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Andrei Dumitrescu


Favorite Games:
  • Football Manager
  • Baldur's Gate 2
  • Total War: Rome

198 games reviewed
81.4 average score
80 median score
72.7% of games recommended

Andrei Dumitrescu's Reviews

I have been playing video games since the early '90s, fascinated by the possibilities of this new digital realm and I have been writing about the video game industry for about ten years, trying to cover as much of the interesting news and games as possible. I tend to like strategy games and role-playing experiences but I have a healthy respect for any title that can deliver an innovative take on a genre, even if it fails to impress when it comes to graphics or story.
9 / 10.0 - Firewatch
Feb 11, 2016

Firewatch shows how a good combination of narrative, character interactions, exploration, and visuals can create a unique experience that keeps gamers engaged despite the limits of the actual gameplay.

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Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens is a must-play for all those who have seen the new movie in the series and plan to continue following content associated with it.

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Feb 2, 2016

Steve Jackson's Sorcery! can seem like a small game, with a focused player able to get through the two included chapters of the quest for the Crown of Kings in a little more than three hours, but there's enough depth in the world to support two or three campaigns.

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Feb 8, 2016

Crusader Kings II: Conclave represents the best incarnation of the veteran grand strategy title from Paradox Development Studio, a great experience for any player who loves history and wants to explore the many what if situations of the past.

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Nov 7, 2022

A Little to the Left is one of the most comfortable video games I have played in a while. The puzzles are good to excellent, some with multiple solutions, all with attached easy-to-use hints, complete with the options to simply move on to the next. But the game shines because it nails the presentation and connects it so deeply to its puzles.

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9 / 10.0 - Dredge
Mar 23, 2023

DREDGE is both atmospheric and mechanically engaging. The story threads are very personal and, at times, heartbreaking. Even though I didn’t catch all the species featured in the encyclopedia, I had plenty of fun moving around the world, trying to identify the best spots for certain species and mastering mini-games.

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9 / 10.0 - Mr. Sun's Hatbox
Apr 21, 2023

Mr. Sun's Hatbox is a delightful video game that combines ideas from a range of genres and delivers a fun result. Jumping on enemy hats and heads never gets old, especially when the player’s character only has one health left and the kidnapping target is in sight. Big firefights manage to be chaotic and entertaining, even when failure is the end result.

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9 / 10.0 - Meg's Monster
Feb 27, 2023

Meg’s Monster is an emotional journey with a lot of depth, a twisty narrative, and some great character moments. I loved spending time with Meg, Roy, and Golan. Combat isn’t very challenging but still generates tension. I actually wished that the game offered more to do because I wanted more time in its universe, even if I think it’s perfectly paced to deliver its payload of feelings.

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Mar 6, 2023

Aces & Adventures has strong deck building and an inspired twist on the card-driven combat concept. There are enough abilities that players can develop strategies and perform cool moves but poker combinations are random enough that the results are never guaranteed.

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9 / 10.0 - The Last Spell
Mar 9, 2023

The Last Spell is a great package, integrating great core combat mechanics with both management and plenty of progression opportunities. Trying to take down mutant waves by using the minimum amount of resources, while pondering what upgrades can improve character performance never gets old.

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9 / 10.0 - Wildfrost
Apr 19, 2023

Wildfrost takes the core ideas of the very popular card-driven genre and makes enough changes to add freshness to it. It does take some time to unlock all the town buildings and the three tribes that can provide leaders and cards. But once that happens, the game offers a wide range of tactical options and it’s fun to discover how various combinations will perform against the capable bosses.

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9 / 10.0 - DOOMBLADE
Jun 6, 2023

Doomblade has a strong hook and an engaging core gameplay loop. The idea of attack-as-movement transforms how players see environments and approach the world. All Metroidvania systems are implemented well, especially the escalating upgrades that allow Gloom Girl to basically break the rules of this universe as she searches for the Dread Lords.

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9 / 10.0 - Sludge Life 2
Jun 27, 2023

Sludge Life 2 takes the best ideas of the first game and improves on them all. There are more interesting characters to have conversations with, more hotel rooms filled with small but effective narrative moments, more spots to tag, and more ciggies to collect. There’s plenty of dark water under the hotel and weird vistas to photograph.

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9 / 10.0 - Crime O'Clock
Jun 30, 2023

Crime O'Clock offers a great time-traveling detective experience and shows what skilled developers can achieve while re-inventing a classic mechanic. All its five era locations are attractive, packed with interesting characters, tons of details, and some truly weird ideas. The black and white look and the colorful case touches complement each other well.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Tropico 5
May 23, 2014

The continued popularity of the Tropico series has something to do with the relative lack of old-school city and country management games on the market and the inability of the teams at Maxis and Electronic Arts to re-launch SimCity in any meaningful way.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Hand of Fate
Feb 19, 2015

Hand of Fate is an interesting game that will certainly appeal to those who want to see how the card-based approach could be expanded in meaningful ways in the coming years.

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Nov 10, 2014

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a great game, with a mostly engaging story and some impressive battle moments, and the development team at BioWare has managed to outdo itself when it comes to character evolution, graphics quality and world building.

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South Park Pinball is a very good addition to the collection of any fan of the virtual version of the past time, and all fans of the animated television series will be pleased with the way the look and the core relationships are replicated.

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Aug 26, 2014

Nonetheless, this is a good way for fans of The Walking Dead to get past the fact that the second season is ending and to pass the time until 2015, when a new episodic game series will be launched.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Massive Chalice
Jun 1, 2015

Massive Chalice is the sort of video game that I would love to see Kickstarter users focus on more in the coming years, a title that does not rely only on nostalgia in order to get access to development funds and also stays the course during the creation process, with no hiccups from the studio in charge.

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