We Were Here Forever is a good brain workout that will give you more hours of puzzle fun than all previous We Were Here games combined. The puzzles are pleasantly challenging and the flow is good for most of the game. However, due to the slightly too high degree of repetition and long-windedness, you are too often dragged out of that flow, so that the game can certainly be a bridge too far for newcomers. Get it if you're familiar with the genre, but rather play the earlier games if you've never tried a digital escape room like this before.

The gameplay of UFC 5 is rock solid and has visibly improved compared to the previous part. For example, the new damage system ensures that there is more strategy (and blood) involved in the battles and the polished ground game offers more depth. It's a shame that career mode remains the neglected child for EA Sports, because there is so much more to it.

Atomic Heart is a love letter to BioShock, but the setting is unique enough and the world crazy enough to stand on its own two feet. Great action, world building and storytelling are unfortunately interspersed with mechanics that take the flow out of the game or are completely unnecessary. Not to mention some nasty, edgy comments and the oversexed robots. Developer Mundfish could have limited the size better, because behind the multitude of disappointing elements lies a fantastic game.

Playing The Ancient Gods – Part Two is less frustrating and more enjoyable than conquering Part One, and feels like a more balanced experience besides. This is mainly due to the addition of a few interesting new enemies, which makes it all the more disappointing that fighting the Ultimate Antagonist, with whom the DLC and the game ends, isn’t really the final battle Doom Eternal deserves.

When the wind is in the sails, Mario and Luigi: Brothership is a particularly nice adventure with a wonderful holiday feeling. Unfortunately, developer Acquire regularly changes the wind, causing the pleasure trip to come to a standstill. Unnecessarily much dialogue and bad pacing prove to be heavy anchors, which meant that I could never really hang on to the holiday feeling for long.

RAGE 2 is bigger, more beautiful and more explosive than its predecessor, but at the same time more generic and monotonous. The shooting action is once again top notch, including a shotgun to die for, so it's functions as a fine appetizer before DOOM: Eternal arrives.

Not all the activities in Black Desert Online are interesting or coherent but it’s still a cut above the masses of boring MMORPGs that dominate the landscape. The gorgeous visuals are a big plus too. [april. 2016 / page 62]

Assassin's Creed Origins' believability is hindered by awful voice acting with unnatural, annoying accents and ugly, wooden animations. But to gamers who aren't too bothered about these things or are even blind and deaf to it, this will be a fascinating adventure in a beautiful, enormous Ancient Egypt that's full of nice rewards and challenging battles.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a beautiful history lesson about a genre-defining game, which would've been a whole lot better if the AI had reached is definitive form as well. The new aesthetic makes it easy to ignore the obsolete, underlying technology for a few campaigns, but it would really be a feat to stay entertained for all 10 of them.

Is Erica the beginning of a new era of FMV games? We can only hope! Erica is an atmospheric movie/game-hybrid with minimal interaction, arriving at exactly the right time: during a hot summer when almost every exertion is too much. In a future attempt however, I would like to have more of that triple A-feeling, with an even better storyline and beautiful cinematography. And to make the game feel a bit less like a movie, meaningful choices you can easily replay wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Wild Hearts is most fun when it's fair and unfortunately that often requires multiple players. Monster Hunter players will feel right at home in the world of Azuma, but will still be surprised by the innovative and constantly evolving Karakuri system. However, the high degree of difficulty, technical flaws and the uninteresting story will mainly scare off newcomers to the genre.

Shredder's Revenge is a delightful brawler with a retro pixel style that will leave you wonderfully nostalgic. At the same time, it may also be a bit of a too short and simple experience, which gives you little reason to replay the handful of levels often.

Graphically, High on Life is perhaps the least impressive that came out this year and in terms of gameplay, it's about as original and innovative as Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, released in 2005. But this game holds its own because everything is soaked in Roiland's absurd humour, from the tutorial to the weapons and details. It's amazing how many interchangeable, goo-covered enemies you can shoot as long as an annoying space creature circles around your head and whines about its mother in a squeaky voice.

Mad Max manages to translate the vibe of the movies perfectly, but, unfortunately, that makes for a monotonous game. A bit like last year’s Shadow of Mordor.

