing open world! Ghost of Yotei is an absolute PS5 treat and scores with breathtaking sword fights and beautiful landscapes. Only a few technical issues cloud the picture. Sucker Punch has again developed an amazing action adventure.

The Legendary Edition is a worthy remaster to carry Commander Shepards Legacy into the future. You can feel in every corner the love and passion of the Bioware developers who poured their hearts into this project. With it’s remarkable story, the well written characters and epic moments Mass Effect is still one of the best SciFi worlds video games have to offer.

An almost perfect remake of a timeless classic. It captures the look and feel of the original game while it benefits greatly from decent new graphics and top-notch voice acting. If only Lucas Arts hadn't changed the control scheme! The use of that clumsy Xbox 360 interface in a adventure game (!) for pc is just ridiculous, it really brings down some of the fun.

Homeworld Remastered is a no-brainer for anyone with a passing interest in science fiction and space strategy games. Gearbox did a terrific job with the HD visuals, but the original Homeworld suffers from some cuts to the core formula in terms of the now useless formations. Yet, those kind of details will only really bother the most hardcore of fans – everyone else is in for a sometimes unforgiving, but unique RTS.

Crosscode is an amazing adventure with more than 50 hours of content, charming retro graphics, likeable characters and tons of challenging puzzles. Jumping and aiming can get a little fiddly and a bunch of the brainteasers are simply too demanding, but if you bite through these slightly frustrating moments, you will get more than your money's worth.

ARC Raiders achieves what many developers have failed to do: creating a mainstream extraction shooter that does justice to the quality you expect from a Triple-A-Shooter.

A very powerful sequel, which sets the benchmark for Wolfenstein 3 quite high.

Lara’s origin story is a terrific, action-packed experience with stunning visuals that sadly has not much to do with her previous adventures. Yet the puzzle physics are cool, the exploration of the island is rewarding and the much-improved combat is easily one of the biggest steps forward for the series – too bad there is sometimes too much of it.

Creative Assembly goes big with this final outing of the Warhammer trilogy. For veterans, it offers large amounts of content, most notably a total of eight playable races as well as an enhanced diplomacy system. However, it is also the first Total War game that considers new players by giving them a lengthy prologue campaign for learning the ropes. The game is still difficult though and suffers in parts from weak AI. Nevertheless, it is an amazing new title for the series – for newcomers and veterans alike.

With Dirt 3 Codemasters finally re-focuses on what the Colin-Mc-Rae-series once stood for: real rally races, that make up about 60 percent of the game. The rest is a well-balanced mixture of evenly enjoyable race-types, inkluding the tricky Gymkhana events. The awesome car selection features a lot of classics from the 60's all the way to modern WRC cars - driving them is a ton of fun. Just don't expect a true simulation here.

Another prime example of how PC ports should be done: Returnal looks brilliant on high-end machines, but shows fine performance on medium-sized PCs as well. There are plenty of options to choose from and the rogue-like action feels amazing with keyboard and mouse. If you haven't yet experienced Returnal in all its glory on PS5, this version is just as good, if not even better.

After one year in Early Access the 1.0 version of Sons of the Forest is finally out. With a lot more gadgets and story content the survival game convinced us from the first seconds. The graphics are beautiful and the behave of the NPCs is absolutely stunning. It makes a lot of fun to explore the creepy island full of cannibals and mutants. Every survival fan should play the sequel of The Forest.

If you are craving a game like the original Commandos, this is the one to get: Great level design, likable characters, sleek mechanics and challenging missions make Desperados 3 every bit as good as Shadow Tactics, which is quite a compliment on its own.

Machine Games treats the iconic character with love and care, making it by far the best Indiana Jones game since Fate of Atlantis.

Mythic Entertainment’s approach to topple World of Warcraft accompanies the player on every step and keeps motivation sky high, due to constant rewards. Despite having to deal with some minor bugs and balancing issues, Warhammer Online’s public quests and PvP-focus make it a fair alternative in the growing MMORPG-market.

Dead Space brings few innovations and a little too much gore but delivers an atmosphere that has no peer in recent action games. The best EA game in years.

