Niko Lähteenmäki

Fantastic JRPG, that has it all: fantastic story with excellent writing, interesting game mechanics, wonderful music etc. An absolute masterpiece.

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Hi-Fi Rush is exemplary in terms of accessibility. Simply an ultra-polished, ultra-stylish brawler fest that had me hooked from the very first moments all the way through the credits—and even beyond. Normally, I don’t bother with post-game content, but the sheer quality of the experience was enough to make me dive right into testing new modes and hunting down missed treasures. So, if you’re into action games and happen to have 30 euros burning a hole in your pocket, I can’t think of a better way to spend them than this. Slightly clunky platforming is a minor flaw in an otherwise brilliant package.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that improves on its predecessor virtually every way. I've missed this kind of joy in freedom and exploring the wonderful world of Hyrule, and I wouldn't trade a single moment of it.

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Street Fighter is one of the oldest and most recognizable fighting series in history, and its latest edition is the best the franchise has ever been. That's an incredible feat few, if any, series can lay claim to, and Street Fighter makes it look easy.

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Stray is a stunning work of art. While it’s primarily an atmospheric journey, it offers enough meaningful activities, intriguing characters, and beautiful locations to explore, making it stand out clearly from the crowd. Additionally, the adventure as a whole is so cohesive, beautiful, and memorable that it can be recommended to just about anyone — even those who aren’t particularly fond of cats.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterpiece that clearly draws inspiration from other RPG's, but does so with such elegance and skill that it stands firmly on its own in an overcrowded genre – thanks in part, of course, to its own unique tricks. In an age of cynicism and uncertainty, it's wonderful to get our hands on something this magical.

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What can you do: SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is an absolutely brilliant action blast, oozing with style. Gamers in their thirties and forties will certainly notice various Sega references, but on the other hand Lizardcube has found such a timeless style for the game that even complete newcomers are bound to enjoy it.

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Earthion is an amazing shoot 'em up, that by no means revolutionizes the world, and those who are already lukewarm toward the genre may not find a new favorite here either. But it’s impossible not to appreciate how everything that Ancient and Bitwave have done radiates love and passion for the genre as well as for the Sega’s old hardware. Since the final product is simply a thoroughly well-designed and polished game with awesome soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro, why not reward it with five stars?

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Sonic Generations, especially with its technical improvements, is as excellent as before, and Shadow Generations is one of the best titles in the series. Even if you're not a fan of the 2D sidescrolling action, Sonic x Shadow Generations is a fantastic introduction to the iconic franchise.

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The remaster of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars proves after all these years, that it is still really memorable adventure game, and people remember it with warmth in their hearts for a good reason.

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Gimmick! 2 is an awesome sequel to it’s NES predecessor, that has great controls, nice but fair challenge and music from the maestro David Wise himself.

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This remaster of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is just as great and crazy as two last seasons. Neat puzzles, dry and well written humour and quirky characters: We can only hope that these guys come back someday.

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Small nitpicks aside, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is way better than the previous Monkey Ball game and more importantly: great fun! The single player campaign might be the best in the series, while the multiplayer is lacking a bit with fun modes and lower frame.

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Ubisoft has received a lot of criticism over the years for various reasons, but Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition is almost perfect restoration of the 2004 classic: the studio has clearly invested a great deal of time, effort, and love to this project. An experience that attempts to reconcile a thematically challenging narrative framework with air hockey mini-games and Jamaican rhinos – surely no one can deny that such a game has its place in today’s gaming lineup?

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Despite some nitpicks, the System Shock remake is absolutely stunning, and makes this 30-year-old sci-fi classic feel fresh once again. There’s something mysteriously captivating about exploring Citadel, despite its oppressive and unique atmosphere that it’s quite difficult to put into words. Nevertheless, this remake is great for newcomers like myself, but also fans of the original.

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Despite some flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Rise of the Ronin. It’s an excellent action RPG, especially for fans of the Nioh series and Wo Long, and it avoids the content bloat that plagues many other open-world titles. The main story can be completed in around 20 hours, but overall, there’s easily four to five times the amount of content to explore. Additionally, it serves as a great entry point for those who have wanted to try a Team Ninja game without immediately throwing their controller towards the wall. Personally, I can’t think of a better starting point!

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Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is an excellent time capsule of the early 1980s, a period when creativity thrived wildly — partly due to hardware limitations — and video game development was still in its infancy. The documentary does a great job of shedding light on the life and mindset of the eccentric yet endearing Minter, who has become a true cult figure. At the same time, it serves as an inspiring example of how far passion and belief in one’s vision can take you.

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The latest Tekken makes a strong comeback to the top ranks of fighting games, especially when compared to its lean and somewhat unfinished predecessor. With stunning visuals and excellent gameplay, the new entry offers plenty of content right from the start, and I’d argue it’s the best in the series since Tekken 5.

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Despite a few minor annoyances, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – which took around 30 hours of my time – was a pleasant surprise and one of the best Metroidvanias in a long time. Its excellent level design, impressive boss fights, satisfying gameplay mechanics, and well-thought-out puzzles elevate Sargon’s adventure to the top ranks of its genre.

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Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is an interesting time capsule from the year 2000 — an era when the internet wasn't accessed from anywhere (at least in Finland), when all the computers in the world were NOT crashing thanks to Y2K, when The Matrix was shaking up audiences and when the first Half-Life was still a hot topic among gamers. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the third Turok doesn’t look pale at all as a modernized version compared to today's “boomer shooters.” Instead, it held my attention with a convincing grip. If the genre interests you and you’re not bothered by brutality and excessive bloodshed, this is easy to recommend to both fans and newcomers alike.

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