House Flipper 2 is mainly a refinement compared to the first part. Not much has changed in terms of gameplay and some more content in the form of more furniture could be added. Still, that doesn't spoil the fun. The enormous freedom and extra polish make this a pleasant and creative experience.

The Crew isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t have any game breaking bugs and the framerate is stable. It’s an enjoyable game when playing alone, but comes to life with multiple players in your crew. There’s a ton of content, a humongous world to explore and the addicting level system will keep you coming back for more.

The F1 series is starting to look more and more like FIFA. Bright colours, hip music and the first contours of what could become F1UT. This year I'm still meeting Codemasters (Codematsers!), but they have to counteract that EA nonsense. Just ask Lewis Hamilton how quickly things can go differently, in F1...

The gameplay is solid as a rock; super intense, exciting and porn for the tactical shooter fan. But the game quickly loses its power when you stray among the other game modes, which are limited and lacking good AI. This is what they call: too little content for too much money. [Dec. 2015, p.054]

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.

At first glance, F1 Manager 2022 seems like the dream of any F1 fanatic with a penchant for sim games. However, it soon becomes apparent that the depth is lacking, and that the choices made have a lot less influence on the course of races that are starting to resemble each other more and more.

Just like real-life Formula 1, the F1 franchise is struggling with the direction it should take. Is Codemasters increasingly catering to the casual, or does the loyal, serious (SIM) target group remain the most important? In any case, F1 24 did not make that choice, resulting in a sometimes split game.

Anyone with an unbridled love for the virtual farming, horticulture and animal husbandry of the Farming Simulator series will love this latest installment. The inclusion of virtually all major agricultural brands, combined with all available crops and animals, as well as superb graphics and sound design, provide an authentic farming experience that has clearly been crafted with great care and love. Please note that you are dealing with an in-depth simulation of farm life here. You have to figure out every function of a machine if you want to use it effectively and that feels, for the agricultural layman that I am, all just a bit too hardcore.

This is essentially a Kirby platformer as you are used to, but more beautiful, more atmospheric and with some subtle innovations that make the experience interesting again. As long as you don't rush through it too quickly!

Hell is Us has a clear vision and translates it effectively into a captivating adventure. The game rewards curiosity and independent thinking in a way that almost no major contemporary game dares to do. Hadea is therefore a joy to explore, even if the writing sometimes feels a bit rushed. The combat is its biggest Achilles' heel: it's too simplistic and repetitive for the significant role it plays.

In terms of gameplay, Trackmania builds on the precise arcade action that the franchise is known for. However, the total package is (still) somewhat limited, which also applies to the graphics.

Fe is being hold back by a few ancient choices when it comes to game and level design, but certainly is a beautiful Indie game that, as the kids like to put it, will hit you right 'in the feels'.

Impossification and the roller coaster hooks are the best elements of Park Beyond; very nice, and they actually offer something new. In terms of customizing your park and adding details, the game does very poorly compared to what we already know from the king, Planet Coaster, partly due to bugs and glitches. If you don't want to bother with that much, this is an entertaining amusement park sim.

Simply put, Star Wars: Squadron is a fine Star Wars space shooting spectacle with a pleasant price tag. It feels a bit cheap and old fashioned to some degree, and there's nothing groundbreaking here, but those are about the only flaws the game has. It's one of the better trips to a galaxy far, far away of recent years, although -as with everything concerning Star Wars- opinions might differ on that.

Rollerdrome is a wonderfully chaotic and satisfying game. The gameplay steals the show, the drawn style is unique and the DualSense really adds something. However, the full potential of the concept is not fully exploited. Especially the lack of variety keeps Rollerdrome from being a real masterpiece.

There's no way you're not playing The Outer Worlds 2 with a big smile on your face. Unless you're bothered by the bugs, of course. Although those are annoying, it's ultimately the fun that takes center stage, and the enjoyment of all the different ways to approach missions.

Not every game benefits from having more content, Evoland 2 is a prime example of that. The concept remains fun and you get a ton of RPG for a small price but Evoland 2 doesn’t measure up to the first entry. [Oct. 2015, p.051]

UFC is an almost schizophrenic game: I've never had so much fun with a fighter, thanks to the stand up-game. However, at the same time, the ground-game is so poorly done, that this game isn't the fantastic celebration of the sport it could have been.

Although this part is somewhat a bundle of clichés compared to Man of Medan and the acting performance does not look like it improved a lot, Little Hope offers enough freaky moment and interesting mystery to keep you entertained (and scared?). I will be back for more when the next part of this anthology drops.

Double Fine clearly had huge plans for Massive Chalice but unfortunately not all areas received as much love and care as the bigger picture, causing certain other areas to feel a bit lackluster and thin. [Aug 2015, p.081]

In broad strokes, Hitman 2 does the same as its predecessor, albeit with some small improvements and extras, but it isn't as well balanced and has a cheaper feel to it. The patient Hitman-fan will get a lot of excitement and fun out of most of Hitman 2's locations, but this surely won't attract a lot of new players and it doesn't take the franchise to the next level. Luckily the 'I love it when a plan comes together' feeling of it all is still intact.

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.

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.

If you haven't been interested in Diablo 3 for a while now, this expensive Rise of the Necromancer DLC is probably not for you. But if it is your go-to-game, then this addition will give you the best class thus far. Seeing as Diablo 3 offers endless content, buying Rise of the Necromancer will be a small, but very worthwhile investment.

Fast Fusion could be a great snack for many Switch 2 owners. It’s not nearly as extensive as Mario Kart or as expressive as F-Zero, but it goes down like a tasty bonbon: presented like a true delicacy and with more depth than you might expect. Don’t expect months of fun, but a nice snack around the release of Nintendo’s new console. However, online multiplayer would have extended the lifespan of this game considerably.

With 2.0, Infinity has become a little more adult, thanks to a deeper fighting- and level-system, a more expansive Toy Box with a lot more possibilities and the addition of multiple types (‘genres’) of games, which can be created as well as played. It’s a shame that the single-player content has become less exhaustive compared to the former Starter Pack, otherwise this was a big win on every front. Not in the least because of the emphasis on Marvel Heroes.

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.

WRC 5 is like a sundae, but instead of having delicious chocolate sauce on top of it, there’s five day old gravy from your mother in law’s meatballs. [Sept. 2015, p. 067]