I believe the game is way too demanding of the audience and even if that’s what the developer intended in the first place, the philosophical concepts it comes up with are less suitable for a game and more appropriate to be introduced in a book.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia ends the trilogy on a higher note, managing to add a few new things and improvements over the last two installments. Unfortunately, it still falls of short of really impressing fans. The exploration is still a bit stiff, the combat is clunky while the timed sections are a pain to get through.

Empyreal is a game built with care and ambition, but one that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. It aims to balance a carefully curated single-player story with the replayability and variety of a multiplayer RPG, and in doing so, it falls short on all fronts. The result is a product that plays it safe in too many areas, delivering an experience that’s competent but rarely compelling. For players who thrive on loot grinding and don’t mind completing familiar gameplay loops over and over again, there’s value to be found in Empyreal. But for those seeking a bold, story-rich action RPG that breaks the mold, this is one expedition that is worth skipping.

As a long-time fan, I was excited about Torchlight III. I hoped for a hidden gem that would scratch my co-op itching, offering moments of laughter and fun all around. After giving the game several chances, just to have my hopes go unfulfilled with each new patch, I have to admit defeat: this game should have not been released, at least not now, and not like this. The bugs can be corrected, even though the patches seem to not really deal with them. But the main problem is the peculiar concept choices, the serious lack of variety, and the feeling that you are investing time and effort in a free-to-play game still in development. As such, I cannot recommend Torchlight III, not even to long-time fans of the series.

Despite the fact that I’m not a big fan of the Adventure Time series, I enjoyed the game. It has some flaws, and there is way too much grinding, but it’s a nice change from what we usually play. If you enjoy some witty conversations and a little bit of mindless gameplay, then you should give Adventure Time Pirates of the Enchiridion a try.

Saints Row raises mixed emotions: on the one hand it has its moments when it is fun and manages to engage you in its criminal empire building fantasy. But for each high you have at least one low, that turns the game into a technical mess and makes you feel like you are playing a not so pretty GTA clone. The new direction, both visually and gameplay wise show a lot of promise, but the execution is severely lacking. With the so necessary bug fixes and some quality-of-live improvements, the new Saints Row can be a nice experience that won't innovate upon the formula, but at least it will offer fun moments.

Although World of Warriors wants to be more than a time-waster, it falls short to its own ambitions. It's true that it greatly improves on the mobile version, especially when it comes to controls, but there is not enough interesting content to justify the high price.

Tharsis offers some interesting mechanics, a story with little innovation but plenty of space for the player to create his narrative, and a lot of replayability, but all of that comes at a price: the difficulty level that can make players abandon the title before they see everything it has to offer.

Nitro Kid doesn’t deliver anything entirely original, in terms of ideas or implementation, but the final experience is more than the sum of its parts. The battles are solid and require good planning to get through with minimal HP loss. The rogue layer is decent but could use a little more variety. Discovering floor layouts and boss designs is exciting, as is working solutions to overcome them. Make sure to play a run or two at a time, enough to allow the soundtrack to wash over you and make a little progress. Nitro Kid is quick, fun, and varied, a great experience for players who love card-driven titles that focus on close-quarters engagements. Saving kids from an evil corporation never felt better.

If you're a dedicated fan of the Shadowrun setting and enjoy your games a little on the complex side, you will be disappointed in the lack of depth in Shadowrun Chronicles. If, however, you enjoy turn-based tactical action and cooperative multiplayer, you might have a blast with the game.

Ashwalkers has a few good ideas that it executes well. The problem is that the development team wants to make the game seem to be more than it actually is. If everything moved faster and with clearer decisions then it would be worth an extended time investment. As it stands after a first completed expedition I had no desire to try another. The characters stay the same and the management element never adds new twists. The end screen for each playthrough shows quite a few possible conclusions to work towards but the world never feels interesting enough to try and get them all. Unless you truly love slow, moody stories and choice-focused titles avoid Ashwalkers unless updates deliver a tighter, faster version of the experience.

Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow is part of a very crowded genre, that of the action platformer driven by the relationship between two unlikely characters. There are some interesting narrative bears and the presentation is decent if not spectacular. Most of the featured mechanics are good, with some challenging puzzle designs. But nothing in the experience aims to push the limits and deliver something entirely new. I wanted Griffin to have more ways to engage with the world. Using Birly should have been easier. Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow isn’t polished or innovative enough to become a classic of its genre but will engage anyone interested in the premise of the core mechanics.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is fun, at least for a couple of hours. After that, you will not be inclined to run the game again, because you will already have figured out everything it has to offer. It feels like even the developers designed the game as a temporary distraction, aware that the magic quickly fades out. It is only a small improvement compared to the first Monster Jam Steel Titans and even with a more modest price tag and online multiplayer, it is hard to recommend for someone. Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is way too arcade for the fans of the sport and offers very little to anyone else.

