It’s not always a perfect combination. A few of the latter puzzles feel needlessly complicated, requiring you to place the objects at pixel-perfect angles to trigger the next area. But that doesn’t take away from how remarkable the game is. Like Portal before it, Maquette redefines what puzzle games are capable of, and I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about these characters any time soon.
Godfall could scratch that action game itch if you don't mind how lackluster it is in other areas. A paid expansion is coming out in 2021, so I'm curious to see if that'll address any of my concerns about the campaign.
Like all great racing games, Pacer is about repetition and mastery. The more you play, the better you'll become at speeding through all the sharp turns and wild loops. It's not as polished as the Wipeout games were, but it's still a pretty good deal if you don't care much about multiplayer.
Spellbreak's combat is stylish and offers a lot of flexibility. If the developer follows through on its roadmap (which promises more storytelling among other things), it could really turn into something special.
Madden NFL 21 is the clearest example yet of how unwieldy the series has become, so your en-joyment will vary depending on which modes best suit your play style. For me, that comes from seeing my virtual 49ers hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, so anything else on top of that is just a bonus.
Hyper Scape has promise, but it's just so infuriating to play due to poor aiming controls. Some don't seem to have a problem with it, as I see other PS4 players racking up kills all the time. Still, it's better to wait and play something else until this gets fixed.
Rocket Arena shows that there's more to multiplayer shooters than just military sims and battle royale games. Unfortunately, the unappealing progression rewards and lack of engaging content limit its potential.
Dead Rising 4 is a mind-numbing slog despite its near-endless array of weapons
The biggest concern I had going into The Division was its viability as a single-player game. Thankfully, the developers proved me wrong. In spite of my emotionless hero, Ubisoft Massive's dystopian version of New York City is absolutely gripping. While I did come close to burning out (that happens when you play any game six or more hours a day for more than a week), I'm still excited to jump back in and spend more time with the multiplayer modes, as well as dive deeper into the Dark Zone.
I wish I liked Knights of Pen and Paper 2 a lot more than I did. It has a lot of charm and heart — I can see it in the gorgeous pixel art and in all the neat jokes and references built into Paperos. But it just isn't very fun to play. If you happen to be in that cross-section of being both a tabletop player and an RPG fanatic, it might be worth checking out. For everyone else, however, your time is better spent elsewhere.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture's greatest accomplishment is making you care for its departed characters. Their personal stories give you an incredible glimpse of what life was like in their little corner of the world. They're not the nicest group of people. They can be selfish, stubborn, and downright stupid. But that's what makes them feel real and memorable. The most tragic part? You can't do a damned thing to save them.
For better or worse, Daybreak didn't design PlanetSide 2 for instant gratification. I've had hours of playtime where enemy forces were so overwhelming that I barely got anything done. But I've also had hours that were full of tense battles filled with explosions, multicolored lasers, and missiles. When you play at night, it looks like a chaotic fireworks show.
Act 1 was just an appetizer. Act 2 is the meaty main course that defines Broken Age — and not just because it finishes the story. It's where Double Fine let loose and went crazy with the puzzles (and the complex train of thought you need to solve them). It's where characters I previously thought were only there for a joke or two became much more important. It's where Shay's and Vella's rebellion against their preordained fates turned into a cause that is much bigger than themselves.
Axiom Verge uses Metroid's building blocks to create a fantastic adventure that can stretch for hours if you want it to … though maybe not always in a good way. I'm not a big fan of the genre, but even I started getting obsessive over my map and item completion rates. I'll just leave it to the rest of the community to fill in the blanks.
What E-Line Media and Upper One Games are doing is admirable. It's awesome to see the Iñupiaq people author their story in a video game like this, an opportunity that few cultures and minorities have. Their involvement is felt everywhere in Never Alone, and I just want to play more games that explore that mythology.
If you strip away the Rauser parts and the catchy soundtrack, Luftrausers would still stand on its own because of its excellent gameplay. But those features add so much depth and excitement that they actually pushed me to become a better player. Judging by the wide gap between my score and those higher up on the leaderboard, I still have a lot to learn.
When it works, Loadout hooks you in with its deep weapon-crafting system and frantic battles where everyone is trying out their own crazy creations. And to its credit, Edge of Reality has shown incredible resilience in responding to the server problems so quickly. But Loadout isn't worth playing until it solves them.
You'll find a lot to like in Broken Age. It has a beautiful world populated by a colorful cast of characters and an alluring mystery that doesn't unfold in the way you expect it to. This is Double Fine Productions at its finest, and it's on track to finish strong with Act 2.
Tearaway packs charm and ingenuity into every pixelated pulp. You’ll bounce along to its perky soundtrack, fall in love with the way its ocean waves — as rolls of white paper — break on the shores, and smile when you see just how personal the ending is.