The total package in FIFA 20 is large as usual and the game looks great. But the spectacular fast-paced gameplay that especially leans on tricks, tends to be a bit too arcade-y and therefore loses its touch with the essence of real football.

This is pretty much ALL Star Wars in digital LEGO form; nine films of fun levels plus an unprecedented amount of dolls, spaceships and other blocky collectables. Long fun for kids and people with a fiery passion for collecting, short fun for if you're looking for a challenge.

The Isle of Armor doesn't succeed in every way, but it has enough good atmosphere and nice surprises that make it worthwhile to jump back into Sword and Shield. With suncream, of course.

Battleborn drops some stitches in the campaign which can make it a tedious experience. The multiplayer has two modes with a lot of (unused) potential, which can turn out to become great if players start embracing it.

The Bright Lord pushes Shadow of Mordor to a new difficulty level and gives you cool abilities, like summoning Orcs and the power of The One Ring, to conquer the strongest evil presence we have met since the game was released. The satisfaction of claiming an enormous battlefield is big, but the story is lackluster, preventing The Bright Lord from being a crucial chapter of the Shadow of Mordor story.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a game of extremes. On the one hand, it has one of the most beautiful game worlds you've ever seen, infused with interesting lore for true Avatar fans and the casual gamer. On the other hand, it's an uninspired open-world game with crappy combat, AI and mission design, which will leave anyone tired of Far Cry blue-balled.

Immortals of Aveum is a great shooter with nice and fast gameplay, nice world building and a fairly interesting story. It doesn't do much wrong, but just lacks soul to become your new favorite FPS, unless you were really waiting for a Call of Duty with magic and dragons.

The latest installment of the Ninja Storm franchise has a truly wonderful multiplayer mode. The battles that used to be unbalanced and somewhat chaotic have improved significantly in Revolution. It's just a shame that the single player pales in comparison. Ninja's where invented to fight, not to perform menial tasks around a village... So make sure you have at least one friend to have a blast playing this game with.

Even though I can't help but feel the game has been scaled back when looking at scope and depth, what is left is a rock solid singleplayer experience for the enthusiast of the long distance kill.

Yo-Kai Watch is a gorgeous and unique Pokémon clone for everyone that loves Japanese culture and cutesie animals. We don’t expect the series to become as prolific as its big inspiration though, the gameplay is simply too shallow to allow for that to happen.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A has a clear mission and, despite some shortcomings, it absolutely succeeds in doing so.

The Pathless could have been more than it currently is. With more variation in the gameplay and a deeper story, this could just have been GOTY material or at least the indie hit of the year. Still, there's plenty to love if you settle for a minimalistic game crafted with a lot of love. Especially the flow of moving around in the atmospheric world and the brilliant music ensure that The Pathless stays with you.

Unfortunately First Light does not bring inFamous to a higher level, but it is entertaining nonetheless. The story and the characters in the game are not really great, but the gameplay in the new Battle Arena makes up for it. First Light is alright, just not fantastic.

The timeless essence of Mario vs. Donkey Kong is honored in this faithful remake, while retaining the somewhat dated gameplay. However, with a visual upgrade, multiplayer options, and a relaxed play mode, the game receives a fresh appeal, making it still worthwhile in 2024.

If you're a fan of arcade racers, Hot Wheel Unleashed is a fun game for a rainy weekend. However, the game has little to do with the basics of Hot Wheels. Collecting the coolest cars is also hell because of the available Blind Boxes.

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Bitch is a classic sidescrolling shooter with a lot to blow up. The Warhammer style fits well with the genre, but the gameplay can quickly become monotonous. wow.

TopSpin 2K25 is not the return of the old games in a new guise. Instead, the developer has tried to make the game more realistic by adding a new gameplay mechanic, which unfortunately is not perfectly developed. It takes the arcade fun out of the game.

Tell Me Why keeps you invested and interested story-wise for the full nine hours, but is lacking in the gameplay department. It's clear that this genre in its current state is standing on its last legs.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is insanely deep and ambitious, but really not suitable for every casual gamer who has played Skyrim once. Not because there's no fantasy in this historically accurate RPG, but mainly due to old-fashioned gameplay mechanics, bugs and a general contempt for our precious time.

With Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Respawn has thrown together a lot of cool Star Wars and gameplay ideas and somewhat crampedly made a whole. The result is often nice, but with more caveats than I can put into this conclusion.

While Final Fantasy Explorers has more than a couple great ideas, they are too plenty to be fleshed out, which makes the game a fresh experience, but can't keep your attention for more than a few dozen hours. That's not a bad thing of course, but it's not a great thing either. Final Fantasy Explorers manages to just rise above mediocrity, but not by much.

Even a stale interface, a boring Career Mode and some unfortunate choices in terms of the progression can’t detract from UFC 2’s brutal fights. The improved ground game and the introduction of Ultimate Team elevate this sequel above its predecessor.

It's remarkable that in the last 9 years games such as Just Cause 3 or Battlefield 4 never surpassed Red Faction: Guerilla. Which makes this remaster more than worthwhile to play.

Kay Vess is a perfect starting point for a unique story in the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, after the starting shot, originality is hard to find and the game stumbles over its many contradictions and a large dose of repetition. Ironically, what makes Star Wars Outlaws fun is shamelessly but well stolen from other games. Together with a few bright spots, this keeps Kay and Nix's spaceship in the air, but it will never become a real high flyer.

The Ascent is a top-down Cyberpunk 2077 with a Blade Runner vibe and Housemarque-esque gameplay. Of those three influences, only the Blade Runner part is unfortunately really successful, because the atmosphere is thick and the game is incredibly beautiful thanks to subtle lighting and convincing particle effects. The twinstick shooter action is a bit less successful and the RPG elements also leave something to be desired, so you probably won't disappear completely in this. Although it is quite clever that a twelve-strong studio has delivered this end product.

The sometimes intense combat, immediately noticeable upgrade options and the occasionally well-executed mindf.cks save Control from a bare 60/100. But almost every brilliant idea is tackled by an unbalanced execution.

Kirby Air Riders is a playful, chaotic mix of races and minigames. The game is charming and energetic, but can sometimes be a bit too much.

Tchia has an open world that is full of fun music, creative activities, cultural challenges and a good dose of (dark) humour. As fun as turning into pooping birds, tasty coconuts or explosives is, it just doesn't gloss over the stretched checklist story, poorly fleshed out characters and bugs enough to make it fun more than once.

The Devil in Me does not reach the level of its predecessor House of Ashes, nor that of Little Hope. The plot lacks twists and some time-honored The Dark Pictures problems are still present. However, if you fancy a quick horror snack, you will be served (once again) at your beck and call.

Stranger of Paradise gives Florian a bit of an inclination to wash his eyeballs with bleach, so he gives the game a tight 6, but Samuel enjoyed the unique twist on the Souls action so much that he wanted to give it a big thumbs up. heeds. There is a good chance that the 'truth' for you lies somewhere in the middle.

Stray is a fairly entertaining game that sometimes weakens to slightly boring, and mainly relies on the huggability of its protagonist. If you are not a cat person, then GTFO and subtract twenty points from this figure.

After last year's debacle, Fifa 22 is fortunately taking another step in the right direction. It's far from the level of Fifa 10 or the best parts of the previous generation, but at least it looks like football again.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will undoubtedly hold players with its emotional and diverse stories, but the game unfortunately falls short when it comes to combat and RPG elements. On the one hand, you want to learn more about New Eden's lore and about Red and Antea themselves. At the same time, this is somewhat hindered by the boring combat, fairly monotonous game world and the lack of valuable upgrades. Maybe an action RPG wasn't the best genre for Banishers, but this narrative adventure certainly deserves a place of honor in Don't Nod's portfolio.

A fine mobile port but the Vita is still the preferred platform for JRPGs. [Aug 2015, p.083]

With a reasonable campaign, a great multiplayer mode and a good but scanty Zombies mode, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a nice new part. Whether that is enough is something you know best.

Standard golf and the RPG mode make this new Mario Golf well worth the effort. The Rush aspects are a nice, if not superfluous, addition. Not being able to play with four players on one system is ridiculous and destroys all party potential.