Broken Roads is a video game that shows how quickly the ambitions of a development team can outrun its ability to deliver. The Outback setting is great, but the narrative threads can interact in weird ways. The Moral Compass is impressive as a concept but can feel restrictive in practice. Combat is just stiff enough to feel like a chore. Bugs and glitches sometimes interfere with quest progress. I love the sections where the focus is on talking to people, clicking on the environment for some extra lore, and thinking about where to source things people need to improve their lives. The narrator greatly enhances emotional moments. Broken Roads has heart and good systems. Players who like the setting and the RPG genre should play it if they are comfortable with some jank, while others should wait for a few patches before buying it.

Curse of Osiris feels more like a cash grab rather than a true expansion. It most certainly does nothing to stop the fanbase of players from leaving the game in favor of other titles. There is simply not enough content to improve the base game to the point that would keep players engaged for a longer time. The uninteresting campaign story and unexciting end game activities that rarely offer any challenge, makes Curse of Osiris a really weak expansion. If not for the new Raid Lair and the new Adventures, I wouldn't be able to say anything good about the new DLC.

At the end of the day, Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a bit of a letdown for those who expected the same great gameplay they’ve been provided with in DW8 Empires. In many regards, the game feels like a step backward from its predecessor, and this is why so many fans are disappointed. On the other hand, it’s still an exciting release for an average player. The combat system is nice, though it takes time to get used to it, and the more time you spend on the little things, such as friendship with officers, finding a sword sibling, and things like that, the better the whole experience is getting.

Traverser is an intriguing game. While it doesn't do that many great things with its gravity glove, it makes up for it with the clever story, novel premise, and the emphasis on sneaking around. However, some ambiguous moments and the presence of a few awkward boss fights weigh it down.

Farm Manager 2022 is a fascinating title that has just one problem: it doesn’t necessarily play well with consoles. I’m not talking about graphics or gameplay but about the controlling system, as this genre makes more sense on a PC where the mouse input is much more natural. But at the end of the day, Farm Manager is, as I said, not only a major upgrade over its predecessor but also a great way to see what the life of a farmer is all about. And since you end up learning a lot by simply playing it, no matter if we’re talking about crops, animals, logistics, or machinery, Farm Manager 22 is definitely worth trying out.

Scathe is a good first-person shooter for anyone who loves the genre and appreciates a challenge. The story is good enough and the combat feels visceral. Moving through the same rooms can become repetitive but the FPS mechanics are good enough to keep players engaged. I would have liked for the game to offer at least another difficulty level. Frustration can also appear if the re-spawn puts the player in the middle of a big fight, with no way out. But, overall, Scathe understands what makes an FPS tick and adds enough new ideas to keep fans engaged.

Override2: Super Mech League is a game that has a good foundation but fails to take it anywhere exciting. The actual battles, even against computer bots, are initially fun and satisfying and become less so the more one plays. There’s plenty of character variety but once one or two are mastered there’s little drive to get to understand more. The lack of human players to battle online is an even bigger issue. The game needed to have cross-platform play between most if not all its launch platforms to maintain a community. It might also have been better to launch the game as free-to-play with a smaller roster and to then deliver paid extra options, once a group of players became fans. Maybe a future title in the series can focus on creating a community first, to make the mech fighting concept the successful brawler it can be.

Ravenlok is a great introductory experience for players who might be interested in the action-adventure genre but don’t want to take on the bigger titles in the genre. The story is familiar but mostly works, with some nice characters. The voxel graphics are a big initial draw. The biggest problem for me is the very shallow combat system. But, again, this might actually draw in players who want to battle bosses without encountering any annoying setbacks. Ravenlock is a collection of good ideas and weird choices that fails to deliver on its initial promise.

Ultimately, Redemption Reapers is a mixed bag that probably can’t redeem itself even after a few patches. For all its faults, diehard turn-based strategy fans will find something to enjoy playing this.

If you're looking for something similar to Sid Meier's Pirates, you will find Windward to be frustrating and boring, running in circles around the map and around enemy ships, with random gear upgrades and dull content...As long as you don't expect a rebirth of the high seas adventuring genre, Windward can provide quite a few fun hours.

The unique look, atmospheric sound, and everything else come together to create an experience that, in the end, is more than the sum of its parts, and makes trying out the game worthwhile, especially if you're a fan of old horror games.

