After several years, AC: Origins is the first Assassin's Creed game that we can recommend without hesitation. It's definitely not perfect, some gameplay mechanisms have not been fully exploited, some others have remained attached to the past, but the scales are clearly positive. It is huge, addictive, entertaining and the series are now going to the right direction. Hopefully they will continue to follow up on it.

Prodeus is an excellent title that can provide you with several hours of adrenaline injection and fun. Solid level design, gratifying gunplay, and beautiful aesthetics, comprise this well-made FPS, one of the best in recent memory for sure.

Simply put, the best Call of Duty in recent memory.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has some strong competition in a genre teeming with good games and even though it doesn't set any new standards, its a fine example of nostalgia trip done right.

A fun tactical game with a branching plot, some original ideas and a lot of political intrigue.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is not a game. It’s an example of what people with vision, scope and means-for-the-purpose can achieve without being burdened with demographics of marketing to a target audience. It’s a true testament of what the combination of art and science can result in, using video games as a medium of expression. Buy it. Switch off the lights. Put on your headphones. Turn it on. And live the best experience of 2017.

Bigger, better, avoiding the mistakes of its predecessor, Blasphemous 2 is one of the most faithful to its tenants, sequels we've seen in recent years. Its solid gameplay and intriguing level design and exploration are some of the reasons why we fell in love with this genre, in the first place.

A highly irreverent take on the Renaissance, chock full of biting, sardonic wit and an art style directly influenced by Terry Gilliam’s legendary Monty Python’s vignettes. Four Last Things is a hell of a good time. Literally.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is "to the point": visually it's a feast for the eyes and with an interesting percussion-based musical score. It's fun, thoughtful, made with care and inspiration, even if it doesn't offer anything original in its individual areas. Especially considering that this is Ember Lab's first effort, the future is bright, and we can already imagine an even better sequel.

Another step forward for the series that now rightfully belongs to the highest eschelon of modern jRPGs.

A dazzling tech-noir showcase of cutting edge writing, extraordinarily satisfying gameplay and an unrivaled, uncompromising vision of the bleak future we’re inevitably spiraling into. William Gibson would have been proud.

In This War of Mine you control a group of civilians, who are struggling to survive during a war conflict. Based on the siege of Sarajevo, the game offers a great experience the real terror of war.

The puzzle design, dialogue, voice-overs, art direction and the way it completes the Blackwell storyline is absolutely sublime. One would be forced to nit pick to find downsides to this beautiful and emotional finale to Rosangela's story. A fairly short duration and the fact that one pretty much needs to be a fan of the series in order to get the full emotional impact of the events unfolding could be considered downsides.

Hogwarts Legacy is an altogether excellent port of Wizarding World to PC screens. It proudly belongs to the Young Adult fiction genre, which may make immersion difficult for older gamers.

Project Cars is not a bad racing game. It's just that as a racing simulator it has way too many flaws, especially in terms of realism during GPs. It abolishes the great chance of feeding an audience which remains hungry due to Codemasters' mistakes in its own F1 games. At the same time, it cannot base its possible success on the presence of other cars, which inevitably stay in the shadow of Formula A category.

With the end of Season One upon us, we can safely conclude that IO Interactive has delivered the best Hitman game to date, with its only weak points being the somewhat lackluster story so far and the "Always-online" component, which could potentially cause issues again. A true successor to Blood Money and if you somehow resisted in trying it, we urge you to do that ASAP, especially if you liked the installments before Absolution.

Two Point Campus comes as a complete package. Incorporating all the improvements and lessons learned (pun not intended) picked up from Two Point Hospital, it promises hours and hours of engagement trying to bring out the best architect, dean, and administrator in you. It is possibly one of the best and funniest management sims currently on the market.

As with its predecessor, Little Nightmares II is an extraordinarily strong game experience. Apart from its decent gameplay mechanics, it successfully emphasizes into creating an eerie atmosphere and depicting images that are hard to forget.

A co-op FPS by nature, by being structured and marketed as MMO, Destiny 2 unavoidably gets compared to games from both genres. Its MMO side is simply insufficient due to the lack of content. If Bungie could adopt the subscription model, this game would have simply been just an expansion of the first one, as they are as close to each other as World of Warcraft expansions are to each other. However from the FPS standpoint, Destiny 2 is ticking many boxes. It is correct in its core mechanisms, it has juicy gameplay and it is a worthwhile title that should have been a bit more ambitious with its design.

