There are exciting and pleasant strolls down memory lane, and then there is the remastered Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (sadly). Yes, it is updated! So, it can pass as a functioning game, but it is by no means modern or enjoyable. It completely lacks the atmosphere of the original release, and the entire game feels as tedious as it was 22 years ago. With some more tinkering under the hood, this game could have been reborn from its ashes as a cult classic, but the scope once again was different: a cheap remaster that can be sold for a quick buck.

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.

If the idea of fruitless exploits and praying to RNGesus doesn't scare you, Crowntakers is a really pleasant experience, marrying exploration with tactical combat, all set in a lovely-looking world.

When you play a game like Banished Stone with its rather old school graphics and style, you either love it or you hate it. As someone who enjoys the old school visuals, I still think that Banished Stone could look better, especially when it comes to animations and backgrounds. However, if you get accustomed to the gameplay loop, it’s pretty solid, it just takes some getting used to. Banished Stone was an interesting game for me, but I found it very repetitive and the lack of enemy variation on each level ended up leading to boredom at times. However, I appreciate the fact that they went with the side scrolling approach, the music is quite good, and the gameplay gets better as you play. I think the game’s beginning is a bit of a rough patch, but if you get past the first hour and its shortcomings, you’ll have over 20 hours worth of fun here.

Full Control has managed to put together a mostly solid combat engine, which can deliver entertaining firefights under some conditions, but the rest of the experience has been neglected and does not create an interesting setting for the adventure.

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.

XEL is a game that understands its genre, but the development team fails to see that solid innovation is required to compete, given how crowded it is. The basic exploration and combat work well and the time stuff is an interesting addition. But much more is needed to get players interested and to keep them playing. But the biggest issue with XEL is the fact that it has bugs and glitches that force players to replay already uninteresting sections of a level. Getting stuck on a bit of geometry and having no solution but to reload kills interest in a title faster than the lack of inspiration. Once the technical issues are fixed and for a player who is a major fan of action and exploration and has finished other titles in the genre, XEL might be worth picking up on sale.

WARSAW wants to be a mashup of World War II and Darkest Dungeon but doesn't bring anything new to the table. WARSAW is a blatant Darkest Dungeon copy with no innovation or unique gameplay mechanics whatsoever. Everything that it might go as original in WARSAW exists in Darkest Dungeon in a slightly different form. Add to that the design flaws, bugs, and balancing issues and you have a subpar experience that can't be balanced by the tense atmosphere and interesting setting.

Out of Line is a very short experience (it took me two hours to finish it), and while the length of a game shouldn’t define a game’s quality, I would’ve expected Out of Line to be at least a bit more fulfilling. That being said, I would recommend the game to those who aren’t looking for overly complex puzzles and a deep, meaningful story. Out of Line is one of those games that won’t challenge puzzle enthusiasts nor appease players looking for an appealing narrative.

The Golf Club can be a good investment for purists and the editor is a great piece of work, but this is also a game that lacks attention to detail at times and suffers because of that.

Ultimately, Gex Trilogy feels like a product designed more to honor the past than to ignite a new future for the franchise. It’s a loving archival effort that will undoubtedly please those who grew up with the sarcastic lizard, but it’s unlikely to convert new fans unfamiliar with his antics. With platforming having evolved significantly since Gex’s heyday, these titles feel more like relics — albeit entertaining ones — than evergreen classics. Gex Trilogy isn’t a reinvention; it’s a digital museum exhibit. Polished just enough to be playable by today’s standards, it offers a fun — if dated — experience for retro enthusiasts and collectors. But outside of nostalgia, its appeal is limited. A charming preservation effort, not a platforming revival.

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.

Pro Cycling Manager 2021 is not a game I would recommend right now, especially given the recent history of the franchise. Wait for a few patches and one big community mod delivery. The core gameplay has not evolved in any major way and the additions feel half-baked. The presentation is pretty much the same, with minor tweaks.

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.

Despite its outdated graphics and often basic visual style, Achilles: Legends Untold manages to put a spell on you with its atmosphere and well thought out combat system. But it doesn’t take long for the randomly fluctuating difficulty levels, uninspired dialogues and characters, as well as the countless errors to turn you away from the game. This could have been a great game if the developers paid more attention and had thoroughly thought out the game mechanisms. Achilles: Legends Untold ends up feeling truly unfair towards the player, replacing skill with luck and lending cheap shots due to the inability to counter the many issues.

