GamesFinest

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an almost perfect adaptation of the legendary film series and combines puzzles, exploration and action into a thrilling adventure. MachineGames has created a masterpiece that transcends genre boundaries. Despite minimal weaknesses, the game delights with its captivating narrative, impressive presentation and the incomparable spirit of the Indiana Jones series. A must for fans and adventurers alike - and hopefully just the beginning!

Review in German | Read full review

Once again, Arte France has shown a knack for creating interesting games that are not only fun to play, but also look beautiful and introduce players to new themes. 30 Birds is fun to play thanks to its colorful, handcrafted world, the sometimes funny and quirky characters and the background music, but without slipping into the ridiculous. And birds.

Review in German | Read full review

In Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Max Caulfield returns as good as ever. The storyline follows on seamlessly from what we experienced in Arcadia Bay and will delight newcomers and fans of its predecessor in equal measure. In around ten hours, you have the opportunity to explore the university campus, have many conversations and take a moment or two to relax. You can once again listen to the wonderful soundtrack and follow the journey of protagonist Max's thoughts. Only the lightness of the puzzles and the one or other display error slightly spoil the fun of the game. However, this is easily compensated for by the otherwise spot-on production and plot twists.

Review in German | Read full review

PRIM is a great little point-and-click adventure game with well-designed characters in a creepy yet endearing setting. The story is interesting and leaves you wanting more after the rather short playing time. The ending definitely raises hopes for a second part, which might then take you on a somewhat longer excursion into the underworld.

Review in German | Read full review

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is perhaps the most daring game in the franchise. The campaign dares to be a wild but entertaining mix of mind games, movement changes, horror vibes, bombastic action and agent adventures. It never gets boring. However, many of the elements also feel a little too spartan and only scratch the surface of what could actually be possible. But at least the direction is right. However, the multiplayer still has to prove itself over the months. The maps are not yet fully inspiring and do not really fit in with the new Omni-Movement, which noticeably speeds up the gameplay. So if you're looking for a fast-paced shooter experience, Black Ops 6 could be a good option.

Review in German | Read full review

I would like to thank Capcom for this collection of fighting games. It gave me the opportunity to catch up on some real gems from the past. The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is certainly not for every video game fan. The fact that beginners are not taken by the hand at all is also not aimed at casuals. Nevertheless, this collection is worth every penny and a must-have for fighting game enthusiasts. Especially as the offline mode is really extensive and it will take some time to master every title and character included.

Review in German | Read full review

I was a little skeptical beforehand. After all, Ara wants to be a lot of things and combines classic Civilization mechanics with those of more complex building strategy games in terms of complex production chains. But the balancing act succeeds and with some time to get used to it, I quickly fell under its spell. One more round! Ara motivates me with the many ways in which I can build up my nation and collect prestige points for victory, but always remains fair. The complex production chains, including the choice of religion or form of government, are also quite challenging in the way I learn the game. Ara is clearly aimed at more experienced players who are not playing a game like this for the first time. Yes, the nations would like to have a bit more of their own identity, for example through the way they can bring their own stories. And yes, I would have liked to have influenced one or two battles more directly. But Ara nonetheless leaves a surprisingly positive impression and the really nice looking 4X strategy game places itself as a serious option in the genre that will certainly keep me busy for many hours to come!

Review in German | Read full review

Astro Bot convinces with a unique platforming experience and an impressive variety of worlds that are second to none. The creative level design and innovative power-ups make it a masterpiece in the 3D platformer genre. With its successful combination of nostalgic references, charming characters and outstanding gameplay, Astro Bot sets new standards and is an absolute must-have for every PlayStation collection!

Review in German | Read full review

A gripping story, well-written dialog and incredibly beautiful background music ensure that Closer the Distance takes you on an emotional journey that will move you. The approximately 11 hours of game time fly by and invite you to take a second trip to Yesterby. The needs management feature is unfortunately quite superfluous, but that doesn't detract much from the game's great overall package. Just the thing for the next cozy autumn evening on the couch at home.

Review in German | Read full review

Star Wars Outlaws offers a gripping story and convincing characters in an impressively designed Star Wars world. The decision not to choose a Jedi as the main character brings a breath of fresh air to the game. However, a certain monotony becomes apparent after a while. Although the gameplay is very entertaining, there is a lack of innovation and challenges. For fans of the universe and anyone looking for a well-told single-player story, Star Wars Outlaws is still an adventure worth recommending, even if it does seem a little monotonous in some aspects.

Review in German | Read full review

Every praise is followed by a small "but". This is also the reason why I can get a lot out of Dustborn as a whole, but not as much as I would wish for myself. Because the game creates an interesting world with multi-faceted characters. I like how much I can immerse myself in the world of thought and listen to the well-written dialog. The fundamentally different mechanics and game elements are also entertaining. What bothers me most, however, is the pace of the narrative, which can be slow at times, and the unused potential of the combat system. Although this gives me some exciting options, it is somewhat clunky to play and the enemies are moderately challenging. However, as I like versatile characters, the charming look and the wealth of ideas, Dustborn is a successful story game for me.

