Assassin's Creed Shadows is exactly the masterpiece the series needed. Here, a beautiful and extremely atmospheric game world merges with a beautifully realized emotional story and a very successful combat system with two focal points. The decision to have two different protagonists, who represent different approaches to the Assassin series and largely leave it up to us to decide how to proceed in the end, is really good for the familiar storyline. Both heroes are also beautifully drawn and play really individually. There is also a respectful approach to nature and Japanese culture, as well as a vibrant environment that feels like Assassin's Creed, but isn't so packed with activities that it overwhelms us. There's not much that the developers could have done better, so slight inaccuracies in the course and riding and the somewhat wooden faces in the in-game presentation are the highest of feelings. As a fan of the first hour, who has experienced all the highs and lows of the franchise, I am in any case completely thrilled with this beautiful Japanese spin-off, which has been realized with the utmost love and care and leaves nothing to be desired for me. Assassin's Creed Shadows even achieves what I always thought was impossible: it surpasses the almost unattainable pirate classic Black Flag and, for me, ranks right at the top of the Assassin's adventure list.
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With Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse has delivered a true sequel, just as you would wish for. The role-playing game retains everything that was good about its predecessor, and there really was a lot, from the authentic medieval atmosphere and the fantastic open world to the gripping story and the challenging, realistic gameplay. All these aspects have been minimally adapted at most, so that anyone who knows the predecessor will immediately feel at home. In addition, KCD 2 has also improved essential things and expanded on the excellent basic structure of part 1, be it the breathtaking graphics at next-gen level, the pleasantly short loading times, the noticeably more versatile characters or the facial animations, which have been improved many times over. In addition, a lively environment, an atmospheric soundtrack and remarkably good dubbing round off this first highlight of the year. Only those who value highly guided, very accessible and easy-to-master gameplay, rapid progress and a fast narrative pace should seriously consider a purchase, as Kingdom Come: Deliverance II challenges us on many levels and demands patience. In addition, the still somewhat chaotic menu navigation in the inventory and the sometimes blatant brutality are also points that could bother one or the other type of player. But if you can get into it, you certainly won't go wrong with this medieval epic.
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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach perfectly captures the spirit of the first game while adding some meaningful new features. These include dialogues that we can now actively engage in, as well as new challenges such as earthquakes and floods, which further emphasize the unpredictability of the post-apocalyptic world. We also really liked the combat system in part 2, which is now a bit more complex and allows us to actively fight human threats and GDs with both armed force and various stealth mechanics. In addition, there are two atmospheric new locations that stand out more from the setting familiar from Part 1 than you might think at first glance, providing a welcome visual change. The biggest selling point of the sequel, besides the great emotional story, is the breathtaking graphics, which clearly show what the PS5 is capable of. The photorealism on display is absolutely stunning, both in the cutscenes and in-game, providing us with landscapes, facial features, and lighting effects that could easily be found in any Hollywood movie. The integration of the DualSense features is also excellently done, allowing us to experience the game world and, in particular, the challenges of the deliveries firsthand. One thing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and that is the largely slow-paced, almost meditative gameplay. Those who found this too boring in the first installment will quickly come to the same conclusion in part 2. Those who, like me, loved this unique approach to the medium of video games will also be able to enjoy the sequel to Kojima's masterpiece to the fullest.
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efootball PES 2020 comes with a great new-designed league-mode, where you lead your team through the season. It feels a lot better than in the years before, because you can take a deeper look on the daily work as a coach. There are many cutscenes or interviews and dialogues, that make the mode more realistic than ever before. PES 2020 is also convincing in the stadiums, where the great gameplay on the football-ground comes along with an intense atmosphere.
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The Elder Scrolls Elsweyr comes with an solid story about dragons and the cat-like Khajiit. It also convinces with its intense atmosphere and a diversified setting with forests, hills and hidden temples. The new necromancer-class completes the expansion, that should make every ESO-fan very happy.
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The Silent Hill 2 remake does an excellent job of bringing the old-school horror of the original into the modern age without copying it. The mood created in the gloomy and deserted town, which becomes more and more blatant and intense as the game progresses, pushed me to my limits time and again as I played, without a succession of intrusive shock moments. Instead, the game thrives on its atmosphere, which is uncomfortable at all times and then becomes really threatening later on. Added to this are sparse lighting conditions, an exceptionally good soundtrack with surreal and consistently unpleasant soundscapes and an overall really good graphical presentation that presents the horror in the best possible light. With its successful mix of well-balanced puzzles, attentive exploration of the environment and powerful close and solidly implemented ranged combat, the new edition of Silent Hill 2 entertained me throughout and wrapped the classic horror gameplay a la Resident Evil in an appealing modern guise. Textures that sometimes load quite late when examining objects, a somewhat jerky performance here and there or the visible blurring at the edges, especially with the hair, which occurs during movement, nevertheless scratch the façade a little. The selection of enemies is also not overwhelming and somewhat monotonous, especially in the long run. Overall, however, the Silent Hill 2 remake manages to retain the splendor of the original and open a door for new generations into the anything but inviting Silent Hill, which every horror fan should have seen.