Void Sails felt like a very promising game, and to some extent it does manage to deliver on that promise. The ship design is great, and the story, albeit not very long, was engaging and fun for me. It’s nice to see that there are indie devs that continue to take chances and a shot in the dark. There will always be challenges, and Void Sails is a prime example, it certainly has its issues. For me, the changes in combat difficulty killed the momentum a lot of the time. And unfortunately, you can’t lower/raise the difficulty, so you have to make due with their approach, which for me didn’t work out very well. Also, there is an illusion of choice, however a lot of the choices you have will provide the same/very similar results. Even with all of that, I think Void Sails is worth playing, but keep in mind all the pros and cons before you get into it.

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.

Paradise Lost is a story worth exploring once, the alternative ending targeting those who were roped in by the story and the character development of Szymon. Sadly, there won’t be too many, because despite the strong start, the magic fades and ultimately Paradise Lost proves to be a walking simulator that could have been very interesting in theory, but actually it is just conventional and flat.

Oblitus could have been a great game, but unfortunately it's not. It's hard to get into, what with the lack of story and context for your actions and the fact that you have to start all over when you die.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos on paper has all the right ingredients. Unfortunately, they are not implemented as you would expect them to be, and the game ends up as a bad parody of itself rather than of the fantasy genre. The coarse and uninspired humor does not work as the developers have intended, and in the long run, it becomes annoying. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos has a lot of untapped potentials, unfortunately, due to the countless technical issues it is hard to recommend the console version to any players.

Pile Up! Box by Box is not a bad family game, but it is a completely forgettable one. Despite the nice visuals and friendly artistic style, the level design and the puzzles do not live up to the promise. The control is not always the best, since the camera often plays tricks with your depth perception making jumping from shelf to shelf, somewhat annoying. The lack of danger and challenge, makes the game kid friendly, but the lack of online co-op is hurting the entire package.

Code Vein II is the best example of a game that looks amazing on paper but in reality, fails to be stellar in any aspect. This isn’t necessarily a bad game, but it’s strange to have a sequel that has a lot more mechanics, characters, and story bits than the original, and fail to surpass it. The open-world aspect should have helped Code Vein II elevate it from the typical corridor-like soulslike, but it doesn’t. It’s nice to freely roam a world like the one Bandai Namco built for Code Vein, but not if it’s completely empty. One other major issue with Code Vein II is performance, which is, once again, all over the place. When it rains outside, your frames drop considerably, so combat is a nightmare. Things look good in dungeons, but the moment you step outside, everything seems half-baked. If you’re itching for a soulslike and consider Code Vein II, I would recommend playing the first one instead. Even if that would mean playing it a second time.

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.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality is a game for people who are already fans of the television show and care about the characters and all the references to their past adventures. If you come into this experience cold you will need to constantly consult a wiki or a video to understand what and why you have to do. Even for fans, a straight-up television arc based on the concepts of the video game might be more enjoyable.

Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery may be a casual title, catering to a specific audience, but even for them it is hard to justify its existence. As a DLC pack it would have been more than fine, but as full release it fails. Overall, it does not offer enough content to be a standalone release. And it is a shame because the previous game offered a hardcore experience for the fans of the hidden objects genre without feeling like a rip-off. The value proposal of Discovery is missing completely.

South of the Circle is barely a video game and would have probably worked better as a movie. Players who don’t quickly become engaged with the story will have a tough time finding reasons to push on. And even for those who want to see how the narrative ends, some sequences drag on with limited payoff. Titles in the walking simulator space can make for impressive video games but they need to establish a solid emotional connection quickly. South of the Circle does have great moments and narrative threads that coalesce in an interesting way. But the development team at State of Play needs to work on pacing to make sure that players stay engaged.

Many of the puzzles are unintuitive and the writing is all over the place. Also, playing almost the entire game without soundtrack (because there isn’t one) doesn’t really help with immersion at all. The Sundew is a rather short experience (3-4 hours), but not an enjoyable one, that’s for sure.

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication is better than its predecessor, but not by much. I have a hard time taking it seriously as a horror game, and I have seen much better walking simulators. It lacks in almost every aspect, and I could choose much more suitable games for a Halloween scare. Yet, if you are a fan of J-horror you will most likely enjoy it, especially if you are into Taiwanese lore. If the developers manage to fix the pacing issues and rely less on cinematic storytelling the next episode might be quite interesting.