Minecraft Dungeons is incredibly accessible and offers a - to a certain degree - fun challenge for experienced gamers. The game is fairly short and here and there a little shallow, but find a co-op buddy and you’ll guaranteed have a great time.

Do you like Limbo and Inside? If so, Little Nightmares will be right up your alley. The game is less original and expressive as Playdead's titles though.

Shorter and less polished then the original, but nevertheless a good prequel that expands on the blossoming relationship between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber. A must-buy for the fans but not necessarily an enrichment of the first season.

Saints Row does a lot of good in terms of personalization, clunky action and stupid physics, and is therefore somehow also a successful reboot that offers hope for the future of the franchise. Unfortunately, the game is held back by mediocre open world activities, a mediocre story and a laundry list of bugs.

Jurassic World Alive is an exact copy of Pokémon GO, barring some alterations here and there, for example the fact you don't have to leave the house for every capture because the drone will get you quite far. The battles are quite enjoyable, and despite the lack of context, it's fun seeing the prehistoric freaks taking each other apart in this pleasant app.

Ghost of Yōtei certainly has its beautiful moments when everything does click: when the moonlight falls just right, when the battles reach their climax, and admittedly—even the predictable story contains a few moving moments. But on the other hand, there’s a long list of elements that aren’t necessarily bad, but mostly outdated, old-fashioned, or at best far from groundbreaking.

You won't miss anything spectacular when you skip NFS: Hot Pursuit, but if you're having extremely warm feelings for the original from 2010 and can't get enough of the traditional cat-and-mouse-game between the cops and racers, then this game is still the bomb, especially in the multiplayer.

It really depends on if you've played the original Secret of Mana or if this is your first time, whether you're going to like this remake or not. The first group will enjoy the magical atmosphere and the subtle improvements made to the game, but the second group probably won't understand what all the fuss is about.

FIFA 23 is starting to look like football again. It is actually too bizarre for words that this is a plus for a footie, but the series is coming out of a deep valley. Hopefully EA will continue on this foot from next year without the yoke of the FIFA name (and costs!) ...

Iron from Ice once again offers everything you’ve come to expect from a Telltale episode: difficult decisions and moral dilemmas, incorporated into fine dialogues and concluded in a SHOCKER of a cliff-hanger. This time it comes in a reasonably successful Game of Thrones-marinade, complete with actors from the series who really seem to give it their best effort. But, again, Telltale seems to be ambitious in their story-telling, but not in the (gameplay-)technical aspect of their titles.

There is quite a list of conditions you have to meet if you want to fully enjoy LEGO Marvel’s Avengers: you have to be a big fan of LEGO and of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you need a high tolerance for silly humour and it certainly helps if you haven’t played a dozen previous LEGO games (recently). Does all of this apply to you? Have fun with the biggest package of digital LEGO entertainment since LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

Layers of Fear has a lousy framerate on PS4, the tempo is excruciating at the start and it’s filled with lazy jump scares but as you progress further you come to experience a good horror story that’s worth checking out. [april. 2016 / page 68]

This neat little flying game could’ve scored higher if it wasn’t for the annoying ads. Still worth checking out. [april. 2016 / page 73]

Twelve Minutes is an original idea, pretty decent writing and fantastic acting wrapped in old fashioned, oftentimes repetitive gameplay. It won’t wear out your Gamepass though, so give it at least twelve minutes of your time if you’re a member of the Microsoft gameclub.

Firewatch doesn’t live up to the high expectations as it’s too unpolished and too plotty to leave any sort of lasting impression. Its best moments are gripping and worth checking out but the overall package is a tad underwhelming.

Extremely challenging in an artificial way, not perfectly polished and lacking the music of Mick Gordon: The Ancient Gods – Part One doesn’t fully continue the Doom Eternal glory. Still, it offers a pleasant torture for the most fanatical Doom-sadomasochists, situated in three beautiful levels in which you’ll be challenged more than the two main games combined. Nightmare insanity!

