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"New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe" proves to be an entertaining 2D jump'n'run with the typical Mario charm. A collection of cute characters, the well-tried, pretty graphics and crisp levels ensure that both beginners and pros get their money's worth. The individual innovations and addons nicely round off the main missions and provide numerous hours of play on the couch at home. However, if you already know the title from Wii U, you won't be able to enjoy any groundbreaking innovations.

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At Fallout 76 you can't expect the perfect adventure holiday with all-inclusive service shortly after your arrival. On the other hand, the title weakens with a technically weak framework, which, in addition to performance losses, also comes up with bugs, glitches and a rather old-fashioned graphics performance. While the new skill card system, the camp mechanics and also the cooperative components are very motivating, the technical as well as the graphic framework is clearly behind its expectations. The world itself boasts an immense size, convinces with the ingenious bounty system, but at the same time doesn't manage to make the game world lively enough and catapult the stubborn story into an exciting environment. Fallout 76 offers veterans of the role-playing epic a solid multiplayer experience, but unfortunately leaves beginners mercilessly on the sidelines. Solo players, on the other hand, get their money's worth, even though they can't exploit most of the potential and fun of the game.

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With "Hitman 2", IO Interactive has once again succeeded in creating a perfidious murder simulator that presents hobby agents with a variety of challenges. Extensive game worlds, a bombast of detail and various game modes invite assassins to let off steam and dedicate themselves to various missions. Friends of the Hitman series as well as newcomers, who have dedicated themselves to murder and assassination, will find in "Hitman 2" a nice permanent entertainment.

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Even though Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to its celebrated predecessor, the title is some horsepower ahead of the 8-year older Western epic. With breathtaking graphics, a vibrant game world and an emotional campaign, Red Dead Redemption 2 is not only a hit with fans of the Western series. Even small graphic blunders and glitches as well as the weak character development of the protagonist do not in the least manage to weaken the masterpiece in its perfection. Red Dead Redemption 2 sets a new standard in Open World gaming and, thanks to its incredibly authentic and vibrant game world, can be crowned genre king.

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"Super Mario Party" skilfully continues the series of successes and offers a lot of new game food. The Joy-Cons of the Switch are ideally integrated into the game mechanics, so that the individual mini-games go well by the hand. Even though the individual modes leave nothing to be desired, it quickly becomes clear that Super Mario Party still unfolds its true greatness in multiplayer mode. With Super Mario Party, you've made the leap to the Nintendo Switch and guaranteed long-lasting party fun with friends.

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Assassin's Creed Odyssey" is a true open-world bombast that relies on tried and tested strengths and yet courageously goes its own way. The heat of virtual Greece can literally be felt as you conquer the individual areas step by step. In around 80 hours of play, an immense conglomeration of colourful side quests awaits you, in which you can try your hand at being an assassin or face exciting battles. Ubisoft has skillfully made the transition to the Open World RPG title and continues its successful series with another epic.

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"Soulcalibur VI" proves to be a modern, albeit slightly superficial, beat 'em up classic. Even though the fighting engine has undergone a noticeable fine-tuning, giving the game a pleasantly tactical depth, there's no point in looking for groundbreaking innovations. Especially the staging outside the fights is sometimes very unkind, so that "Soulcalibur VI" rather moves in the shadow of other beat 'em up's. All in all a technically round title with a decent amount of scope, inviting fans of beatings to entertaining game sessions.

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"Starlink: Battle for Atlas" skilfully takes up the Toys-to-Life concept and offers a space adventure with many strengths and small weaknesses. The exploration of the colorful worlds as well as the completion of numerous secondary tasks is not only enormous fun, but keeps the motivation on a constantly high level. Even though the accessible game system proves to be the clear strength of the title, the uniformity of the missions quickly makes the game monotonous. Overall, "Starlink: Battle for Atlas" is a solid Toys-to-Life game, which doesn't fully exploit its potential, though, and is therefore more in the good midfield.

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With "Marvel's Spider-Man" Insomniac Games has succeeded in creating a grandiose game of a comic legend, which above all convinces with its unique feel. Action-packed battle passages, a multi-faceted storytelling as well as diverse missions don't let any monotony arise while playing. In addition to the fun turns through Manhattan, it's the quiet moments that convince and keep you pausing when you enjoy a view over the majestic game world. If you want to experience a movie-like production of one of the most popular comic characters, then "Marvel's Spider-Man" is the right catch for you.

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"Strange Brigade" proves to be a fun arcade ballroom, which can convince in many, if not all points. Both the wild balling and the targeted use of traps make for a lot of fun when it comes to clearing the destructive mummy and skeleton hordes out of the way. Atmospheric settings, intricate labyrinths as well as varied puzzles skillfully round off the combat passages. Graphics and sound can be shown, but are sometimes a bit dusty. Even though the title also appeals to single players, it quickly becomes clear that the whole variety can only be enjoyed in co-op mode. All in all, especially die-hard co-op enthusiasts will find "Strange Brigade" to be the right permanent entertainment.

