I liked it even less than A Total War Saga: Troy. There is not much variety in battles in the game, and the map looks incomplete. This is a game about the bronze age collapse, and where is Mesopotamia?

A soulless Portal copycat built around a cool gameplay mechanic, which would have flourished in a game by Double Fine or Valve. Superliminal has more originality than other copycats (see The Bradwell Conspiracy), but it’s absolutely devoid of substance and leaves you indifferent.

Despite a broken narrative and some flaws in gameplay mechanics, the refreshed formula of Blackguards 2 is a clear improvement over the original game.

10 years ago this game would have been lost in a crowd of its brethren – back then, everyone had a game with dusty streets, Saddam’s portraits and AKs. Today, serious first-person shooters like Insurgency are a rare beast, so give it a chance even if it’s far from perfect.

Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition is intended only for fans and newcomers. The former will buy it anyway, while the latter would be better off starting with this version. Others are unlikely to find anything interesting in the new edition.

Finally, there is a game that I can safely describe as “Even Hotline Miami was better!”

Even though Pendragon’s short roguelike format doesn’t allow for sprawling sagas, as all stories are quite abridged and simplistic, this game is absolutely engrossing, and there is enough excellent content to last you for several years.

It’s a budget Mario/Yoshi sans acrobatics with tons of borrowed ideas and a single original one. Play only in co-op if you’re 6 or older.

The first episode of The Raven trilogy is blink-and-you-miss-it short. The next time we’ll see the same events from the criminal’s point of view. Here is hoping that his version of the story is more interesting.

Far Cry finally got rid of the most annoying bits (like the infamous towers), but that’s pretty much the extent of the series’ progress. Far Cry 6 doesn’t improve on the core concept in any way. Still, all the expected mechanics work as advertised and keep the game above the line.

Dungeons 4 has two sides. The dungeon part of the game is good, but far from ideal, and the overworld gameplay is primitive.

The aging Assassin’s Creed franchise begs to be retooled and refreshed, and the paint-by-the-numbers Syndicate is yet more proof of that.

This brutal saga about power and burden of choice is such a captivating adventure that you quickly forget about the game's minor flaws.

There is a seed of a fascinating game hidden somewhere in Far Cry: Primal, but, I’m afraid, someone else will have to find it and grow it.

Nantucket is a generator of amazing tales, the likes of which people usually tell by the fireside while sipping hot mulled wine. Low budget and a couple of glaring mistakes are the only things that deny it greatness.

Even online modes feel scaled back compared to previous SF games, and, combined with a hollow single-player campaign, this is a big letdown. Yes, Capcom will be releasing DLCs with new characters and locations, but this process will likely take years. Right now, SF5 does not justify its “full AAA” pricetag. The game has many merits, but it will take some time before it becomes the best one in the series.

Incredipede is more like a virtual toy, rather than a game. While it's fun to play with weird creatures, you can't even begin to compare the experience with World of Goo or Armadillo Run. Physics simulation is nice, but the world of Incredipede really needs a set of plain, simple rules.

Zombie Vikings is the first beat-‘em-up game where the story and jokes are so good that they make you slog through its tedious combat.

Gibbous is worth your time if you are willing to overlook its numerous oddities and rushed narrative so you can enjoy a few brilliant game design ideas and marvel at the game’s outlandish sets. If Stuck in Attic sets out to create its second game, the studio should scale back its ambitions and definitely hire a professional screenwriter.

If you’re a fan of Warhammer, and you long for a tactical strategy game that captivates you for hours and never forgets a mistake, Mordheim is for you.

Fort Triumph is an unfortunate case when the whole is less than each of its parts.

It's a little bit weird, sometimes disbalanced, boring at times and clearly lacking a better budget, but now, after a handful of patches, you can safely pick it up during a sale.

Yesterday Origins marks a welcome return of Pendulo Studios after a lengthy break and makes the original game look like a paltry demo. I would call this return triumphant if not for numerous technical problems.

Romeo is a Dead Man is a bloody action game full of absurd situations.