A disappointing, stripped-down and basic sequel to Wii Sports Resort, which too often feels like a remake of the even older Wii Sports. Nevertheless, tennis and bowling remain fun, and volleyball and badminton prove to be very nice sports to play while swinging against friends.

On the one hand, 2: Heart of Chornobyl offers exactly what I was hoping for: delicious Eurojank. Newcomers will find an old-fashioned RPG with a beautiful world and a nice survival gameplay loop, and unfortunately also stupid AI, a lot of graphical problems and extremely frustrating bugs. It is impressive that the developer is able to release the game under these circumstances, but it will not become more than a cult hit in this form.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a lot of old content covered by a coat of paint that can barely be considered new, but thanks to the general update of a few game systems and a decent amount of recreational therapy with which you can increase your Light Level, this expansion definitely makes Destiny 2 a better, bigger game.

EA Sports FC 24 is secretly just Fifa 23.5. With the same advantages and the same problems. It all looks a bit more dignified and mature, but the new, chic costume cannot disguise the fact that EA Sports FC 24 is a shady players' agent who wants to get as much money out of your pocket as possible with as little effort as possible.

Calling Sacred 3 a desecration might be a bit harsh but the new direction this series has taken is questionable at best. It’s a decent but overtly simple action RPG. Probably not the sequel Sacred fans were waiting for. [Aug 2014, p.61]

Powerwash Simulator 2 is literally like a high-end pressure washer: sleek, powerful, and equipped with all sorts of attachments. But if you don't get that relaxing feeling of cleaning, it's still a mandatory cleanup. This is why I still wanted to check my phone every ten minutes while playing. With the right partner by your side in co-op, it suddenly becomes fun. So, co-op? Absolutely! Solo? Meh.

The great content of the Aftermath DLC shouldn't distract you from its hefty price tag. Even though I've rarely enjoyed a Mortal Kombat story as much and the new fighters and stages are a delight for (old) fans, the price tag of 40 euros for just the DLC alone feels like the toughest of brutalities.

I really want to love Disintegration - even if it's just for it's originality, satisfying robot shooting and for the fact that it can be played in single player - but the final product is just not as original as that it wants to be. With a stronger focus on the graycycle-action and without all the unnecessary RTS-elements, an potential follow-up might be hit.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a great party game that will surely give you a few evenings of fun. The minigames, although few, are all fun to play, especially in multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, the lack of content means that the cracking sessions for your brain do not last long and the button controls are a major obstacle.

Keeper looks stunning and tells a sweet story. Unfortunately, that's about it. It's certainly not a treat to explore the beautiful game world, but ultimately, you get what you'd expect from lighthouse gameplay, which is very limited.

After Us is a stylish looking game with a very gloomy, but also realistic view of the future that awaits our consumer society. The level design is creative, the platforming is challenging using both horizontal and vertical route options, and the matching synth music enhances the surreal atmosphere. Yet After Us also drops a lot of stitches in the field of gameplay progression, character development and the story, so you don't miss much if you ignore this reality check.

The world of Wonderlands and its characters is touching, wacky and wildly imaginative, but the game is filled with unimaginative gameplay. Gearbox has to go back to the drawing board, because Borderlands needs more than just a new jacket and a wizard hat.

It’s easy to understand owners of the PS Vita were happy with this game in 2012, but three years later, on the PS4, it doesn’t feel like a full-fledged game. Entertaining and very cute, but not full-fledged. [feb. 2016 / page 062]

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has so many different faces, which makes me ready for a personality test. One moment I'm enjoying Rocksteady's art design, the next I want to hurt myself because of the excruciating gameplay. Then laugh at the voice acting, and then get angry about the boring boss fights. The open ending of the story makes me a little curious about the upcoming seasonal content, but I'm pretty sure: I'm already dropping out.

Metro has to deal with some serious growing pains in its exodus to a triple-A franchise, which means Metro Exodus is still a far cry from a high quality blockbuster. The game offers not much more than some cool moments, nice gameplay and a few pretty pictures of its new expansive, post-apocalyptic environments.

