Xenoblade Chronicles belongs to one of three titles that gamers have fought to bring over to the US, and feels like a crowning achievement to have actually succeeded. When it debuted on the Wii on 2012, it surprised a lot of gamers with its forward thinking mechanics, a relatively fun combat system, some extremely deep gameplay systems, and its sense of scale. This was easily one of the biggest JRPGs on a console that was an entire generation behind, and it delivered on nearly all fronts. Fast forward to 2015, with the release of an updated 3DS model which adds some extra processing power and Xenoblade Chronicles 3D being the system's first exclusive game, utilizing that power, and you have the perfect reason to either dive back into this fantastic game, or perhaps experience for the first time.
A game that's mechanically similar to the Metroid of old, yet still manages to have its own identity with some truly awesome concepts. It's gorgeous, challenging and a delight to play.
A worthy upgrade if you plan on playing the PS4 version. Not only do you get the entirety of the base game, which is great for newcomers, but you also get nearly double the content.
Paradoxically, it's a version seemingly made for people that have already played through the original Dark Souls 2, rather than new players, who might actually have a harder time with the new, tougher enemy placements.
My BoxBoy review code sat in my inbox for about a week. It's not that I didn't want to play it, but the end of March and even the beginning of April was filled with a ton of games that demanded more of my attention. Not knowing what BoxBoy was, I looked up some gameplay videos, and wasn't taken by what I saw. Something about a boy that looks like a box and there are a lot of puzzles involved. I figured, passing on the review at that time was OK in lieu of bigger, more time consuming titles. Now that the storm has calmed, I was ready to finally dive into BoxBoy. After just beating the first world, which took me all of probably 5 minutes, I saw the immense potential. This was a game that isn't gaining any favors through gameplay videos. It's a game you have to play to "get." And it's oh so delightful.
Fast, fluid, bloody, disgusting and yet so beautiful. It's an amazing successor to the 2011 title that one-ups it in nearly every way. Diverse characters, plenty of modes and a robust suite of multiplayer options make it a must for fans of Kombat.
It's technically impressive, gorgeous, accessible yet challenging and definitely worthy of your gaming collection.
A genius blend of two very different genre, coming together to form an extremely addicting dungeon crawler with a musical motif. Oh, and the soundtrack is absolutely kickass.
The world and characters come to life in CDPR's conclusion to The Witcher trilogy. A few minor bugs can't ruin what is otherwise a masterful game. If only the combat was slightly better
Hilariously fun with friends, but avoidable otherwise. It's also the best deal on the game, containing all previously released DLC.
Batman's biggest, best, most polished game yet. Rocksteady created a masterpiece that really lets you BE the Batman.
Fast, stylish, but ultimately still a seven year old game. A few new characters help change up the pace of combat but you're still ultimately playing the same levels three times.
A completely unique idea that's unfortunately unplayable and most importantly, boring. You're better off wandering to find a better game to play.
Astebreed is loaded with gorgeous graphics, intense gameplay and high replayability, making it a must have for fans of the Shmup genre.
Brimming with a variety of characters and fan service, yet lacking the fluidity of Spike Chunsoft previous fighting games. Casual anime fans need not apply.
At times I wonder whether the folks over at Atlus ever predicted the popularity of Persona 4. While Persona 3 did have its following, as well as a few updated releases with Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, it simply can't match Persona 4's popularity, though it did ride its coat tails. Persona 4 astounded us as an amazing JRPG that we could eventually take on the go, a fighting game, a dungeon crawler and now, a dancing game. Yep, you read that right. Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm game akin to games like Hatsune Miku, though in true Persona fashion, sports a narrative tying it all together.
It's ugly by today's standards, too slow and un-engaging, and simply too damn repetitive to enjoy. Unless you've grown up on Godzilla movies and are fueled by intense nostalgia, this is probably not a game for you.
Accessible yet tough to master. Rocket League was an amazing surprise and easily one of the best sports games this year.
A strange hybrid of Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog, Game Freak once again proves that they can do so much more than Pocket Monsters.
A somewhat flawed game with a pretty fun and hectic combat system. Beware, the game is definitely hyper-sexualized.