Gamer's Palace

I remember playing the beta of No Pineapple Left Behind. It was really weird and since then, the game hasn't changed at all. The game needs you to keep an eye on a lot of different factors to be successfull. However, in reality, coincidence is the only factor. The design of the game is horrible and overall, I just couldn't enjoy this experience.

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Kids is weird - but I had a lot of fun with it. Not only once did I ask myself what I'm doing, however there were a lot of situations that showed me how crowds can work. It's a pity that the game is so short and lacks variety. Still, Kids is a game that explains the world to you without many words.

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Pokémon Café Mix could be a really nice and constant game to play to have a relaxing break. However, it follows the concept of free games so that you're meeting dead ends quite soon. The game's a nice try and looks good. It's free, so you can just take a look yourself.

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Naughty Dog could concentrate on its true strenghts next time to create an absolutely remarkable game. The Last of Us Part II illustrates one of the best virtual worlds ever seen in a videogame and it even gives you a glimpse at a game that it could have become. A game full of emotions, ups and downs and diverse exploration and combat gameplay. The overall experience is let down by a few holes in the narrative as well as the general Naughty Dog gameplay formula that's been refined since 2013 but still hasn't aged very well.

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I wanted to love Waking. It's approach and the first minute are as special as they are unique. Which game makes your first pet to your companion and a bit of soil from your hometown to your special weapon, after all? However, I wasn't able to find the genius in the chaos. In the beginning, I thought I could find it, but in the end, I had to take Waking for what it is: A mess. It has that unique approach that could it make so special but the game around it is just not very good.

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I wanted Summer in Mara to become a highlight. However, in the final game, soundtrack and the relaxed graphics are mostly the only things to convince. However, they cannot make you look away from the flaws in the gameplay and the lot of bugs. I hope that there'll be a patch soon that fixes at least the most severe.

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More games like Beyond Blue should be out there: Even if it cannot unfold it's complete potential, it's a mighty, worthwile and teaching game about the world's oceans, wales and dangers that are threatening the world's most important ecosystem. Beyond Blue is a shortish experience but it's worth every minute.

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Deck of Ashes is a card game as it should be: It has a lot of variety and deep mechanics. The beautiful game world is also great. Four different characters with their own story and a reasonable roguelike system complete the package.

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Atomicrops could be a superb farming game - it somehow misses that as the farming isn't that important after all. Graphics and sound are absolutely great, however, and without permadeath, I would really spend a lot of time with Atomicrops. I'm having a lot of fun, but its missing the tiny little more to be great.

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Island Saver is a great game for kids and for parents looking for a good program for their children to play and learn at the same time. Island Saver does a good job in teaching about money, taxes and currencies and is, at the same time, a funny and worthwile experience.

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Dread Nautical could be a good game if it had ... more. Basically, more of everything. The tasks are exciting, like rescuing people or collect resources, but somehow, I still don't find much delight in it. That's mainly because I'm doing the same over and over again. It's missing variety and deepness, which is sad, because I see greatness in there which just doesn't find its bloom.

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Storm Boy is a game that I find really hard to recommend. It's really short, for sure. You'll complete it in around 30 minutes. It could still be a nice adventure for families as it's an atmospheric and visually good experience. The minigames, however, don't work very well and it's somehow also missing the deepness of Colin Thiele's story. Storm Boy: The Game can be a solid addition to the 2019 film, but not much more.

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SnowRunner is an exciting game - despite it being so slow. It's a game for hardcore players with patience and endurance. Even the last mile can mean a stop to your journey. The game gives you a lot of freedom - three open worlds are yours to explore with many quest to fulfill. It's up to you which you tackle first, but you need to decide which upgrades or new vehicles are necessary to get first. SnowRunner has beautiful environments with a great atmosphere - there are some technical hiccups like small fonts and complex menus but it's overall an enjoyable experience for everyone who likes this kind of simulation.

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I was surprised by A Knight's Quest: I didn't expect the game to be so big. The world is a bit static at the beginning but later on it convinced me with big areas, enough to do and a good design. The protagonist learns step by step and you unlock more to do as you go. There are some technical flaws, bugs and not every quest delivers a clear indication about what to do. The storytelling is also very simple - however, I enjoyed Rusty's journey.

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Sometimes Always Monsters gives you a lot of freedom. I love that freedom. However, it doesn't fit the story at all. Basically, you're an author on a book tour but this setting isn't even used properly. Any kind of guidance through the story is missing which isn't too bad, but there shouldn't be a "fixed" story in the first place. In the end, I was just trying to get all achievements possible. After all those years, I expected more of the game.

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Operencia: The Stolen Sun shows how a really compelling game can be created with rather simple methods. It's doesn't really exceed in any area, but Zen Studios makes the best out of every element it uses. Combat is demanding, exploring is fine and the puzzles are varied and logical. The world is beautiful and also the Switch port deserves praise.

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I like In Other Waters and wish I could give it a higher score. It's a nice experience. Its a special and experimental experience - however, it's an experience that is flawed in too many ways and the title torpedos itself again and again. Also, I can't always follow the story. This could have been my game of the year but bugs in the Switch version and confusing elements don't let it be.

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The idea behind Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is pretty good, but it can't unfold its potential: On the one hand it's telling you that your choices matter, on the other hand it's just a linear game without any real consequences. It seems that even it's techniques are from the olden days, especially on the scripting part and the uninspired NPC who are still doing what they were doing before the world collapsed. Nonetheless, the design of the characters is great and the soundtrack is amazing, but none of these two things will help Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories to become a blockbuster.

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Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a fresh experience when you look at its narration, gameplay and story. It's visually beautiful and combines two stories in a very creative manner. It also depicts the creative process very well. But every story needs a good editor - there are some annoying mistakes in the German translation and some mechanics don't work as intended. Also, the game doesn't seem to be too optimized for the powerful Stadia platform. Google's acquired a good game as a timed exclusive, however, time for polishing was obviously missing.

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Many other games can learn a lot from A Plague Tale: Innocence. It features a superb story with realistic characters and nice coming-of-age parts as well as a world with a superb atmosphere. While there are some mechanic hiccups here and there, gameplay is a well-done mix of the elements and remains fresh. There's also a top-notch visual and technical quality that I would like to see in more games.

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