An interesting concept, a weak execution.

The best way to experience Shadow of the Colossus — play a couple of levels at a friend’s or use the Share Play function. This game was a hit in its time, on its original platform, but we all moved on, and now the remastered version feels archaic, especially its gameplay.

Alan Wake 2 is good at times because of a director’s work, but it often fails to deliver as a horror and action-adventure game.

There is no thrilling story, colorful characters or allure of the high seas. Instead, Return of the Obra Dinn is a bold, massive puzzle, an exquisite workout for your 'gray cells'. Unfortunately, the innovative gameplay mechanic gradually loses its appeal and excitement towards the finale, and I had to muster my willpower in order to beat the game in one go.

Dogtown without a single dog in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty looks more like a Potemkin village than an appropriate scenery for the final act of a protracted tragedy.

Jumping off Dark Souls, FromSoftware removed all the best components of its hit series in order to make Sekiro. It's a decent slasher if you like honing reflexes or breaking bricks with your forehead. More casual players will quickly get bored, though.

Legacy of the Void is hardly a milestone in the RTS genre, but it is a nice bookend to the trilogy. Blizzard has finally fulfilled its promise to StarCraft fans.

All in all, it's a decent platformer worthy of your 10-20 hours of free time. But, as far as metroidvanias go, there is so much stuff to improve in the potential sequel, for example, a map, a teleport system, a bag of collectable items and lots of well-hidden secrets.

This is a solid RPG/action game. Some elements of the game are unusual and fresh for single-player parts of the Final Fantasy series, but some are too dull and rudimentary.

Spider-Man is a stark example of an outdated "sandbox game” whose goal is not to entertain but rather preoccupy players, and it uses every cliche in the book to do that.

No one asked Guybrush to return, but he came anyway and crashed his own party. In the beginning, you try your best to acclimate to the unusual visual style, hoping that your patience will eventually pay off. In the end, you wonder how they managed to screw up a decent game with such a vile ending.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is able to charm with artistic solutions, beautiful mechs, gloomy atmosphere of corporate wars. But there are too many of annoying factors in the game.

Gone Home is an ideological sister to Dear Esther, only not as beautiful or mysterious.

Angry Birds Star Wars is a solid game based on a tired concept.

Death Stranding is asking you to find variety in a daily rut, cooperation possibilities for a character who has fear of contact, scientific explanations in clear-cut mysticism. Today, you’re annoyed that the story doesn’t move forward, and you have to trek into the same ghost-infested area as before, but tomorrow you’ll gladly spend a few hours hauling resources for a new highway and feeling good about it. This source of joy is very weird and defies explanation.

It’s a standard ”enhanced port” from Wii U to Switch with minimal changes, but those who missed it the first time around will enjoy this tropical romp.

Days when people considered StarCraft a gold standard of the RTS genre are long gone. Nowadays, Blizzard tries to mask the old formula by grafting superfluous gameplay elements and tugging at nostalgia strings. Unless you’re a huge fan of StarCraft’s multiplayer, better save your money for Company of Heroes 2 and Wargame: AirLand Battle.

A bottomless chasm separating the story and the gameplay is the biggest problem of this Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics rebooted the series with an origin story. The developers wanted to show us how Lara learns to kill – first animals, then humans – in order to survive, how the hardships of the Yamatai island will make her into the tomb raider well know and love. But in reality, you can’t suspend your disbelief even for a minute. Though Lara sighs and whines a lot, her superhuman vitality would make Wolverine green with envy.

Anomaly: Korea represents the lazy approach to game development. The game is still fun to play, but it is not nice to sell the same product twice.

The developers chose an unusual path, but the product of their labor is neither roguelike nor a full-blown RPG. The game’s original concept is running idle.

Short, but enjoyable single-player campaign blending Shogo, Portal 2 and Mirror's Edge compliments the familiar multiplayer, which is equally fun and infuriating.

While AC: Origins was packed with interesting stories, Odyssey is a generic ’Ubisoft sandbox’ in the worst sense, with hundreds of the same-looking places, dozens of ”kill-fetch” quests and almost zero motivation to grind further.

The gameplay and its mechanics are incredibly simple, and there aren’t any new ideas, but boy, it can be so fun.