In its current state Blightbound is nothing else but disappointment. There is a lot of potential in the game, but it is squandered not only by technical issues, but also by some very bad design choices. This is far from a finished game, and the people on the forums complain that in many aspects it is even worse than what they saw during the Early Access phase. Blightbound does not need only bug fixes, but a complete overhaul, because it is not a fun experience by any means. It tried to walk in the footsteps of the great classics, but it fell on its face in the most embarrassing way.

Overall, the game’s remaster is average at best, and the only demographic that will truly be interested in it is the one that grew up with the original and want to relive their glory days sniping Nazis, zombies, and Nazi zombies.

Magic 2015 provides a neat and polished experience for those who are new to the entire concept, but unfortunately does not have enough of its big brother’s allure to warrant attention from more serious Planeswalkers.

I am a fan of interactive dramas, but Fort Solis proved to be a hard sell even for me. Despite its potential, the game just feels empty and despite the effort of Troy Baker and his colleagues it fails to create an emotional connection with the players. It is not even a popcorn movie you might enjoy when you are terribly bored. It is an experience that does not look bad but does not really offer anything to make it worthy of your time.

Spectra is a decent experience that's a bit too simple for its own good.

Edge of Eternity oozes the enthusiasm and passion of its developers. The exploration is mostly rewarding, the combat system is engaging, but the lack of focus when it comes to gameplay elements and the uninspiring story make it ultimately unremarkable. It is a big achievement for a small team, but it is not a game I can whole heartedly recommend. If you are a JRPG fan you already saw everything this game has to offer in other places with a superior implementation. Edge of Eternity offers plenty of content, but it feels like it was released at least a decade too late for its own good.

Waterborne can offer hours of new excitement for those who loved the original Tropico 5, but most gamers are better off picking the title up when it goes on sale and then deciding how they feel about it before exploring the idea of extra content.

Hindsight 20/20 aims to draw players in with the focus on moral choices and keep them engaged using its combat. But the former lacks enough context and narrative punch while the latter becomes repetitive and does not encourage more than one run-through. The development team does have some names from studios like BioWare and others, but they clearly need to further hone their craft. Their past successes might have left them overconfident. Their chops for decisions and choice creation might be better suited to another genre or require a more established functional setting. Wrath of the Raakshasa has some good ideas but it never delivers on its potential.

Knight Crawlers had the good idea of mixing ragdoll physics with a set of classic action game mechanics. And it is fun, for the first few hours, to learn how enemies move and then find the best way to use the environment and the knight’s attacks to eliminate them. The entire experience is solid given that it was created by one developer. But there’s no narrative hook linked to the mechanics and both the levels and the combat situation can become repetitive. The presentation also doesn’t impress. Knight Crawlers will satisfy action fans that like the idea of adding traps and physics to classic combat but could have done more with its unique combination of ideas.

Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty is an enjoyable strategy experience that takes players to one of the less popular theaters of World War II. Both campaigns will test the gamers’ tactical acumen as well as their ability to quickly understand a situation and find a good solution using limited resources. The equipment system adds an interesting layer to the classic mechanics, but the game is otherwise very classic in its approach. Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty is a strategy title that appeals to fans of this genre who really want to test their skills leading Finnish forces against the Russian juggernaut.

When I started playing Antro, I didn’t have any idea what to expect from it. Antro certainly feels like a weird indie game, but as you follow the story and get engaged into its marvelous gameplay, its beauty unravels. I found myself playing it without wanting to stop, just seeing what challenges are onward and whether I can pass each level during my first try. Sure, it’s not a long game, nor does it need to be. Antro manages to tell its story in a way that’s memorable, with amazing Spanish music that seamlessly integrates with the gameplay. The game is innovative, while also bringing us the tried-and-tested speedrunning mechanics for a platformer. It’s quirky and weird, but in a good way.

Blood Bowl 3 is a great video game adaptation of a popular board game, using an updated set of rules and great presentation. The 12 featured teams offer variety and plenty of surprises on the field. The mix of careful planning and chaotic execution means each match is filled with surprises and reversals. But the tech side of the game is in rough shape and might take some time to fix. Fans of the franchise who cannot wait to play with the new Games Workshop rules and are willing to tolerate some issues will find great fun in Blood Bowl 3. Newcomers and those still having fun with previous installments are better served by waiting for patches.