Deeply atmospheric, featuring gorgeous visuals and a haunting soundtrack, as well as a combat system that serves as both a blessing and a curse, Transistor is most definitely not a blockbuster for everyone, in the sense that Bastion was. What we have here, is a deeply unapologetic sci-fi noir drama, that carves its own path through the dimly lit, fractalised, non-universe of Cloudbank. It will not hold your hand but it will richly reward those willing to work for its mysteries.

If you enjoyed the previous Trials titles, you already have Trials Rising in your game library, there is no discussion about it. If you've never had the chance to play any of Trials Evolution and Trials Fusion, Rising is a great way to get started.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a brave reboot that manages to change the recipe very successfully and you will love it, especially if you have even a slight appeal to JRPGs or turn-based games in general. It is not perfect, mainly thanks to the "childhood" diseases which were inherited from other representatives of the genre (such as grinding), however it remains a highly enjoyable and entertaining game that can offer dozens of hours of enjoyment.

Crisis Core Reunion is a very good remaster of a portable game, which, apart from intervening quite well in the audiovisual aspect, manages to successfully modernize its combat system, making it accessible in today's era. It's not perfect, its age and portable origins show (especially with the limited maps), however, it's quite enjoyable and will certainly satisfy fans of Final Fantasy, and JRPGs in general, who don't have 100 free hours to get to the finale.

An idea that does not overstay its welcome, enhanced by a great narrative and truly remarkable art direction. Be on the lookout for future publications by Cavalier Games and Tequila Works.

Helldivers is a hardcore twin stick shooter from the developers of Magicka. Designed for co-op multiplayer sessions offers a lot of fun and challenge to the player.

V Rising does almost everything right to offer satisfaction to the player who wants both solid action gameplay, and opportunities to unleash their architectural talents. Unfortunately, the few things it gets wrong are significant enough to keep it from receiving rave reviews.

Apart from the short duration and the cliffhanger ending, Katana Zero is great game, made by people who truly adore their "child", while it has probably the best pixel art aesthetics we have seen so far.

Helldivers 2 is an enjoyable third-person shooter game, offering powerful thrills to the four-person teams that take on the defense of the (managed) Democracy!

Expansive, bittersweet, artistically complete. Life Is Strange opens up new possibilities for what is feasible in video games in terms of narrative. A gorgeous, coming-of-age tale that will resonate with players long after the end credits have rolled.

Broforce is the absolute tribute to the good old action-hero movies. With lots of guns, blood and explosions, supported by a really large cast of heroes, it delivers a seriously big dose of adrenaline. If you like side-scroller run 'n gun games, Broforce is what you are looking for.

Firaxis is a guarantee of quality in tactical games and Marvel's Midnight Suns continues the developer's very good streak.

Hearts of Iron IV is a no-nonsense strategy game. Its steep learning curve will challenge you from the start, but will reward you with one of the most satisfying experiences in the genre. Invest on it and prepare for a lot of sleepless nights.

Resident Evil 7 feels like the interactive, dirty-secret bastard child of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes coupled with the series signature gameplay mechanics. A lean n' mean return to the essence of horror. Purists as well as series virgins will be enchanted. 2017’s first must play title.

Resident Evil Village may look like schlocky gothic horror at first glance, but looks can be deceiving. Despite packing more action than its predecessor, it delivers one of the tightest narratives in the series through exceptional gameplay and memorable set pieces.

The introduction of machine empires has been a much-requested feature since the day Stellaris was first released. Paradox decided to take action, and the result is perhaps the most high-quality DLC for the game to date. You Will be Assimilated. Resistance is Futile.

Invisible, Inc. is a brilliant game. The developers crafted a novel turn-based strategy/stealth game hybrid with a lot of attention to detail, extremely addicting gameplay and an abundance of class on the technical side. If you are a fan of either turn-based or stealth games, or just a fan of good games in general, you really can't go wrong with Invisible, Inc.

