Empathy: Path of Whispers

Empathy: Path of Whispers

Empathy: Path of Whispers might look like a typical walking simulator, but it isn’t afraid to test the boundaries of the genre. The surreal gameworld isn’t just pretty to look at, but also offers players more freedom to explore than similar titles. It is up to players to piece together the fragmented story by finding and listening to the memories of the missing people who once inhabited the lonely landscapes. This means that some players will love the act of tracking down all the memories and connecting the clues while others will find it needlessly repetitive and obtuse.

Gameplay: A mixture of exploration, listening to audio memories, solving minor puzzles and unraveling the story.

Graphics: The surreal landscapes look great from a distance, but loses some splendor when viewed up close.

Sound: The soundtrack is good and the game features a large cast of diverse character voices

TankBlitz

TankBlitz

If you have a hankering for jumping into a tank and blasting everything in your path to smithereens then TankBlitz has got you covered. This 2D, top down shooter looks and feels like an arcade game from the nineties, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s got nonstop action, tons of different enemies to shoot at and enough upgrades to keep you coming back for more. Three difficulty levels and plenty of achievements add to the replay value, but we would have loved to see more than 12 levels. Nevertheless, the game is entertaining from start to finish and we had a blast with it.

Gameplay: Shoot things to earn cash for upgrades so you can do it all again with even more powerful weapons.

Graphics: Not as sharp as we would have liked in high resolution, but packed with detailed.

Sound: No speech, but the effects sound like they’ve been plucked straight from an arcade

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus

Senran Kagura Estival Versus offers an impressive amount of fanservice mixed up with some solid hack and slash combat. The game does have its fair share of questionable elements, but it certainly doesn’t skimp on content. There is a meaty story mode to complete, along with plenty of side missions, while the money you earn can be spent on clothing and accessories for the girls. Like most hack and slash games it can get a little repetitive, but despite the large cast none of the girls feel alike in personality or fighting style. If you are a fan of the series or enjoy fighting games, this comes highly recommended, as long as you realize you are going to get bombarded by fanservice around every turn.

Gameplay: Features plenty of content and a learning curve that eases you into the various combos and attacks you can pull off.

Graphics: Looks great on PC and the detail as well as animations are impressive.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting for all the girls and a funky soundtrack that complements the action nicely

Gal*Gun: Double Peace

Gal*Gun: Double Peace

Shooting girls with a pheromone gun in order to provide them with euphoria is every bit as strange in the game as it sounds on paper, but somehow it works. Gal*Gun: Double Peace certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it knows its audience very well, so you can expect plenty of squealing girls and fan service. However, if you look past the ecchi exterior, you’ll also find a very entertaining game with plenty of replay value. It is obviously not a title that is going to appeal to the easily offended, but if you are a fan of anime or manga and can appreciate some slightly lewd humor you’ll have fun with this game.

Gameplay: On-rail shooters are still a rarity on PC and this one is a lot of fun.

Graphics: Colorful and detailed, but also not without flaws.

Sound: Nice soundtrack and good voice acting

Assassin’s Creed™

Assassin’s Creed™

Assassin’s Creed is a great game that is hampered by a few small flaws that drag it down from greatness. Don’t let this stop you from experiencing a truly epic and unique storyline that will have you gripped right until the end. 

Gameplay: A little rough around the edges at times, but with plenty of cool ideas.

Graphics: Some epic scenes.

Sound: Quite immersive

Monster Slayers

Monster Slayers

Plunder dungeons, dark forests and dank swamps in this addictive new rogue-like deck-building RPG adventure from Nerdook. Thanks to the charming visuals, stellar audio and fiendishly fun gameplay, this is a title you can easily lose yourself in for hours. It packs a ton of replay value and there is always another level of fame, a new deck strategy or better equipment waiting for you to draw you back in. While it might seem very simple at first, the game has plenty of depth without sacrificing accessibility. Fans of the genre will love every minute and even newcomers shouldn’t hesitate to grab this game.

Gameplay: Deceptively simple, but extremely addictive, this is a game that can keep you busy for a long time.

Graphics: Features the charming art-style that Nerdook titles are known for, but much more polished and detailed than previous titles.

Sound: Great soundtrack and some unexpectedly nice sound effects as well as speech

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus Out Now On Steam

Senran Kagura: Estival Versus Out Now On Steam

Good news for PC owners who enjoyed Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus, the female ninja brawler that was released on Steam last year. The series is back with Senran Kagura Estival Versus, which is available right now. With more than 25 playable character it has the biggest roster in the history of the series and thanks to the all-new multiplayer battle royals up to 10 players can now duke it out in a variety of events

The Last Of Us

The Last Of Us

The Last of Us is definitely one of those games that is almost reason enough to justify the purchase of a PS3 if you don’t already own one. The storyline is gripping, the action scenes incredible and even just exploring the many outstanding locations you travel through is a thrill. The combat in particular is a highlight with tense battles against enemies that will do their best to take you down. There can be no doubt that The Last of Us is one of the best, if not the best game available on PS3.

Gameplay: Tense battles against bandits and infected ensures that this game keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Graphics: Naughty Dog once again demonstrates that they know how to harness the power of the PS3.

Sound: Excellent voice acting, great music and solid sound effects

Tomb Raider: Legend

Tomb Raider: Legend

After seeing how the Tomb Raider franchise was milked dry and ran into the ground I was a bit hesitant to pick up Legend. Fortunately Crystal Dynamics did a great job capturing all the elements that made the series a blockbuster back in the day. Its not a very long adventure, but despite a few annoyances it is well worth checking out.

Gameplay: A welcome return to the roots of the series.

Graphics: Good but could have been much better if created from the ground up for the Xbox360.

Sound: Decent voice acting and a nice soundtrack

DESYNC

DESYNC

Assault your eyes, ears and self-confidence with this ultra-challenging first person shooter by The Foregone Syndicate. Desync is an all-out action fest that doesn’t believe in hand holding or pulling punches. This can make it an extremely frustrating game, but also very satisfying when you master the skills required to stand a chance. The visuals are stylish, but blinding while the music is outstanding. If you prefer playing your shooters on the easiest setting or easily frustrated, then this is probably not the game for you, but if you want to really put your skills to the test then this is the game to get.

Gameplay: Fast, frantic and very unforgiving.

Graphics: The Tron-style visuals are stylish, but a little headache inducing after a while.

Sound: Sound effects lack a little punch, but the music is excellent