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion has some interesting ideas when it comes to gameplay mechanics but struggles to fully explain them quickly and efficiently. After some experimentation, tactical battles, especially when they involve a lot of pirates and enemies, become intricate and tense. Just one piece of equipment or a well-played card can change an outcome. The narrative isn’t innovative enough to capture the attention, even with its solid use of comic book interludes. But fans of a classic pirate tale with an interest in complex tactical engagements will have fun with Flint: Treasure of Oblivion if they are willing to give it the time to fully reveal its core concepts.

Curse of the Sea Rats has a familiar approach to gameplay, with platforming pushing exploration and combat that can be tricky but satisfying in victory. Players will die a lot but even boss fights are mostly fair as long as players are willing to observe and learn. The narrative offers a decent if not impressive scaffolding for the action. Metroidvania has become a very popular genre. Curse of the Sea Rats understands that and executes on its ideas well but with limited innovation.

Taken individually there are some aspects to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League that are enjoyable. The problem is that cloning the same few basic gameplay mechanics seen in most live service games creates a negative overall experience. As a result, even if playing alongside your friends as a full party, you will feel like participating in a chores marathon. The monotonous endgame can be fixed by adding new content, but seeing the already existing one it is hard to believe that we can expect a major improvement. It is a shame that such a fresh and unexpected take on the superhero universe is wasted on a live service model that fails to fix the mistakes of the genre.

Despite its generic story, the worldbuilding is great and so is the soundtrack. The art style is pretty good as well. One thing that I’d recommend to fans of the action-adventure genre is to avoid playing Stray Blade like a soulslike game because they’ll have a frustrating experience. Stray Blade is a thing of its own and can be enjoyed without being associated with the Dark Souls series.

The combat is beautiful and flashy enough to make any fighting game or JRPG fan feel satisfied and while the graphics may seem a bit stiff, none of that matters during the fast-paced matches where you'll probably pay more attention to the ratio between your HP bar and your enemy's. Jump force allows players to finally answer those age-old questions, such as Who would win in a fight between Goku and Naruto Uzumaki?, which have been the subject of debates in forum discussions, memes or video commentaries, and that alone should be enough of a reason to make fans of the genre interested in the game.

Skull and Bones spent seven years in development, but still feels like an unfinished beta version that was released way before it’s time. And while many expect this kind of patchwork from Ubisoft, it is still a reprehensible industry practice that is in no way fair to the players, who despite all the warning signs have waited and hoped for the game’s release. Just as another live service game recently released based on the DC universe, Skull and Bones feels like a cash grab attempt that maybe fixable in the future with many patches and updates but even in its ideal form is far from an AAA title. At best it could be a relaxing and engaging, albeit repetitive activity, but in its current form is a beta version sold at full price.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria tries to take a well-known license and connect it with the already classic ideas of the survival crafting genre. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t quite manage to deliver on either. There are some nice callbacks to the books and TV franchise but nothing to keep its fans engaged in the long term.

Unknown 9: Awakening may not be a groundbreaking title, but it offers a fun and engaging journey through an imaginative world that fans of mystery and light fantasy may enjoy. Clocking in at around 10 hours, it offers just enough intrigue to encourage players to see it through to the end, even if it doesn’t spark an immediate desire to dive into all other Unknown 9 media. While the game isn’t flawless and doesn’t belong among the year’s best, it provides a pleasant surprise, outshining initial expectations. The biggest shortcoming is that it often feels like a limited budget production, that would have needed more polishing to hide the rough edges.

Cross of the Dutchman is a fun history lesson that not only attracts through its source material and the alluring visuals but also through the simple yet entertaining combat. You'll have fun learning about the story of Pier Dosia while rampaging through Saxon soldiers in medieval Frisia.

Aaru's Awakening has a serious difficulty curve, but when you combine the twitch-based controls, the confusing art style or the camera zoom, you end up with an experience that, once completed, doesn't offer a feeling of joy or accomplishment. You just feel like you've finally completed a tedious task.

Overall, Rustler is a success story, a light-hearted and satirical game that does not take itself seriously at all. It tries to be an homage for both the classic GTA games but also to the comedy of Monty Python. It is a bit rough around the edges, sometimes it drowns you in Monty Python references and it could have used some more polishing, but it’s a fun experience. You have no real replay value here, but Rustler will keep you entertained for a weekend or two.

To put it bluntly, if you haven't played the classic yet, Warcraft III: Reforged is definitely worth your time, otherwise, wait for a deep discount. The remaster feels rushed with too many things missing or not up to par with what I had expected in terms of improvements. In this state, the best way to describe Warcraft III: Reforged is “serviceable.” Taken as a whole, just like the original, the remaster offers a great gameplay experience for newcomers, but there's not much here that would justify a purchase if you've already played the classic.

