Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound offers some of the best 2D combat and movement I've ever experienced in an action platformer. Almost every level is designed to maximize your abilities in combat and platforming, and test your reflexes in all the best ways. There are perhaps a few too many auto-scroll levels for my liking, and I wish the bosses were a little more varied; however, these are minor issues in an overall fantastic package. Ninja Gaiden is back.
Wheel World just doesn't deliver on the promises it presents in its opening hour. You'll quickly find the charm starts to wear off as you complete monotonous race after monotonous race. That boredom only turns to frustration as the later races in the game become increasingly hostile, with no way for the player to push back. Add on a story that goes nowhere, and you have a game that just feels like it never got past the initial brainstorming session.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 offers the definitive way to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and a great way to experience Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. While I wish some levels were given a bit more polish and redesigns, this is still the best collection of levels ever put in a Tony Hawk game and puts Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 at the top of the list of best skateboarding games in the modern console era.
Shuffle Tactics fails its art style and interesting game mechanics with an unpolished UI and a multitude of bugs. There is an interesting game to be found here, but asking players to trudge through the horrible camera, visual and mechanical bugs, and poor UI decisions to get to it is inexcusable. Hopefully, after a few patches and a camera overhaul, Shuffle Tactics will be worth the time and effort, but as it stands now, there are too many other strong roguelike/deckbuilders on the market that your time would be better spent playing.
A love letter to the world of Frank Herbert, Dune: Awakening has some of the most immersive survival gameplay in recent years, as well as an intriguing entry in the Dune lore. However, the game expects a lot from the player and has a very slow grind to get to the best parts of the game. As it stands, Dune: Awakening is a strong foundation for Funcom to build off of, and I can't wait to see where the game goes next.
Battle Train has a fun cast of characters, a solid story, and a lot of love put into it. The core gameplay is strong, but the lack of build variety leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully, some future updates will add some more deck themes down the line, because I would gladly return to Battle Train if they play their cards right.
POPUCOM surprised me by giving a well-crafted cooperative adventure that has just enough curveballs to keep you on your toes. Anyone looking for their next co-op adventure would be hard pressed to find a better option, especially at only $20.
Throes of the Watchmaker looks to improve on the issues that some had with Sea of Stars, but fails to move the needle one way or the other. Those who enjoyed their time with the base game will probably have a great time with this free DLC, while those who didn't gel with the original release won't find much to win them over.
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a good follow-up to the original Onimusha and improves on it in almost every way, and this remaster is the definitive way to play it. The combat feels great, the upscaled pre-rendered backgrounds are gorgeous, and the colorful cast of characters helps propel the story above the first game in the series. Some half-baked systems and mechanics hold it back from being truly great, but I still recommend this to those who love the original release and to those who may have never played the series before.
The Midnight Walk is an astounding achievement of artistic vision that triumphantly tells both a heart-warming and terrifying story of perseverance and finding light in the darkest of times. It is an impressive labor of love that hopefully will find the audience it deserves and be at the top of game of the year lists come Winter.