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.

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.

Riders Republic is the ultimate extreme sports collectible pack. The sense of speed will keep you on the edge of your seat and the varied controls of the different disciplines will challenge you long enough. A footnote is that you should be able to entertain yourself a bit in the graphically beautiful world of Riders Republic, because just like with Steep, the flow of the game is not very obvious. Oh, and give more Mass Races.

Not the best game Platinum ever made but definitely the most true to the series a Transformers game has ever gotten. A relief after the Michael Bay crap of yesteryear. [dec. 2015 / page 063]

FIFA 21 smells like laziness, dollar signs and stinky, old footballsocks. This is the worst edition ever and one of the biggest disappointments of the year. I really hope EA redeem themselves on the next generation of consoles because the way things stand now, FIFA is one big red flag for me.

With Cronos: The New Dawn, Bloober takes a step forward compared to its earlier original games like The Medium and Layers of Fear. However, what lingers most after the beautiful story is the thought that they need a blueprint—like Silent Hill 2—in order to truly shine in the survival horror genre. As a result, Cronos ends up being nothing more than a decent horror shooter with a very interesting combat hook. Unfortunately, the execution falls just short, which means the real tension doesn’t arrive until the very final part of the 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.

The first Hitman episode makes us eager for more but Episode 1 provides enough replay value through its challenges to keep us satisfied till the second one comes out.

In terms of the sheer variety of ramifications and final outcomes that this interactive drama has to offer, As Dusk Falls is very well written. But when it comes to artistic choices that have been made, for example, in the field of style and direction, it can sometimes fall far beyond your taste. As in the case of the undersigned Naturally Born Azijnzeiker.

Unfortunately, Sniper Elite 5 isn't the best entry in the series; that remains number 4. This is an extremely solid sniper simulation that will keep both fans and newcomers busy for weeks.

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.

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]

Do you also have to play this game? That depends. Personally I'm more drawn towards games like Persona 5 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, who give their own spin to the age-old jrpg-formula. But if you aren't waiting on the goofy, postmodern tomfoolery of those games and desire that old trusting feeling of a classic middle-age fantasy-environment, then you'll be appeased with Bravely Default 2.

The hype and the expectations associated with it have been a double-edged sword for Destiny, with disappointment as a result. This game doesn't offer the single player-experience we hoped for – despite the unbelievable audio-visual splendor - due to a short, repetitive Story Mode. But if you play Destiny competitively and/or cooperatively, then it's almost impossible not to have fun, thanks to constant rewards and delicious gameplay. And it still has the potential to become the game we wished it had been.

LawBreakers' most important element is the strong, tight gameplay that conveys the feeling of a classic shooter in a modern package. But the rest of the game disappoints with uninteresting characters and maps, not a lot of options and just a few modes.

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.

Black Myth: Wukong is imperfect, but it lives up to the hype. You feel a little more powerful every five minutes than you did before, and the excellent combat is not only addictive, it also communicates why Sun Wukong is one of the most legendary mythological characters of all time. If this quality is any indication of what the coming years will bring for Chinese games, we are in for a very good time.

Trials of Mana is a delicious, fun, old-fashioned RPG reminiscent of better times. It's the delicious, familiar glass of lager you want to enjoy after you've experienced the layered complexity of a cabernet sauvignon like Final Fantasy VII Remake.

In the end Mirage was mainly one thing: boring. It is not a game with embarrassing bugs or crashes, but one that fails to fascinate. It took hours to get going, after which it told a lame story and didn't introduce any cool new ideas. I worked my way through it reluctantly. It's great that the game handles its setting a little better than the first part, but that one bright spot does little to make the game worthwhile.

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.

PGA TOUR 2K21 is definitely not perfect yet, but it is absolutely vivacious. The physics are one of 2K21's strong points and although it's lacking a story mode, PGA Tour 2K21 successfully keeps triggering players to continue playing. And when the game releases later this week, I hope you will all join my Society: Wonderspons International.

Aspyr bundles two games together instead of releasing them separately in a more profit-driven approach, adds some great behind-the-scenes and deleted content, and otherwise keeps everything largely intact. Whether fixing up a bit more would have been a better choice is something we’ll never know. But it’s no coincidence that I fell in love all over again with these two legendary games and their unforgettable game world. Never change a winning team. [Issue#361, p.12]

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.

Fan of old-school action platformers? Then Luckslinger is probably the game for you. [Sept. 2015, p. 067]

Race the Sun is a randomly generated thrill ride that keeps pushing you harder and gets better every time you play. [Aug 2015, p.082]

Planet Coaster 2 has a lame interface and still struggles with incomprehensible bugs, but in other areas it takes a step in the right direction. It is a disappointing and fantastic game at the same time.

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!) ...

This is, graphically speaking, as well as technically, one of the most impressive remakes of the past years. Especially the improved cinematics do the story of Mafia justice. And that's why Mafia: Definitive Edition is the best reason for players of the original Mafia to return to Lost Heaven! But there are little scratches on this layer of newness, causing a somewhat hollow and unsatisfying experience for newcomers.