Flatout 4 is a successor to an already lousy game and continues a loveless heritage. Long loading times and a number of bugs cumulate in an unenjoyable experience.

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.

A rather peculiar, yet very enjoyable tribute to traditional adventure games that suffers notably from uneven storytelling and some bland characters. Luckily the beautiful retro visuals, satisfying puzzles and (almost too) many references to the genre easily make up for that. Thimbleweed Park may not be remembered as a modern classic, but it's a good adventure with tons of style and one of the most bizarre endings we've seen in a long, long time.

Vikings: Wolves of Midgard clocks in at about the 25 hour-mark and manages to entertain the player with fun Hack&Slay-mechanics for most of that time. A boss at the end of every level, decent puzzles, many side-quest, an arena with various challenges and a lot of upgrade- as well as crafting-options are supposed to bring enough variety into the game. Sadly, not every idea or mechanic within the game appears to be really thought through or implemented as well as it could have been. Especially the balancing is in need of some refinement. Vikings: Wolves of Midgard also doesn’t really give the player any form of incentive to replay the game. Sure, there are different difficulty-modes and a new game-plus-mode, but since nothing within the game changes on being replayed, there isn’t much of a reason to do it at all.

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.

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.

It is a really bumpy start for a new era in the Mass Effect series. Almost as if the developers wanted to create something reminiscent of the tough challenges the milky way species face in their new home. But in the end there is just the perception, that bigger is not always better.

Within the first few hours of the game I was pretty sold on this more classical attempt on a stealth-game with a good jolt of dark humor. But after a while you start to realize that most of the stealth-mechanics aren’t even needed. The enemy AI is far too stupid to ever really force you into playing smartly and with a certain tactic in mind. Nor will you ever make much use of the crafting-system. On top of that, the dialogue often feels forcefully edgy and references pop-culture just for the sake of it. All whilst the overarching plot – if you can even call it that – remains plain and uninteresting. That being said, you definitely can have fun with Styx: Shards of Darkness. But given the fact, the developers had a chance to improve on their predecessor and didn’t utilize it, the mistakes of this game become hard to forgive.

Wildlands is a great mix-up of some of the best elements of Ubisoft's most prominent IPs, but struggles to find its own identity. Military-minded co-op fans will definitely want to check this out, while solo players can also expect up to 50 hours of open-world fun.

A delightfully weird and extremely well-written RPG that strikes all the same chords as Planescape: Torment. But beware: InXile still has some bugs to squash and patches to release before the game truly lives up to its masterful namesake.

Superior to its predecessor in every way. Amazing cutscenes, a fun (yet very short) campaign, lots of fan service and decent multiplayer come together in a robust RTS package. Due to its lack of depth and content, it probably won't win the hearts of many C&C or Starcraft 2 veterans, but at the same time it presents a great entry point for newcomers to the genre.

Multiplayer is where it's at and For Honor certainly delivers some compelling online duels. The stabbing can get a bit repetitive after a while - much like the short singleplayer campaign -, but learning the intricacies of For Honor's complex combat system nevertheless makes for a fun experience. Ubisoft had better release some more modes and maps post-launch, though. Otherwise the game may shortly find itself without a player base, once the novelty has worn off.

Sniper Elite 4 is the best in the series, even if familiar flaws are still there, namely dumb AI, trashy story and low fidelity graphics. Yet all this is easily forgotten when on the prowl in one of the gigantic levels, looking for targets, using stealth to kill them and watching through the x-ray camera, as their balls explode in gory detail.

Oh boy, how fun it is to smack down Roman Reigns, while moving through the backstage-area. Or throwing Roman Reigns off a ladder. Or even kicking Roman Reigns off the entry-ramp. Yeah, I probably do not like Roman Reigns that much. But I definitely do like this game. The gameplay is back to feeling overall more well-rounded and some small issues have also been fixed in WWE 2K17. The outdated technology and noticeable screen tearing doesn’t bother me that much. What does bug me is the missing showcase and the blatant DLC-policy.

Thanks to its varied missions, co-op mode and solid presentation Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is a welcome addition to the PC library, despite the poorly adapted interface and heavy price tag.

There is a lot to love about Resident Evil 7, from the spooky atmosphere to the many nods to the classic formula. Yet it stops just shy of being a masterpiece, mostly due to the disappointing second half, where the enemies lack variation and the story doesn’t fulfill its early promises. Even so, Resident Evil 7 is a must-buy for fans of the horror genre. While the missing virtual reality support on PC is a big letdown, Capcom did their homework in terms of performance and mouse controls.

