Gaming Professors

Pocket Bravery caught my attention with its concept, but its execution put me off. The gorgeous visuals, diverse warriors, and great combos would have been enough for me in a game from twenty years ago. Today, all the ideas the game presents seem downright antiquated to me. They lack any sense of innovation—see Story Mode, which is one big waste of time in this title. Still, it’s an above-average effort considering the sheer volume of games currently being churned out at players like a waterfall.

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Party Animals is a playful and chaotic game that relies on the cuteness and clumsiness of animals as they battle each other in colorful arenas. However, the chaos and clumsiness, combined with sluggish controls, can very quickly turn the fun and smiles into intense frustration. If you have the chance to play with a group of friends, though, it’s a laid-back game perfect for evenings filled with fun, chaos, and playing pranks on one another.

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Daymare 1994: Sandcastle takes the entire series a big step forward and clearly shows that the developers have learned their lesson. The game is held back by its uneven pacing and storytelling. In terms of gameplay—specifically combat and visuals—it makes up for these shortcomings, even though you only have two weapons and one special freezing gadget at your disposal. For fans of the genre and the Daymare series, this will be an enjoyable experience that you’ll appreciate despite certain flaws.

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Although Song of Nunu: League of Legends Story takes place in a freezing environment, the story of these two characters and the expressions of their friendship will warm your heart. Even though the game looks very simple at first glance, you’ll find so many entertaining elements and combinations of mechanics that you won’t want to stop playing. After this experience, I fell in love with Nunu and Willump even more and developed a warmer connection with them. The story was told brilliantly, so by the time I finished the game, these were no longer just League of Legends characters with certain abilities to me—their dialogues and interactions with other champions suddenly made much more sense and took on greater depth. Of all the games released by Riot Forge, this title seems to be the best so far.

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A different experience compared to other sports simulators, but unfortunately with untapped potential and a slew of bugs. That’s exactly how we can sum up the new Heavy Duty Challenge: The Off-Road Truck Simulator, which isn’t an outright disaster and, by Aerosoft’s standards, can be described as average. If the game included some form of a well-developed career mode and at least fine-tuned the physics model—which is lacking in some respects—Heavy Duty Challenge: The Off-Road Truck Simulator could be a decent simulator that would certainly find its fans. As it stands, however, the title will be forgotten very quickly, and it’s questionable how many people will actually play it. Four and a half out of ten.

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Bud Spencer & Terence Hill – Slaps and Beans 2 is a more expansive and varied game than the first installment, but that doesn’t necessarily make it better. The developers chose to focus on adding content rather than fine-tuning the mechanics that were clunky in the first game. Yet it was precisely the first game’s simplicity and straightforwardness that made it more appealing. Fans of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, however, will likely be so saturated with the familiar humor and web of references that they probably won’t complain at all—or at least not too loudly.

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The Valiant offers an engaging story paired with a visually appealing experience that’s sure to captivate. It’s a good fit for players who don’t want overly deep strategy and are looking for something more action-packed. However, if you’re expecting a complex tactical game, this title might disappoint you. Once you’ve completed the main story, there isn’t much additional content, which may deter players seeking long-term entertainment.

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There are many ways to look at Hammerwatch 2. But none of them will look as nice or as good as the first installment does. The game feels as if it wants to be something it isn’t and become something it can no longer be. As a result, we have a pixel-art RPG with a minigame that needs to be tightened up like loose screws in a cabinet. If the developers can pull this off, the rating will surely rise without a problem. For now, unfortunately, we’re hovering around average.

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If you enjoyed the first game, you should definitely play the second one as well. If you haven’t played this game yet, try the first one first and then decide whether to buy Forgive Me Father 2. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft and shooters like *Doom*, you’ll have a blast here—at least for a few hours. The game is colorful, entertaining, dark, and horror-filled. So let’s dive back into the world of madness together and see what the developers have in store for us in the future. It’s sure to be worth it.

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Total War: Pharaoh goes back to the roots of the famous series, returning to its historical foundation, realistic battles, and emphasis on tactics. The storytelling is enjoyable and engaging; the heroes are no longer incarnations of gods, but mortals who are members of an elite unit. The changing weather, which can significantly influence the course of a battle, is also a welcome addition—a won battle can suddenly turn into a struggle to rescue elite units from the mud. However, the game is let down by issues such as the sometimes odd behavior of the AI and problems with performance and smoothness.