Lifeless Planet seems to have a ton of potential beneath its lackluster surface, always seeming like a better game is lurking in there, just beyond your grasp.

Schrodinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is a good puzzle platformer that manages to innovate and deliver a hilarious time. There are some issues, however, that weigh it down, from the slight platforming quirks, to the camera or some visual elements. Even so, if you're a fan, you can certainly have a great time with it.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a mixed bag of assorted delights and horrors. The story is well put together, but it fails to completely explain the rules. The combat can be fun, but the AI is completely retarded. There is a lot to do in the game, but you also need a lot of time even to do little. As such, just as the tabletop game is based on, Necromunda: Underhive Wars proved that it is not for everybody. You need patience and you need to have passion for the deep tactical approach, to enjoy what the game offers. Still, despite all its shortcomings, the game can be fun for the right audiences and has a lot of potential that shines through especially in multiplayer.

Crown Wars: The Black Prince creates a decent mix of tactics and history, with some management elements thrown in. The game does mixes actual history with low fantasy elements in ways that often work. The combat mechanics, with their focus on mixing ability use and good positioning, are engaging, especially for missions that feature bespoke challenges. But battles can also feel repetitive because of the small number of templates. The presentation isn’t always impressive. Still, anyone who appreciates a video game that uses history in some interesting ways and wants to customize a squad that can deal with any type of tactical challenge, Crown Wars: The Black Prince will offer many hours of fun.

Undead Inc. can deliver a decent management experience, as long as the developers continue to deliver updates that eliminate crashes, deal with the other bugs, and introduce better balance. It is fun to create a thriving pharma entity that manages to invest in weird research and fulfill major black-market contracts while deceiving everyone. Aside from technical issues, the big issue is that the game never feels as cool as it should. Managing rooms and staff is a bit too repetitive. The rogue-lite idea of extracting doesn’t feel satisfying. Undead Inc. shows how easy it is to have a killer idea while failing to find the right mechanics to realize its potential.

VoidExpanse isn't a two-dimensional version of Elite: Dangerous or Star Citizen, not by a long shot. If you want an immersive space opera adventure that you can lose yourself in, you won't find that experience here...Instead, it offers a much simpler and lighthearted journey through space, focused on action, with some narrative fluff to act as padding, and with a couple of more fleshed-out quest lines to follow when you feel like progressing to the next stage.

Jagged Alliance: Rage! is the type of game that will surely bring back memories of the golden age of gaming, and for those of you that haven't lived through those days, this game will probably bring back memories you never had. Although it could use some tweaking here and there and the graphics are a dead giveaway for the limited budget the company had, the game is fun nonetheless, and you'll be spending a good couple of hours finishing all the missions with your first pair of mercenaries, and maybe a few extra hours with another pair.

I feel that it’s repetitive and that the loot is out of balance, but I also see that it has a good core. Maybe it’s a remnant of the original game, or perhaps it’s enough to build on. What I can tell you for sure is that it not a proper $60 game that’s been in development for six years.

While the story may be enticing for diehard fans, those who aren't familiar with the Little Witch Academia franchise will find a little bit stiff and probably uninteresting.

Zheros is a decent experience alone but it's a bit better with a friend. The chaos you unleash is quite satisfying and racking up bigger and bigger combos does much to alleviate the repetitive gameplay. Combat variety might not delight all players, but you can still have a bit of fun with this brawler.

Overall, One Piece: World Seeker captures the entire spirit of the franchise and compresses it into a new and unique story, on an island that you'll enjoy exploring and with characters some of you may have even grown up with.

DiscStorm has a core that's well designed and engaging, especially when the player faces enemies who are able to throw their own discs and move around well...But the experience is much too repetitive when it comes to the single-player element and there's no real story to speak of.

City Eye could have done something interesting with its core idea. It could have commented on the nature of surveillance, the ubiquitous presence of cameras, and the way the urban landscape is affected by their existence. It could have found ways to make players question the nature of their actions and how they affect people they don’t actually know or understand. It could have created an interesting management game by adding more mechanics. But the game is very basic and direct and fails to offer anything of value other than its setup. Everything happens in the same way, with the same people. There’s no sense of progress. City Eye shows that a decent idea is no guarantee of a good game and the development team should take the concept back to the drawing board and see how they can extract interesting gameplay and stories.

