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.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is yet another homogenized mishmash of mediocrity catering to the most lowbrow gamers, a short-lived product that will be long forgotten come November of 2014.

The heroine is always surrounded by dangerous forest creatures, but the game is not scary at all.

Unresponsive controls is not the worst annoyance here. Cheating AI is the real problem.

Auroch Digital failed in its attempt to make a simplified version of Armageddon Empires. By removing the most difficult elements, the developers robbed the game of its charm, and new gameplay modes and improved UI can't fill the void.

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.

Corruption 2029 is a shameless clone of Mutant Year Zero minus everything that was good in the original game.

Sometimes Forget Battalion is a blast to play, but right after the battle you realize that this game is just a pale imitation of the long-forgotten RTS blockbusters.

Strange Brigade is just a notch better than Sniper Elite 4, Rebellion’s previous failed attempt at making a cooperative shooter.

Undungeon is a victim of development hell. A promising roguelike with a weird multiverse and a plethora of original characters turned into a dreary action/RPG with a broken combat system, bad dialogue and poorly designed quests.

Murdered is a one-note game bent on repeating the same formula over and over again.

There is no need to be creative when killing enemies in Lucius 2 — the game is inhabited by certified idiots.

Pretty visuals do more harm than good to Layers of Fear. The game looks like a sleek, smart, serious interactive experience, but in reality, it disappoints every step of the way.

ZAMB! has a somewhat original concept, and this is pretty much its only saving grace, because even after weeks in Steam Early Access, it is ridden with bugs.

Sublevel Zero has some cool ideas, and it valiantly attempts to mimic the classic Descent series, but loses its steam in just a couple of hours.

A weak retelling of a mediocre fantasy book.

Lichdom: Battlemage is a hymn to frustrated hopes. It had all the markings of something exciting: an experienced team, cool idea to use combat spells instead of traditional weapons, top-notch graphics engine, several years of development and a long gestation period in Steam Early Access… And it was all for naught.

Some things must not be mixed under any circumstances, like vodka and soda or pickled herrings and milk. This rule holds true for CCGs and tower defense. Get ready to waste hours of your time playing through the same-looking levels, so you can get a slightly more powerful card.

Tedious “search expeditions” accompanied by dull music and sprinkles of boring text — that is all you will ever find in InnerSpace.

If you want to see Anthem’s lush jungle and glistening Javelins, do it right away — this game is losing audience fast, and there’s almost nothing to do after the campaign ends. Or check it out on YouTube to save yourself some nerves and money.

Better dust off the original Doom than play its pale imitation.

Some tedious moments, technical flaws and a weak story work against Nanotale, but you still can use it as a tool to practice fast typing.

Vikings: Wolves of Midgard has everything to cement its mediocrity: lots of annoying "Kill <insert_name_here>" challenges, a badly written story peppered with silly jokes, and cooperative mode that no one seems to play.

For every bright spot there is a dozen of poor design choices, and don’t get me started on bugs — InSomnia needs a separate review just for them.

Kill the Bad Guy gives you a rare opportunity to off several real-life serial killers, hordes of zombies, Adolf Hitler and even Voldemort, but the hassle is not worth it.

The narrative can be just as frustrating as the Tsioque’s wonky UI. The game doesn’t bother to explain which door you’re supposed to open next, the need to carry dragon scales with you, or what this magic potion does. These problems stem from primitive gameplay mechanics, as well as absence of dialogue, supporting characters and an in-game diary.

Amazing adventures in the world of Dull Numbers! Want more excitement? Launch MS Excel.

Imperator attacks confused players with tons of buttons and information, but in reality it’s one of the most vapid and boring strategy games ever created by Paradox Interactive. The world map is very pretty, though.