Galactic Civilizations 4: Supernova looks good and has lots of small details. But unfortunately it quickly runs out of steam.

I never put down a puzzle game before I complete it, but TRI broke me on level 12th out of 16. I got bored much earlier than that, though. Unfortunately, the game is not only beyond hardcore, it’s simply rude to the player. I doubt that most of you will appreciate this sort of masochistic experience.

In Other Waters is an experimental crossbreed between a simple-hearted adventure game and an equally straightforward simulator of a futuristic ocean scientist. The adventure part is constrained by narrative conventions and oversimplified design, but the sim part is almost a meditative experience that might enthrall you for a few hours.

Transformers: Devastation is a spectacular, but oh so short and casual amusement ride.

Neon Chrome has a handful of bizarre shortcomings, which is surprising since this is the game from the makers of Crimsonland. Nevertheless, just like Leap of Fate, it brings new ideas to its stagnating genre.

It’s an adventure equivalent of tasteless chewing gum. It works OK as filler, but you will not even remember this game a year later.

Despite its obvious tight budget, Revelations 2 is a much better game than the last offering in the main series, Resident Evil 6.

It is pointless to spend your time on Cities: Skylines 2 in its current state. Developers should decide what is really important — fixing the game or releasing DLCs.

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst brings the series back where it started - to broken dreams and still untapped potential.

Five years ago, Virginia would've enjoyed a warmer welcome. Today, it's just one of the many two-hour long walking simulators.

Masters of the World is a must for anyone who likes fantasy turn-based strategy games. Get it, but don’t play it just yet – wait a few weeks before the developers iron out the kinks. Judging by the speed at which they churn out new patches, you won’t have to wait too long.

Batman: The Telltale Series is off to a lacklustre start, and even if you're a die-hard fan of the Caped Crusader, or you simply hope to see a glimmer fresh ideas in Telltale's assembly line products, I'm afraid you're out of luck.

PES 2014 is rife with frustrating flaws, but still, underneath all these layers of disappointment, there is a powerful core. In rare instances, when you are in control of the game, and there no bugs to spoil the fun, PES is more natural and alive than any FIFA.

With Arma 3, Bohemia made a big step towards a unified platform for its military shooters, but at the same time took two steps back in regards to actual game content. Only the most hardcore fans will enjoy Arma 3 in its current form.

The Red Solstice is very difficult to master, but if you spend enough time learning the game and find good friends to play it with, you will enjoy it.

Partisans 1941 is not a puzzle that makes you go over all the available tactical options in search of the most ingenious solution, but a lengthy exercise in mundanity.

The biggest letdown of this Master of Orion is a complete lack of meaningful space exploration. There are too few anomalies, pirate bases and monsters in the galaxy, and everything feels empty.

Fighting feels sluggish. Come on, this is supposed to be wrestling as seen on TV! Even though there is more moves and combos than in Virtua Fighter 5, the action doesn't "click" as good as it should.

NBA 2K20 makes a few missteps in several modes and the gameplay is pretty much the same as before, but it’s still a reigning champion in its genre.

With all its simplicity and a very short-lived campaign, Severed Steel offers a decent shooting practice for an evening or two.

Nice humor, fierce combat and a very cool concept. They should’ve cut the final stretch and the ending, though.

Mafia: The Old Country fails to engage in any way. Even if you love knives. This is a 10-15 hour linear action with a predictable storyline that is incredibly boring.

Only full-time members of Joseph Seed's cult hooked on bliss will enjoy playing Far Cry: New Dawn from start to finish. The others will eventually get tired of psychedelic palette and recycled content.

Whatever the reason was for making Shadow Fall in the first place, the result is a mixture of bland, annoying and weird.

Even though Life Goes On is short and simplistic, it offers a bold, welcome break from the ‘science saves the world’ cliché permeating other puzzle games. Three ‘vikings’ will win only if two of them are dead.

This adaptation is hardly worthy of the great writer and her memorable character.

If you ignore a few heavy-handed plotlines, half the jokes and an absurd ending sequence, Wet Dreams Dry Twice is a fun adventure, and a big improvement over the previous game, Wet Dreams Don’t Dry.

