Given the fact that with its setting, Far Cry: Primal could’ve really been a breath of fresh air for the series, the actual game is somewhat of a disappointment. By no means is it a bad game though. Combat is still fun, the crafting-system is very well implemented and graphically it looks very good. But Ubisoft had a chance to break out of the same old same old formula that the Far Cry games suffer from and did not utilize it. Instead, we get the ever so similar Far Cry gameplay – but now it’s the stone age. Without a doubt fun, but all of the repetition is starting to become pretty tiresome.

Steelrising develops a nice story and atmosphere concerning an alternate reality about the French Revolution. Nevertheless the boss fights are way too easy and some technical and graphical issues are affecting the overall experience.

I don't see any real reason to recommend Phoenix Point more than the Firaxis games. But if you've spent hundreds of hours with XCOM and you've had enough of the series, you might notice the small differences to the competitor and thus be offered some variety.

Grid, the soft reboot of the brand, is like the original game a fun arcade racer with a few easy-to-use simulation approaches. The circumference is minimal, but on track Grid is very convincing and challenging.

The game's lacking the heart and soul of the other titles set in the universe of Persona 5. Fans of the series can still enjoy it because of the beloved characters and the entertaining combat system.

A charming city builder with polished gameplay and fun, approachable mechanics. If you are new to the genre, this would be a great entry point, even though the game is rather short and offers not much replay value.

As soon as Street Fighter 5 was announced to the public, I was immediately taken back to my childhood days – but maybe for the wrong reasons. Yet again, the game was mostly ignored by the media. The same thing happened to Street Fighter 3 in the late 90s. But Capcom still worked diligently on their Beat 'Em Up. The end result might look a little small on overall content, but as Capcom promised, Street Fighter 5 will constantly get new content until the end of the PS4-era.

Dawn of Man is a rather simplistic take on the city builder formula and does not offer as much content as you might expect from the genre. But for a few days I really enjoyed watching my little settlement grow, thanks to its unique setting and accessible mechanics. If you keep your expectations in check, there is a good chance you will enjoy playing Dawn of Man.

The game lacks in variety and is not necessarily a great title for long-running sessions, but its blunt humour, splatter-action and b-movie-charm make Zombie Army 4: Dead War a fun ride for any fan of a “good” zombie movie.

Neon Abyss has a great artstyle, the soundtrack rocks and there’s a lot of variety regarding the bosses, weapons and the different skills you can unlock. The procedurally generated levels, however, leave a lot to be desired.

While FIFA 21 plays a lot smoother than its predecessor and offers even more content for the fans of career and VOLTA mode, it once again feels like an evolution not a revolution. EA Sports really need to breathe new life into their football simulation. But maybe that will only happen, as soon as the franchise arrives on next gen consoles.

Gibbous is a charming, old school point&click-adventure with a Lovecraftian twist. Despite it being very much inspired by older titles, Gibbous, for the most part, avoids overly complicated and farfetched solutions to its riddles. Instead, it relies on a lot of wit and attention to detail. The humor is a tad too meta in the beginning of the game, but feels a lot more natural later on. While the story is decent, its ending leaves a bit to be desired.

Fuser gives its players dozens of opportunities to tamper with the beats. Rap and dance music work excellently when remixed, but a lot of genres and tracks outside of these two categories sound odd and won’t fit in well. Additionally, unlocking new songs takes way too long and requires unnecessary grinding.

Though its graphics aren't as impressive as the first one's were six years ago, F.E.A.R. 3 still has a lot going for it. The campaign, albeit short, does a great job of creating interesting combat situations which are only solvable through use of the trusted slow motion mechanic and the new, easy to use cover system. Co-op is always fun and the multiplayer options are interesting, even if their lasting appeal is doubtful. If you are able to overlook it's dated looks, artificial level design and some balancing flaws, F.E.A.R. 3 is a fun shooter for the summer.

