Ken McKown's Reviews
I had a lot of fun playing Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, but it fizzled out way too soon. The game play is excellent, but the lack of modes and diversity really suck the fun out of it after a couple hours. Not being able to play with friends online is a drag, and the AI is simply not enough to keep me coming back. I wanted to love Ultra Smash, but it fought me at every turn to keep me from wanting to play more of it.
The Crew: Wild Run is not a bad game, just one that doesn't excel at any one thing it does. Nothing about it kept me coming back for more, and a lot of what it offers is more convoluted than it needs to be. I feel like I should be enjoying it a lot more than I actually am, but I never had that sense of wanting to invest more time into the game. For players with a party of friends to enjoy it with, Wild Run is infinitely more enjoyable, but simply as a racing game, it feels painfully average.
Star Wars Battlefront is easily my favorite multiplayer shooter of the year. I can't stop playing it. It finds a perfect balance of strategy and diversity, and most importantly, it is extremely fun, something I find lacking in a lot of online shooters. I can definitely see myself sticking with the online mode for months to come, and here is to hoping the season pass delivers even more content to keep players engrossed. The Force is certainly strong with this one.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 feels like a progression of the series as opposed to the advancement past entries from Treyarch delivered. Still it is hard to argue with how much is packed into this release, and I found myself exploring it all over and over again. The sheer amount of content makes up for the lack of innovation in some areas, and while I don't think it stands out as much as Advanced Warfare, it still keeps me playing a series I never thought I would care about year in, and year out.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a stellar title for the fall season, and a sequel that addresses most of the complaints about its predecessor. Crystal Dynamics is really knocking it out of the park with the reboot of Lara Croft and I cannot wait to see how it evolves over time. Anyone with an Xbox One needs to pick this title up. It once again makes a solid case for my top ten list of games of the year.
MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore is a bad game. This hurts me considering I have been an avid fan of Rainbow's titles since the PS2 era. They were always dumb fun with friends, and now they have slowly become an attempt to cater to an audience that really doesn't care either. I wish they would go back to the more arcade-style racing and focus on fun more than realism. Now excuse me as I boot up my copy of Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild.
There isn't much wrong with Original Sin outside of the fact that there simply may be too much of it. In a time when games are releasing on a weekly basis, this is a daunting experience that requires the utmost dedication. Still, for anyone who loves the turn-based genre, it doesn't get much better than this. It is a game I can see myself really digging into more once the rush slows down, there is simply so much to explore, and the world is interesting enough to keep players engaged for well over 100 hours.
For anyone that missed the original release of Darksiders II, I implore you to give it a go this time around. It is a fantastic game that stands the test of time. I know this is the season for all the new, big games to drop, but if you never got to step into Death's grimy shoes, I cannot recommend this game enough.
Overlord: Fellowship of Evil is disappointing in a time when no game can afford to even be mediocre. Fans of the original games may be tempted to give it a chance, but I implore you to avoid this game at all costs. There is nothing redeeming about this title. It is a shadow of its former self, and not even a good rip-off of the genres it is trying to imitate. This is one Overlord whose rule deserves to be revoked.
Halo 5: Guardians is a fantastic step for the series. 343 Industries proves it knows the series, and this being the first official game on the Xbox One, it stands out as one of the pinnacle games for the console. I can see myself playing this MP long into next year, and it feels good to have the classic back in action without hiccups or issues. If you own an Xbox One this is a no-brainer, Halo 5 is a must-have game.
Yoshi's Woolly World is Nintendo doing what Nintendo does best; create a colorful world full of precision that spans generations. I loved it, my son adores it, and gamers everywhere will not be able to play it without smiling. Nothing about it changes the genre for better or worse, but that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo still makes some of the best games out there. If you own a Wii U, it is definitely worth checking out, if for nothing more than the smile it will put on your face, the entire time you play it.
A lot of the issues with GHTV is that it is confusing to understand how it works within the game. Players are used to just buying songs a la carte. The new six button setup will also throw players for a loop. Again, I totally respect the new direction, but the familiar tones of its competitor really draw me to prefer that offering. Plus I can play what songs I want, when I want. I will be interested to see how this game evolves over time, and I hope like Harmonix, they intend it just to be a platform. I don't want to see Guitar Hero Live 2 next year. As it stands though, this is one purchase I am finding a hard time recommending to those that already bought into Rock Band's ecosystem.
All in all, this is a pretty great pack that has some really well done tables in it. There are a few hiccups with the Archer table, and while it wasn't my cup of tea, people have different tastes in pinball tables. Even then, there is a lot to have in the Balls of Glory pack. Zen Pinball players should pick this up without a doubt. More pinball is always a good thing and Zen knows how to make some fun tables.
Transformers: Devastation is a fantastic trip down memory lane for fans of the Generation One cartoon. As a video game, the combat is extremely satisfying, if not a tad repetitious. This game feels incomplete in some areas, like there should simply be more of it. That makes it hard to recommend to anyone not completely gaga over the cartoon. However, for anyone who grew up with Prime and Megatron constantly butting heads, this is a must-have title. I just hope Platinum gets the time to do a proper sequel, and really flesh out the incredible template they have created.
Dragon Quest Heroes is just fun. The visual style is gorgeous, and the game play hits all the right notes with some fantastic pacing. Fans of the genre should definitely check it out, but even those usually put off by it, should definitely keep an eye on it. It quickly became one of my favorite sleeper games of the year. I didn't expect to even care, now I can't stop playing. I hope Omega Force continues to step outside the Warriors franchise to deliver these unique experiences, there are so many franchises that would benefit from this type of game.
Samurai Warriors 4-II is a weird step in the series. It isn't a typical remake or sequel, and it would almost benefit if it didn't carry the numbered moniker, even if it does share a lot in common with the previous game. Still, it is yet another solid entry in the series. Omega Force has become a machine at crafting these, and for those not yet tired of the setting, there is still a copious amount of fun to be had here.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 is easily the biggest disappointment of the year for me. Not because I expected it to be great; but because I expected it to at least be enjoyable on some levels. Sadly it fails on almost every attempt. The core skating feels good, but never satisfying, and everything surrounding it just feels flat. I wanted this to the be the resurgence of the series, but it feels more like a budget game wrapped in a AAA game price.
Guns, Gore, and Cannoli is a great, if not short romp. The art style pops and the game play is smooth. Just be aware that it can get frustrating attempting to fly solo. Outside of that I definitely recommend checking it out. It knows what it is from the first level and never tries to be anything else.
Penarium is a great title that channels that addictive nature of "just one more" in its game play. It is just challenging enough to keep me coming back, and forgiving enough to annoy me at times.
Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma: Vol. 1 is a bad, bad game. I hope the developers take note and fix these issues before releasing the next two volumes, but it almost feels beyond broken. I wanted to love it, I tried to love it, but at the end of the day it just shattered my dreams of continuing the series. Let's hope the original gets backwards compatibility on Xbox One soon. I am really dying to dive back into this world, just not with this abomination of a game.