Yes, the original Warcraft 3 is still a great game, but it is also clear that Blizzard has missed the mark with this remaster. The singleplayer campaign and gameplay mechanics have aged astoundingly well and the visual update is mostly successful. Newcomers will most likely have a great time experiencing the story and its four distinct races, which are still a lot of fun to play. But where are the vastly improved cutscenes that Blizzard has promised? This is simply not the game that has been advertised. Multiplayer comes with its own problems, from missing features (like a ladder or custom campaigns) to small, but irritating technical issues. Most of it can be fixed, for sure, but it appears rather baffling to me that this is a game from the same studio that brought us masterpieces like Starcraft 2.

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.

Winter Resort Simulator feels more like a game in early access than a fully fledged release. The physics are embarassing and skiing just isn’t fun. It is quite amusing to handle the ski lifts, though. Maybe the game will get better with mods.

While AO Tennis 2 improves upon many features from its predecessor, but the unbalanced challenge and short tutorials make the game quite inaccessible. The mechanic of good and evil seems like a unique idea, but its implementation is superficial at best.

The idea to feel like a child wo wants to drive a tractor is charming, the execution in this game isn’t. There’s far too little content, even for a game still in early access. There are so many things just not working right in Lumberjack Simulator, like the chainsaw, the prices in the ingame shop, which are way too high, and the pointless driving.

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.

Since the first "official" announcement at Gamescom 2016 I was curious about Lost Ember. The premise with the animals and the fallen civilization as well as the appealing look quickly made sure that I was excited about the title. In the end Lost Ember is a lot of what I had hoped for. Calm, emotional, visually stunning and ... simply beautiful! It's a lot of fun to glide over the wonderful landscapes and put the game world and its secrets to the acid test. The only pity is that it really doesn't have much to offer. The story is really good, but apart from that Lost Ember offers quite little. Unfortunately, the found objects are hardly motivating. Nonetheless, Lost Ember manages to create a lot of significant moments, that I will surely remember for a long time.

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.

Even connoisseurs of the first two parts will be a bit sober after taking off their pink glasses. The story is by far not as good as it seemed back then and the gameplay is completely outdated. The fact that Shenmue 3 doesn't come to a conclusion is unforgivable after the long waiting time and the (financial) support of the fans. Players who approach the title without a nostalgia bonus will be annoyed anyway. The grind is pretty hard, the wandering around and the bad dialogues are even harder, but the fact that the game keeps stopping you on purpose is just incredibly frustrating. Hardcore fans can add something to the rating, everyone else can even pull something off.

A great game for fans of economy simulations and model railroads alike, with lots of meaningful improvements, new features and a really good campaign. Unfortunately it is plagued with regular crashes that denies the game a better rating.

Beautiful idea, not perfectly elaborate, but definitely exceptional.

Life is Strange 2 is good adventure, with a story about growing up, moral challenges and society issues. The roadtrip character of the narrative offers a great variety of sceneries but also comes with a lot of problems like lackluster side characters.

For me, the new gameplay approach was interesting because I am also a big Diablo fan and was curious how the developers implement this in the Darksiders universe. The answer is: not very thoughtful.

In the past it was big and noisy games that inspired me. For quite some time now, it's surprisingly often the smaller ones. Games that take their time. Games that create moments that touch me in such a way that they lift me out of my soles. Games like What Remains of Edith Finch. The Bradwell Conspiracy would like to clearly hit this notch, but unfortunately the debut of A Brave Plan doesn't succeed. It lacks depth and courage, at the same time the game is struggling with too many problems. Nevertheless, The Bradwell Conspiracy has a charm that I can't deny - I don't want to deny! I just had a lot of fun immersing myself in the secrets of Bradwell, especially with the photo function and the great written and spoken Amber.

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.

Age of Empires 2 was one of the best RTS games 20 years ago and with the Definitive Edition it reclaims this status once again. Outstanding updated graphics and several reasonable quality of life improvements on top of the ageless gameplay and an insane amount of content result in a game that no old or young RTS fan should miss.