El Hijo is not terrific, no question about it. The gameplay is too repetitive for that, the AI is sometimes forbidden stupidly and the story is simply not exciting enough. Nevertheless, the Western adventure can convince thanks to a beautiful graphic style and a nice sneak mechanic. El Hijo is definitely a successful game, especially for young gamers - and completely free of violence.

Due to the great graphical style, I can still imagine Swords of Ditto as a nice family adventure in which parents play with their children together.

On the technical site, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered works like clockwork. However, 4K and 60 fps cannot save the game from an empty world, a severe lack of challenge, no dynamic weather and no global high scores. A game that drives mainly on nostalgia and lost its contemporary value.

I especially like the great focus on secret infiltration.

Solid old school action, fast paced and entertaining - but far from being a genre revolution. Nevertheless it’s worth the money!

In terms of combat and atmosphere, Darktide is a triumph. A limited class system, missing endgame content and an overall lack of variety diminish what is, in fact, one of the best Warhammer 40K games ever made.

Although Peach cannot win an Oscar with her performance, she is still convincing thanks to her loving design.

Designing your own little world in Tiny Glade is a delight. Although the tools may seem rather limited at first, you’ll quickly come to realize that the only thing limiting you is in fact your creativity. We can recommend Tiny Glade to anyone who wants to let their imagination run wild.

Craftlings smartly reimagines Lemmings as a deep, systems-driven city builder, blending classic Settlers-style production chains with clever automation and logistics. Minor control quirks aside, it’s a thoughtful, nostalgic, and surprisingly long-lasting strategy game driven by a clear single-developer vision.

Like most other VR-games, Eagle Flight works best in small portions. Because gameplay-wise, there is not much to it. The courses might have enough variability, but the game-modes are severely lacking – especially in multiplayer. Though the beautiful landscape of Paris always entices me with either a casual flight or a high speed race through the subway-station. If flying in VR is something, you can get behind than you’ll find Eagle Fly to be a creative alternative to any action packed shooting gallery.

Anna’s Quest does in no way stray away from the tried and true adventure formula and doesn’t add anything new to the genre. That’s not to say that it isn’t fun – the story, in its best moments, is quite thrilling and the characters are likeable –, but it isn’t a game that will be remembered for long.

Revelations 2 may not induce as much heart-pounding from its horror elements as we would have liked, but it still spins a gripping tale with great atmosphere and an actually terrifying villain. Although it lacks in level variety, the campaign improves on the first Revelations quite a bit and stands as a gloomy counterpoint to the adrenaline rush of the simple yet surprisingly addictive raid mode.

The puzzles in Relicta are hard and there isn’t any handholding. This fact, however, is part of the game’s appeal. It feels great to finally solve a tough-as-nails puzzle. More variety regarding the levels would have been nice, nevertheless.

The Ascent is by far the most beautiful top-down shooter we have ever played. Fun combat and a glorious world make the experience worthwhile, even though the story, RPG elements and co-op modes leave a lot to be desired.

The coming-of-age adventure in the style of Life is Strange, with great characters, dialog and a mystical storyline, lets up a little at the end, but offers a great experience overall. I had a lot of fun with Swan, Nora, Kat and Autumn. I also enjoyed taking a nostalgia trip back to the 90s through the girls and reminiscing about my own youth.

Cities: Skylines 2 has exciting new ideas, introduces improvements in the right places, but tears down these advances with indisputable performance and questionable design decisions. You keep getting the feeling that the game was released too early.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst feels better in many aspects and delivers much more content than its predecessor. It still has some issues like the combat system or frustrating climbing areas, but it is still an impressive argument for its unique and fresh concept.

Telltales new series kicks off with style, offering Batman fans two hours of interesting choices, action and a promising story. Don't expect decent puzzles or exploration though: Aside from dialogue and rapid quick time events, there is not much to do.