C&C Remastered Collection combines two milestone games of the history of the RTS genre in a very elegant package. Graphical updates, lots of Easter eggs and extra content that is first time available (console missions) to the PC platform. This is how remastered editions should be done.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a great action/platform that ideally touches on both nostalgia and the modern way of creating a quality Metroidvania game.

Souls series leaves us with great memories and unique experiences. "The Ringed City" is the ultimate end game content of Dark Souls 3. Thank you Hidetaka Miyazaki for this wonderful trip.

This is HITMAN 2. A remarkable game and a sequel that is mainly aimed at those who played and loved the first game. On the contrary, those who did not get crazy from the previous adventure of the bald agent, will not do so now either.

The epic story of the banner comes again to touch our sensitive inner self. The second chapter of the saga is full of pain, grief, anxiety, courage and heroism. Lets sit by the fire and sing again songs about heroic deeds, forgotten gods and the loved ones who were lost along the way. The Banner Saga 2 is all about feelings.

Kaze and the Wild Masks draws heavy inspirations from 90's platform games and especially the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Even though it does not capture that same feeling of bliss its romping simian predecessors have, it is still a fun title to play if you are a fan of the genre.

Football Manager 2018 finally offers some new and exciting features in addition to the usual incremental improvements over last year’s version. We’re still not completely happy with the match engine and the overly bloated interface but this year’s FM is a good purchase.

Rosewater is an epic adventure that will be etched in your mind and heart.

Superhot is a unique game, with extraordinary and exciting gameplay mechanisms, which mildly falls short due to its two-hour long campaign.

The King of 3D fighting is back: Tekken 7 is such a great entry to the series. Gameplay-wise is brilliant, its graphics are stunning and the available roster is satisfying. One of the best fighting titles out there.

Sokobond is puzzle game that follows brilliantly the rule 'less is more'. Simple rules of chemistry dictate the puzzles of the game, without the need of their profound knowledge. Sokobond demonstrates how simple a concept or an idea can be, yet how hard it is to reach that goal. Isn't this, what science is all about? Definitely recommended.

Mortal Kombat 11 is a worthy successor to the long-time series and one of the best and most complete fighting games in recent years. Sure, the tactics surrounding microtranscations and the extensive grinding that is implicitly required for anyone who wants to unlock everything, reduce the overall value of the game, fortunately without being irreparably affected.

Strong plot, thoughtful characters, rich content, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is undoubtedly one of the games you should play.

Stray is a disgustingly cute and visually gorgeous post-apocalyptic cat game. Rather short, and not without its flaws, but a truly unique title nonetheless.

Eastward is a charming game, with the simplicity and "naivety" of JRPGs, but with its own unique personality.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a pitch-black sequel that makes sure to remind you of that suffocating feeling at every chance, with scenes of hopelessness, the stench of putrefaction and a deluge of filthy rodents. It's not pleasant, but is should be lauded nonetheless.

Valhalla is a truly authentic Viking experience, and quite possibly the best and most complete Assassin's Creed game in the series' current "Open-World RPG" phase.

Gorgeous, vast, hugely atmospheric and full of undefeated soul. A Molotov cocktail of emotional narrative and explosive thrills, this is 2019's first serious Game of the Year contender.

The Outer Worlds offers an RPG experience that brims with most of the qualities we could expect from its developers, based on their previous projects. It might not be the most ground-breaking or "deeply written" RPG of our times, but boy is it fun.

Utopia, together with the free “Banks” update, introduce a ton of much-desired additions to Stellaris’ core gameplay. It might need some more polish and balancing in order to truly shine, but it remains a solid step forward in the game’s journey to perfection.

A truly unexpected and ultimately successful mix of roguelite combat and city management. Aside from the remarkable gameplay, the excellent aesthetics also provide pure watching entertainment value, from which some balance issues can't be taken away.

Children of Morta breaks the roguelike conventions with stellar narrative delivery. The little events married with its exceptional pixel-art provide a deeply emotional journey, even if it is a hack'n'slash game down its core. The limited endgame is what hurts one of the Indie of 2019 candidates the most.

The series thunders back into the spotlight with the force of a space marine hammer crushing heretic skulls. The Emperor protects!

Ultra Street Fighter IV is a great experience and should not be missed from the collection of any fan of fighting games.

