Finally, Capcom has put a lot of game into Resident Evil 2. It has four remixed campaigns — two each for the playable characters Leon and Claire. But Capcom has also revealed plans to add even more. That includes a mode that randomizes where items are as well as new player characters.
Score: 95/100
That’s the heart of Hitman: giving players the power to create their own stories. And that’s as big and powerful as ever in Hitman 2. So I don’t care if it’s not the newest thing in the world. It’s still one of the most solid and rewarding games you can get. And it’s an ideal antidote to games that are more obsessed with looking immersive than playing great.
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is dense, detailed, and varied. It is more dense, detailed, and varied than I considered possible for a video game before playing this. It is a stunning accomplishment, and the 500-to-1,000+ people who worked on it should feel proud. It has its problems. Combat is clunky, the menus are a slog, and leveling feels off. But those issues never made me want to stop playing. I want to keep playing right now.
When a game series is this good for this long, you can sometimes find yourself taking it for granted. Forza Horizon 4 once again refines its formula in a number of notable ways. But those improvements are getting diminishing returns. This is the best Forza Horizon game, and that makes it one of the best racing games ever. But that just doesn't wow me like it once did.
Go out and get it for your Switch, PC, or whatever, and just play it.
Few online games have clicked with me as quickly as Mario Tennis Aces, and I expect it'll end up on my top 10 at the end of 2018.
Far Cry 5 is mechanically sound and varied. You'll find something that entertains you, and Ubisoft has nailed all of the underlying elements of character and world progression. At the same time, it squanders some decent writing because it can't decide what kind of game it is.
We're lucky to live in a world with Shadow of the Colossus. I hope that more people get the chance to play it now and it goes on to inspire a generation of indie developers. But, more than anything, I'm just happy to play it again.
Wolfenstein II shines whenever you can feel how resistant the people of the United States are to the idea of overthrowing their new emperor. That is effective both dramatically and as a commentary on our current politics. Machine also brought the most amazing characters, quality storytelling, and well-paced gameplay to The New Colossus. You'll want to spend time with these people and discover their fate — sometimes that will your heart and sometimes that will break it. But you'll always feel something.
I adored Heist and didn't really play much of the first Dig, but I now consider myself a fan of the SteamWorld canon. Image & Form is doing great work with this universe, and I wouldn't want to miss this sequel. Even if you're going from Metroid: Samus Returns, which is similar, directly into Dig 2, I still think you'll come away thrilled and looking in the developer's direction hoping they have something else new coming very soon.
Games have to fit into our lives, and that's not always fair. Mass Effect: Andromeda might've worked a decade ago on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but it doesn't work in a world that is delivering games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nier: Automata, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In this reality, BioWare's latest role-playing game is old, broken, and often boring. Worst of all, it's going to disappoint fans of the Mass Effect series.
I'm glad that Sony saw this one through. The publisher could've canceled it even in the face of fan hype, but it stuck with Team Ico and gave The Last Guardian a chance to wow fans. The final product doesn't feel like a 2016 game. Instead, it's this strange adventure that invites you to get lost in its world. I love that, and I think anyone who loved Team Ico's previous games will appreciate what they find here.
Titanfall 2 is a major surprise. I was expecting to love the multiplayer and to tolerate the campaign, but I love everything about it. Respawn isn’t just making Call of Duty with mechs. It has found its own way, and that has paid off with a special game.
Forza Horizon 3 is the supremely polished product you’ve come to expect from this franchise. It is one of the most feature-rich asynchronous multiplayer games I’ve ever played. I love having all of these ways of competing against my friends, and I think the Blueprint events are a smart way to make the game feel more personal and connected. I plan on making at least a few more missions and sending them to all of my friends after Horizon goes live later this month.
It’s a call back to the sci-fi and adventuring stories that form the foundation of so many of today’s geeks. Roaming the galaxy as a lone explorer who has to rely on their wits to survive harsh planets nestled between light years of empty space is something I’ve played in my mind since I was a kid.
Score: 60/100
The Climb has a really sturdy foundation built on entertaining mechanics, great feedback that keeps you moving, and deep hooks for multiplayer. At the same time, frustrations with the controls and a lack of an audience damages a lot of what Crytek has built.
Firewatch is special and rare.
ColdWood has succeeded in a handful of bold ways with Unravel. It is showing EA the value in smaller, quieter games. It also feels like another fresh take on the side-scrolling platformer. And while Unravel drove me mad a couple of times, I was mostly thrilled by its wonder and adventure.