Review in German | Read full review

Hauntii is moving and thought-provoking without being forced. The game may not be particularly challenging, but it doesn't have to be, because the focus is clearly elsewhere: beautiful images, a great soundtrack and an interesting story take you on a great journey into eternity.

Review in German | Read full review

The fishing role-playing game Moonglow Bay from indie developer Bunnyhug can safely be described as a mix of Minecraft and Animal Crossing. Players of both titles will quickly find their way around the small fishing village and, in my case, won't want to put the Switch down. As a true angler, I am of course delighted that the game is largely about fishing, including the utilisation of fish. I also think it's great that there are real-life species in this title as well as imaginary fish species. I don't see the fact that a large part of the game takes place on the water as a point of criticism, because the game world is surprisingly extensive and, in addition to different fish, also awaits brave anglers with changing weather conditions. The creative team behind Bunnyhug has definitely increased the fanbase by releasing the game on the missing platforms and will bring a smile to the faces of many new players.

Review in German | Read full review

I have to admit that Tomas Sala really delivers in the case of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, releasing a chilled-out city builder that encourages my creative self and lets me relax on the couch in the evening. The gameplay is wonderfully intuitive and easy to get to grips with. After just a few minutes of trying it out, anyone can build up their settlement, open up new trade routes and see how the population density increases. All this without the resource pressure of conventional building simulations and really free to play.

Review in German | Read full review

All in all, Alone in the Dark celebrates a positive resurrection with a new direction that I really like at its core! The dense atmosphere in combination with the staging, story and detailed world of a marvellous 1920s setting carried me through the title very well. The puzzle solving shines as a core gameplay element in the narrative-driven game, making Alone in the Dark a really competent video game, at least in these aspects. However, I have to grumble a little more about the combat. Spongy gunplay, a bitchy camera, a meagre variation of enemies, as well as a sometimes stupid AI spoil the fun of the game. This needs a comprehensive overhaul for a hopefully upcoming second part. Because the new edition is a really successful work in this series, which has recently been in crisis and has a really solid pillar in its story, presentation and puzzle solving, on which a rosy future can be built. However, developer studio Pieces Interactive should take another look at the battles, which fortunately make up a smaller part of the overall work, as their genre colleague Resident Evil has already demonstrated in the third-person spin-offs.

Review in German | Read full review

Unfortunately, I am personally very disappointed with Silent Hill: The Short Message. Even though it's a free game, Konami has left a lot of potential untapped here. The creative minds could have put a bit more effort into the possible new direction of the franchise. The storyline is in tune with the times, really important and well told. Both visually and acoustically. Only the lame strolling through the predetermined corridors of the building, coupled with the unfair and completely confusing chase passages, really spoil the fun of the game. Owners of a PlayStation 5 can of course form their own opinion free of charge, but shouldn't expect too much.

Review in German | Read full review

CLeM is a small but lovingly designed puzzle adventure game that is perfect for a cozy evening on the couch or for a short puzzle fun in between. With a playing time of only around three hours, this indie title is not really long-term entertainment, but it doesn't have to be. With a great drawing style, a slightly spooky atmosphere and well-designed puzzles, the title stands out in its very own way and is well worth a place in your games library.

Review in German | Read full review

At first, I thought of Fae Farm as just another Animal Crossing clone. What I got, however, was much more than that. Especially when you consider how much content Animal Crossing had at the beginning on the Switch, Fae Farm has a lot more to offer. But enough of the comparisons, because to always just compare is not fair to the game at all. Do we have an outstanding masterpiece here? No. What we have here, however, is a great indie game with a motivated team behind it, and you can definitely tell. So far, Fae Farm is high on my list of feel-good games and I'm still very excited to see how the game will develop with the announced updates.

Review in German | Read full review

True to the motto "better a good copy than a bad one", The Crew Motorfest wants to take on the big flagship that has been giving us the best open-world arcade racers for years. Will the throne be shaken? At least a little bit. Because the game world, presentation, visuals, sound and vehicles are quite convincing and make a lot of fun in places. The arcade handling is very solid. Thus, we get a game that I had more fun with than expected. However, the game doesn't manage to outdo the big idol in any point. It does everything that Forza Horizon does quite well, but never as well as the original. Whether handling, scope, track design. FH is somehow always a tire ahead. That's not a bad thing, though, because even those who don't own a PC or Xbox get a good alternative. However, those who can call the aforementioned systems their own will probably have little reason to get away from Forza. Motorfest doesn't offer enough of its own identity and doesn't quite manage to capitalize on its USP (boats & planes).

Review in German | Read full review

Goodbye Volcano High is humorous, sad, poignant, personal, charming. In short: the full fire side of emotions. The developer studio KO_OP achieves this with a wonderfully written story, which becomes incredibly close thanks to great voice actors, a coherent art style and multi-layered themes. Goodbye Volcano High is not "just" another coming-of-age story, but also a wonderful link to pop culture and the question of "being". Not dryly, though, but in a totally sympathetic way. A truly recommendable indie gem that should please fans of visual novels very much. Accordingly, you shouldn't expect too much gameplay. The passages that it does have, however, know how to inspire me and might have even deserved a bit more space.

Review in German | Read full review