The Talos Principle’s worst transgression is that it is absolutely predictable. The levels are all too similar, and by the end of the game you do pretty much the same routine as you do in the beginning.

If Almost Human had made a strict dungeon crawler like the first Legend of Grimrock, but with a properly fleshed-out world, better UI, redesigned combat and role-playing systems, I would have recommended such a sequel in an instant. Alas.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a weird amalgamation of two different games. One is almost like those classic RPGs from BioWare’s early years; it makes you sit on the edge of your chair, waiting for shocking twists, deliberate over moral dilemmas, laugh and cry. The other is a MMO with generic quests and soulless grinding, having slithered where it should not be. And, alas, there is no way to separate them.

If you value humor and atmosphere above all else, go forth and enjoy Tales from the Borderlands. If not, you will have a hard time enjoying a cartoon without gameplay, freedom and bedazzling graphics.

In contrast to the previous expansion, Afterbirth is just a collection of scraps and trimmings that has nothing original to offer.

It’s definitely not the worst way to spend 10-12 hours, especially if you're into supernatural fiction and the new weird. Yet Remedy lacked determination (or maybe skill?) to go the distance.

However flawed Badland is, you won’t go wrong if you buy it on sale – it’ll help you to kill some time on a trip.

Yakuza 0 is a compact slice of modern Japan with one difference that in real Tokyo and Osaka they actually have street traffic.

This fairytale is somewhat simplistic in its story and structure, but still charming.

Hogwarts Legacy is a great adventure, but only for those Harry Potter fans who rarely play video games.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a good game, but it lacks a spark.

Toys for Bob's game is a welcome addition to the original trilogy, although you will hardly remember its levels or music. Crash Bandicoot 4 is two steps below the amazing Super Mario Odyssey and Yoshi’s Crafted World.

Only thanks to the Nemesis system stinky orcs from Peter Jackson’s movies rise above being cannon fodder and turn into actual characters. If this cool system weren’t here, no one would have looked twice at this hybrid clone of Batman: Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed.

Forsaken is flawed, and yet it is the best Destiny 2 expansion so far. There is nothing that elicits exuberance, but if you are a hardcore Guardian, do not miss it.

It would be a mistake to call Darkest Dungeon a roguelike game. It is, in fact, a more elaborate version of Cookie Clicker. You play with numbers instead of playing a game.

Nice-looking and highly original, Frostpunk is too simplistic for a city-building sim and too shallow to grip you with emotional hooks.

Quirks of the match engine, illogical events, and a handful of old bugs stop me from praising FM 2020 to high heaven, but, after some proper patching, it may become one of the best football managers in years.

Even though the scope of this stand-alone adventure is smaller than usual, there‘s enough exciting, yet all-too-familiar blockbuster scenes, a daring escape from a crumbling temple, a high-octane car chase and a sequence that can only be described as the train from Uncharted 2 on steroids.

Black Flag is not a sequel, it is just a big expansion pack, and it has nothing to merit the “4” in its title. Just like Brotherhood and Revelations that fleshed out Assassin’s Creed 2, it is not a step forward, but aside.

Besides the 6-player co-op mode, very little reminds us that this game debuted in 2022. Shredder’s Revenge lifts most of its ideas verbatim from the arcade classics, sprinkling some modern niceties and a handful of minor bugs. If you can recite the TMNT theme song by memory, this is definitely your game.

Morales’ New York is just as basic as before. There is nothing to do except complete the same missions, and the city cannot offer anything more except spectacular bird’s eye view panoramas.

Fallout 4 is an OK game if you treat it as an open-world first-person shooter.

I was wrong about The Wolf Among Us – twice. The first time is when I hoped that, having practiced drama skills writing an on-rails zombie adventure, Telltale Games would be able to build something more complex and spectacular. The second time is when I thought that there would be some twist in the case of dead hookers. My failed prediction is not what vexes me; it’s the fact that Telltale just skipped the climax of the story altogether.

Two Point Hospital doesn’t want and doesn’t know how to punish players for their mistakes. It only creates a feeling of hectic atmosphere and imitates problems to keep us from falling asleep while moving medicine cabinets for the umpteenth time.