The moving, fitting climax of a true epic. The Banner Saga took four years to complete and is living proof of what a strong vision, flawless artistic direction and well-tuned game mechanics can achieve when working in perfect synergy. If the screenshots speak to you, you will find here a game that is truly in a league of its own.

A high-quality adaptation of the board game with plenty of content and rich replayability. What it does seek to offer, the gaming experience of a classic tabletop board game for one or more players, it achieves in an almost flawless way.

Another neon night, stalking through the gorgeous nightmare of New York City. If you are not moved, you simply don't have a heart.

Great gameplay, beautiful graphics and rich content but also lack of polish. A great choice but it needs a couple of patches.

A noteworthy continuation of the series, with its fast-paced hack 'n' slash action making a nice impression.

Featuring some of the cleverest puzzles we have seen in recent years, Technobabylon also allows the player to tackle those in a variety of imaginative ways, thus presenting a much more realistic and organic vision of it's bleak, dystopic world. A solid script and a very well implemented mechanic of solving puzzles by utilizing both cyberspace and the "real world" make Technobabylon a highly entertaining and original offering. Adventure gamers, take note.

For one more year FIFA 15 manages to maintain its high standards with a further addition of new animations and even better visuals. However, the same thing cannot be said for the gameplay which remains virtually unchanged from its predecessor.

The unbelievable graphics, the atmosphere and the feeling of lonely wandering manage to beat some design flaws such as lack of manual saving, possible backtracking and the failed jump scare moment. A game which will be discussed for a long time.

One of those indie diamonds that pop up every once in a while, and manage to speak right to our souls. Truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Warhammer: Vermintide II is a sequel done right and then some. Improved in all its aspects, it will challenge seasoned and new players alike with its difficulty and demands of tactical planning. Definitely worth checking it out.

Impressive visuals, lengthy campaign and rich multiplayer, Gears 5 summarizes the definition of an AAA game. However, its technical issues and the restrained open-world element, somewhat diminish the experience.

For all practical intents and purposes, this is System Shock 3. Arkane Studios has salvaged Looking Glass’ throne, gorgeously decorated it with alien glass from the valleys of Neptune and now comfortably sits on the immersive sim throne, presiding over one of PC gaming’s founding and most influential genres. A masterclass in every respect, Prey is a very strong contender for 2017’s Game of the Year award.

This HD Remaster will be much appreciated and loved by fans of the original game, who will be willing to forgive its weaknesses. At the same time, it can attract newer audience too, as it maintains the superb atmosphere that made Resident Evil an all time classic.

Under the roguelite hood, Loop Hero serves as a perfect analogy of an everyday person's daily routine: wake up, face the obstacles, reach your (almost unattainable) goal, set a new goal, measure your losses. Rinse and repeat. Besides all that, Loop Hero is a stellar example of gameplay design ingenuity, meshing different elements in an addictive pixel-art nod to the 80s.

Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer is what you'd expect from the sequel to a decent adventure: thoughtful, bigger with harder puzzles and an equally well-written story to back it up.

A blood soaked, stylish-beyond-reckoning testament to the art and alchemy of flawless video game design. The Crimson Court provides a substantial addition to one of the greatest, most obsessive tests of gaming character ever created. Indispensable.

PES 2015 is a step forward to the next gen football sims. The core gameplay mechanisms are well-balanced, resulting in the game to be a real fun to play and surely the best of the series until now.

Wildstar banks on hardcore raid and instance difficulty as well as its excellently implemented "dancing" real time combat mechanic to offer something significantly new and fresh to the MMORPG scene. Low server population and annoying hints of a "Pay To Win More" model hold it back in certain areas, but it has all the potential of becoming a well established and much loved setting for years to come.

Playing Cyber Shadow is like stepping through a portal and being transferred back to the late 80's - early 90's. High nostalgia factor aside, it's a finely crafted sidescrolling action platformer in and of itself and should not be overlooked by fans of the genre.

A deep and well-crafted economic simulator, not without flaws or room for improvement, but still immensely fun and faithful to the spirit that made the series great.

