Space Station Tycoon is a decent construction and management experience that feels somehow incomplete. It’s fun to make money and gather research points, expand the space station, provide power and security, and deal with threats. But there’s limited story to enjoy and man management elements are very limited. Interactions on the solar system level are simple and there’s a hard limit to how much stuff one can attack to the station’s two floors and eight spokes. Space Station Tycoon needed to be more innovative and varied to attract a more diverse fan base.

Titan Souls can be repetitive, difficult and frustrating, but it can also be the kind of video game in which one solid arrow shot can make a player happy for half an hour.

Overall Mafia Definitive Edition is a solid remaster, that despite its numerous flaws should be experienced by the original gangsters and the new wave of players as well. We can comment about the technical errors, about the holes in the revamped story, and other shortcomings, but all in all, Mafia still proves to be am immersive experience, even after 18 years. This Mafia is not the same as the original, but it is better because you can enjoy it in 2020. The hardcore fans of the original will find a lot to nit-pick. But they can return to the original, to remember how archaic it is, or can they try to beat the game in classic mode, “enjoying” the quirks of the original recipe. Despite the criticism, we have to admit that Hangar 13 managed to take an 18 years old game and make it work in 2020, without crushing its soul.

Adventure Lib takes some great jabs at adventure titles, gameplay tropes, and manages to deliver a short but hilarious experience. Sure, your mileage may vary depending on your sense of humor or passion for repetition, but at least you'll have fun with this quirky indie experience.

Mia and the Dragon Princess is limited even when it comes to the classic full-motion video approach. There are some player choices, the narrative does branch, and it can take some time to put together the best way to get characters to one of the positive endings. Even with the ability to skip scenes, there’s little incentive to play through it for more than 2 or, maybe, 3 times if you really feel a connection to one of the main characters. The biggest problem is the lack of narrative coherence. The villain is just a collection of ticks and tropes and, while I like the central pair, their characterization is also scattershot. FMV experiences can be interesting and engaging, both in terms of story and gameplay. Mia and the Dragon Princess fails to deliver on either of those fronts and would have worked better as a straight-to-streaming movie.

This Means Warp is designed to appeal to players who can get a group of friends together and get them to join in cooperative play. The main mechanics of combat and repairing are easy to understand but as soon as more than one human is involved, everything can quickly devolve into chaotic fun. Time and energy will allow groups to become expertly-drilled crews. The title’s biggest issue is how repetitive the gameplay loop is. This is mitigated when more than one player is involved. But a solo game with computer companions will be frustrating. Get This Means Warp if you have a group of friends who like science fiction and ship-to-ship combat and are ready to get together for some controlled chaos and some laughs.

Giga Wrecker Alt. redefines what it means to make a good platformer riddled with puzzles and obstacles, turning it into a core gameplay element that will keep you busy and second-guessing your choices consistently. If that isn’t enough to convince you, then the fast-paced combat and the unique bosses you will encounter will certainly draw out your inner warrior. The gameplay is addicting, a lot of the mechanics used are new, and even the humor is enough to at least make you chuckle from time to time. Either way, Giga Wrecker Alt. deserves a place in any self-proclaimed puzzle solver’s digital library!

Dead Ink’s core gameplay is built on ideas inspired by the very popular Dark Souls but it is not part of the forgettable recent wave of titles that simply copy them. The vertical layout of the tower is a big twist with major consequences for exploration. Players need to move carefully and pay close attention to ladders and ledges that will lead to new places. Combat is all about careful dodging and strikes delivered at just the right time. The narrative is pretty limited. But I like the feeling of discovery and how the game encourages players to create mental maps and unlock shortcuts. Dead Ink should have tried to tweak the formula it’s working with a little more but it has enough unique elements to keep fans engaged.

The game can be frustrating when it takes 2 hours and 20 reloads to take care of a group of 4 enemies that were blocking access to an objective. Experimentation and observation are engaging initially but it’s hard to remain enthusiastic when just one bad move scuttles a whole plan. This is an issue with the entire stealth-action genre that no title has entirely solved. Despite this Partisans 1941 has good mission design, a nice synergy between characters, and the outside the mission variety that makes it a good recommendation for those who like this style of game and the World War II setting.

The gameplay continues to be chaotic and the team-playing vibes are almost non-existent if you’re not playing together with friends. Portal is pretty much the only solid selling point right now, and unless the new Battlefield urgently receives massive improvements, it could easily turn into one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

Persona 5 is less an action RPG, and rather a well-executed tactical turn-based game. The gameplay is well thought out with complex systems, the design and visual style follows the legacy of the series with some minor changes to keep things fresh, and as per usual the polis of the game is spotless. Yet somewhere along the way the focus shifted too much towards the battle and had a somewhat negative impact on the pacing, the atmosphere and the player engagement in general. Persona 5 is the most repetitive and monotonous iteration released by Atlus so far.

Space Colony: Steam Edition is clearly reaching out from a time way back when video game design used to be more forgiving. It's got a lot of flaws, but it also has a ton of personality, and it offers a pretty solid space colony management experience, albeit one a little on the light side.

I liked my time with Grand Age: Medieval, but after spending a lot of time in the Balkans in my first campaign, I want to see whether there's variety in switching to another region for the start town.