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With its great pirate flair, its great main characters, its impressive graphical backdrop and its sometimes very humorous, sometimes really touching story, the title managed to win me over from the very first second. With the exception of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, no other game has managed to pack the pirate theme into a story so well and also hit the mark on an emotional level. Pirate Yakuza may not win any innovation awards for its combat system, but the fast-paced, beat-em-up-style brawls are still a lot of fun and bring the Yakuza feeling to Hawaii.
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Forza Horizon 5 has now landed on the PlayStation and is certainly one of the best open world racers ever. Regardless of whether you look at the atmospheric and varied game world in Mexico, which leaves nothing to be desired in terms of atmosphere and scenic splendor, or whether you take a closer look at the diverse range of different racing events - Horizon 5 scores on all levels. In any case, the graphics are absolutely breathtaking and allow us to forget about the races during our exploration tours, as there are so many beautiful places to discover that we are also more than sufficiently occupied away from the race tracks. The driving experience, which strikes the perfect balance between accessibility and challenge, is also a great strength of the game, which is taken to a new level by the possibilities of DualSense that Xbox players are denied. If you want to criticize the racing game for something, then perhaps the very tame damage model of the vehicles or the more than interchangeable and actually superfluous story staging around the eponymous festival, which cannot keep up with the actual game world both in terms of presentation and atmosphere. Nevertheless, Forza Horizon 5 is a paradise for car fans, not least because of the almost 900 collectable vehicles and the numerous tuning options. Nobody who is even remotely interested in car racing can go wrong with this great open world racing game, which we can now fortunately enjoy on all major platforms.
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It's always difficult for developers to make a very good game even better, which is why it's clear that the improvements in EA Sports F1 25 compared to its predecessor are in the details. The most obvious improvements are, of course, the new, thoroughly successful edition of “Braking Point,” which once again shines with its outstanding presentation, and the revamped My Team mode, which now offers even more possibilities and also turns up the heat a bit in terms of presentation. The reverse-designed tracks and the sticker editor are also appealing and round out the overall package. Added to this is a largely outstanding graphic display, which is actually even a touch prettier than last year. The driving experience was already really good and could hardly be improved upon, and the same applies to the overall very well-designed career mode. In the end, it remains to be said that F1 25 is a first-class racing game that brings some useful innovations and additions, making last year's overall package even more attractive. Whether the improvements are enough for owners of last year's edition to treat themselves to the latest edition is ultimately up to each individual to decide.
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If you liked „London Heist“, a part of the „VR-Worlds“-collection, you will love „Blood and Truth“. You feel like being part of a classic action-movie with all typical cliches. The shooting-parts are as convincing as the graphical presentation and the impressive soundtrack. The game would be even better, if you would be able to move around more freely, but all in all, it's definitely one of the best PSVR-games so far.
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Even if Days Gone does not quite reach the class of Spider-Man or other exclusive Sony-titles such as Uncharted or God of War, the game is a solid zombie-horrorgame with an intense atmosphere an interesting gameplay aspects. We discover the open world on our motorbike, take part in fast pace hand-to-hand combats and enjoy some solid crafting and stealth features.
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With NHL 25, EA Sports delivers a really solid ice hockey game this year, which has made noticeable progress in some important areas. It's not just the much better structured franchise career, which is now also more interactive thanks to the player conversations. The visual presentation has also improved by more than just one percentage point and is finally closing the gap on other sports simulations from EA, such as EA Sports FC or Madden NFL. There are also noticeable improvements on the ice, which are due to the new ICE-Q AI system and ensure that the games simply feel more dynamic and human, as the CPU players position themselves better or move more realistically thanks to new animations. We also liked the rival system with its special presentation, as well as the optimized display of replays. Apart from the franchise, however, little to nothing has happened in the other game modes, meaning that the game is largely the same as last year. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the sequences in Be-a-Pro mode, some of which still have no sound. Nonetheless, NHL 25 is a very good sports game overall, which scores particularly well in the core element, namely the performance on the ice.