Tides of Numenera would have made sense as a quiet, indie, choose-your-own-adventure/RPG hybrid set in a strange and fascinating world. A small, indie game for a niche audience. Usurping Torment’s sacred mantle to present a barely competent CRPG with heavy interactive novel trappings that fails to elicit any sort of emotional connection with the player or give any meaningful context to his agency or interactions with the game’s world, will not be taken lightly, or forgotten any time soon, by its backers, this writer included.

Intensely atmospheric and brilliantly executed from a “mechanical” standpoint, Quadrilateral Cowboy somehow manages to feel more like a tease for an epic saga of retro-futuristic cyber-espionage than a complete game unto itself. It will delight puzzle game fans with the clever implementation of it’s “hacking” routines and balanced learning curve but story fans will potentially find less than they may expect.

Visual surrealism, difficult handling, vague and abstract lore. Grime is a title that every metroidvania fan should consider. Brutal and gorgeous, it gives the impression of a diamond in the rough that captivates you with all the perspectives that unfold before its carving. For us it's already the metroidvania of the year.

Despite ultimately feeling slightly "inferior" to the greatness that is Dragonfall, Shadowrun: Hong Kong introduces lots of much-desired improvements to the series and remains a solid RPG effort, true in every way to the high standards that we've come to expect from its developers.

A haunting and unforgettable journey to the heart of what made video games fascinating in the first place. The 'Zee is endless, the 'Zee is dark, the 'Zee will kill you. Your heart belongs to its dark gods now.

In Harm's Way upholds Telltale's standard of storytelling and cinematic excellence. The only downside is at this point, the seams of this "illusion of choice" the series provides are more than evident for the seasoned player. This dampens the experience a bit but the fierce cliffhanger ending leaves us again, hankering for more.

There’s not much new here in terms of ground-breaking additions and improvements, but Sports Interactive’s efforts are just about enough to offer an improved experience and a more fun game compared to last year’s release.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is one of the most enjoyable shooters you can find these days. It is not groundbreaking, it does not reinvent the wheel, but it successfully combines "old-school" gameplay with elements from modern-day shooters.

With Jedi Fallen Order, Respawn have made a small miracle and have delivered a stellar single-player Star Wars game. I daresay that JFO resembles what a modern Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast would have if it combined the best elements of gameplay defining games, sensibly unified and supported by a story which sets the rules without trying to be ground-breaking.

A sublime, wonderfully scary horror/stealth game with beautiful graphics and fun gameplay. The eponymous alien is a constant threat, forcing the player to stay on his toes and brave the shadows in order to survive his trek inside the Sevastopol space station. The game's only major misstep is that it slightly outstays its welcome as the campaign drags on longer than it should have. Other than that, Alien: Isolation is one of the best horror games of the last few years.

Unruly Heroes, despite having some unfair moments in its second half, is a game made by skillful people, featuring lavish content, gorgeous, bustling sceneries and diverse gameplay that keeps things from getting stale.

Artifex Mundi flex their point-and-click muscles for the first time, delivering simple riddles and a comical tone in a neat package. While aiming to be satirical with its wonderful art (homage to The Curse of Monkey Island/Deponia games), it does not avoid the pitfall of being too preachy. The latter results in one-dimensional characters who are narrative simplistic vessels to the moral of the story.

An incredibly immersive RPG/adventure based on the works of H.P. Lovercraft that misses on true greatness due to its unpolished release and abrupt ending.

Ashen is a decent proposition for Soulslike fans and it may be the ideal choice for someone who wishes to get into the genre before going deeper. Despite the simplicity of its mechanisms and the lack of depth / replayability, it is very enjoyable for both Dark Souls beginners and experts.

Overlord is a bountiful expansion to Stellaris that enriches one of the few remaining underdeveloped aspects of the base game. However, its core additions may not seem particularly "vital" to all players.

The best Borderlands game to date, if your PC is premium enough to handle the deadly mix of Unreal Engine 5 and Denuvo DRM with an open-world game.

With its expressive character and amazing environment depictions, Unravel excels in sending the player through a cascade of positive emotions. From its narrative to its core technical elements the game can only be described as art at its purest form. The perfection of simplicity.

UNILE offers a solid combat system and exciting gameplay mechanics, but some technical issues on the online mode should be fixed in order to keep gamers on playing it.