Ultimately, the Gothic 1 Remake is a masterclass in how to resurrect a cult classic without sanding down the very rough edges that made it special in the first place. It can be frustrating to get into, until you realize that the fundamental philosophy of the unfriendly design is that it respects the player's intelligence.
So, who is Sudden Strike 5 made for, really? It’s a competent game, to be sure, but it doesn’t exactly scream must-play, nor does it do anything particularly revolutionary. You are sure to enjoy the craftsmanship of the models and how intentional and rewarding your decisions feel, but you'd better have a high tolerance for clunky unit behavior and movement, abysmal enemy AI and uneven visual presentation. That said, urban tank battles, sieges and assaults can be a lot of fun, and if you’re looking for a few days in newly dug trenches of a familiar war, there might be something for you here. Perhaps not the most complete or well-rounded title in a crowded genre, Sudden Strike 5 still manages to be occasionally captivating, if not foundational.
Is Mouse: P.I. for Hire a masterpiece? Probably not, but it is definitely a product of love and labor, something that probably started out as a modest proof of concept and bloomed into an experience that is visually arresting and unique. I’d venture to say it's a fine use of your time if you enjoy old-school animation and boomer shooters in equal measure.
One can only speculate, but what’s certain is that on its own, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a generous throwback title that bridges the feeling of the PS2 era with the modern expectation for lore and mise-en-scene in a way that surpasses the Soul Reaver remasters and feeds our collective need to conserve and occasionally converse about the classics. While the combat can get repetitive sometimes and is generally just a little too clunky for today’s expectations, the relatively short runtime combined with small playstyle differences between the two antiheroes and a decent arsenal of powers and effects ensures it doesn’t get overly tedious before it’s all over.
All in all, even though it’s a smaller game, Motorfest is a solid step forward for the series. It improves significantly on the aspects of a car game and defines its own patch in the larger framework popularized by the Horizon series. While the experience suffers from the microtransaction hell that has unfortunately become the Ubi standard, there’s enough to see in terms of racing cars, boats, and planes to steal a few dozen hours of your life. People are still playing it in 2026, there’s a little something for everyone, and the amount of raw content dwarfs most other rivals’, even if the world map is one of the smallest you’ll find in the genre.
Far from perfect, but indeed, neither was the original release. Syberia’s strengths aged like fine wine, be it Catherine Peyrot’s writing or Benoit Sokal’s design and unique visual style, but the game only manages to partially do justice to the original wonder, and its weaknesses are hard to ignore. It’s more of a museum piece than anything else, yet Syberia Remastered clearly involved a lot of love and passion during its production. I just wish it were more evenly spread.
Alien: Rogue Incursion is not a triple A cinematic experience, nor does it try to be. Its structure, the way it circles in on itself in this self-contained, minimalistic way, making use of a limited cast and toolkit to tell an otherwise faithful yarn, is definitely fun without overstaying its welcome. It drops the ball somewhat in the combat department considering the standards of a modern survival horror, with clunky ballistics, bullet spongy and often dumb aliens undermining an otherwise stressful and fitting atmosphere, and many of its aspects lean a bit on the barebones side, but the reduced price tag and scale denote awareness towards this aspect.
All in all, whether you’re a fan of the series or stealth strategy games in general, there’s some fun to be had here, but your mileage will vary. There is a strong contrast between the elaborate and eclectic world design, the sometimes brilliant webs of enemies fueling an intense risk/reward incentive to untangle them and the otherwise scarce and imagination-starved writing and modular approach to the campaign. This certainly doesn’t make Commandos: Origins a bad game by any stretch, but considering the shoulders it climbed on, it could have been a whole lot better.
There certainly are moments to write home about in AoD: the Louvre may not be a tomb but Lara feels right at home sneaking through its galleries, giant suspended botanical gardens make for an interesting setting for high-altitude gymnastics and while most maps feel a lot more conventional action/adventure fodder than the thoughtful, elaborate platforming structures of earlier games, there are dozens of good ideas in the disjointed mess that is this game, once you step back enough. Still, it’s hard to deny the level of love and care that was put into it. If you ever wanted to binge the Tomb Raider franchise, I can say with confidence that the remastered trilogies are the definitive way to experience even the more bug-ridden games like AoD, and it was an absolutely amazing way for me to experience The Last Revelation for the first time, a title which has quickly become one of my favorites in the series.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a massive, ambitious and, for the most part, excellent game that is sure to be played and modded for years to come. It may not take giant leaps forward in terms of mechanics or gameplay, but it builds and modernizes much of what made the first game such a unique experience. Even at full shelf price, there is a lot of bang for your buck, with a number of quality of life and minor improvements on the way. With breathtaking scenery, an absurd amount of content and meaningful quests, it will keep you immersed in 15th-century Bohemian life for many dozens, perhaps hundreds of hours. If you can tolerate a quantum of clunkiness and the occasional Benny Hill AI moment (both drawbacks that can be expected in a game as complex as KC:D II), what awaits you is a doorstopper of a story that is only the cherry on top of a very flavorful cake: the open world itself.