Age of Empires 4 is clearly not a bad RTS. Considering the constant drought in the genre, the game is probably the best that could have happened for fans at the moment. However we wish the developers would have shown more courage. In the end the game is too similar to Age of Empires 2, it goes the safety route, not risking to do something wrong. And all of that without ever reaching the same atmosphere or charm that made the second entry so great. It is hard to think of reasons why a player who still has a lot of fun with the Definitive Edition of Age 2 should switch to this game. But whoever gets drawn by the small improvements like the new wall system or the gameplay differences between the civilizations can look forward to a great RTS package with many hours of fun.

The three Crysis games still look great on modern PCs and are a lot fun, which raises the question if we really needed these remasters in the first place. The first Crysis Remastered is somewhat of a mixed bag, in some regards better, in others subpar to the amazing PC original. Crysis 2 however looks noticably crisper with some nice visual touches like raytraced reflections, sharper textures and improved lighting. The third remaster received less attention in comparison, up to a point where one might ask if a simple patch would have sufficed. Which brings us to the consoles, because this is where the three remasters really shine: No matter on which plattform you play, the console versions are greatly improved with smoother framerates and sharper image quality that outshines the original Xbox 360 and PS3 releases in every possible way.

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.

As someone who wasn't too familiar with either the anime or the manga for Demon Slayer, I had a lot of fun with this game. I will probably even watch the anime now to see what happens next. One might think that the game had done its job. But does it offer enough to entice newbies who aren't playing it for a test to pay full price instead of just watching the anime? I do not think so. If you are a fan of Demon Slayer and fighting games, you will love this game. But if you are looking for an introduction to the world of Demon Slayer like me, you should at least wait for a discount.

Super Monkey Ball has what fans expect from it: cute monkeys rolling around in plastic balls. It’s suitable for beginners as well as for more experienced players. You can also play online against players all over the world. Overall, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania plays it safe and satisfies fans of the series by doing so.

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.

In Sound Mind is a solid horror game brought down by massive problems. It never runs smoothly and the controls are imprecise. The worst part during our time with the game was when we had to circumvent a game-breaking bug by triggering another bug on purpose.

Hot Wheels Unleashed could have been such a great game, but wasted his potential. Basically, it’s a fun arcade racer with an interesting setting which it barely uses in interesting ways. Also, the multiplayer is broken. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a fun racing game. Just don’t expect anything extraordinary.

New World does a lot of things right. Combat and crafting work very well. The world looks stunning and the game has one of the best sound designs in the history of video games. However, be sure you know what you sign up for. If you are looking for a quest-based and story-driven MMO like WoW, then New World will not make you happy. But if you enjoy exploration and PvP in a MMO, then this game is for you.

Far Cry 6 manages to tell a dark and gritty story with an excellent written and performed antagonist. The game also gets rid of unnecessary rpg systems and leans more back to the shooter roots of the series. Overall a better experience than the two predecessors but with lack of something really new.

The Pro Evolution Soccer series was all the time a worthy opponent for the popular football simulation FIFA. But the newest game from Konami eFootball 2022 has lost all of its glory of the past. The biggest problem of the title is not the small scope with only two gamemodes, nine licensed clubs and six stadiums, it’s the horrendous gameplay. The switch to the Unreal Engine does absolutely not work for the new football simulation from Konami. There is a lot of work to do in the next weeks, to make this game enjoyable and playable.

Even after more than 20 years, smashing monsters and looting to your hearts content is as addicting as ever. A fantastic visual overhaul and some much-needed improvements make this the best version of Diablo 2 so far. However, a lot of outdated mechanics remain untouched, from shared loot and uneven balancing to an overflowing inventory that constantly interrupts the action. Even basic stuff like stackable gems or some useful tutorial screens didn't make it into this remaster. Blizzard is clearly catering to fans of the original, even if that means the remaster may never reach its full potential.

The game mixes riddles, dialogues and fights very competently. It is very well-written and with more than 20 hours of playtime, there’s a lot to explore.

Despite being a Metroidvania in a market overflowing with games like it, Unbound manages to surprise in many different ways. It has a very interesting portal mechanic, plus an awesome soundtrack. Paired with challenging gameplay, this makes Unbound: Worlds Apart a short and neat experience.

