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Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is not a game that comes with great bombast. It is a calm, almost meditative experience that impresses above all with its charming atmosphere and variety of small activities. Fans of the series will love Shin chan and his adventures, but players looking for a relaxed adventure will also find a welcome change of pace here. The coal town with its many secrets and nostalgic atmosphere will go down particularly well with players who have a fondness for Japanese culture and life simulations.

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The Until Dawn remake on the PS5 is a successful horror trip that should appeal to old fans and newcomers alike. The visual and atmospheric improvements allow the story about the tragic events on Blackwood Mountain to shine in new splendor, even if technical shortcomings such as the frame rate limited to 30 FPS and occasional bugs detract from the experience somewhat. Anyone who missed out on the horror classic or is in the mood for a modernized version will be thoroughly entertained despite some minor weaknesses.

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The Plucky Squire combines a wide variety of genres in an innovative narrative. The story is deliberately based on classic plot threads, but not without changing them again and again in surprising ways. Unfortunately, some passages drag on for too long, in which the same sequence of events is repeated over and over again. Sometimes it seems as if Plucky Squire wants to depict too much in order to fulfill everything “perfectly”, which leads to minor flaws in some of the mechanics. Overall, however, these are so minor that they don't really detract from the enjoyment of the game. Anyone looking for an unusual title that surprises more than once will be well served by The Plucky Squire.

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The fifth version of Train Sim World from Dovetail Games impresses with many small and large improvements. The simulator has been made even more user-friendly, especially for beginners and casual gamers who just want to get a taste of the world of trains. It is also nice to see that the update is now free for owners of Train Sim World 4 and that the included routes can be purchased separately.

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Episode Aigis: The Answer adds another chapter to Persona 3 Reload, which keeps us entertained after the end of the main game. In terms of the story, it is almost essential to complete the actual story first before venturing into the DLC, even if we start at a very low level and are therefore introduced to the game mechanics once again. New theurgies and Metis as a new character also expand our repertoire with fresh elements to explore, even if the android as a character can be a little tiring at times. If we look at Persona 3 Reload with the DLC as a whole, Episode Aigis: The Answer offers a nice continuation of the story, which raises just enough new questions to not completely confuse, but brings the story itself to a well-rounded conclusion. Instead of Tartarus, the Abyss of Time now awaits us, which offers much more frequent changes of environment, but still can't shine with excessive variety in the long run. Due to the significantly higher proportion of combat and the almost complete absence of everyday life, the DLC also becomes much more of a chore over the course of the 20 to 30 hours of gameplay than was the case in the main game. Nevertheless, Episode Aigis: The Answer is of course a great opportunity to reunite with the beloved characters of S.E.E.S. and a very good addition to the main game due to the fundamentally fun gameplay and the large scope.

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In summary, it can be said that both platforms have their strengths. The PS5 version is perfectly optimized for console gamers and offers an incredibly stable, visually stunning experience. The DualSense feature takes immersion to another level, and with 60 FPS in performance mode, the PS5 also delivers enough power for action-packed battles. The PC version of God of War Ragnarök, on the other hand, scores with a wider range of customization options. Players with powerful hardware experience higher frame rates, native 4K graphics and even ultra widescreen. There are small technical stumbling blocks, but for the hardcore PC gamer, the version offers the maximum in freedom and flexibility.

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With NHL 25, EA Sports delivers a really solid ice hockey game this year, which has made noticeable progress in some important areas. It's not just the much better structured franchise career, which is now also more interactive thanks to the player conversations. The visual presentation has also improved by more than just one percentage point and is finally closing the gap on other sports simulations from EA, such as EA Sports FC or Madden NFL. There are also noticeable improvements on the ice, which are due to the new ICE-Q AI system and ensure that the games simply feel more dynamic and human, as the CPU players position themselves better or move more realistically thanks to new animations. We also liked the rival system with its special presentation, as well as the optimized display of replays. Apart from the franchise, however, little to nothing has happened in the other game modes, meaning that the game is largely the same as last year. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the sequences in Be-a-Pro mode, some of which still have no sound. Nonetheless, NHL 25 is a very good sports game overall, which scores particularly well in the core element, namely the performance on the ice.

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World of Warcraft: The War Within retains the good quality and proven principles from the last expansion and still brings a few unique new features. However, it remains to be seen whether these will remain the same. At this point in time, it can be said that the game has apparently not become any worse, but on the contrary has even improved in some areas. For example, the crafting system has been further refined and there are numerous short dialogs from the protagonists that you can listen to between quests in the campaign. This makes the story a little more accessible. This is because it often feels like working through and is less inviting to be experienced and discovered. In this respect, the game lacks mystery and mystery. The campaign is sometimes told too obviously and there are not enough exciting twists and turns. Furthermore, the side quests are unfortunately still not set to music and we have no choice but to read the texts. This is a shame, because a soundtrack would be entirely appropriate and, in my opinion, would do a lot to help players experience a little more of the story. I think there are a lot of exciting stories in WoW, it's just the way they are told that could be improved overall.

