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Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a masterpiece JRPG-genre. I used to look a bit envious at Playstation 3 owners because of this title, and I'm glad I finally caught up with the game in 4K. Disappointing, however, is the lack of new additions to the remaster. New content, extras or gameplay improvements, such as more monsters or a New Game+ mode, could have convinced owners of the original to buy the remastered Version. The new version is a recommendation for all latecomers and seemingly the version to choose if you are new to the saga. Personally, I had about 60 great hours with this really beautiful game, and I am motivated to start all over, to let the unique atmosphere of the game affect me again. If you are interested in the anime of Studio Ghibli or Japanese role-playing games, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an absolute must buy.

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I haven't laughed so hard about a video game in a long time. The dialogue options of The Outer Worlds are pure gold! If you have the chance to have a chat with the moustached hipster drug courier in Fallbrook, you should definitely take that opportunity. Apart from the creative gags, the missions are also well staged and offer many different solutions. Rarely have I had such freedom. The world reacts to everything I do in it, and it's just fun to watch the chaos I create unfold. You can see the fine-tuning of the game and it's very clear what elements the developers have focused on. In those very areas, The Outer Worlds does everything right and with this recipe for success has secured a place in my Top 3 for 2019.

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A powerful Mech construction kit, Daemon X Machina is a dream for all fans of combat robots, but as an action game it is a repetitive occupational therapy. It's a shame that the game design hasn't received as much lifeblood.

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Katrielle's first adventure was well transferred to the Nintendo Switch and extended with some nice extras, but is basically a disappointing Layton, which suffers from its weak story and fluctuating puzzle quality.

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That the Ghostbusters are cult, I don't need to repeat here actually. Nevertheless, the re-release of a good game after ten years left me rather cold. The graphic doesn't pull a player from his stool anymore in 2019 and even the tough ghost-hunter fan would have wished for a different remaster. The bottom line for me is only the note satisfying and the reference to the fact that in this case it's probably worth picking up the original. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to the third film and hope that this basically great series will experience its worthy restart.

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The game idea is traditionally good, the story interesting, the puzzles good, the ideas and loving details abundant: I was about to recommend Tangle Tower as a real alternative to Professor Layton - when the game was suddenly far too early, far too abrupt and above all over with far too many open questions and logic holes. All the work and effort that SFB Games put into character drawing and building a great mystery in the first few hours suddenly coincides like a house of cards. Maybe it was due to a lack of time or resources - after all, there aren't even any puzzles left towards the end. Tangle Towers should be a little adventure pearl with its quirky characters, high-quality presentation and good puzzles - but it stumbles over a much too early, abrupt and illogical ending.

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Football Drama offers an exciting concept and a sympathetic presentation. Especially after my meeting with the developer during this years Gamescom, I was really excited to see a game that depicts the whole world of football. Unfortunately the constant repetitions of the gameplay as well as the sloppy translation and missing tutorials made it a rather unsatisfying experience. If Open Lab Games improves on the last two points, I might be able to finish a few more seasons with Manager Rocco Gallianio.

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Playtonic and Yooka-Laylee are successful in the second attempt and with one dimension less: The search for the Beettalions is a wonderful jump'n'run adventure that can keep up with Donkey Kong Country in its best moments and sets new standards in the genre with a great world map. What a positive surprise!

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Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince brings back the Jump'n'Run series. Breathtakingly beautiful and colorful with lovingly placed details, the game grabs you from the first minute. Familiar fun jumping with our three heroes in interaction, spiced with fights, numerous puzzles and funny physics games.

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Catherine: Full Body is a moderately successful remaster. The new gameplay elements have convinced me, the help against the high difficulty is subtle but easy to reach and the many small changes in detail and the Easter-Eggs for connoisseurs of the original brought me a lot of joy while discovering them. I find it all the more incomprehensible that the graphics and textures were not screwed up again and that the voices of the characters are still asynchronous, which threw me out of the enjoyment of the story again and again. Due to the very strange mix of puzzle game and visual novel, there ist still no alternative to Catherine: Full Body and it is still a lot of fun.

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Three Houses is a promising first step towards a new era for Fire Emblem, and a solid foundation for the next games to come. While it does lack challenge and depth in exploring the monastery, it excels in other areas, mostly in its rich and captivating universe, unique characters and advanced turn-based combat. The journey to the grand finale is long, but it's a memorable one that will please not just long-time Fire Emblem fans.

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Not much expected and completely enthusiastic: That's what you want! Control pushes the right buttons for me and constantly provides me with great rewards. If you liked the mood of Max Payne 2 or Quantum Break, you're guaranteed to have fun with it. I'm glad that the developers give the setting and the universe they created plenty of air to breathe. So you can give in to the crazy world and celebrate the abstruse.

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Night Call was fun for me and basically has all the necessary ingredients for an exciting experience - but the many bugs, the repetetive gameplay and the feeling that it didn't quite hit it's potential stand in the way of an unconditional recommendation. In short: Night Call runs out of fuel on a long distance.

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Whether you're walking on the ground, the wall or the ceiling, in Etherborn this is all just a matter of perspective - and the game is wonderfully built around this unique idea of shifting gravity, offering complex level design and a great sense of scale. The only question, then, is why you're doing all of this, as the overarching story doesn't explain itself very well and leaves you with more questions than answers.

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Wonderful optics combined with nostalgic sounds and a very demanding driving physics provide for the almost perfect racing fun at the console.

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Drag, Drop, Play - Super Mario Maker 2 builds on the great foundation of its predecessor on Wii U and expands it in any way imaginable, from new elements and settings over a brand new 3D World style to more modes and multiplayer. There's still room left for improvement, but Mario Maker 2 is a game that will eat up your time anyway - no matter whether you're playing it on a TV or using the touchscreen in undocked mode.

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F1 2019 could be the next esport hit on consoles and PC. Now the community has the opportunity showing how they use the functions.

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Driving is fun, working together as a team is exciting, but the interesting ideas only really click after hours of training and learning - which might be a road too long for most people. Furthermore, compared to its strong predecessors, Team Sonic Racing lacks the charm of the SEGA All-Stars brand. This time, it's Sonic & Friends only - a premise much less creative and, and therefore much less appealing.

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At Rage 2, absolutely nothing is dared. The generic Open-World always has the same tasks and picks up gameplay mechanics that we've seen a thousand times before. Apart from the really good hit feedback and the action-packed fights, there is simply nothing to get. The pale characters are forgotten after a few days, the story only motivates a few hours and the races are a horror. If you only want to dig up bandit fortresses with cool moves and fat guns, you'll find some entertainment here, but not for the full price.

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Koral is a fascinating journey through the ocean that's less about entertaining with its simple puzzle mechanics, but rather about teaching and educating the player about the threats that this beautiful world is facing in the real life beyond the TV. While the game itself remains basic, its message is all the more important.

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