Arma 3: The newest installment of Bohemia's military-game is more than ever an excellent platform and sandbox with great potential. Especially since the community has built much in-game content so far. Unfortunately the game-content, included by the developers, is not satisfying enough. The units and game-areas are great, but there are many bugs with AI, scripts and more and only a few multiplayer scenarios available.

Partisans 1941 is, for all its problems, a wonderful game for fans of the genre. The atmosphere is fascinating and the gameplay is as fun as it is hard to learn. If it wasn’t for the lame story and some problems with the enemy’s A.I., we’d recommend it even more. Let’s hope for some patches.

A traditional, yet highly accessible 4X game that offers nothing new aside from real-time combat, but is still a lot of fun to play. A great choice for newcomers who enjoy a rich space strategy experience, but shy away from more complex games like Endless Space or Stellaris.

The new big One Piece adventure, while charming in parts, is unfortunately stuck too deep in a hole of backtracking, unpolished ideas, and frustration to provide any joy outside its large fan base.

PC players only get a gutted version of Revelations 2. The missing co-op mode is inexcusable, though solo players won’t miss it and will instead enjoy the variety of the game’s four playable characters as well as the excellent raid mode.

As a big fan of cinema in general, I had a lot of fun playing The Deadly Tower of Monsters. The game takes you back to the good-old days of movies and has a lot of fun with its B-movie setting. Especially the comments of the “director” that are injected into the gameplay, prove to be a constant source of comedy. Besides that, shoddily improvised movie-sets and stop-motion-like enemies only further add to the game’s charm. But other than its unique tone, The Deadly Tower of Monsters has not that much else to offer. So even with it being only a run-of-the-mill action-game, I can recommend The Deadly Tower of Monsters to every Cinephile.

Mafia: The Old Country successfully builds on the winning formula of the first two installments in the series. It places its gripping narrative and fantastic characters at the center of an adventure that is exciting from start to finish. With a successful mix of stealth, brutal action, and quiet moments, time flew by for us. We can therefore highly recommend a trip to 1900s Sicily and the beginnings of the honorable family to every Mafia fan.

The sequel to Far Cry 5 fails to add anything meaningful or fresh. Instead you get a forgettable story garnished with some half-baked crafting and a post-apocalyptic setting that never really comes to fruition. Thanks to the same open world action that we've come to expect from the series - a fluid mix between stealth and explosive combat-, you still get hours of fun with Far Cry: New Dawn, provided that you keep your expectations in check.

A short, but engaging mix of strategy and action, all wrapped in beautiful pixel art. The mechanics are fun, but lack depth and variety.

Except for hard core-fans of the series, barely anyone will find their time worth invested. Wet Dreams Dry Twice heavily bases itself on stereotypes and jokes that were not even funny when the first game launched. Bugs further diminish the enjoyment, but at least the game has an interesting story and a couple of new features.

KeyWe delivers great couch-coop fun with friends. Sadly, the game isn’t really worth playing for an extended period of time. Also, the fun decreases over time, because the puzzles repeat itself. And if you decide to play alone, be prepared to be bored rather quickly.

With an impeccable atmosphere and thrilling gameplay, Stalker 2 has what it takes to be an incredible, immersive experience. One day and many, many patches later, I’m convinced the developers will have hammered it into shape, but the game that I played over the last 40 hours felt rushed and unfinished.

As a huge fan of the previous games, the tabletop and above all the books, I couldn't wait to finally get back into the virtual cockpit of a battle mech to scrap other combat robots. In many ways, the new Mechwarrior is a dream that has come true. After the first euphoria about the many 'Mechs, the cool missions and the nice look compared to the ancient predecessor has abated, it is noticeable that the MW5 gameplay has a few weak points that it is not easy to overlook.

A solid city builder in the spirit of classics like Caesar and Pharaoh. The complex economic system is challenging but also can get frustrating towards the end. The lack of a sandbox mode is most unfortunate.

