Toren is very rough-around-the-edges, but there is some charm during the few hours it lasts. The stylized aesthetic and narrative take the best parts from fables and mythology, giving them a poignant sense of presence.
Project Root is one of those rare occasions where the game falters not just through poor execution, but through poor concept. Having a shmup in an open-world is awkward because you need to be able to see all of your surroundings.
LOST ORBIT can be fun, even majestic when it hits its stride, but a steady lack of creativity shoots it down from reaching its full potential. The story of Harrison is touching and memorable, presented with such conviction and honesty that you might mistake its dialogue for that of an award-winning sci-fi novel.
I wanted to like I Am Bread. Heck, I thought early builds were surprisingly solid, but this full release didn't just avoid fixing many of the issues, but actually made them worse.
At its core, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number doesn't do much different than its predecessor. It's gritty, pulp fiction cranked to eleven.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse has its share of flaws, many of which have plagued DBZ games for nearly a decade, but it also fixes nearly all of the problems of its predecessor. The create-a-character feature is a rich pool of choices, filled with expansive combat options and a seamless integration into the story.
Resogun Defenders is an intelligent extension of the Resogun formula. The Protector mode is shockingly robust, mixing small micromanagement elements with a fully alive arcade spirit.
Beyond Apotheon's amazing presentation and story is a clunky, combat-heavy Metroidvania that rarely ever pushes players outside their comfort zone. The controls are already weak and frustrating, but even they pale in comparison to a combat system that can be easily abused.
Taking a bizarre concept and cranking it up to eleven, Saints Row IV is still one of the best open-world games ever made, a landmark in creative freedom unbound by the narrow halls of logic or coherence. Delivering a near-endless supply of side-content and addictive combat, Saints Row IV is ridiculously easy to recommend, but Re-Elected's limited enhancements and unwelcome technical issues keep this version from being the definitive version that it should be.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell captures the madness and destruction that made the series so fun, but even as an expansion pack, there's not much new here. So much of it is cut from the same cloth of Saints Row IV that the nuances end up meaning much less than they should.
What exactly is one supposed to get from The Old City: Leviathan, a game lasting about about one and a half hours? Nothing. There's nothing worth remembering about The Old City: Leviathan.
Never Alone is a major disappointment. It masters aesthetic design and cultural storytelling, but simply cannot succeed on that alone.
Randal's Monday might not be the next great adventure game, but by focusing on the same humor and style as Clerks, it has a charm to it. The animation and voice acting is superb, channeling the spirit of Sunday night animated shows without being edgy for edgy's sake.
Despite a poor use of its license, The Legend of Korra still provides some fun for its price. It might not live up to Platinum Games' sky-high pedigree, and you might be compelled to call it their first misstep, but The Legend of Korra is a good starting point if you want to see what Platinum Games are all about.
Amazing Princess Sarah is a competent, if uninspired indie platformer.
If you already own Metro 2033 and Last Light, Metro Redux is a hard sell. The improvements, while admirable, don't make enough of a difference to be worth another $50 purchase.
Resogun Heroes takes enough risks to be interesting, while not alienating those who've stuck with the game since launch. The two new modes have plenty of unique elements to be worth checking out, while still keeping your palms sweaty as you thread the needle through a swarm of ships.
The Fall is the beginning of an intelligent and engaging sci-fi story, one that'll keep you on the edge of your seat throughout every tricky brain teaser of a puzzle. With an excellent cast, a visceral, thought-provoking story and some great voice acting, the narrative has plenty of drive and it'll keep you guessing all the way to its tease of an ending.
The amount of content, style and polish in BattleBlock Theater is incredible and puts the efforts of many AAA developers to shame. The story and writing alone could fill a comedy club, but the accessible, addictive gameplay demonstrates a mastery of platformer fundamentals.
For an HD remake that no one asked for of a game that few people played, Cel Damage HD is actually pretty charming and entertaining.