HOTEL BARCELONA is good, with a unique take on combat and some nice narrative touches. Phantoms initially seem like a diversion, but they give players a ton of ways of influencing every level and, with some preparation, make it trivial to take down the powerful bosses. Fans of horror will also have fun exploring the hotel and the story. But the game will struggle to bring in players who don’t already like side-scrolling action titles, and even some fans might have an issue with the slow start. HOTEL BARCELONA wears its influences on its sleeve and is a bloody good time once a few phantoms roam through a level.

The title offers quite a bit of fun for those who love the idea of solving puzzles, while philosophically questioning the role that time plays in our lives.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is bigger than the first installment, but it’s not better. It still is repetitive and it loses any appeal it has quite quickly. The single-player part still feels flat and boring. Despite the addition of countless challenges and a plethora of characters, the game is still very short, something the developers tried to overcompensate through repetition. The multiplayer part was only working in local mode, the online playground being a no man’s land. You could still try to overlook the shortcoming, by saying that the game is targeting mainly the younger audiences. This statement is contradicted though by the advanced difficulty levels with an AI that does not get smarter, only more aggressive, taking advantage of the conditions feels rigged against the player. Although a better effort, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is still far from the finish line it wants to conquer.

Black Legend is a game that has potential but fails to fulfill enough of it to keep a player interested. The tactical, hex and turn-based, battles are good. The humors are intriguing. But the game offers nothing to make them meaningful.

Unfortunately, the creepy vibe that the game nails is not enough to carry all of it, especially due to the slim narrative, which severely detracts from the entire experience.

Despite the heavy topics at its core, The Suicide of Rachel Foster in the end proves to be a bit overly melodramatic. It resembles the work of a playwriter that tried too hard to be dramatic, with overacting characters, the entire experience being a sizzle rather than a bang. But, thanks to the few moments when the tension can give you goosebumps, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is worth experiencing on a rainy afternoon, but only by the fans of the genre.

It’s a unique mix of challenging, fun, repetitive, and broken gameplay that somehow grows on you.

Arto is the rare indie that impresses visually without relying on the classic pixel art style with a layer of nostalgia. Each of the deities creates its own picket universe, with a unique theme, and the idea that players are constantly spreading color while moving works well with all of them. I literally spent one full hour simply making sure that Goya’s world is fully covered in color. The spectacle only works because the game also has good mechanics. Combat is fast and Liv is responsive, able to deal with bosses without generating too much frustration. The game’s fantasy world also meshes well with its mechanics. Arto is bright and fun, a lovely experience that shows the power of a great idea combined with an impressive presentation.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint will get some extra content, but it's clear that the focus of the game is now the multiplayer part, with the single-player working only as an afterthought. I can only hope that Breakpoint is only a step towards a more polished experience.

There is no point in comparing Sacred 3 to either of the two previous games in the series, as it unfortunately shares nothing with them. The game does not do much better even as a standalone title, feeling like a rushed project that has more in common with tablet RPGs than with PC ones. It quickly becomes a tedious ordeal, where gameplay is segmented and extremely linear, mechanics feel repetitive, and you end up clearing the same room over and over again, with little variance.

King’s Bounty II feels like a half-baked game that’s missing a lot of the features that made the series so popular among players. Even the content that does share similarities with the previous games seems rushed and unpolished. Although I commend the developers’ wish to bring something fresh on the table, I believe King’s Bounty II is a missed opportunity. Even though many of the issues the game had at launch may be fixed in future patches, there are many design choices that are impossible to address. Janky in all aspects, King’s Bounty II can be a worthy new entry for long-time fans or a terrible idea. If you’re considering this, just keep in mind that it’s rough around the edges.

Long story short, Forged of Blood is the best example of a project which was meant to be big but ended up being small. I wouldn't have been so disappointed if it was a “good” small rather a than “bad” small.

Of Ash and Steel is one of those RPGs that are the clear definition of the “eurojank” genre. It has a lot of ambition, both when it comes to the world’s size and scope, but also in regard to the story. It does lots of things right, like creating a very compelling and long experience which you will enjoy for dozens of hours. However, the game is also marred by technical issues, at least at launch. I didn’t have major stability issues, aside from a few hiccups as the game loads different areas. However, the game is filled with bugs, and some things like the battle or facial animations lower the overall appeal of the experience. It’s certainly a love letter to the old-school RPGs with a modern coat, but it’s definitely one that needs a bit more time in the oven. I hope they will solve these technical problems, because Of Ash and Steel is a promising RPG. It’s just not in the best state at launch.

At the end of the day, maybe Gungrave isn’t necessarily the best game of the year, but on the other hand, it’s not the worst either. Playing it is fun, and for fans of the series, it’s a great way to get a taste of what the original iteration of the series was all about.