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.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a dream come true for many Star Wars fans. It perfectly combines great gameplay with exploration, puzzles and a personal story. Sadly a lackluster ending and some technical and graphical issues tarnish the overall positive experience somewhat.

In the run-up to the test I actually had some concerns about the quality of Need for Speed: Heat. Its direct predecessors from Ghost Games didn't really convince me and also the game play event about a month ago left me with mixed feelings. But the finished game has become surprisingly entertaining. Sure, once again the story is not worth mentioning, the controls reminds of old arcade games and in terms of driving physics and damage model the makers didn't take realism quite so seriously. But if you don't mind that, or if you are looking for exactly that, you'll really enjoy Heat. Otherwise, the title offers everything a car's heart desires: extensive tuning options, action-packed chases and thrilling races - and all this in top graphics.

Just like back then, I see the flaws in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, but as a fan of the two cult movies, I don't care about them at all. Yes, there are many far better third person shooters, but in what other game can I use a positron collider to stop ghosts from spraying slime all over people? The shooter gameplay is fun, despite the partly inaccurate controls, and feels exactly the way you want it to feel. Moreover, the game is teeming with allusions and quotes, which put a blissful grin on the faces of the fans of the movies. But the dry humour is also perfectly fits in other respects - no matter if Ray is just obsessed again or Egon philosophises about one of his strange hobbies. In addition, there is a great atmosphere, varied enemy design and of course some iconic locations from the movies. Of course my fan heart beats faster. So I'm all the happier that everything works technically flawlessly in handheld mode and that I can now catch a few ghosts on the go.

Disco Elysium impresses in almost every way and is clearly my RPG of the year.

Planet Zoo was one of the games I was most looking forward to this year. With several preview events, I just had a good feeling that Frontier Developments was playing to the strengths of Planet Coaster and Jurassic World: Evolution, giving us the best build up simulation in recent times. I wasn't disappointed either, although in my opinion there is still room for improvement. The first campaign missions explain a lot of details, but how I now sensibly design a zoo from start to finish was not explained to me. Also the user interface and the handling could be a little more clear and handy - draping certain items in the enclosures really cost me my nerves! It's also a pity that the franchise mode is currently struggling with server problems and so the heart of the game doesn't work yet.

The story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare knows how to convince. The creators of Infinity Ward present here a special shooter experience that is somewhat different from the typical formula of the Activision shoot-out. The wacky Michael Bay action has been brought down a bit, but in return the title now tells a story that breaks social taboos and blurs the boundaries between good and evil. This more serious approach pleases, but unfortunately it wasn't thought to the end. A more critical or reflective approach to the topic of war would have been the premise. But that remains - apart from the somewhat scarce game size and the compulsory online connection - the only point of criticism. The co-op- and multiplayer-mode offer more reason to complain. The special unit missions seem somehow half-baked and lack announced features. The multiplayer battles suffer from the partly confusing maps, which seem to reward a passive way of playing. This clouds the overall impression a bit, even if the title can otherwise fully convince in terms of gameplay.

The disastrous technical condition, poor graphics, butchered animations and bad camera are just a number of reasons why this game should not have been published that unfinished. Bugs and glitches destroy every second match and extreme loading times make waiting between matches a chore.

Blasphemous combines extreme difficulty, some religious elements and a beautiful pixel-art-world in a truly fascinating way. Recommended for everybody who does not only want to be entertained, but also challenged.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, despite being one of the easier puzzle games and not featuring any story depth, provides a vast amount of different riddles, a beautiful fairytale-like world and lots of fun, especially when playing the multiplayer mode.

Despite its refreshing setting and sharp dialogue, this is an almost retro-infused sci-fi adventure that relies heavily on mechanics established by Bethesdas Fallout games, while never reaching their depth nor scope. It's accessible, witty and great fun if you keep your expectations in check, even though the main story and some long-term decisions don't quite live up to their full potential.

Felix the Reaper is a short, entertaining puzzle game that offers a great atmosphere, charming characters and a rich world. Unfortunately, the sometimes frustrating level design keeps it from becoming a hit.