Clunky combat, flat story, repetitious gameplay, lack of enemy and loot variety make Oninaki a monotonous experience that no one should go through. I wanted to like Tokyo RPG Factory's latest game, but with Oninaki the studio is taking a backward step from its previous titles. The game's unique world can't save it from mediocrity. However, despite its shortcomings, Tokyo RPG Factory fans who liked Lost Sphear will probably find some enjoyment, at least to some extent.

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.

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

The Star Named Eos is a short adventure game with some interesting puzzles, which ultimately fails to stand out. At best, it flickers in some moments, but it does not shine. The pacing, the low-res cutscenes, the repetitive pattern of the level design, and the lack of real connection with your character make the experience a rather forgettable one. Fans of the genre will have some fun with the game, but I’d recommend to pick this one up when it’s on sale, so you avoid feeling bad for not having your expectations met.

As a whole, Helvetii is an uneven product. The game’s nice visuals and solid combat are way above everything else. Roguelike fans will probably get something out of it, but my advice is to try and beat it fast and move on to another title.

The coolest effects are the flashlights and the bullet tracing, but the awe stops there. The textures are rather bland, the levels don’t have all that much detail, and the characters animations, for the protagonist and enemies, are almost at a minimum. When you put all of it together, you’re left with something that’s just there, with decent visuals and not much else. The sound department doesn’t help either. The only redeeming quality if the voice and the interactions with the drone, but they are few and far in between.

Although its theme is skateboarding, it's got nothing in common with the old high-profile skating games. Instead of being able to roll off and mess around with stuff or just experiment, jumping over bums, you are constantly struggling, ever so slightly improving, tested by the game's demanding and unforgiving systems.

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.

République is proof that mobile games can have depth and can be as complex as their PC or console counterparts. Despite the many improvements it brings, the Anniversary Edition cannot shed its touch screen heritage and the control on the gamepad is still cumbersome. The possibility to control Hope directly subtracts from the initial innovative experience, without offering a real added benefit. The five chapters offer around 15 hours of mixed experience, where fun will alternate with frustration. République: Anniversary Edition is a game that can thoroughly enjoyed only by the fans of older stealth games, like the classic Metal Gear Solid.

Because of the lack of story content, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker feels like a game without soul, and that's by far its greatest weakness. Although somewhat captures the feel of the Naruto anime series when it comes to visuals and music, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a shallow game that shouldn't have been released.

After the disappointing Cold War, Vanguard was the game that many fans have put their faith in. But due to rocky start, the countless bugs the completely unbalanced multiplayer and the incomplete zombies mode, this year’s Call of Duty is just another nail in the coffin of once great franchise. Shaken by various scandals on every front, it is clear that Activision does not care about anything else just cashing in the yearly checks. It is sad that the collaboration between Sledgehammer, Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox and Highmoon cannot produce something more than Vanguard. The first Warzone season might improve things starting with 2nd of December, but I will not hold my breath.

Three Dead Zed delivers a decent puzzle platformer experience but it's largely weighed down by finicky controls, lackluster voice acting, a repetitive soundtrack, and some annoying design decisions. Depending on how much you love zombies and platforming, your mileage may vary.

Despite all the cool features that are touted, it the end is just a soulless racing game that doesn’t excel at anything but also doesn’t really fail in any significant way.

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.

Still Wakes the Deep has an interesting premise for a walking simulator mixing the mundane and ugly with the supernatural and deadly beautiful. Unfortunately, the whole project just creaks at the joints and fails to deliver a memorable experience. The linear gameplay is not counterbalanced but the story, rather they go hand in hand towards a very simplistic approach. The entire game lacks coherence and that “something” that would turn the originality of the basic idea into an outstanding game.

The core mechanics of the game are pretty solid, but unfortunately That Trivia Game lacks the presentation and the multiplayer required to be enjoyable in the long term.

Ultimately, Itorah isn’t a bad game, just an uninterested one that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. That wouldn’t be an issue if it didn’t have the issues that I’ve already mentioned. Play this only if you’re desperate for a good-looking platformer.

Top Eleven 2015 is the kind of experience that should have probably stayed on Facebook, where its limited mechanics and its money-driven elements feel more at home.

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.

Although the game is very shallow – you simply walk around the maze trying to eat and not get eaten –, it can be the source of some genuine lighthearted excitement in the right context.

A wider variety of enemies, mechanics, weapons and upgrades would have made it much more appealing, but it's not too bad as it is, either.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is a fan letter that suffers from too much enthusiasm and not enough substance. Beyond the undisputed visual style, it lacks originality, creativity, and challenge to keep you pinned in front of the display. The biggest difficulty is conjuring the patience needed to finish the game, which should take around 7-8 hours. The elements needed to make a great game are all there, at least on paper, but it feels like the developers got lost in trying to recreate the visual style and forgot about everything else. As such, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is even more of a footnote in the franchise’s history than the latest movie.