Wales Interactive clearly has great ideas, but Soul Axiom shows that the company needs to focus a little more on execution to make sure that they unlock their true potential for the public.

Back to Bed is yet another indie video game that comes off as refreshing and brilliant at first, only to succumb a short while later at the hands of poor execution and limited overall vision.

In New Tales from Borderlands the freedom of choice is just an illusion, but unlike in case of other representatives of the genre, here I actually enjoyed being fooled by that illusion. That is until I wanted to see the different endings. The developers trying to extend artificially the time we spend with their game is downright annoying. It is like they did their best to distract us from something they felt they needed to hide. And it is a shame really, since the game, leaving aside all the unnecessary distractions, is not bad at all. It is worth exactly one playthrough, more risking to be a waste of time.

The adventure game genre has been revived in the last couple of years, so it has become harder for such a game to stand out. Rendezvous is trying to offer its own take on the genre by adding action elements, but more often than not it’s these moments that make the game worse. Even though it’s set in a futurist Indonesia and adopts a cyberpunk aesthetic, the generic story and some frustrating puzzles doesn’t help Rendezvous make it above the mediocre line. I think Rendezvous would have been a much better game without the stealth and combat mechanics. If you’re a cyberpunk fan and can put up with a few frustrating moments, Rendezvous can be enjoyable for just a few hours, but don’t get your hopes too high.

Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 has an inspired mix of narrative and presentation, with decent gameplay but somehow it is constantly under-delivering. There’s not enough madness to be found, players spend too much time picking stuff up rather than investigating weirdness, and the world is too normal to keep players moving forward. The developers at Blini Games need to find ways to tweak the familiar action RPG formula in surprising ways. A player who really loves Lovecraft or the game’s mechanics will have fun with it. Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 needs to be friendlier to newcomers and more engaging to draw in players.

Base One is a mostly solid game that never impresses. The story and writing are not a big part of the management genre but here they are so bland that they actively hurt the experience. Managing a space station is a chore when the narrative gives me no reason to look forward to new objectives and cool interactions. The game also feels limited by the fact that everything happens on one plane. A futuristic base will need to use space in complex ways and three dimensions to truly maximize efficiency and create a structure that can be easily defended or moved. Base One is too conservative in its take on the future, its approach to mechanics, and its story to create an experience that can keep gamers engaged with the campaign in the long term. The custom game mode offers ways to engage with all core mechanics in a variety of player-defined scenarios.

You could say that Infinity Runner is an instant win because it has werewolves in space, but even that campy premise can't really save it from the reality of the matter: it's just a mobile game, made a little bit bigger so it fits on a larger screen.

Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics does some things right, but falls short to what it wants to be. The game is shallow and repetitive to the point that it becomes totally uninteresting in the later stages. Without no meaningful story and no deep, complex tactical decisions, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a missed opportunity and a disappointment for fans of the Call of Cthulhu universe.

Supreme League of Patriots is kind of a mixed bag: you have a decent adventure game that tries to work in a new direction, driven by plot and dialogue more than random puzzles and inconvenient coincidences that force you to play MacGyver or to do random strangers favors and run errands in exchange for items that could have easily been acquired from any department store.

If Ary and The Secret of Seasons would have undergone a more thorough QA session it could have been a great game from the start. In its current situation, where despite the annoying issues, the developers still did not release a patch, the game loses a lot of its charm. All the necessary ingredients are present: an immersive story, interesting characters, an innovative game concept, varied puzzles, and a promising combat system. But all of these positive aspects pale in front of the technical part that is severely lacking. As such I cannot recommend Ary and The Secret of Seasons until several patches have come out fixing the annoying issues of the game.

The remaster of Mafia II remains a great opportunity totally missed by the publisher to turn the bad memories, softened anyway by nostalgia, into a new worthwhile adventure. Instead, we received a console port put together haphazardly and without any care or consideration. The Definitive Edition of Mafia II dooms the game to go down in history as an experience that went from bad to worse.

Let’s see what you get if you are willing to pay not just the full price, but also the over-the-top cost of Modern Warfare III: a short and uninspired single player campaign, a solid co-op and multiplayer experience, both relying on recycled maps, and an overwhelming amount of micro and not so “micro” transactions. It is not just the regurgitated and uninspired content that makes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III one of the worst games in the series, but also the absurd pricing scheme that pushes over the edge both the industry professionals and players alike. Ultimately, it’s up to each and every one to decide if the game is worth all the basic and extra costs, but I definitely don’t want to encourage anyone to support these more and more questionable business practices, so wait for a sale if you really want to check this one out.

