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.

Dead Kings is great if you enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Unity and want more of it, but it’s not going to change your mind if you hated the main game.

The Callisto Protocol is very happy to make the comparison with Dead Space, but apart from the graphics and acting performances, it does not improve its formula in any way. Callisto is beautiful, but feels lifeless and contains too little world-building. The combat is too scripted and the story starts way too slowly, and more importantly, the game is rarely scary. It is therefore a moderate warm-up for the Dead Space remake.

Battlefield 2042 has not become the Battlefield to end all Battlefields that some hoped for. Hopefully most players can see the game for what it is: a decent modern multiplayer shooter and a fickle DIY kit.

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.

Despite diverse heroes and game modes Rocket Arena is somewhat shallow and predictable. The simple controls and familiar visuals make for a accessible game, but result in underdeveloped gameplay. Altogether it would be a nice addition to your free-to-play collection, but unfortunately Rocket Arena is not free.

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.

Session: Skate Sim knows how to capture what makes skating so much fun with its in-depth settings and excellent board control and physics like no other game. That also means a huge difficulty level. It's not for everyone, but it gives real skaters a simulator they can play for years to come, if Sessions many shortcomings are made up with updates.

Its atmospheric horror, improved camera combat, fancy HD graphics and intense story make this the best entry in the classic horror series yet. [dec. 2015 / page 059]

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.

Marvel’s Avengers is basically a high production value Marvel Ultimate Alliance style action RPG, built around the structure of a game like Destiny. This is a powerful combination, featuring spectacular action and endless possibilities, but developer Crystal Dynamics stumbles in their ambition. Therefore the game’s stability is horrendous (although the performance mode might help) and navigating its many options is unnecessarily convoluted. The future of Marvel’s Avengers does seem to shine bright though.

Crash Team Rumble is pretty fun, but should have been part of a collection of minigames, or a nice extra in a full-fledged Crash Bandicoot adventure. In itself it is very scanty, even for only 30 euros.

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.

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.

Schim has a fantastic concept that immediately appeals to your inner child, and wraps it in a beautiful, clearly Dutch world with a wonderfully simplistic art style. It just doesn't surprise at all as a game, and after an hour it starts to feel like a repetitive exercise.

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.

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.

You need a special kind of sense of humour to appreciate Gat Out of Hell (the same kind you need to like Saints Row IV), but if you do, it will boost this add-on from 'too ludicrous to be enjoyable' to 'laughing out loud fun'. One problem: it's almost impossible for Saints Row to get more insane than this.

No, I didn't see this score coming myself, even though it's mainly due to that "rollercoaster on mushrooms" single-player and the hours I expect to waste on Zombies. Endgame has something, but "something" doesn't survive in today's extraction shooter landscape. And the carnivalesque, bunny-hopping, TikTok-dancing, slip 'n' slide 140BPM ADHD simulator of the multiplayer... I'll gladly and respectfully leave that to those bunny-hopping, TikTok-dancing, slip 'n' slide 140BPM ADHD players.

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.

State of Decay 2 is not the most original game. Or the most polished. However, it is the most exciting zombie game since the first game, as well as the best Xbox One-exclusive in a very long time.

Need for Speed listened to its fans, and that’s why this game deserves to call itself a reboot of the franchise. There’s a few minor flaws, but especially in its multiplayer, this Need for Speed is the first fun one to come out in years.

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.

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]

Minecraft Legends is a good but simple strategy game that is perfect for beginners. The world of Minecraft is well conveyed in all its glory and the balance between building and demolition makes long lasting battles a legendary story to tell.

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.

Star Wars: Uprising is on the brink of being a shameless commercial monstrosity. Still, it’s become a decent clone of Diablo, which, due to the complete lack of challenge, will make you fall asleep sooner rather than later. Zzzztar Warzzzzz… [Sept. 2015, p. 069]

Star Wars Battlefront II offers a much bigger package than its predecessor, and delivers massively on that typical Star Wars atmosphere and spectacle, with versatile modes and gameplay. But the multiplayer progression is a complete misfire and the disappointing microtransaction strategy costs them a point.