Until Dawn is a crash course in branching narrative, pumped with adrenaline and pure fun. Even if you replay it a couple of times from beginning to end, you will not be bored.

Alas, the developer allowed the masterfully crafted narrative to fall apart in the end. After enjoying immensely detailed side stories, and seeing some very powerful scenes, the weird ending is the weakest point of the game.

If you still haven’t played Company of Heroes 2, The British Forces is a good reason to do it.

There is a long laundry list of what’s wrong with Axis Football 2015: no injuries, teleporting players during kick-offs… And instead of struggling, players simply hug each other and just stand there.

Announce as many cool things as possible, then, while everyone is distracted by flashy trailers, swap the actual game with a hardly playable dummy. Looks like The Masterplan itself is a con.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is a good game and it’s better than its predecessors in some aspects, but I can’t help but feel that this is as good as it gets. And the design of the campaign feels a little bit tired.

Sessions are short and fun, but there is not much replayability. You cannot revisit missions, and there are no such things like New Game+ or Endless mode, and so your adventuring career ends as soon as the credits begin to roll.

It is a definite step forward compared to Star Hammer Tactics, but there is so much stuff to add, like, for example, multiplayer and a global map with a strategic mode or a story campaign.

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.

Having devoted so much time and effort to gameplay mechanics and style, 5 Lives Studios almost ignored the narrative matters, but the game is fun even without a coherent story.

Since the announcement, I was wondering how Frozenbyte would tackle a whole lot of problems that arise with the introduction of a third dimension, and adapt a previously one-plane gameplay to the new reality. The answer drove me into an abyss of desperation: they did nothing.

I don’t understand why CDF Ghostship exists at all. It is pretty much a carbon copy of Ghostship: Aftermath sans the dreadful feeling of desperation.

Aside from (mostly useless) experiments with weaponry, The Weaponographist has nothing going for it.

Despite quite a few flaws, I enjoyed my time with Icy. It is weak as a game, but it knows how to tell a good story.

Drab, monotonous, predictable — these words come up even just after 5 minutes of playing the game. Vogelsap failed to walk the thin line between minimalistic and primitive.

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.

Maybe, a year from now, adventures in Zagoravia will become much more interesting, but for now, even the co-op mode and the PvP arena can’t help Victor Vran.

A beautiful world, amazing soundtrack and a fantastic story full of mysteries, touching scenes and emotions.

It’s a good thing that Subject 13 is astonishingly short, otherwise we could have had another Moebius on our hands. The game could have won people over with its story, but the writer had given up halfway through, and the rest is just not worth your time.

This Colonial Conquest is just a mangled version of the original game that was released exactly 30 years ago.

Pixel-hunting for small, barely noticeable items in dark rooms is a crappy idea for a horror game by itself, but timer just adds insult to injury. And don’t bother suffering through this for the story, because there is pretty much none of it.

Bladestorm: Nightmare has lots of concepts that could have made it a very special game. Unfortunately, most of them don’t work, and some are even useless.

The world of Cradle is huge and beautiful, but oh so ludicrously empty.

Just like in Sunless Sea, at some point, gameplay inevitably gets in the way of enjoying the story. As soon as you master all the elements, gadgets and upgrades, flying through space will become a nuisance.

No Arcade mode, no Survival, and you can’t even fight with a friend on the same screen, like it was in the original Karate Master… All you can do here is learn all the special moves, complete your training, defeat all the masters and forget about this game forever.

Fighting games live and die by their controls, and Kings of Kung Fu has the single worst imaginable malady — input lag.

Weak story is the worst thing in Neon Struct, complete with two-dimensional characters, huge plot holes, and bad writing.

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

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

Yet again, Stardock did not produce a perfect 4X fantasy game, but Sorcerer King is much better than all their previous attempts. Right now, it is a bit boring, but, fingers crossed, things may change after an expansion or two.

Shelter 2 is pretty much a happening like the first game, but this time around, it is a mature work of art that has a clear idea at its core.

In Sunset, Tale of Tales decided to construct something that looks like a traditional game instead of their usual half-abstract interactive installations, and then it became clear – oh my God, these people have no talent for making games at all.

Veterans of the genre and fans of the original board game will probably enjoy this adaptation. Everyone else will deem it too uncomely and dull.

There Came an Echo is hardly a full-fledged commercial game. It is more like a cool 3-4-hour proof of concept which shows you that yes, you can make a good strategy game fully controlled by voice.

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.