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With Dragon Age: The Veilguard, what we no longer thought possible after Anthem has actually happened: the good old BioWare RPG is back. Veilguard offers us classic trademarks of the studio such as atmospheric locations, strong characters, an elaborately staged story and numerous decisions that shape our relationship with other characters and thus also our character. Graphically, the role-playing game definitely takes some getting used to and is far from a modern photorealistic representation, but the sometimes more or less limited areas shine with atmosphere, attention to detail and a strong mission focus. In terms of sound, on the other hand, The Veilguard plays in the very top league and offers us not only flawless synchronization but also a great orchestral soundtrack at film score level. The very action-oriented combat system, which we really enjoyed, will probably not appeal to everyone, however, as it has already developed strongly in the direction of an action-adventure game, and elements such as rope-sliding, slithering and climbing interludes soften the classic role-playing game framework noticeably. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is ultimately up to each player to decide. In any case, we really enjoyed Dragon Age: The Veilguard and once again proved the truth of the proverb “The dead live longer”. With this in mind: Welcome back, BioWare!
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Even though Tour de France 2025 offers no gameplay changes except for modified catering and slightly adjusted menus, it is still probably the most watchable Tour de France of all time for many reasons. This year's Tour de France route offers so many highlights that you simply want to visit the iconic locations yourself. In addition, the Flèche Wallonne, one of the most beautiful routes in professional cycling, can now also be contested as an additional classic. However, the biggest and most compelling argument in favor of Tour de France 2025 is the great new graphics. Never before has the cycling simulation been so realistic, showing its landscapes and riders in such a great light. If you ignore the still rather limited commentary track and the somewhat strange decision to include the original jerseys but not the current squads in the two career modes, Tour de France 2025 is probably the best game in the series, which can now finally catch up with other sports. If they could now move away from the purely menu-based career mode and incorporate a few interactive elements, cycling could finally play at the forefront, even virtually.
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With annually recurring sports games, the question naturally arises as to whether you really need the latest edition or whether it's just a jersey update. In the case of Pro Cycling Manager 25, this question is not easy to answer, as a lot has changed, but not everywhere. The switch to the new graphics engine is a quantum leap in the history of the manager, as the races now look much more realistic and the environments more detailed, atmospheric, and lively. The difference compared to its predecessors is truly remarkable and takes the game to a whole new level. The expanded sponsorship system is also definitely a good thing, even if the impact on everyday management is not that significant. However, it is definitely an important step towards even more realism, as the importance of sponsors for the sport is now even clearer. On the other hand, I really liked the fact that the difficulty level can now be individually adjusted using numerous parameters, as this allows everyone to create a gaming experience that suits their preferences and challenges them exactly where they want to be challenged. However, almost nothing has changed in the basic game, so anyone who doesn't care about fancier graphics or doesn't want to deal with sponsors anyway doesn't necessarily need an update. However, Pro Cycling Manager 25 is a very important step for the future, as it has been given a new look and can now focus on other content.
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Wolfenstein Youngblood is the perfect game for everybody, who ever wanted to play a Wolfenstein spin-off with a friend. The coop-features are truly convincing as well as the typical Wolfenstein gameplay and humor. As Wolfenstein Youngblood is not a full price title, we have to accept a less complex story and noticeable rare cutscenes.
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Tour de France 2019 for game consoles convinces with realistic routes, orignal races like the Tour de France, Paris-Nice or the World Championships and an authentic feeling and handling while controlling the riders through the courses. Fans of the series can discover a new classic course and new challenges. Again, we have to be happy with a few original-courses and only one big, three-week-race.
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The Campus DLC makes it possible to create a little university-town in the middle of your city. We choose between three different campus types and decide, which profession our students can archieve. Every campus type has its own buildings for studying and entertainment and even its own architecture. With Cities Skylines Campus we are able to relive our own university times and enjoy an authentic campus atmosphere.
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All in all, Control is a real good third-person-shooter with fast combats, supernatural powers and an intense atmosphere. It feels oldschool in a good kind of way and reminds me of the early Resident-Evil-Series. Even if the gameplay is convincing, the technical presentation has some real problems, like a buggy map, a poor german synchronisation and a bad performance on Xbox One.
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Metro Awakening brings the Metro universe to virtual reality. The game impresses with an excellently realized end-time atmosphere in the Moscow subway, which is in no way inferior to the main series. The story, the characters and, above all, the typical VR mechanics such as climbing, opening doors and turning valves also impressed us throughout, as did the truly outstanding implementation of the shooting system. If you ignore the somewhat poorly detailed creatures, the sometimes somewhat awkward motion controls (e.g. when loading the lamp) or the repeatedly wildly placed subtitles, you definitely get a high-quality VR experience in twelve chapters, which is a worthy representative of the main series.
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