In Frank Herbert's book series, everyone wants to own Arrakis. In our world, it doesn't make much sense to return to the mysterious planet in Dune: Spice Wars.

In-game currency is the root of all evil in Fieldrunners 2. Useful bonuses cost a lot of money, and the game is very stingy when it comes to rewarding your victories. Want to triple your payout? Like a map on Facebook. Post about it on Twitter – you’ll get even more cash. And those who dislike this kind of “integration” with social networks will find the game unfairly tough.

Final Fantasy 8 did not age well, and I would not recommend it as an introduction into JRPGs, but it does offer an interesting introspective at the history of this genre. Unfortunately, the remaster is quite shoddy, and there is no better official version than this.

I can’t shake the feeling that Mojang lives (or, rather, lived before the Microsoft buyout) in the perpetual brainstorm mode, as if everyone on the development team shouts their suggestions, and then, instead of sifting through them and selecting the best ones, they just go ahead and cram everything in the final product. Maybe Minecraft actually benefited from this chaos, but for Scrolls, which has been stuck in a quagmire of half-baked ideas for two years, this approach brings nothing but death.

GE2: Rage Burst reminds of both Monster Hunter and Freedom Wars. Its bestiary is huge, but the locations are small and plain-looking. The biggest disappointment is the lack of cross-platform multiplayer. Good luck finding opponents online, because there are also regional restrictions in play.

Livelock's worst bane is the abundance of heavily armored enemies whose health bars take a lot of time to chew through.

Gears of War: Reloaded looks good. The remaster is definitely worth playing through once — out of curiosity. It's just a shame that various bugs can spoil the fun.

Orcs have been redressed as punks, and the rest is just another rehash of what we’ve seen in Batman: Arkham City and the Assassin’s Creed series. Every time I ascended in a hot air balloon to survey a new area and open it up on the map, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

If you're lifting ideas from other games, you should at least try to hit their level of quality, otherwise it's a waste of time and resources. Regalia is a frustratingly simple exercise in micromanagement with colorful characters and passable writing which only seems like a serious strategy game.

A bold, fun incarnation of a very unusual concept.

Despite all the hints of the RPG genre, Dungeon Hearts is a typical match-3 puzzle.

Paper Sorcerer looks simple, even primitive at first sight, and it’s definitely not a game for everyone. Yet for some reason it is very addictive.

The Bridge is a great treat for fans of M.C. Escher-style labyrinths. It is not dry and repetitive as Echochrome, but at the same time, unlike the unpredictable Antichamber, follows a set of internal rules. Smart, stylish, exciting.

A surprisingly solid game, despite some questionable balance choices. Multiple runs always feel fresh and tense thanks to complex gameplay mechanics, excellent randomization of various situations and a good progression system.

For game that wants you to spend hundreds of hours playing it, Freedom Wars is depressingly shallow.

People usually play Final Fantasy Tactics and its brethren to enjoy stories or varied tactical situations. Unfortunately, Children of Zodiarcs has neither.

Some of Cloudpunk's ancillary gameplay elements feel underdeveloped, but the neon lights of a cruel futuristic metropolis and a collection of amazing stories will make it worth your while.

The original game, The Book of Unwritten Tales, was peppered with lazy, on-the-nose jokes, like a film in the Scary Movie franchise. The Critter Chronicles is no better. Pop culture references killed the fairy tale.

Kirby Star Allies rarely dazzles with innovations and is short enough to finish it in one bite. Still, it’s, most definitely, a victory dance for Kirby.

Authentic environments, pleasant music and visuals will only get you so far. The second part of the story is very predictable, but the narrative is presented in such a confusing manner, that the first part becomes incomprehensive in hindsight.

Hack ‘n’ Slash is not an introduction to programming; if you’re a dummy, you’d better off playing the old classic Roboforge. But, if you do code, this game will make you ecstatic. Unlike Scribblenauts, where you being god removed all the challenge from the game, in Hack ‘n’ Slash you don’t have to invent your own adventures – the developers will keep you occupied.

