D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die may just be the beginning, but it is easily one of the most delightfully bizarre trips of the year. It won't always make sense, but there is a consistent earnestness to its oddity that somehow makes it all work in harmony of '80s saxophone riffs and overly-affected Boston accents.
The track designs are excellent, holding up even under that close level of scrutiny while riding at low speeds to explore, allowing you to appreciate the craft that went into every ramp, gap and bump in the road. And with that closer appreciation, maybe it will inspire you and other players to add your own ideas through the level editor, constantly building a better game.
The brilliant design used throughout Octodad: Dadliest Catch brings out the absolute best from a bizarre concept that simply needs to be played to be believed.
It is a blending of genre and style that is an unexpected treat, and already one of the year's role-playing game highlights.
It isn't a bad story, with plenty of intrigue from its setting and characters. The issue comes in when it tries to take a leap into the realm of allegory, where it never ties itself together thematically in a satisfying way. In that way, Transistor is like a virtual croissant. It is layered and delicious, but there is a lingering airy emptiness to it that makes it hard to fill up on just one.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a superbly titled game. It is a valiant effort at a sincere depiction of war by developers whose hearts were clearly in the right place, telling a gripping story that is still respectful of its source.
While many games will borrow elements from the classics in an attempt to become a spiritual successor to some popular title, MouseCraft manages to pay homage to its inspirations while retaining an identity all its own.
It becomes difficult to tear yourself away from Rogue Legacy, as the repetitive flow is brilliantly augmented by randomly generated traits and dungeon layouts. Before you know it, three hours and 20 generations of heroes have passed, and you finally realize that your cheeks are where you feel the strain the most from smiling the entire time.
Despite its often infuriating difficulty, Road Not Taken is a fascinating journey where how you play it makes all the difference.
Like any good vacation, you'll return home at the end of it with lasting fond memories. But unlike most vacations, with Hohokum you always have the opportunity to revisit them whenever the mood strikes.
What this first episode sets up though, holds tremendous potential for the season ahead. And while banking on potential can be dangerous for an episodic game, if Telltale can maintain the precedent it's setting here for narrative risks and twists then the payoff will be all the better for it in the end.
It is actually a little sad to play Okami HD again after so many years. Well, playing Okami HD is a joyous experience, but it is sad to see that after six years it is still one of the best examples of its genre. Okami HD is fantastic, and hopefully this re-release will inspire a new generation of game designers to play, enjoy and then scoff, "Ha, I bet I could do better".
Stealth Inc 2 is a remarkably well-crafted and well-paced platformer, and one of the most welcome surprises to arrive on the Wii U this year.