Club Manager 2015 could do with a little bit more polish, but as it stands now, the game is a classic take on the genre it is part of, with some clear limitations and plenty of options for gamers to experience nostalgia while playing it.

I would put Sword Legacy: Omen in the missed opportunity type of games since there are many inconsistencies between various parts like visuals, story, and sound. While I loved the idea of going back in time to visit Britain in the early Middle Age, let alone experience the events happening before King Arthur's time, I felt that the journey was pretty dull and uninteresting till near the end.

Black Clover: Quartet Knights is definitely not the sleeper hit of 2018, and I’m not even sure if the fans of the original manga series are among the people playing the game. It’s not a bad title, but I’m pretty sure that the studio overstated just how many people are going to play it.

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.

35mm tries hard to be more than just a walking simulator. It stumbles in this endeavor and forgets that a good walking simulator can still be a pretty entertaining experience. The game falls short of the experience offered by popular titles in the same genre like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture or What Remains of Edith Finch. If you find yourself on a rainy weekend, looking for some brooding, short and not exactly challenging experience, 35mm might be worth a try thanks to its atmosphere. Otherwise, there are much more enjoyable and memorable walking simulators out there.

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.

Of Bird and Cage is not a good game and I can only think of a small subset of people who might enjoy it: fans of progressive rock with a love of soapy narrative drive titles and an ability to ignore presentation issues. Anyone else should avoid playing the game, even if it is relatively short at around two hours. The developers are certainly attempting an ambitious mix and they should be applauded for that. But a lot more investment in coherent gameplay and a good story is required to make it a success. Get the soundtrack created for Of Bird and Cage if you love the artists involved because it really does not work as a video game.

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.

Poker Club is fully functional, but a totally bland experience. You have many gamification elements implemented on top of the actual poker game, like the customization options and the clubs. But these do not bring added value, since they do not have real effects on the gameplay experience. Having fixed most of the technical and visual bugs that plagued the initial release, Poker Club cannot overcome the issues that haunt all the poker simulators. The unpredictability of the human element brings tediousness and a slow pace, without being able to replicate the thrills of playing face to face with another human being.

As someone who loves tinkering with car parts in real life, I had a fun time with this part of Underground Garage. You have multiple cars to work on, and they did manage to provide a great level of detail for these vehicles and their parts. With that in mind, the game doesn’t feel ready for a 1.0 release, because it still has a lot of bugs and some of the title’s features feel undercooked. I encountered a lot of small bugs, but also some progress-breaking bugs that ended up being quite frustrating. Additionally, Underground Garage relies quite a lot on the use of AI-generated assets and tools, which might end up rubbing some players the wrong way. It’s clear that the game’s scope was grandiose, and some shortcuts like using AI had to be used in order to achieve that goal. Was it worth it? It depends on what you expect from Underground Garage. I like the work you do in the garage, when you tinker with vehicles and parts. However, the racing side and performance need heavy improvements, which hopefully the game will get, eventually.

The Dark Eye: Chains of Stainav despite the best efforts of Daedalic Entertainment was and remains a mediocre adventure game. It is not completely bad, but it is not remarkable either. The story has quite a few gaps, and the gameplay can be frustrating due to the interactive objects that play no part in solving the puzzles. If you are a point and click adventure fan going through a dry spell, it may be worth picking up Chains of Satinav to fill a winter weekend, when you would just rather stay inside. If you just discover this videogame genre there are far better options out there to immerse yourself in.

If the same effort would have been invested in the entire game as was in the voice acting of the narrator, Maneater would have been a mindless, but fun experience. The concept is not bad at all, the graphics look pretty decent, the night time cities being actually quite pretty, and, when it works as intended, the combat system is fun and spectacular. Unfortunately, the countless technical issues, the lack of quality content, the clumsy controls and stupid AI turn Maneater into a mediocre experience, which cannot be recommended in its current state.

Skully is a platformer full of challenges. The game is heavily testing not only your agility but also your patience. While it has an interesting basic concept, it feels unfinished and does not manage to immerse you in its world. When you see the rolling skull you would expect dynamic and fluid gameplay. Instead, you are presented with jumps that require ultimate precision and obstacles with errors in collision detection which force you to adopt a slow and careful approach. With more attention to details and some more polishing Skully could have been an entertaining experience. Unfortunately, it just proves to be a modest attempt to make a cute platformer.

