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The Nintendo Switch port of Dead in Vinland leaves me with mixed feelings. While managing one's own village and several individuals is a lot of fun, the fear of the permanent death of a character drives me and the size kills me in a positive sense, unfortunately I can't ignore the quirks of the title. The fighting system lacks the necessary depth and the finishing touches, the presentation of the many texts in handheld mode is cruel and the dialogue system isn't flawless either. For the rather low price, however, genre fans get a concentrated load of Survival RPG here, which can tie them up over 40 hours before the switch. But for that you have to be able to overlook the errors.

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Stranger Things 3: The Game is a must for all fans of the series. With its 16-bit look, beautiful animations and great soundtrack, it captures the charm of the Netflix production almost perfectly. Also, the split-screen mode is simply great, because this feeling of playing together fits very nicely with the series and Netflix in general. In my opinion, you can ignore the slight jolts during big brawls and the relatively poor gameplay, because otherwise the whole package is convincing. For someone who hasn't warmed up with the series yet but wants a retro-adventure, the current price of about 20€ could be a bit daunting.

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"Super Mario Maker 2" not only proves to be a worthy successor, but also adds a lot of fun in terms of construction. Nintendo has raised the voices of many fans and offers players comprehensive editors with which creative minds can let off steam for hours on end. While the Adventure mode doesn't offer a thrilling story, it's designed to give newcomers to building a good impression of the interplay of different level elements. But of course pure gamers also get their money's worth and can try out the absolute highlights among the creative works of other players thanks to various rankings and a comprehensive detailed search. Both die-hard Mario fans and creative builders will once again get their money's worth in Super Mario Maker 2.

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On the whole, I definitely had a lot of fun with Team Sonic Racing. Graphically and sound technically I was really convinced. Unfortunately, as a switch player, I had to lose a bit during the performance. Team Sonic Racing is a solid, arcadic funracer and, despite some criticism, cuts a good figure. The adventure mode, which unfortunately didn't go down so well with me, doesn't offer a profound story, but crisp challenges and some variety. But Sega: The technology and the concept are great, but please take the "Sega All-Stars" on board again next time. Finally, I can only warmly recommend PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC gamers - even switch owners can access it courageously, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the undisputed front-runner here.

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"Observation" turns out to be an exciting sci-fi thriller that makes use of a unique concept and gives the player a completely new perspective. With each additional puzzle, the player delves deeper into the dark history of space and is driven by the question of the original events. Even though the game concept and storytelling are convincing, the gameplay is sometimes a bit difficult due to the catchy and partly generic puzzles. All in all, players with "Observation" get a thrilling sci-fi adventure, which can convince with its story as well as audio-visually.

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Dark Devotion is not the little two-dimensional sister of Dark Souls, but could be the illegitimate daughter of Demon's Souls. If the developers don't want to handle the term Souls-like themselves, others have to. Who has a problem with the term should also think about where the term Rouge-like comes from. Well, it's a Souls-like title! The game story is rudimentary. The focus is on the ungracious gameplay. The title not only manages to break down the typical Souls fighting mechanics to the 2D level, but also lets you get into this feeling mode to have respect for every opponent and every new level section. The wonderfully dark atmosphere does the rest and lets you dive into this two-dimensional, merciless world, especially with the extremely harmonious sound scenery.

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Alt-Frequencies has become a nice little in-between thriller that works especially well on a smartphone. Just don't expect a gripping story on triple A level and don't be disappointed by the sometimes simple puzzles. So the title does justice to its price of just a few Euros and is suitable for a longer train or car ride.

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On paper, the alliance between cult developer id-Software and the still quite young open-world enthusiast Avalanche Studios should actually work out brilliantly, the digital reality unfortunately now shows us a different picture. While id-Software masters its paradediscipline in the shooter segment not surprisingly with the unerring mixture of known retro charm and modern action fireworks, the open game world with its lack of motivation and fatal unkindness limps ahead. The repetitive quests paired with the monotonous, imposed jaunts and the flat, emotionless story, skilfully help RAGE 2 to gamble away tons of potential. If you are looking for entertaining entertainment with outstanding gunplay and can accept various weaknesses and an abundance of repetitions, you should take a closer look at RAGE 2.

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A Plague Tale: Innocence has become a truly captivating adventure, the magnitude of which hardly anyone expected. Special praise goes to the gripping and emotional story, which is carried and supported by an almost flawless technical framework. Only the gameplay gets a bit monotonous in the long run, even if you notice that the developers really tried hard to add variety to the title. For players who focus more on the story experience than on the gameplay itself, this title is an absolute must buy! But everyone else should at least take a look and give it a chance - it's worth it!

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"Mortal Kombat 11" lives up to the epic beatings and turns out to be a true circumference bombast in the test. A revised fighting system, fluid moves and a reduced tempo make the fighting sequences even more complex and unique. Numerous game modes, lots of loot boxes and items as well as a brand new customization system ensure that the player's motivation remains at a permanently high level. If you want a bit of variety apart from the single player campaign, you can of course also fly your fists against other players in multiplayer. All in all, "Mortal Kombat 11" offers everything that an epic thrashing game needs and is as relentless as ever.

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In order to do justice to Trüberbrook, one must distinguish between two or three basic aspects: Story/Gameplay and Presentation. While the presentation is on a very high level thanks to the good voice actors and the unique backdrops, the other two aspects are a bit different. Despite its straightforwardness, the story is relatively interesting, but quickly loses its tension because of the rather average game mechanics. Basically, the studio btf proves that everyone involved understands their craft very well and also solidly applies it to video games, but that they can still use some help when it comes to game mechanics. For fans of point & click adventure games it's definitely a nice title for in between because of the low price. All in all Trüberbrook is not a title you have to have played.

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Overall, Windscape is a successful indie title. An affectionately arranged world with many facets invites to some hours of fun. The game isn't perfect and doesn't offer the greatest challenge, but entertains well over the season and has its own charm. For fans of RPGs and Action Adventures it's well worth a look. Due to its rather short-lived quests it can also be played with little time and doesn't need any intensive activity like most RPGs. Windscape is therefore a kind of mini role playing game, which works very well without a skill system.

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With "The Division 2" Ubisoft has created a detailed and motivating Loot-Shooter, which doesn't allow any objections concerning the game feeling. The sophisticated character and combat system as well as the exciting PvE and PvP matches provide nice entertainment and give the title the right amount of tactics. Diverse missions and side tasks provide a welcome permanent occupation and raise the replay value to a high level. With "The Division 2" you have taken the wishes of the players to heart and created a successful sequel.

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"Devil May Cry 5" proves to be a successful Hack'n'Slay with a sophisticated combat system. The three different protagonists all have unique fighting styles and weapons, so it's up to the player how he turns off the light to his opponents. However, especially the end bosses might be a bit more challenging, in order to push even pros a little bit more to the frustration line. If you stand for stylish action, an opulent staging as well as wacky battles, then "Devil May Cry 5" is the right catch for you.

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Jump Force is first and foremost an entertaining brawler who lives from his licenses and powerful visual effects. If you leave aside the loveless staging, the graphic style that takes getting used to, and some questionable design decisions, the rapid, albeit quite simple fights are especially memorable. But let's be honest: Jump Force lacks so much fine-tuning, depth and ambition that the brawler inevitably has to live an existence in mediocrity. And yet, the distinctive fan service, which can be found in so many facets of the game, should draw anime and manga fans of all kinds into its spell.

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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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