The game that calls itself a military simulation does a lot better than its predecessor Arma 2 (which was crawling with bugs). The missions are varied, the bugs less common and the grafics (having a top notch pc) superb. But it´s still the old Arma, with all the AI failures (never let them drive!), cumbersome controls and flair from the 90s.

The Legend of Bum-bo is more entertaining than I thought. But - and this is the big 'but' – I really hat Bumbo the Stout. I just don't like his playing style. But well, Isaac also has characters I don't like to play with (Blue Baby). I'm too spoiled by The Binding of Isaac in terms of size, and I've got a lot more combinations there because of the higher number of items you can collect (and keep). The bugs are annoying, the crashes too of course - after all, the developers try hard to quickly add patches. In the future I will see myself playing a fast run more often - and maybe another one, and another one. Presentation and faecal humor are a matter of taste, just like the rest of McMillen's games.

A robust, yet deeply uninspired top-down shooter that is fun for a couple of hours, but loses its charm rather quickly.

Quotation forthcoming.

A solid and (hopefully) definitive remake of an action classic that can't hide its age.

Superior graphics power as well great performance and customizing options elevate the PC version over its console brethren. Yet Mad Max still suffers severely from a lack of variety. It sports a giant, atmospheric world – but doesn’t give players enough meaningful tasks to complete in it.

Medieval Dynasty feels unfinished in many ways. Yes, it looks amazing and does a great job bringing the middle ages to life. The negatives overshadow the positives, however. The story is missing synchronization and traveling the vast distances between villages is exhausting because of missing fast travel points. There are many more things that really frustrated us. If you are not in for the interesting setting, there’s really not that much here to have fun with.

Surprisingly solid action roguelite with a lot of Turtles atmosphere and co-op mode. Because it lacks variety and scope, it loses its momentum after about 15 hours.

Cloudpunk manages to create a great cyberpunk-y atmosphere, but is held back by some limitations. Gameplay-wise, it doesn’t have a lot to offer and the sequences in which you get out of your car are a bore. Play it for the well-told story to get the most out of it.

A fun adventure prologue thanks to likable characters, nice production values and a good sense of humor. Writing and puzzle design are not on par with the original though.

Too many elements in Floodland could have used a little more polish. The title also lacks the replayablility to really make waves. [...] First of all though, the game should have been released in a technically sound state.

Disney Illusion Island looks great, feels great and is full of heart. It is, however, held back by being way too easy for experienced gamers and devoid of any new ideas.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper is a good adventure with a motivating story, exciting investigations, mostly decent voice action and an atmospheric world. The game suffers from it's wooden animations, its linearity, poor 3D controls and some really annoying minigames and puzzles though.

Wow, an Anime adaption so close to the original! Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot creates an unique feeling of nostalgia. Playing the full Z-Story with Goku, Gohan and all of their friends feels so light-hearted as it did watching the series as a child. Thanks, Cyber Connect 2.

A well crafted game with a good sense of humor, excellent (German) voice acting and nifty puzzle design. Despite its weak presentation and insignificant story Ceville stands out as one of the better traditional adventure games in years.

Last year’s Guardian of Light was quite the surprise hit for me: the mixture of arcade-shooting and interesting puzzle-segments was a lot of fun – especially in coop. With Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Crystal Dynamics didn’t focus on anything innovative but rather on delivering good gameplay, beautifully designed levels and cool coop-puzzles (this time you can even play in a team of four). So if you don’t expect Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris to add mind blowing new elements and are satisfied with “only” a solid sequel, I can only recommend it.

Despite some technical and gameplay weaknesses, Layers of Fear is an entertaining horror adventure that looks fantastic thanks to Unreal Engine 5. Clear purchase recommendation for horror and graphics fans. People who have already played the series might want to stay away, due to a lack of innovation.

A fun retro romp that's not flawless, but downright addictive.