If you always wanted to experience boring council meetings first hand, Urban Empire got you covered. The political machinations of this so-called city ruler are presented way too dry to elicit any other response than eye-rolling. While the part about building a city and researching new technologies is way more fun, there simply isn’t enough feedback for players to penetrate the game’s intricacies. With only a few, small maps to build on and no mod support, Urban Empire makes a poor case for itself.

With all the negative ratings on Steam, I had severe doubts that there would be any fun to have with Space Hulk: Deathwing. But I was actually pleasantly surprised when I played the game. I came across none of the performance issues, bugs or crashes that so many people had lamented over. Therefore, I was able to actually enjoy myself quite a bit. The gloomy atmosphere and immense fun, that just mowing down Tyranids is, was enough to keep me entertained. Of course, this isn’t supposed to mean, Space Hulk: Deathwing has no flaws. The companion-AI only does a proper job some of the time, the multiplayer lacks motivating content and the gunplay as well as the system for building your character is in need of some refinement. Furthermore, the developers have to improve the difficulty-balancing, because even on the lowest setting I sometimes found myself stuck in very uneven situations. Still, every fan of the 40K-unviverse and linear wave-shooters will definitely have a fun time with Space Hulk: Deathwing. If you experience huge technical issues though, return the game or wait for future patches.

Only a few hours into Ubisofts Winter Wonderland and I had already made up my mind: Steep is the Surprise-Hit of the year. But in the hours to follow, my evaluation changed a little bit. Steep is still a really good game, but I wouldn’t want to call it a hit anymore. The concept of the online-mode doesn’t work as intended by the developers and after about 15 hours or so, any real challenge, thus any kind of motivation, vanishes all together from the game. The game’s world is just far too huge for harboring only that little amount of content. A fact that is indeed very unfortunate, because up to a certain point, I was immensely entertained by Steep. I definitely long for a sequel though. This time maybe something summer-themed like skateboarding, BMX and wing suits.

Ubisoft once again fails to tell an engaging story, instead mixing a somewhat confused, even boring plot with bland characters. While Watch Dogs 2 is near-perfect PC port with lots of PC-specific options both for graphics as well as controls, the underlying game wastes a lot of potential. The beautiful rendition of San Francisco is a great background for some neat hacking tricks and fun missions, yet, aside from the shift in tone, Watch Dogs 2 isn’t the anticipated step forward for the series.

Reasonable advancement compared to the predecessor. Ships and planes deliver more variety and opportunities. The campaign alone challenges the player for a lot of hours. It still has some flaws though, especially with the track building.

Based on the successful fantasy-bestseller, written by author Markus Heitz, the homonymous videogame takes place in an action-rpg, focused on massive battles with orcs. The story is well told, but shortened in comparison to the book. The battles are fun to play for a while, but they’re lacking on AI- and pathfinding-issues. Moving the camera can be tricky too. The rpg-elements are minimalistic, there are no collectible weapons or gear and characters can be equipped with only five skills max. Your main character, the young dwarven-smith Tungdil will be accompanied with up to 14 companions, most of them well transformed from the book into the game. You’ll spend a lot of time in listening to many dialogues and to a well performing narrator, so in the end The Dwarves feels more like an interactive audio-book than an rpg.

Just call the bulldozer already: This theme park ruin is ready for demolition and is neither safe nor enjoyable to play in. Better get Planet Coaster asap.

Killing Floor 2 is a pleasant surprise. Tripwire manages to get the fundamentals so, so right. Fighting zeds is a pleasure thanks to guns that are satisfying to use. If there is anything wrong with Killing Floor 2's dumb, yet addicting co-op fun, it's that there simply isn't enough variation, both in terms enemy types as well as game modes.

Shadow Tactics does a beautiful job of reviving the Commandos formula, with challenging missions, interesting characters and varied level design. A robust user interface and three slots for quicksaves make sure that not only the hardcore audience, but virtually every player can have a great time with Shadow Tactics. All you need is a bit of patience.

A dream come true for most any theme park fan, Planet Coaster sports terrific tools for creating choice rollercoasters and other attractions. It’s on the management side of things where Frontier takes the easy route. Once you’ve built the perfect theme park, you start to miss more complex systems like random events and difficult-to-satisfy guests. Combine that with some big hits on performance while managing larger parks and Planet Coaster just misses true legacy status, while still being the best the genre has had to offer since Rollercoaster Tycoon 3.

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.

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.