A well-balanced mix of arcade and text adventure, funny jokes, stylish graphics and sleek game design elevate 60 Seconds above all other post-apocalyptic survival games. I wish there were more objects and storyline twists, but even with this amount you will get enough random combinations to last you a few days.

Despite its original concept, Monstrum will probably bore you to death.

The makers of Solarix wanted to follow in the footsteps of System Shock 2 and Dead Space, but the result is just awful.

Even if its strategic gameplay pretty much boils down to figuring out a perfect combination of actions, Rebuild 3 is incredibly addictive.

A cool futuristic city, amazing electronic soundtrack, deep tactical gameplay and splashy carnage — what a great combination.

In the music industry, there is a thing called ‘second album syndrome’. Dylan Fitterer could not avoid it, too. He removed all the obvious thorns of the original Audiosurf, but added just a handful of new things, like integration with Steam Workshop and SoundCloud, new color schemes and a new gameplay mode. It’s not enough to entice me to switch from the original game to the sequel.

Just like Re;Birth 1, Sisters Generation is a solid port of a budget JRPG that lacks in variety.

It’s a spectacular summer blockbuster, and it keeps you entertained until you notice that as far as creativity goes, it’s been running on fumes the whole time.

The only tangible addition to this iteration is the boring, half-baked Pro Cyclist mode.

Why do we need Hatred anyway when we have GTA?

This Frankenstein’s monster disguised as an adventure game is a clear example of how its creators do not understand what humor, storytelling or gameplay is. At first, you blame the cultural barrier between Japan and the Western world. Then you think that Access Games is trolling us. Finally, you realize that this is just interactive gibberish created by talentless hacks.

This awful strategy game is not worthy of even a single playthrough neither on PC, nor on tablets.

Spirits of Xanadu promises lots of cool things, but never delivers. The concept is original, and the hallucinations are quite frightening, but in the end, it’s just an unfinished game with shoddy combat mechanics and a weak narrative.

There is no tactics, no strategy, no diversity, and, unfortunately, almost no similarities with the brilliant FTL.

Finally, a successor to Dungeon Keeper 2 that is actually fun to play.

Portal was stylish. The Talos Principle let us enjoy its scenery. Magnetic is dark, dull and unfriendly.

Lemma is a good showcase for VR devices. There is very little in terms of good story or deep gameplay mechanics, but it offers accessible, action-packed parkour in an abstract futuristic setting. Add more meat to these bare bones, please!

IMR is just too short to be enjoyable. It desperately needs online multiplayer and at least a simple level editor.

There is just one notable flaw in Invisible, Inc., but it is so huge that it may overweigh all its merits — the campaign is incredibly short. There is also an ‘endless’ mode, but it is rather pointless. I’m sure that someone will get the kick of exploring randomly generated maps, but I feel that Klei could have done so much more with this awesome gameplay concept.

Whatever its original concept was, Albedo fails as both shooter and adventure.

A combination of a decent role-playing game and a so-so platformer — not the best result after four years of development.

An attempt to pass a mediocre platformer as a work of art that has a deep meaning.

By betting everything on just one gameplay feature, Acid Nerve eschewed the story and role-playing elements, so the resulting game is just a string of 19 boss fights, awkwardly crammed into the game's world.

A true gem for the fans of old-school RPGs.

Neocore should have billed this one as an expansion, as it looks very short and weak compared to the two previous offerings. It seems as if the developers were in a hurry to wrap things up.

Story is the worst nightmare in Kholat. I expected supernatural stuff, maybe dark sci-fi, or some evil KGB agenda… But the writers took all these three plot ideas, then added parallel worlds, secret objects and cruel science experiments. This is the most absurd and eclectic mishmash of themes I have ever seen in a horror game that tries to look serious.

Stardock built a sturdy 4X platform to build upon in future expansions.

Even the Halo brand can’t save Spartan Strike with its short linear levels, long boring shootouts with dumb enemies and a silly story.

It’s not fire, but just a spark. It’s funny and clever at times, but this collection of absurdist sketches is just as close to a good adventure game as a cave painting of an antelope — to an actual animal.

I wish there were fewer bugs, bigger worlds and smarter puzzles.

Originality, tactical depth, variety — you’ll find them plenty in Crypt of the NecroDancer. ‘90’ is not only a score but the minimum amount of hours you’ll spend obsessing over this game.

Badly-designed action scenes make it so difficult to enjoy the story which is good enough for a cool visual novel.

It seems that there are very few reasons to come back to Magicka 2 after having beaten the short campaign. Well, there is a bunch of customizable challenges that use the same 9 maps… and that’s it. Though, I’m sure the publisher already has a multi-year DLC plan written down.