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Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a refreshing multiplayer experiment in the Naruto universe, which at first glance can't stand out from the standard anime bowler mush either because of its size or its ingenuity. Although Shinobi Striker relies on a small gamut, especially in terms of mission selection, classes and the available VR masters, he can score with his multiplayer component and motivating skill system. The reduced graphic quality, the insignificant story structure and the manageable content, however, give the title an additional bland aftertaste, which consistently gnaws at the long-term motivation. Naruto to Boruto is a nice accessory for all fans of the lively Jinchuuriki and for those who can't wait for the next serious Naruto beat-up. For all the others, the arena beatings will sooner or later offer too little added value due to the manageable size of the arena.

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Due to some interesting features, such as the improved career mode, the vehicle upgrades and the basic idea behind the interviews, F1 2018 is worth a trip to the race track for fans of both the series and motorsport. New players without any previous reference to the series should perhaps take advantage of one of the cheaper predecessors, as there are no real innovations. For future parts, Codemasters should dare a little more and also tackle major changes, such as implementing a new engine, deeper interviews and introducing wider consequences for the decisions made in negotiations and other aspects.

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With "Jurassic World Evolution" Frontier Developments delivers a presentable construction game, which is primarily dedicated to the supply and development of dinosaurs. The interaction between the dinosaurs as well as the design of new species is exciting if you do your job well. But even if the representation of the giant lizards knows how to captivate, the other environment offers rather little to do. All in all, however, this circumstance can be overcome and "Jurassic World Evolution" proves to be an entertaining title with small weaknesses.

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The biggest problem with 'Harvest Moon Light of Hope' is ultimately the existence of competitor Stardew Valley and the associated evidence of how it simply gets better. Quests and tasks in 'Light of Hope' are extremely repetitive and only slightly loosen up the already monotonous daily life of the farmers. The extremely obscure balancing of the sources of income on the farm and the profitable secondary occupations is more than questionable and motivational. Exclusive features for the Nintendo Switch as well as the PlayStation 4, a dissipated (background) story as well as animating card expansions during the course of the game show the first ambitions of developer Natsume to bring the framing series back to its successful roots. In combination with the inorganic and lifeless game world and the futile prioritization of the main quests, 'Light of Hope' looks like an ambitious but never-ending attempt to pull the Harvest Moon series out of the swamp of trifles. At no point does the farming simulation dare a fight with King Stardew Valley's genre - the chances against the heavyweight genre would also be truly hopeless. The competitor 'Harvest Moon Light of Hope', which is over 30€ more expensive, loses not only in terms of price-performance ratio. Those who wish for an idyllic life on a farm - without cutbacks, technical mistakes and in a loving pixel look - should continue to pick up the indie hit Stardew Valley.

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"The Crew 2" proves to be a successful open-world racing simulation that is accessible to both professionals and beginners. A varied game world, entertaining racing disciplines and fast speeds tempt you to let off steam on the various tracks. Even though the visual presentation of the title has been very successful, the rather mediocre AI will be a problem in the long run. All in all a thrilling arcade racer that can be enjoyed alone or with friends on the couch at home.

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The expectations for the follow-up project after the great success with the Life Is Strange series of the French developer studio Dontnod were high and at least partly justified, because if they can do one thing, they will tell stories and force players to make decisions, which will sometimes have devastating effects on the further course of the game. The rest of the game remains rather mediocre. The wooden graphics and the repetitive fighting actions, which are especially unpleasant for "boss opponents", the tubular level design and the especially in fighting situations with several opponents questionable camera work cloud the quite positive first impression of the game after a few hours of play. Vampyr doesn't reinvent the genre and also doesn't present anything that hasn't been seen in other RPGs before, yet it's one of the games that manages to cast a spell over you in spite of some flaws and especially grant you many nice hours of gameplay with some surprising twists in the story. At the next sale you could strike, but you don't have to.

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Unforeseen Incidents is definitely worth a try for all adventure lovers, even if the puzzles might be a bit too easy for "hardcore adventurers". Other players are also recommended to try this lovingly drawn game with an interesting story and a captivating atmosphere, especially if you haven't taken every adventure with you.

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With Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo once again invites you to take a detour into the imaginative Hyrule. The thrilling battles, numerous characters, varied maps and lovingly staged missions ensure many hours of fun. The title also lacks nothing in technical terms thanks to better graphics, fluid gameplay and a fun multiplayer. Although Hyrule Warriors isn't an absolute novelty for fans of the series, the generous gameplay means they can enjoy hours of action fun.

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"Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze" is a successful port, which sees itself as a fine tuning of the original Wii U version. A successful presentation, dreamy pieces of music, a varied gameplay and funny boss fights round off the game. The tricky levels have a fair amount of difficulty, but thanks to Funky Kong they are also more accessible for beginners. Pros can continue to play in the classic style and explore the jungle with Donkey Kong and his family. Only a new theme world would have been desirable for connoisseurs of the title. All in all a fun porting, which appeals to a wide range of players thanks to different modes.

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"God of War" ties in with old traditions and yet makes much better. The series has grown up and "God of War" undoubtedly has the potential to become the action adventure of the year. Multifaceted characters, rich enemy chunks, an elaborate skill system are just a few of the many criteria that are simply right in this title. Even though the fights are varied and brutal despite the new perspective, it's above all the quiet moments in which "God of War" shines especially well. It is the story of a father marked by war, who only begins to grow through the curiosity and perseverance of his son. The whole thing is embedded in an almost unreal scenery, accompanied by an epic sound and a well-done soundtrack. A masterpiece that will not only captivate genre fans.

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