Clone or not, Lords of the Fallen is a good game in its own right. Powerful combat, lots of weapons and beautiful visuals will please those who are craving a challenge, despite some technical quirks, an obstructive camera and bland storytelling.

The new Need for Speed Unbound is an entertaining racing game with a stylish look, great tuning options and successful arcade racer gameplay, but no significant improvement compared to its predecessor.

Call of Duty’s system requirements are way too high for what graphical prowess is on offer here. Performance-wise, Infinity Ward has done a poor job. The campaign is solid fun albeit so, so stupid, yet multiplayer hasn’t evolved at all since Black Ops 3. On PC, there are also long waiting times for matchmaking.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered is clearly aimed at nostalgics who are not put off by the outdated game design and who want to relive the old adventures with Lara in a prettier look. In its time, Tomb Raider was a game series that set new standards. But nostalgia is a tricky thing and often good memories don't stand up to scrutiny with modern eyes.

While the AI could be smarter and the game in general more complex, Ino-Co Plus has done a good job of adding clever features to the established formula. Researchable spells, multiplayer and a mighty editor add a lot to the game’s replay value, while the new city limit keeps long matches from getting overly stressful. Whoever liked the first Warlock will probably love Warlock 2.

Laysara is a great hidden gem of a city-building game for anyone who enjoys building efficient production facilities and the hunt for the ideal city layout.

Rocket Arena is a nice snack, but not much more. The maps are too little, the gunplay doesn’t quite feel right and there is too much a focus on microtransactions. The graphics are nice, however and the ten characters all feel very different.

Dead Island 2 never aims for unreachable heights and knows what it wants to be: A fun zombie slasher with brutal combat, beautiful levels, robust mechanics and a few jokes along the line. If that sounds like a great time to you, there's a good chance you are going to love Dead Island 2.

A great story and lively characters combined with fun gameplay make Oddworld: Soulstorm a successful remake. But the checkpoints quickly become a chore, due to the extremely annoying crafting-system, which can make some passages irritatingly frustrating.

Accessible action, a hint of strategy and a fair amount of content make for some hours of enjoyable castle crashing. It’s no classic, but a fun experience for sure.

Iron Danger has a couple of staggering flaws such as a lack of motivation, character progression or a good story. That being said, the well thought out battles and the rewarding challenge make the title a compelling strategy game.

Compared to its predecessor, Steel Division 2 is even more complex – mainly because of the new campaign mode. Although everything in the game is great for fans of real time strategy, it lacks of a real tutorial. That’s a shame, because without any help the game is much too complicated for beginners.

The patches are having an impact: Spellforce 3 is fun - finally.

A game that sometimes leaves you perplexed by some bizarre decisions, but is developed with so much love that you can hardly be mad at it.

One of the most polarising game in the last months: Outriders serves fun and entertaining gameplay but also dishes out a clichéd story and a vast number of technical issues. Most glaringly: the inevitable online-connection to play the game, which is undermined by the server problems. Being full price and a Triple-A-production, players should be able to expect more.

All of Kona’s survival-mechanics are implemented well enough, and the atmosphere of the game draws the player into its world. Sadly though, the most motivating factor in Kona – the story - falls apart towards the end of the game. Nearly any route you imagine the plot to go will be more thrilling and satisfying than the actual reveal. This is very unfortunate, because the story is the driving force for even continuing the game.

Rage 2 delivers incredible action at a ridiculous pace which makes it easily one of the best FPS experiences I've had in years. Sadly the rest of the game falls flat in comparison, with uninspired open world design, clunky driving and a shallow story that can be finished in just a couple of hours.

While it lacks a gripping story and more tactical depth, Hard West's mix of XCOM-style missions, light RPG elements and Wild West mystery still comes as a pleasant surprise.

Star Trucker is niche, but really good: the longer you spend on the leisurely flight through space and the better you get at managing the energy cells, the more you enjoy the varied systems, the harmonious country music and the chilled gameplay.

