Star Fox: Guard is a fine diversion, but I couldn’t imagine wanting to play it for more than a couple of hours. Again, that’s why it’s a great bonus for getting Star Fox Zero. It’s like a free game, and not an awful one. But when you judge on its own, it’s novelty quickly becomes tedious.
Bravely Second is something of a rare JRPG sequel. It features the same battle system, world, and many familiar characters from the original. The new Jobs and even more convenient features for grinding make it a fun adventure for anyone who loved the original. If you haven't played Bravely Default, however, this isn't an adventure you should jump straight into.
Yes, MLB: The Show 16 is more of the same in a lot of ways. However, new features like ShowTime and modes like Conquest give this entry enough new toys to feel like a meaningful improvement over last year's entry. If you're a fan of the series, this year's version is worth checking out unless you're suffering from the most severe of digital baseball boredom.
Day of the Tentacle is a classic, and this remastered version is a great way for old fans to see the time-hopping adventure looking its best. Hopefully, it’ll also give a new generation of players a chance to experience all of the silliness for themselves.
I still don't like Twilight Princess as much as adore Wind Waker, but it was a lot easier to appreciate it as a fantastic game with this second playthrough. Twilight Princess succeeds largely because of its fantastic dungeons, and the HD enhancements are enough to give fans an excuse to go riding through the plains of Hyrule once more.
Far Cry Primal shows us that gaming still has plenty of interesting worlds to take us to. Its Stone Age setting really is its best quality. Sadly, the series' formula is beginning to feel familiar and, frankly, a little dull. The first-person combat is tedious, and I think I've cleared out enough enemy camps for one lifetime.
Fire Emblem: Fates is a fantastic turn-based strategy game. If you're worried about the multiple versions, you don't need to be. You'll get a full experience with a single campaign, but it's great to know that you can keep going and discover new content long after beating a single path.
Fire Emblem: Fates is a fantastic turn-based strategy game. If you're worried about the multiple versions, you don't need to be. You'll get a full experience with a single campaign, but it's great to know that you can keep going and discover new content long after beating a single path.
I admire a lot about The Witness. It is a beautiful game. It is a clever game. It is a big game. But all of its elements, mazes, exploration, and philosophy didn't really come together to express some greater theme. Unless I was meant to question why I hurt my brain to solve a series of difficult mazes for no real award.
Star Wars: Battlefront is fun. It's a great Star Wars game. What I can't tell you right now, however, is if it has any longevity. Right now, the lack of map variety could mean that you get sick of the game faster than you would otherwise, and EA dividing the community in the future with paid DLC planets may not help the problem. Still, no other game has made me feel more like an actual participant in a legitimate Star Wars battle. I don't know if I'll ever get sick of that feeling I get when I take down a TIE Fighter, and I doubt that chill I get when I hear the main theme play as I run across a crowded battlefield will ever go away.
Tri Force Heroes is a lot of fun when you're playing with friends, but make sure you have two buddies who can dedicate some time. The experience just isn't as engaging when you're alone, and you lose a lot of the social elements when you play with strangers over the Internet.
Yoshi's Wooly World is an adorable game, and it's often a fun one. However, the light difficulty prevents it from reaching the excellence of Yoshi's Island. It's still the best Yoshi adventure since that classic, but no one is going to bring up Wooly World in future "best platformer ever" discussions.
Destiny finally feels like the big deal that Bungie wanted us to think it was last year.
As a game, The Phantom Pain excels. The stealth and action work beautifully in the open-world setting, and maintaining your Mother Base gives you plenty of rewards. It’s long, fun, and gives players tons of variety.
As a collection of Mega Man 1 through 6, this definitely delivers. The challenges are an especially nice touch and add a competitive element, and the museum of art and music is fun to browse through.
Splatoon is clever, creative, and fun. The multiplayer is a fun twist on the team-based shooter. However, the single-player campaign is surprisingly the best thing in the game. It offers the kind of quality level design you'd expect from a Mario title, but with a healthy dose of shooter mechanics.
It's weird when you feel so unenthusiastic about a game that you know is "good." This used to be a series that I would never miss. These days, I'd probably take a long break from The Show if I could.
Mario Party 10 is fun with friends. Running around a field with water balloons is also fun with friends. Watching two squirrels run up a tree is also fun with friends. Out of those three, I wouldn't take Mario Party 10 first.
I loved every second of Ori and the Blind Forest. It's as fun as it is pretty, which is an incredible achievement when its one of the most gorgeous games I've ever seen. If you've ever enjoyed a 2D sidescroller, you'll definitely appreciate what developer Moon Studios has done here.
Rainbow Curse is another successful Kirby oddity. While it lost some of Canvas Curse's features, it makes up for it with a fanciful, clay-based art style. The multiplayer is also a nice touch. It's also nice to see a Wii U game that actually uses the GamePad's features, something that's becoming a rarity.