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Zombie Cure Lab is slowly but surely becoming a favorite. Peace, love, the apocalypse, and beaming smiles. It’s almost contagious (how ironic, isn’t it?) how effortlessly building, defending, and mining all work together with the game’s pleasantly colorful graphics. The downside is all the time you actually waste when nothing is happening for a while and you’re just waiting for the moment when you can make progress. Fortunately, there’s always the bonus that the cured ones make for cheap labor.

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To me, Unholy is definitely not a horror game. Although the setting looks great, neither the story nor the atmosphere managed to draw me into the plot. The main character is kind of bland, and on top of that, there’s the glitchy environment, cutscenes, stealth mechanics, poor optimization, and more. The game could have great potential if it were polished to the same degree as its environment.

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Barotrauma is a well-crafted cooperative game that does an excellent job of bringing the submarine and its crew to life. What really stands out here is undoubtedly the atmosphere and gameplay. The combination of sci-fi and the underwater world works perfectly. Each crew member plays a very important role, and the emphasis on knowing each member’s specialization is often a matter of life and death. However, some players may be put off by the 2D art style, the emphasis on character knowledge, and the sometimes erratic behavior of the AI.

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Despite all the tweaks and changes to gameplay and improvements to the overall experience, Cities: Skylines II is, unfortunately, a disaster that undermines all its polished aspects with terrible optimization and lackluster visual details. Of course, I’m not saying that Cities: Skylines II is bad. On the contrary, many elements of the game have been taken to a whole new level, opening up new possibilities for players that make building even more enjoyable than in its predecessor. However, this will only be true in six months or a year, once Colossal Order has fixed all the technical issues. So if you’re deciding whether to buy the new Cities: Skylines II, I recommend waiting a while longer and, in the meantime, continuing to enjoy the polished first installment, which—thanks to its expansion packs and dedicated community—is currently probably the best city-building strategy game of all time. Six and a half out of ten.

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If your kids are just starting to play video games and you’d like to share this world with them, Disney Illusion Island is a good choice. It’s certainly not the best cooperative game currently available on consoles, but it’s cheaper than Nintendo’s Switch exclusives, so you’ll still have enough left over for ice cream.

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If your kids are just starting to play games and you’d like to share this world with them, Disney Illusion Island is a good choice. It’s definitely not the best co-op game—I’d say that Espresso Tycoon did a great job of living up to its potential and building on the good impression the title made even in its demo version. If you’re a coffee lover, enjoy experimenting, and prefer more freedom, you’ll enjoy this game. Thanks to its simple gameplay, it will appeal even to players who don’t have much experience with the tycoon genre. Eight out of ten. It’s a creative title currently available on consoles, but its price is lower than that of Nintendo’s Switch exclusives, so you’ll even have enough left over for ice cream.

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Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is a very mixed live-action movie. The animations are amazing, but I don’t get to play much in them. When I do play, I get lost, and I end up back at a cutscene with a quest, during which I get lost again. For fans of the series, this is practically a must-play; if someone comes across this game for the first time, they’ll hate it, and there’s no point in even playing it. On the other hand, if you love isekai anime, there’s no question about it.

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I definitely think that kids and Paw Patrol fans will be incredibly excited. The beautifully designed locations and characters, the freedom to move around the world, and the large number of tasks will definitely keep them entertained for several long hours. Older kids, however, might start to get a little bored after a while. I personally liked the game, but the voice acting and camera work really got on my nerves at times. It would be great if the developers added Czech subtitles.

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Perish is a fast-paced and dynamic shooter that falls short of other titles in the same genre due to minor flaws. The Greek mythology on which the game is based is well implemented. The enemy animations are a bit odd, but that’s not something that would cost Perish any points. More problematic are the repetitive tasks and the fact that demons respawn in the same locations. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting game, and you can enjoy the overall experience with up to three other players.

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Yacht Mechanic Simulator messed up everything it could, and if you’re expecting a game of the same quality as, say, Car Mechanic Simulator, you’re sorely mistaken. I wouldn’t even mind that much if Yacht Mechanic Simulator weren’t the same as Car Mechanic Simulator. Unfortunately, the problem is that the developers focused too much on monotony and simplicity, without including even the most basic details. Two out of ten.

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