Garden Story has a great soundtrack and the artstyle is adorable. Well, and that’s all the positives we can think about. Repetitive tasks and very flawed game design make Garden Story a chore to play most of the time.

As a bird called Flint, we build and decorate different camping sites and take care of its inhabitant’s needs. You can take all the time you need and there’s also a lot to explore on the island. A great way to pass time on a rainy Sunday.

If you are into experimental games, you will find countless things in the desert of Midden that deserve to be found and will burn into your memory. However, if you have some difficulties with rather quiet and minimalistic stories and wish for an intense and huge adventure like Breath of the Wild, you might be disappointed. Sable is a small-scale project with a lot of heart that only works if you are actually willing to surrender to emptiness and peace. But trust us, it’s definitely worth your time.

Quake Remastered does the cult classic justice by offering the player not only the base game and all it's add-ons but also two bonus episodes, one of which is brand new. Coupled with 4K graphics, a slick menu and some nice extras it's a great package for fans. You can't deny it's age though - this is still a 25-year-old shooter.

The word that describes Eldest Souls best is: painful. The promising core gameplay is buried under a ton of flaws. Horrible controls, a boring story and a non-existent learning curve make it so that not even souls-veterans will like this game.

At first, Dice Legacy was able to convince me with its look. Even if the first rounds went rather suboptimally and frustration quickly arose, I gave the game more time. Lo and behold, after a while you understand the individual mechanics and appreciate them. But the countless waves of opponents later in the game bothered me immensely. You always have to have a soldier's die ready to fend off them. It feels like the next wave comes after every defense. I would be happy about a patch that increases the time between waves.

Cards on the table: Metroid is a series that I haven't had too close ties to for a long time. I am rather indifferent. That's why I didn't care about the open surroundings and the focus on hand-to-hand combat instead of firearms - but I understand if some fans of the predecessor would have wished for something else. On the other hand, I find it unhappy how lax and low-tension the fights are. For example, I raked the flying ox on the opposite side with an ice ax until it was dead. In such banal arguments, the joy of victory is limited. There are certainly people who have a better sense of direction than I do, because in some places I was quite at a loss as to where to go next. Here is my tip: If in doubt, go to the breach area. By the way, an all-round good innovation is the teleporting of memory points. That saves Indra a long walk or two.

The compact game plays consistently excellently, because no gameplay element seems superimposed and the feeling of progress is so successful precisely because Kena focuses on the essentials. Only on the story level was I left a little disappointed. The game makes an effort to touch the player emotionally, but it didn't really work out because the story and characters are shifted a little too much into the background. Nevertheless, the gameplay and presentation are so successful that they easily carry Kena over its ten to fifteen hour runtime and keeps me waiting eagerly for the studio's next project.

After the last representative of multiplayer shooting in the Aliens franchise seemed more like a cheap shooting gallery attraction, Aliens: Fireteam Elite gives hope for a fun sci-fi shooter with your friends against hordes of slimy aliens. The sound effects are authentic - especially the recognizable weapons. It offers non-stop action and plenty of material to improve and find. Nevertheless an aha experience sets in for me at some point. I had a lot of fun while testing, but like sexual intercourse, it is unfortunately mostly boring if you do it with yourself. And because I have to play the same missions over and over again, i got bored soon. Nevertheless 40 bucks are still an acceptable price for a few hours of co-op fun in the Aliens universe.

Rustler copies ideas and mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 2 and tries desperately to squeeze them into a medieval setting. Neither the story nor the gameplay are exciting. Even the Monty Python-inspired Quests do not make it a good game and the highest of feelings was us smirking about the silly humour.

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.

Life is Strange: True Colors is the newest addition to the Life is Strange universe. This time, the special power of main character Alex is her talent to sense the emotions of others. The presentation is quite charming, the characters are well-written and the story is exciting, if not predictable. Unfortunately, the gameplay is quite boring and we encountered some technical problems.

Road 96’s story is very interactive and all of our choices have consequences that can be very small or completely change what’s going to happen. Because of that, the replayability is immense. However, the texture quality is bad and gameplay-wise, Road 96 is nothing more than a walking simulator. So you better be in for the story!

King’s Bounty 2 is an interesting and tactical challenging RPG for everyone who doesn’t need pristine visuals and who can overlook the flaws in game design and balancing.