Standing out in a deluge of indie games, PixelJunk Shooter looks great – production-wise, everything, from graphics to controls, is much more refined and thought-out. But the gameplay itself is too linear and simplistic than the clever, mind-bending puzzles we have enjoyed over the last few years. They should have ported this one sooner.

A nice Christmas gift for the fans of ‘classic’ Lara Croft.

Poorly written story and drab gameplay ruin the fun of playing this colorful, kind-hearted game.

An easy to pick up fighting game whose creators know exactly what their audience wants. At the same time, it will hardly surprise long-time fans.

Style is prevalent over substance in We. The Revolution. This dark morality tale is rife with plot holes and incongruous twists, and its epic scale only serves to pile on more shortfalls and ill-fitting gameplay mechanics.

Despite the game’s shortcomings, you will hardly regret spending time with Lords of the Fallen. The developers set out to create a more humane version of Dark Souls 2, and they accomplished their mission, albeit not as brilliantly.

Infinite Warfare has a lengthy list of things that should be fixed, but that being said, for the first time in many years I enjoyed playing a Call of Duty game.

Warlock 2 is a better game than its predecessor, Warlock: Master of the Arcane, but after several playthroughs you will succumb to the familiar boredom.

Atomic Heart surprised me, this is a solid game. And it is very frustrating to see her flaws. I hope that in the sequel, Mundfish will not try to grasp the immensity and focus on what's important.

Banished, as it stands now, looks like a game from Steam Early Access rather than a finished product.

Back in 2007, I gave 75% to the original Gears of War, and this Ultimate Edition merits the same score, because if you take out the nostalgia factor and updated graphics, no virtues and shortcomings have changed a bit.

The single-player campaign is just there to unlock units and ammunition, and earn money for upgrades. Skip the boring story and the dumb AI – playing against real people is much more fun.

Worms Revolution was a flawed, but promising game. Alas, Clan Wars fails to deliver on that promise.

An excruciatingly boring game based on a very interesting concept. Unfortunately, I can’t rewind the hours I spent playing Iron Danger.

THQ Nordic and Grimlore bit much more than they could chew while trying to make a huge and beautiful RTS, and, once again, we come away disappointed. This genre needs a new ”killer app”, but sadly, this is not it.

Killing everything that moves with bullets and magic while enjoying picturesque alien vistas is good enough for 20 hours (30, if you’re into Expeditions), but don’t expect anything more substantial out of Outriders.

Rage 2 can be an enjoyable experience… to a certain extent. Unfortunately, you will hit that wall in just a few hours.

Hard West destroys its characters in such a spectacular manner that you can’t take your eyes off this dazzling drama. If only the ending wasn’t so subdued…

Fans of WH40K board games will probably enjoy this video game. Fans of computer strategy games should probably buy Valkyria Chronicles 4 instead.

Star Trucker is a heartwarming game. Unfortunately, its brutal rules are stifling, preventing you from enjoying your flights.

The world of Encased is scant on exciting adventures, yet it’s overflowing with gibberish to the point that it breaks any suspension of disbelief.

A stellar example of a game that is totally not worth your time. No one will reward you for suffering through ho-hum gameplay with a well-crafted story, and there is not enough humor to make up for all the flaws.

Generic heroic fantasy with naive themes and two-dimensional caricatures instead of characters. The writing is all right, with some bright spots here and there, but this story is not worth the emotional havoc this game wreak on you with its poor game design logic and bugs.

The graphics in Yooka-Laylee are not bleeding edge, but it is incredibly close to what they call 'artistic perfection', and it brings nothing but joy.

Little Hope is a slight improvement over Man of Medan. It’s still not scary at all, but at least it's less annoying than the first game. This time around, Supermassive wrote a better story, used decent camera angles, and purged awkward jokes (dumb "screamers" are still in there, though).

A fun, varied and relaxing skyscraper sim. It can be a little bit formal at times, and there are some glaring deficiencies, but it is a welcome return to this theme nonetheless.