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is a nostalgic throwback that fails to transcend its origins. For those who grew up playing the original, it offers a bittersweet reminder of the early 2000s, warts and all. Yet, as a remaster, it falls short of expectations, offering little more than a cosmetic update to a flawed but beloved classic. For fans of Star Wars and retro gaming, it may be worth a visit, but newcomers and casual players are unlikely to find much to enjoy in this uneven return to a galaxy far, far away.

MX vs ATV Legends is a great game, there’s no doubt about it, but on the other hand, it’s pretty clear that it can’t be considered a finished title at this point. In some ways, it feels like a work-in-progress, though most of the time, it can still provide the challenging experience that it promises regardless of the platform. The addition of an open environment is hands down the best idea, as it provides the off-road adventure with a new side that’s more or less based on exploration. At the same time, it feels like it generates a high replayability level, and at the end of the day, this is what helps keep a game alive a long time after its launch.

If you plan on getting into The Seven Deadly Sins, I believe you'll be better off watching the anime series and that's it. Unfortunately, the game doesn't to the anime and manage series any justice, as it seems rather unpolished and a bit rushed. Aside from the many problems with the controls and combat system, the game isn't interesting enough to make it worthwhile, not to mention that fans of the anime series will find it straight boring. It's clearly not the best game based on an anime/mange series outed by Bandai Namco and I don't see any potential for the franchise.

Even if I still see the iOS version a good game, Warhammer Quest on PC should had offered a lot more complexity instead of the simple point & click decisions that doesn't allow you to really immerse into the game.

Its controls are often frustrating, and it relies too much on trial and error. Sometimes, it's smart and feels fresh and satisfying, but most of the time, it just feels tedious and uninspired.

Gemini: Heroes Reborn is a pretty compelling first-person adventure that manages to borrow from bigger titles like BioShock, Mirror’s Edge, or PsiOps to deliver a mix that can delight gamers in general, not just fans of the Heroes universe. Its adventure isn’t the lengthiest, and the replayability factor isn’t all that great, but you’ll certainly enjoy bending time and flinging objects with your mind in this title.

Buildings have feelings too! is based on a unique and interesting concept, but it falls short in execution. Those looking for a city management game will be disappointed since this is a puzzle game in a clever disguise. Despite the stylish visuals, the game overall feels like the victim of a limited budget and does not manage to reach its full potential. The game leaves little room for error and it is frustrating that it does not allow you to retry a specific chapter, rather it forces you to restart the entire game. Even if you like solving puzzles, the level of difficulty will be off-putting because they are paired with clunky controls.

I think Ravenbound has a solid foundation as a roguelite, but it’s buried underneath some mechanics that aren’t enjoyable enough to keep you engaged. Also, if you’re one those people who don’t like “always online” games, skip this one because you won’t be able to play Ravenbound otherwise.

The Settlers: New Allies has a good core loop that, unfortunately, lacks a solid connection with the series' history. There’s too much military action and not enough focus on delivering products to citizens. The land-claiming concept is interesting but under-used. Ubisoft could have used the same gameplay and another name and players might be more interested. But the game does not do enough to differentiate itself from better experiences in the genre. The Settlers: New Allies wants to tweak a classic formula but never finds the best way to do that.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance does a great job at bringing us more Legacy of Kain lore, a new character and some interesting mechanics. After the Defiance remaster, I was not expecting to see yet another Legacy of Kain game being released, especially one that’s new. I think this is a great addition to the series, and the game does an excellent job at introducing Elaleth, along with some other characters. The story will be very familiar to fans of the series, and it certainly adds some nuanced stuff I did not expect to see. Moreover, the gameplay is very fast paced, engaging, even if at times it can become frustrating if you opt for a higher difficulty level. If you want to acquire all achievements, you will get quite a bit more gameplay out of the game, as it can take you 7-10 hours depending on the play style. Even if the game’s story is short, I found it very fun, and I am looking forward to replaying on a higher difficulty level, to spot any lore that I missed along the way.

There are two parts to Funko Fusion. The fan service aspect works great offering fans what they would expect from their favorite franchises, regardless about how they feel towards Funko Pop. The gameplay itself is way too repetitive and it feels like the developers invested more effort in nailing down some of the worlds and neglected the gameplay part. Funko Pop can be considered a first shy step made in the right direction, but it still has a long way to go before it can be mentioned in the same page as the LEGO titles. We’ll have to see if there's going to be a sequel that corrects the hiccups of the first title.