As a game, Ghost of Tsushima offers tried-and-true tropes of the genre with a story of a paradigm shift, decent swordplay, generic sandbox attractions (with zero towers and grind, though) and bearable monotony. But if you accept it as a series of living wallpapers, it’s a true PlayStation 4 gem.

Gunpoint is stylish, incredibly atmospheric and quite deceptive as it is actually a clever puzzle rather than stealth action. Too bad it is only 3 hours long, and there is no incentive to revisit the game when you’re done with it.

Despite catering to hardcore players and limited gameplay options, CTR Nitro-Fueled successfully rides the nostalgia wave, but I’m not ready to become the drift guru just yet.

Life Is Strange is a very controversial game. On one hand, it sets a new quality standard in ‘cinematic’ adventure games — from now on, they must give freedom to players and make them emotionally invested in on-screen events. On the other hand, it’s packed with dumb gaffes and disastrous shortcomings. Still, if you managed to reach the end credits and spent the next couple of days thinking about the characters, then it was worth it.

If you like animated movies from Disney and Pixar, and you want to relieve some of the key moments, welcome to Kingdom Hearts 3.

Despite the "Can't stop the progress" tagline, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is pretty much a rehash of the previous game.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a beautiful and sometimes thrilling movie and an outdated game. It is a boring retelling of the original that has nothing to offer the player, except for modern graphics and modern controls.

If you don't play all Call of Duty games in a row, but pick the best one every few years, then Black Ops 6 is the first contender for your money and time.

Monaco fails at balancing fun and cold math; the first levels are so easy that you’ll run through them without even thinking, but by the end the awkward arcade shenanigans will become the downfall of your carefully laid plans.

Besides killing enemies, there is not much to do; the entire game is a linear path from one small arena to the next one. Yes, there is a story, but in Bastion it was seamlessly integrated into gameplay, and here it only breaks the pace.

This is a one-of-a-kind saga about a space rigger, but it needs some memorable moments in order to shine.

This interactive aquarium is a sight to behold, but not enticing enough to make me spend one more minute underwater.

If you liked Zero Dawn, you will probably enjoy Forbidden West, even though the sequel lost that pioneering spirit and Aloy stopped developing as a character.

Resident Evil 7 is chock full of spectacular cinematic scenes, but what's the point of all that if they're hardly scary at all? Worse, some of them make you laugh.

Village is a concoction of spectacular amusements framed by an insane storyline, and this grotesque circus is varied enough for you to stay for one playthrough.

While adding remastered graphics and a modern UI, Remastered Collection avoided dealing with 20-year old shortcomings of the original game, like poor pathfinding for infantry and harvesters, for instance. On the other hand, these flaws will definitely make your missions much more exciting on higher difficulty settings.

It's a solid expansion pack with all the merits and flaws of the original game. And for some reason it has "2" in the title.

The story is going around in circles, and the charm of the first act is all but gone. At this rate, Conway and his dog will soon lose their chance to leave a mark on the genre.

Pure gameplay delight exists. And Superhot shows us that it is within our reach. All you have to do is turn a hot idea into a full-fledged game. Meanwhile, you can buy and enjoy an expensive sliver of hope.

The Outer Worlds 2 has little in common with Obsidian’s best RPGs. It’s not exactly a bad game, but you certainly won’t miss it if you skip it.

Tekken 7 is a great time-killer that can hold its own against the latest installments of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue.

Antichamber is an intriguing little experiment. It is both a humble imitation and an attempt to avoid all the trappings and clichés of the genre. Alas, it fails to excite. Unlike Echochrome and Braid, where we bending realities to our will, in this game its creators simply tease us whenever they feel like it.

A cute kitty is wandering in a beautiful city of robots — now that’s a cool idea to scribble on a napkin during a brainstorm session. Unfortunately, Stray never develops it into a full-fledged game.

A decent text-based RPG with a disappointing illogical ending.

Stylish, unusual, funny… and incoherent. While the idea of a cute Satanic cult seems alluring, don’t rush to sign the contract in blood.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a smart and nice action game. I would like to spend more time in the game, but it is just not good enough for a second playthrough.

The Vale puts binaural sounds and simple controls to good use, but the repetitive combat and copy/pasted towns quickly get old. This adventure is good for exactly one playthrough, and that’s it.