A Fold Apart is an indie game with heart and soul, which ingeniously tells a human story. Alternating the perspectives of the two characters conveys the intention of the producers of presenting the hardships of both parties involved in a long-distance relationship. Of course, the scenario dreamt up by the developers is an idyllic one, which assumes both persons have only the best intentions. Unfortunately, taking into account the length of the game, and the lack of any replayability even the low price is too much for this indie game. Maybe an online coop would have justified it, but as it is A Fold Apart is a tremendous creative exercise, but way too short to offer a lasting experience.

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.

Fallout 76’s premise may have made a lot of sense of paper, as many people love surviving with friends in a huge world, but in practice it has a lot of things that keep it from reaching greatness: From the sparse open world with too few players, to the non-engaging story, to actual clunky multiplayer, both cooperative and competitive.

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.

Forest Grove is not the stocking filler I have hoped for. It is a mediocre game at best, that does not offer any real challenge or satisfaction. The game mechanics are way too simple and repetitive, the hardest part being to decern what is relevant for the case and what is not. While I appreciate what the developers tried to build here, I cannot recommend the game as long as there are so many better alternatives out there. You are better off watching your favorite TV series.

Legends of Ellaria is one example of how too much ambition can lead to a hard to enjoy the final product. There’s simply too much here to have fun. The transitions are too long. The strategic layer does not add any sort of fun. The management can be enjoyable but does not mesh well with the rest of the experience.

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.

The developers of Ad Infinitum seem to have spent too much time on developing the atmosphere and the game itself. It is a completely linear experience, with plenty of bugs that often make progress impossible, if things do not happen according to the script. Because of that, it becomes increasingly frustrating to explore the levels in order to puzzle together the story. Also, once you pique behind the curtains and understand the mechanisms that break down so often, the magic is gone. The plenty of bugs and concept errors ruin what could have been a memorable experience.

Transient Extended Edition is a great concept, but the implementation is flawed on every level. The art style is stunning, but the graphical engine can’t keep the pace. The game world is truly different, but there is not too much to do in it. The puzzles are too simple and feel like a filler so you wouldn’t call the game just a walking simulator. Also, this new edition does not make the game more user friendly. Yes, some of the previous issues have been fixed, but there are plenty of new ones. Even with the new ending, Transient remains a mystery that will make you wonder what exactly happened – if you are curious or masochistic enough to brave through the countless crashes.

The developer clearly is a fan of some classic experiences and knows how to take their spirit and bring it to the present. The challenge is to update the core mechanics interestingly and choose the right concepts for the world he is building. Guild of Darksteel is ultimately a shallow experience that does not offer much more than its demo but I am curious what Sandman can create in the future.

The Crew is a decent racing game that's weighed down by its constantly online mechanics. The missions and challenges are nice, but if you don't have friends, you'll be hard pressed to find them in the game.

There are some good ideas hidden under the contrived combat system and very basic RPG elements, but Broken Lines fails to be enjoyable. It will probably scratch a certain itch, but I expected a lot more based on how it’s advertised.

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.

Frostpunk 2 blends classic city development ideas with an interesting take on political horse-trading. The need to secure votes will push player outside of their comfort zone. I like the extra tension, but the two sides of the game sometimes feel disconnected from one another, especially when factions act irrationally as the survival of New London is in play. 11 bit studios has taken a risk by creating a sequel that is too different in terms of mechanics for some fans of the original. Frostpunk 2 isn’t as personal or granular but the political aspect is a good innovation and enhances the more traditional exploration and city building.

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.

The gimmick of using a PlayStation 1 presentation might attract an audience. But the game needs more than style to keep players engaged, even if only for the around three hours the story needs to reveal itself. Chasing Static has some good elements but it never manages to get the right mix for a truly engaging experience.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey to anyone who wants to play a solid adventure game, but it's definitely worth getting when it's on sale.

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.

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.

Little Big Workshop should be a tremendously fun and immersive experience when the countless bugs are fixed. Currently, the console experience will be just as worthy of your time as the PC version is. Fortunately, the producers seem to be aware of the countless issues, and they are working on fixing them (several patches have already been deployed). Still, the state of the game at launch remains inexcusable, and even after several patches, some major issues continue to plague the game's complex mechanics. If you have picked up Little Big Workshop right after release and got turned down by the technical issues, then wait for a few more patches and give it another chance. If you're considering the game, wait for a discount since Little Big Workshop might be fixed by then.

