Matt Paprocki's Reviews
A long-overdue audio-visual upgrade finally lets NHL 23 take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X so that the revamped franchise mode can look as good as it plays.
There's not much to be excited about in PGA Tour 2K23, with poorly presented golfing on second-tier courses. It's fiercely accurate to the real sport but lacks personality and variety.
Bothersome microtransactions aside, NBA 2K23 delivers a nearly flawless sports sim.
Some fun improvements make this playable – yet Madden still features too much carryover. Not just from last year, but the last decade.
Final Vendetta looks and sounds like a mountain of games that came before it but does nothing to separate itself from those same games.
Still surprisingly swing-and-miss online, but for long-lasting and moreish solo play, NBA 2K22 is its only competitor in a two-horse championship duel.
KOF’s resistance to any grand story arc defies the pressure being applied by its rivals. Minimal solo options and routine online duels don’t reinvent anything either. This isn’t laziness on SNK’s part, however. It feels more like a focus on maintaining the design philosophy that the player base has loved all along: potent character design, instantly identifiable team play, and off-the-wall plotlines.
NHL 22's various arcade modes have their charms, but it's an uneven installment that puts the focus in the wrong places.
A solid home-run hitter, but not the baseball revolution we were hoping for on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Of course, it's no surprise that NBA 2K18 looks good; the series has looked the part since its advent on the Dreamcast, staying relevant visually and staking out its own part of basketball culture. NBA 2K18 continues the trend, capturing the feel of basketball's urban centers in The Neighborhood.
Although EA Vancouver planned a three-year rejuvenation of their hockey series, NHL 18 seems like it's on the downside of generational sports games. While Threes adds some zest and significant features, that's the only notable addition to the game. When the introduction menu pops up and “What's New” offers only three choices (one being a tutorial), 2017 is not a good year. NHL 18 is (as always for this series) more than competent, but for the first time in a while, it's a “wait for next year” revision.
In the end, Yonder isn't inventive, exactly, as the multitude of ideas and cross-media inspirations converge somehow into something infinitely familiar. Missions are cut down to absolute basics to fulfill an open world quota, but it's possible to forgive this when traipsing through this aesthetically pleasing land and helping these delighted folk. And as importantly, there's bravery in eliminating things like combat and leveling, allowing Yonder a rare, distinctive brevity.
With its inconsequential story and addiction to inane splatter kills, Rebellion's Sniper Elite 4 doesn't subvert expectations. It doesn't have to necessarily: The appeal of shooting digital Nazis may never stagnate, and increasing the scale of each stage means more Nazis to kill and an increased potential for strategy. But a bigger scope makes the inherent problems more visible.
NBA 2K17 is a worthy if subtle upgrade
Yo-Kai Watch's decidedly foreign lore doesn't trample an accessible series of lessons for children worldwide.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is not only essential, it's poised to be endearing snapshot of America's battle over religious freedoms.
Black Ops III tries something different, but it's wrong headed approach ruins otherwise strong context.
Somewhere exists a thing which explains the basic tenants of Halo 5's story, but it's not Halo 5. Then, once vaunted multplayer is bogged down by microtransactions. For shame.
Bernie Sanders could use Assassin's Creed Syndicate's tale of greed and capitalist abuse at campaign rallies. It's too routine after a dozen games.
Uncharted's flubs are many, but the series is keen on narrative and character - enough to see it through three games.