Both accessible and merciless at the same time, this is by far one the best roguelike deckbuilders since Slay the Spire.

Enemy Within is a terrific expansion to an already awesome game. It gives classic XCOM a delightful twist, fighting aliens and corrupt Exalt agents with superheroes and mechs instead of normal soldiers.

A lovingly presented, content-rich mix of role-playing and life simulation, held together by an entertaining, if not particularly twist-filled, story and 14 diverse professions. However, Level-5 wastes a lot of potential with its unfortunately half-baked multiplayer mode.

Respawn did a remarkable job on the campaign, which is bristling with ideas and cool moments. The experience may be short, but it’s entertaining none the less. Online though is where Titanfall 2 really shines. The game offer some of the most insane, fast-paced shootouts, packed to the brim with wallrunning, explosions and mighty titans. Prepare for one hell of a ride.

Both highly accessible and super fun to play, Heroes of the Storm comes heartily recommended. Give it a try, it's free.

Hack’n Slay as its best. First you’ll think “this is just another diablo-copy”, but when you begin to get into the game deeper, you’ll be surprised. It has the most powerful and individual character-system you’ll ever see in an action-rpg so far. Moreover, all game-content is 100% free to play, no hidden “pay2win” in the shop.

The game is an interesting mix between Souls-like and Metroidvania. The presentation is amazing, the graphics are just as great and it expertly manages to blur the border between 2D and 3D. It took us about 20 hours to beat the challenging, but always fair story.

This new edition is a complete success and for every adventure fan, who has not played the classic, a must buy.

The setting is refreshingly different and can only be compared with Deus Ex, even if CD Projekt Red has a whole lot more to offer in terms of style. I also really liked the great characters. And I'm not even talking about Keanu Reeves here. I especially took characters like Judy, Panam and Delamain into my heart and followed their subplots with almost more joy than my own main story. As a role-playing game, it offers me exactly the right mix of profound character system and gripping combat action. I'm already looking forward to another round in which I'll try a completely different approach. I actually find it rather positive that it is not as extensive as The Witcher 3. Yes, the game still has a surprising number of unpolished edges, and yes, there are a few small imperfections that I don't really like. But I just hope for the first patches, because in the end Cyberpunk 2077 is a great game that you should have played even with these corners.

An atmospheric climbing simulation, but weaknesses in the core mechanics and shortcomings in the story prevent Cairn from reaching its full potential.

A fresh new take on football, Rocket League serves both as a fast and fun diversion as well as a deep and complex multiplayer experience to really sink your teeth into.

F1 2021 is a great racing game with a lot of content, but also with a few weak spots. The AI could behave more realistically. Also, the damage model is still too weak, although it has been improved. If you enjoyed F1 2020 or any of Codemasters' other recent F1 games, are a motorsport fan or want to immerse yourself in the world of Formula 1, F1 2021 is the perfect opportunity to lose yourself in the virtual top class of motorsport for countless hours.

Inscryption is a masterpiece. It combines rogue-like elements with card-based gameplay and brings with it with one of the best stories we’ve experienced in a long time. The only real criticism we have is the relatively short time it took us to beat the game. Nonetheless, Inscryption is one of the best games of the year, indie or otherwise.

The fight system, character management and abundancy of content are great, the different battle maps and objectives add variety and despite all those systems the game isn't just challenging but also beginner friendly. […] Sadly, the story and presentation fail to add on to this solid foundation.

I just love games like Portal that force you to really use your brain and get creative. The Talos Principle is a prime example for this kind of game. The puzzles are splendid and always manage to excite anew. I also think, the foundation for the plot to The Talos Principle is incredibly interesting, though its presentation via a slew of different texts really dulls the initial fascination. But if you’re really in to the game’s various themes, you will most likely still find yourself enjoying the story quite a bit.

Cities: Skylines will be the city builder to beat in coming years. With few real flaws, this is the Sim City we were promised two years ago. Developer Colossal Order succeeds and even trumps Maxis in terms of sheer road-dropping, tax-raising fun. If you like playing mayor, there simply isn’t anything else like it out there.