Selfloss is a great concept and has a tremendous atmosphere, that is let down by an unpolished gameplay. It is an indie gem with all the good and the bad, typical for this kind of title. The focus is on the story and the emotions it awakens in the player, while the control and the combat system could have benefited a lot from more careful planning. Overall, it is a game worth experiencing for its soul.

Aris Arcanum is one of those games that’s not going to be for everyone. It’s designed to offer a new take on roguelikes, and its innovative spellcrafting system, along with the beautiful world they make, is quite engaging and exhilarating at times. However, it’s not without flaws. The character movement takes some getting used to, and the game itself is quite short. And then there’s the AI-asset usage, which could be misunderstood or not appreciated by some players. However, once you get past the mishaps, you will see that Aris Arcanum is a competent rogue-like, albeit one that’s more suitable for people that enjoy a slower-paced game. It’s one of those games that, if you offer enough time, you’ll become engulfed with fun moments, and every boss/enemy you defeat feels very fulfilling.

Green Hell is a console port that unfortunately does not manage to rival its PC counterpart. What can accomplish is to stand out from the relentless wave of survival games, as a title with personality, with both perks and flaws. The gameplay manages to keep its edge, but the challenges are even more frustrating because of the technical issues. If you are in your element when facing impossible odds, Green Hell is right up your alley. The abuse on players is relentless and creates an almost Stockholm syndrome-like experience. All the survival enthusiasts will keep coming back for more and more punishment.

The Gunk is a game that does a decent job of offering ideas that other titles have explored in better ways. The gameplay is fun at first barely evolves. The story, especially the interactions between Becks and Rani, is decent but has nothing especially memorable to offer. The game has everything it needs for some cool cooperative play moments but does not offer those mechanics.

The Reckoning DLC for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare offers a decent experience. While not all of the maps manage to live up to expectations, those that do offer a great time and are certainly going to keep fans busy until Black Ops 3 rolls out in November.

Paper Trail is an indie game with plenty of soul that mixes successfully the narrative and gameplay parts into an immersive experience. While the story is interesting enough, what will keep you most invested in the game is figuring out how to fold and slide in order to solve the puzzles. There are some aspects that could use fixing like the repeating soundtrack and maybe a more precise hint system, overall, Paper Trails is a fascinating journey in a modern fairy tale, worthy of the attention of puzzle fans.

Trigon: Space Story does not add much to the formula that FTL pioneered. When that title launched its mechanics and ideas felt fresh, with the pressure of the constantly chasing fleet adding tension and urgency to the gameplay. But for a new game to have the same impact it needs to introduce at least one big new idea and then make sure it integrates well with the rest. Battles do deliver tense moments and I love the tension that developers as players evaluate whether it’s a good idea to flee or whether a victory is still achievable, with some losses. I also appreciate the depth of possibilities offered by the sector map. Trigon: Space Story has good core mechanics but never does anything interesting with them for anyone who has played FTL.

The biggest asset and problem that the game has is its difficulty level, because it does create that feeling of challenge that every good rogue-like needs and can produce moments of small but enchanting triumph, but it also tends to limit access to the story a little too much.

Deck 'Em! succeeds at offering a solitaire take on a boxing-driven card game. The blocking mechanic is just complex enough to create tension and force some tough decisions, without asking players to understand a deep system with a lot of action verbs. Taking on the unnamed champ is pretty hard and the betting only adds stakes to each round. The big problem is that there’s not enough of it to keep anyone engaged in the long term. All the mechanics are clear after a few matches and after beating the champion a few times there’s no incentive to keep playing, other than maybe accumulating more money than a friend. Deck 'Em! needs to have more of everything and I think the developers at Frosty Pop should take its solid core and see how it can be expanded into a bigger experience because it has the potential to be a leader in the very popular deck builder genre.

Volume has a carefully considered set of mechanics and it will certainly appeal to those who love stealth action and are interested in completing each of the levels as quickly as possible, moving smoothly and without having to get saved by the checkpoints.

Creo God Simulator’s mix of city building and god powers is an intriguing one but the game struggles to make either of them interesting in the long run. The Creostrider is limited to lightning and rain when the campaign starts, and the willpower costs associated with upgrades are very high. The economic simulation works but doesn’t feature any innovative elements. Players who are willing to push past the early game will find extra complexity as they have to juggle more buildings and decide what resources to prioritize. Creo God Simulator needs more mechanics and an extra game speed but it offers a relaxed experience for players who are ready to smite down villagers once in a while.

I don't feel that Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a major upgrade over the previous title, but the presentation got up a notch or two, and so are the graphics. While I love the sandbox and semi-open world aspects, I think the implementation feels artificial and ruins the immersion more often than not. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contract 2 doesn't bring too many new things to the table, so it more of a safe rather than an evolutionary sequel. The sniping experience feels satisfying enough to keep you entertained for the entire campaign, and the way the maps are designed leaves room for different tactics. I think this a solid entry in the Sniper Ghost Warrior Contract series, but it's nothing revolutionary.

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.

Retribution is definitely worth playing and if you heavily invested in the game, you'll most likely find some enjoyment revisiting the Galactic Civilizations universe, just don't expect too many great things, and certainly nothing revolutionary.

The way it's all designed, with gameplay and narration interspersed with relevant background videos exploring the importance of the things you’ve just uncovered, further serves to make the entire experience meaningful and endearing.