Necromunda Hired Gun has a great atmosphere and some good ideas, but the game overall is disappointing. The initial excitement soon enough turns into frustration and regret. The numerous issues manage to almost completely ruin the game experience, and make you forget about the good parts. The patches are coming out steadily, the developers are trying to fix their mess, but in the end, Hired Gun leaves you with a bitter taste. This could have been a memorable game, yet Necromunda: Hired Gun feels like an ambitious project too big for such a small developer.

Anna’s Quest is a solid adventure game, that fails to become memorable. Both the puzzles and the story are just too generic, the characters are lacking emotion, and once finished, most probably you will never feel the need to spin it up again. The dialogues are plain and the pace of the story is way too slow, with only a few moments you could actually call funny. The simple graphics do not bring justice to the fairy tale theme of the game, and overall Anna’s Quest is far from the level we come to expect from Daedalic.

Metrocide has a very nostalgic overall sheen to it, but apart from that, the basic gameplay loop isn't all that great. It has potential but it just seems watered-down a lot, as if it were rushed around some simple mechanics instead of being built around a more meaningful experience.

Elegy for a Dead World is a game so unique that there is no point of reference for it. Nothing like this has been done before, and it fills a niche that many gamers will appreciate.

Aragami 2 tries to add a layer of co-op action on top of its core stealth gameplay. Funny enough the stealth and combat mechanics are anything but co-op friendly. It feels like a half-baked release, with the developers having no clear direction how to continue the first game. It has its moments in co-op, but even those are ruined by the glitches and bugs. After the first few hours it becomes a repetitive grind and there is no real motivation for anyone to finish it. Aragami 2 is a completely unworthy and unmemorable sequel.

Although at first glance GRUNND presents players with an interesting mystery to solve, the game’s narrative suffers from lack of cohesion. Despite its intriguing plot and eerie atmosphere, the game fails to convey a clear message. GRUNND is trying to tell a Kafka-esque story under the disguise of a philosophical journey, but fails to make itself enjoyable in the process. The eerie atmosphere and top-notch soundtrack are not enough to make the journey interesting. Not to mention the ending feels rushed and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

As long as you realize that there are going to be annoyances that are out of your control, you can still have a blast with the game. The character progression system is very intriguing and rewarding, since there are many options at your disposal, especially in the spell department.

We were hoping to find in Dread Nautical an uncut gem. In the end, we received a game that does not live up its potential and becomes monotonous pretty quickly. The lack of variety and depth turn this interesting concept into a mediocre game. The mix of RPG and tactics although well thought out, shortly turn into a routine without any joy. There is no thrill or scare, but plenty of annoying moments generated by the chores of item management. Dread Nautical wanted to be a place of madness, but it turned into another dimension of boredom.

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.

It is really hard to recommend No Longer Home as a game or even as a meaningful experience. It is way too personal for it to be largely relatable and way too shallow to hit truly hard or touch some emotional topics. Not to mention that there’s literally no gameplay at all. No Longer Home lacks puzzles or any other adventure-like elements. Judging by how the story flows, this feels more like a visual novel with dialogue choices having no influence on the final outcome.

I was really curious about Deliver Us the Moon on PS5, but after finishing it I am struggling to find anything good about it, beyond the obvious passion of the developers. It is not a bad game, but it is just flat, and it does not have anything memorable about it. It can be looked at as an interactive movie, but even then, I would not recommend it since there is nothing really thrilling about it. I would not recommend it even if you don’t have anything better to do on a weekend afternoon. You will get much more out of staring at the moon using a telescope than playing this flat game.

Bright Memory: Infinite has its moments, but in the end, it feels like a project that could have been great if it was developed by an entire team with all the necessary resources at their disposal. Unfortunately, the moments that disappoint are amplified by the hype that was created around the game. Although it has potential, Bright Memory: Infinite does not live up to the expectations of those were waiting for this game. It is way too simple, empty and short, with only a few moments of fun.

Overall, Urban Myth Dissolution Center offers a lanky narrative-driven experience, blending eerie folklore tales with the gameplay familiar from other visual novels. The investigative aspect is very discreet. The painfully slow pacing combined with repetitive dialogue, and localization issues result in a not-so-great overall experience. While the game successfully immerses players in the unsettling world of urban legends, it struggles with execution. Those who enjoy visual novels and Japanese ghost stories may find it worthwhile, but players expecting a more interactive detective experience will be disappointed.

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.

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.