By removing all the appealing elements of prison stories (colorful characters, daring escape plans as well as dangers and hardships of incarceration), the developers turned this virtual prison into its real-life equivalent — a punishment.

This one is for the most hardcore garbage collectors on Steam.

There are two almost independent episodes living under one name. The first one is a beautiful, smart, exciting adventure game that is pure happiness, though it is short and without an ending. The second part is… Well, simply ignore it. Repeat after me: you do not need to play Part Two.

All in all, the series could have done without this expansion. It is far cry from last year’s awesome Wolfenstein: The New Order, and if you’re itching to shoot Nazi zombies, better look in Zombie Army Trilogy.

A solid game from some very talented game designers.

Bloodbath Kavkaz crashes upon launch every other time, if you’re lucky. It’s nice to see that the developers made an effort to protect our time and nerve cells from their ‘masterpiece’.

Despite the fact that Telepath Tactics failed to fully live up to its promises, it is a decent game in its genre. And, it’s an excellent showcase of what just one developer can do.

Nearly every scene of Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today makes you want to dive headfirst into your facepalm.

It is possible that Verdun will grow its own collection of free DLCs as it happened with Red Orchestra 2 and Insurgency. Blackmill Games has already promised to add flamethrowers, mortars, body armor, new maps, including the Eastern Front and more… However, right now this game is for military history buffs only.

It took CD Projekt RED three attempts to create an epic masterpiece. You will laugh, feel sorrow, and reflect on important matters in-between killing hundreds of monsters in a spectacular fashion. You will embark on a long, wild adventure tempted by the myriads of tantalizing “?” signs scattered across the map. In other words, I know what you’ll be doing this summer.

A low budget horror — in all senses of the word.

This fun wargame will entertain both experienced armchair generals and those who are allergic to thick rulebooks.

Son of Nor is an unpleasant nostalgic romp which brings memories of shoddy games made at the turn of the century. Level and gameplay design, camera movements, graphics… There is not much to see or to do here.

Just like Hotline Miami, LA Cops also requires planning, excellent reflexes and never forgives a mistake. But here, you also have to babysit a stupid AI partner, wage war against an unwieldy camera, trying to rotate it to see an enemy in time, and deal with hordes of dumb, but sturdy, speedy criminals. Scary, right?

All-too similar playable factions is just one of letdowns of Worlds of Magic. Building and expanding a fantasy empire feels like a chore.

MKX will last you for a long time. A few variations of the usual Arcade Mode, some dumb mini-games, online multiplayer, a lengthy story campaign, and, finally, Krypt… Not all changes to gameplay mechanics are obvious, but they do make the game more dynamic.

Apotheon looks beautiful, but it loses its charm in mere 15 minutes. The beauty can’t save the shoddy game design.

Maybe one day, in the distant future, the lone coder who works at TBA Games, will fix all the showstopping bugs. If he also manages to optimize the game’s engine, I will upgrade PeriAreion’s rating to 40.

If you've been putting off getting to know Age of Wonders 3, now's the time to do it.

It’s a great reason to (re)visit Abe and his odd world, especially if you haven’t played the original game.

I have a feeling that the developer of Lex Mortis has never managed to nail down the concept of his creation. The game’s official description doesn’t lie — we are free to roam around a sizable sandbox, only there is nothing to do.

The story is short on emotions, the main characters lost their charm, the script is a messy patchwork, but the worst flaw is that the gameplay is repetitive and sluggish.

Pillars of Eternity is a good RPG even when you play it without your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses.

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

Cool concept, but Harold is too monotonous to entertain. Just three gameplay modes (including the tutorial), no level editor, very few interactive objects.

There are some bright spots in Battlefield: Hardline’s design, but they do not change the overall pointless of this game. If you’re thinking about playing it online, better splurge on the well-patched Battlefield 4 with all its expansions.

I would have never thought that I’d see a game that perfectly captures the spirit of the cult classic Cannon Fodder. The only thing that could have made it better is the destructible environment.

Parallax is the purest form of puzzle euphoria… if you are willing to look past its dry, colorless abstraction.

If the developers catered less to fans of dumb teen-oriented anime and tried to make their game more PC-friendly, I would have given it a better score. Because the combat system here is excellent.

Owners of the PC version are faced with a difficult choice — either wait for the promised online multiplayer and enjoy the fact that it is a decent port of an excellent fighting game, or berate Team Ninja that Last Round lacks some odd features.