The Wolf Among Us is still more enjoyable than the 2nd season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, but, all in all, the taste is already gone, and there are two more installments to play through.

Whether you buy Spyro Reignited out of sheer nostalgia or just because you need a nice game to play together with your kids, this remake will not disappoint. It’s still one of the best family arcade games around.

eFootball PES 2020 keeps all the merits of the series but lacks any significant breakthroughs. Still, it’s a good sports sim, especially in multiplayer.

The action in Metal Gear Revengeance is always spectacular, albeit it won’t be long before you notice some repetitive patterns. Unfortunately, the story that glues these battles together is weak.

Despite improved graphics and Havok-powered physics, Zero Hour is nowhere near as spectacular as Modern Combat 3. Scripted on-rails sequences where you control drones is the only thing that breaks 4 hours of monotonous shooting at numb-brained enemies.

If you want to take part in an exciting adventure and you're willing to suffer through annoying technical problems, I think you will get your share of fun out of The Last Guardian. But you have to be patient as this game starts incredibly slowly.

Genetic modifications, ethical dilemmas, sentient machines vs their human masters — Technobabylon tackles these complex issues and paints a vivid picture of our future. It does this in an awkward manner at times, but if you’re willing to overlook some flaws, you’ll enjoy a compelling cyberpunk story in between sessions of Satellite Reign.

The game takes your breath away from the first seconds, but its paper-thin story quickly gets lost in the beautiful picture.

The main drawback of Ninja Gaiden 4 is its repetitive level design. It’s a real shame, because the game can be vibrant and stylish, and you could watch the ninja’s dance of death forever.

A decent collection of racing-themed puzzles for those who prefer really hardcore arcade games.

Wreckfest lacks coherent vision. It feels as if Bugbear Interactive, during all these long years of development hell, still haven’t figured out what game exactly they were trying to create.

Just like a skilled swordsman, the developer of Nidhogg disarmed me and lured into a trap – you either miss one of the best fighting experiences ever made, or pay $15 for what is basically an incomplete game.

It could have been a masterpiece if the writers knew when to stop.

There are no breathtaking vistas to behold, but still, Sunless Sea is a great destination for virtual tourists. If you only you didn’t have to suffer through the monotony and fight the hastily implemented, out-of-place rules.

I guess Telltale wanted to show the world as seen by the child whose whole life depends on adults’ decisions. The result feels like you’re trying to play a game, but someone took your gamepad.

As fun The Shadow Sun is, it feels like the developers had to cut a lot of corners in order to finally make it onto the market.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is not as good as previous works of these ex-Starbreeze devs, and it is not as good as No One Lives Forever, which it clearly draws a lot of inspiration from. While not an instant classic, it is still a fun, almost nostalgic romp.

True Colors is the most “alive” Life is Strange so far thanks to a technological leap, but it lacks spark and tries to compensate for it by referencing or imitating the original game.

Fallen Order is a decent alternative to Dark Souls if you’re looking for a less hardcore experience. It leaves a pleasant aftertaste thanks to a well-directed ending, which makes you wonder if this game could have been so much better if it fully embraced its inner Uncharted instead of trying to wear two hats.

Alien: Isolation's story will take you around 15-20 hours to complete. But, to spare yourself the bitter aftertaste of the second part of the campaign, do this – after completing Mission 10, quit the game and pretend that you’ve just seen a happy ending.

It's the only modern multiplayer FPS based on the Vietnam war, and its developers used all their past experience to create a fun, stylish and very gory shooter. That being said, next time Tripwire will have to come up with something more original than that.

If you’re not into art house video games, steer clear of Kentucky Route Zero. And even if you’re always first in line to try some weird experience, wait until they release the remaining acts. Right now, it’s hard to say what this is: a breakthrough or a hyped-up bubble.

If you’re not a member of the Communist Party and you do not feel nostalgic whenever someone mentions USSR, the journey to Matryoshka will bring you 10-12 hours of fun. Although it’s a bit disappointing that the writers missed an opportunity to turn this light comedy into a satirical study of a person’s fate in a totalitarian state where cult of personality reigns over all.

The iOS version of The Lords of Midnight is a good remake. It treats the original game with love and respect, although you have to be a big retro fan in order to fully enjoy it.