An astounding variety of ethical decisions, a wide range of believable, fun characters and a thrilling 24esque storyline make Alpha Protocol one of the most compelling role playing games of the last years. But be warned: The artificial intelligence is at times dumb as a rock, the save system seems rather antiquated, the graphics don’t hold up to the genre standard and the mini games are clearly not made for PC gamers. However, Alpha Protocol combines an enthralling storyline with a functioning role playing core and the highest grade of replayability in years! Well made, Obsidian!

By blending B-movie-fantasy and frantic combat, Evil West remains a mostly enjoyable action romp, despite its shallow writing and dull level design. You might wait for a little price drop though.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is an incredibly extensive and complex RPG with great story, characters and fresh ideas surrounding the kingdom building. Unfortunately it suffers from some design flaws, bugs and excessive loading screens.

Some of my most precious memories regarding video games are in some manner connected to the two Banjo-Kazooie games from developer Rare. Yooka-Laylee manages to tap into those exact memories, by embodying the very essence of games like the aforementioned Banjo-Kazooie. Enjoyable gameplay, an ingenious soundtrack and the happy-go-lucky attitude of the game are just some of the things that make Yooka-Laylee a great experience. Though for some reason I don’t quite feel the same enjoyment, I had with those games in my childhood. Maybe it’s my age or some of the questionable design decisions by the developers. Nonetheless, Yooka-Laylee is a really good game.

Mario Strikers Battle League Football is wild, chaotic and – because of that – a lot of fun. The gameplay is smooth and well balanced and the presentation is absolutely gorgeous. Sadly the content is ridiculous. Only 10 players to choose from, five stadiums that do not have any special effects on the game and three game modes are included. That is too little for a price of 60 Euros.

The second part of the Dark Pictures Anthology improves upon almost everything from its predecessor. Little Hope presents a captivating story, but the shallow gameplay and underwritten characters are definitely a matter of taste.

Even though Haven is based on loose and shallow gameplay, the relationship between the protagonists Yu and Kay carries the game over these obstacles with ease. The cute love story is authentically written and successfully enchants players in its process.

A charming, rock-solid metroidvania that should appeal to every fan of the Castlevania series, even though it would have benefited greatly from a more interconnected game world and better use of its time manipulation mechanics.

An enchanting little adventure set in a beautiful world. Only the last third could have been more challenging with a little more variety.

Surprisingly enough, the newest Call of Duty delivers a grand presentation and an interesting story. Its massive scope of different modes and new tactical options compared to the predecessor make this game an excellent comeback. The only downsides are a lacking enemy AI and missing challenge on some of the difficulty settings as well as a short single player campaign.

Disciples: Liberation takes us on an epic adventure through a Dark Fantasy world that is filled with conflict and pain. The compelling narrative, characters and the tough decisions you have to make again and again to balance your standing in the four factions are what drives this game forward. The gameplay alone wouldn’t be able to motivate us for the 80 hour adventure, it is just to simple. The combat rarely presents a challenge and with the abundance of resources loses are easily replaced. We still had a lot of fun, since the roleplay aspect of the game works well enough.

The writing is dreadful and much of the game feels like it could have been released 17 years ago. But if you look past some of its shortcomings, there is a decent action game hidden underneath. We just wished the game would have made a little more out of its premise (which is still pretty rad).

It's not a problem that House of Ashes tells a different story than the one I imagined. But a good story to replace it would have been nice. In the end, however, I was left dissatisfied, and the technical flaws are not even taken into account, they are added. With Man of Medan and Little Hope, I found it easier to forgive these stumbling blocks as the plot grabbed me more.

A solid, yet forgettable fantasy strategy game with some interesting ideas, but a weak campaign and way too much repetition.

You can tell how much love and detail have gone into the game. Even if the technology fails here and there, I can recommend the experience to any fan of shallow horror.