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To summarize, it can be said that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown makes a big promise in many respects, but it cannot keep it. The atmosphere is disappointingly empty, the story is irrelevant and the balancing is sometimes so poorly thought out that it completely spoils the fun of racing. The graphics, although beautiful to look at, suffer from a high performance hunger and the server problems make the multiplayer practically unplayable. Only the driving experience and the sound are convincing, but are not enough to compensate for the numerous shortcomings. If the developers manage to fix the numerous technical problems, the game could at least become an average racing game.

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The Silent Hill 2 remake does an excellent job of bringing the old-school horror of the original into the modern age without copying it. The mood created in the gloomy and deserted town, which becomes more and more blatant and intense as the game progresses, pushed me to my limits time and again as I played, without a succession of intrusive shock moments. Instead, the game thrives on its atmosphere, which is uncomfortable at all times and then becomes really threatening later on. Added to this are sparse lighting conditions, an exceptionally good soundtrack with surreal and consistently unpleasant soundscapes and an overall really good graphical presentation that presents the horror in the best possible light. With its successful mix of well-balanced puzzles, attentive exploration of the environment and powerful close and solidly implemented ranged combat, the new edition of Silent Hill 2 entertained me throughout and wrapped the classic horror gameplay a la Resident Evil in an appealing modern guise. Textures that sometimes load quite late when examining objects, a somewhat jerky performance here and there or the visible blurring at the edges, especially with the hair, which occurs during movement, nevertheless scratch the façade a little. The selection of enemies is also not overwhelming and somewhat monotonous, especially in the long run. Overall, however, the Silent Hill 2 remake manages to retain the splendor of the original and open a door for new generations into the anything but inviting Silent Hill, which every horror fan should have seen.

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Overall, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a worthy successor that offers a successful mix of intense battles, impressive graphics and a captivating story. The atmosphere of the Warhammer world is masterfully captured, and the action-packed encounters provide thrills and adrenaline. Despite minor flaws, such as the repetitive design and unreliable AI, the game manages to excite both old fans and newcomers alike. With its successful gameplay, extensive content and cooperative approach, Space Marine 2 is a must for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the brutal world of Warhammer 40K. Especially with two friends, the game is incredibly fun and will keep Warhammer fans glued to their consoles for more than one playthrough.

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The Casting of Frank Stone is a game that skillfully showcases both its strengths and weaknesses. The story, which revolves around the mysterious serial killer Frank Stone, creates a lot of suspense through different time levels and a dense atmosphere. The cinematic staging, which alternates between dark, oppressive locations and surreal dream sequences, is particularly impressive. Supermassive Games manages to perfectly capture the creepy atmosphere of a classic slasher film. Unfortunately, the title character Frank Stone himself remains rather pale. Despite his central place in the story, we learn very little about his background and motives. As a result, he remains rather one-dimensional as an antagonist, which takes away some of the story's depth. Anyone hoping for psychological insights may therefore be disappointed. In terms of gameplay, The Casting of Frank Stone offers some interesting approaches, but they quickly become repetitive. The mechanics around stopping Frank with the camera or repairing generators are strongly reminiscent of Dead by Daylight and are a nice homage, but lose their appeal as the game progresses. In many moments, the gameplay feels more like a chore than a way to build up the suspense. Graphically, the game scores with impressive lighting and strong cinematic camera work that perfectly captures the creepy atmosphere. Unfortunately, however, this immersion is severely impaired by technical shortcomings. Performance problems such as frame rate drops and long loading times are common throughout the game and significantly disrupt the flow of the game. This is particularly annoying in a game that relies so heavily on its atmosphere. All in all, The Casting of Frank Stone remains an interesting, albeit flawed, horror experience. Those who can get involved with the story and the surreal atmosphere will experience exciting moments, but will also have to put up with technical problems. With a patch, however, the game could become a much more rounded experience.

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Funko Fusion will immediately strike a chord with many fans and reaches a large audience through its variable selection of franchises. It clearly draws on the formula of the Lego Travelers Tales games (parts of the development team were already involved in these games), but unfortunately still lacks the finesse and maturity shown in the original. All the building blocks and tools for a good game are there, but disappointingly, there is a lot to criticize, especially when playing for longer. Even after the release, we found a few game-breaking bugs, some of which have already been eliminated by patches. These range from bosses not spawning, minions spawning infinitely and misplaced assets that made level progress impossible. The fact that there is no save function within the levels and that you always had to start again from the beginning after restarting led to slight frustration, also because the collected collectibles also had to be collected/acquired again. We are definitely waiting for the patches (the first of which have already been delivered based on player feedback). Funko Fusion has a lot of potential and virtually endless expansion possibilities thanks to the franchises already represented by Funko, but it still needs to be reworked for a lot of fun. Addendum: Larger patches with a long changelog have already been delivered, so an improvement is definitely possible.

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