In the last few chapters The Evil Within finally becomes what it was set out to be: a disturbingly creepy, challenging survival horror game. But in the 10+ hours before that it's too often a frustratingly unfair, aimless mess, in which the technical issues and the old-fashioned development-tropes are not only an eyesore, but a nuisance as well. Survival horror? More like Trial & 'Terror'.​

Crackdown 3 dishes up a very basic and outdated experience. Still, it gives us a brilliant feeling of progression and also the hunt for Orbs is pretty fun. At least, coming from a gamer with a huge lack of taste.

If this addition to the series was as much an improvement as part 2 was to the first, then the Risen-series would’ve been well on it’s way to being a serious contender in the RPG-plane. But instead Titan Lords has become more of an ‘instant cult-PRG’, which would’ve been a compliment in the world of movies, but in ours most certainly isn’t… [Sep 2014, p.58]

More than an allegoric hodgepodge, but not by much. The Medium offers an interesting, layered mystery with a lot of beauty, character and atmosphere, but fails to be wholly entertaining. The gameplay is often too simple to be fun, due to some rather tedious trial & error sections and a lot of scouring the environment for an object that will most likely send you to the next search. You’ll probably need more patience for this than the end feeling is worth.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is, once again, a bigger game than its predecessors, with more characters and levels, a few new puzzles, a more interesting hub world, more focus on level bosses and a new mode called Battle Arena. Too bad the game has the tendency to glitch you into getting stuck in a level, forcing you to restart a checkpoint (quite unforgivable), and the familiar formula has changed too little to call this an above average LEGO game.

Apart from the Momentum mechanic, Battlesector adds little to the tactics formula. The tactical confrontations are smooth enough to keep you entertained for several hours, but in terms of mission design, unit personalization and storytelling, the game falls too short.

Star Fox Zero is a passable reboot/remake of the original but the controls are simply horrible.

Are you crazy about Destiny lore and do you think Destiny 2 is fine as it is? Then Beyond Light will suit you just fine! However, if you're expecting some substantial changes from Bungie by now and aren't exactly excited to get back into the grind, you might want to focus on the next-gen version and wait for Destiny 2 to release its December update.

As beautiful as the world of Biomutant looks, so ugly is its filling. Cringe-inducing dialogues, a completely negligible story and bad boss fights and puzzles almost distract you from the fun aspects of the game. Exploring and figuring out the unique game world and a nice sense of progression for example.

Lost Soul Aside is the definition of "what you see is what you get." No mind-blowing plot twists, graphical masterpieces, or revolutionary control systems, just a super-linear action game with tons of bosses, interspersed with simple platforming and puzzle challenges. While the story, lack of challenge, recycled level design, and sloppy pacing are disappointing, Lost Soul Aside is a straightforward, action-packed game for the enthusiast.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a big and beautiful puzzle platformer, set in a masterful world with cool characters. Unfortunately, the game has messy gameplay, clunky controls and many technical flaws.

Stitchy in Tooki Trouble is clearly an ode to Donkey Kong, but it's just an ode. This game cannot compete with the popular Nintendo franchise due to its strange rhythm, because it simply lacks flow and requires too much patience. A pity, because in all its simplicity Stitchy in Tooki Trouble offers beautiful first steps in the world of platform games, especially for small children.

The Divine Force is a worthy comeback for the Star Ocean series that fans can be proud of. The game world is more beautiful and wider than ever and the brand new combat system hits the nail on the head. Still, it feels like the JRPG is a few years behind. The clayey characters make every cutscene an eyesore. Without a penchant for anime games, you probably won't get anything out of this.

EA is playing a better game than last year. That’s not to say that EA Sports FC 25 is suddenly a classic footie or anything – far from it; this is no Fifa 17, let alone PES 5 or Sensible Soccer. But hey, the bar is just not set very high in 2024.

Anthem's story and combat, both showing plenty of signs of BioWare's (former) genius, forcefully come together in a game that seems to have gotten the wrong genre. Sadly, Anthem is a mess, way more than it deserves to be.

Mario Strikers is - despite its so-called 'keraaazy' gameplay - one of the most generic, lightweight footies ever.

I really want to love Sea of Thieves. The beautiful pirate world and the exciting sea battles you experience from time to time. But I can't do it. There isn't enough content and the lack of progression makes it an unsatisfying game.