Life is Strange’s first episode has great characters and atmosphere but the story isn't very gripping yet. It has definitely made us curious for the next couple of episodes though.

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.

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.

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.

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'.​

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.

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.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is one of those rare sequels like DOOM 2, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metroid Prime 2 that seems identical to its predecessor, but manages to be a different beast entirely. It’s harder, more story-driven and even more subversive, and seems to specifically made to destroy the expectations of those who have mastered the first game. It might not be as pure and focused as Hotline Miami 1, but it’s everything we wanted from a sequel and way, way more.

This fourth and final adventure from Travis Touchdown is both a passionate love letter and a sobering middle finger to nerdy escapism. It is therefore also the type of subversiveness that will not be appreciated by everyone. As it should.

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]

2015 was a great year for big open world games and Just Cause 3 is the cherry on top of that cake. JC3 isn’t groundbreaking or revolutionary but it’s super enjoyable, pretty and huge. (Both console versions are plagued by technical issues.)

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.

Saints Row: The Third Remastered is from another time. In a time where most games are super serious and epic, it's sort of refreshing. During my playthrough, I was often amazed by the variation in gameplay. If you've played the original a lot, there's not a lot to experience here except better graphics. But for a lot of fun in an open world game, this visit to Steelport still comes recommended.

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]

Playing cards offer great build options and enough variety, the flow in the surprisingly long levels is fun and the zombie shooting feels good old-fashioned. Back 4 Blood is a challenging, almost sadistic evolution of the Left 4 Dead formula that will appeal only to hardcore fans of the genre. But that's why the lack of a PvP campaign is incomprehensible.

The good news is that both Alex the Action-fan, Susan the Stealth-lover and Gareth the Graphics-geek are going to enjoy Dying Light. The bad news is that Steven the Story-freak won’t be joining them.

Peach takes the lead role and proves herself in a unique and idiosyncratic setting. Show time! is a refreshing addition to the Nintendo games lineup.

Metro: Awakening is what happens when a now proven professional VR studio gets involved with triple-A game series. It delivers a truly next-level experience that is indispensable for Metro fans and VR enthusiasts who want to experience the tension and oppression of the legendary rotten post-apocalyptic metro system. More VR games of this caliber, please!

I had sky-high expectations for Cities: Skylines 2, and they were largely met. The larger scale, satisfying progression system, more realistic cities, improved AI and an extremely well-reformed road system have me completely hooked by this game. Unfortunately, there are also some negatives, which fortunately did not hinder my enjoyment. This will definitely be a regular on my PC for the next five years.

The console version of the game has two disadvantages for a hardened PC gamer: not enough room to bind abilities on a controller and a lack of typed communication. Fortunately, the game has amazing quests and three stories you'll all want to check, regardless of platform.

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.

Outriders semi-bravely attempts to be more than just another third-person shooter, but fails to be more interesting than the many other games it resembles. Borderlands 3 for example is a better looter shooter, Destiny 2 offers a more solid (super)powered trip, Deep Rock Galactic is more fun as a co-op experience and Gears 5’s singleplayer campaign is far more fascinating. This means Outriders is hard to recommend, except of course to those who have Game Pass and a some hours of free time to spare.

Mafia: The Old Country is narrative-driven, short, and linear. That was exactly what I needed at the time, and it’s nice that the atmosphere, setting, and story are up to the standard you expect from a Mafia game. Unfortunately, the shooting mechanics are mediocre and become very repetitive in the end. Fighting, racing, and sneaking are rarely genuinely enjoyable either. At times, I really enjoyed this game, but I was just as often bored.

Hardline is an enjoyable Battlefield spin-off that's easy to recommend to the hardcore Battlefield set but has a few too many flaws to transcend the franchise.

Lego 2K Drive combines aspects of popular arcade racers like Forza Horizon and Mario Kart, but never does it to the same level of those competition. However, thanks to creative and varied level design, typical Lego humor, stable performance and an almost bug-free experience, this is a very worthy racing game for young and old.

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]

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.

Battlefield V is already better than its excellent predecessor, even though we'll have to wait for some promised components which will actually make it a bigger game as well.