Ken McKown's Reviews
When all is said and done, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is just a delightful game, and a ton of fun to play with friends. I can't recommend it enough for even the most jaded gamer. I have spent countless hours with the title, and still play it months after release, which is more than I can say for almost every shooter ever released on a console
The swing mechanics are excellent, and the course editor is second to none. I just wish there was more of a sense of progression to the core game. As it stands it is expensive, and can sometimes feel like a tech demo fleshed out with menus.
inFamous: First Light once again shows Sony makes some stellar content post-release. Being able to enjoy this adventure even without owning the original game is a huge plus. For those that might have parted ways with their original copy, this $15 continuation is more than worth the price of admission. It also helps that I actually enjoyed this piece of content more than the original game.
If you love the genre, this is like an all-star package; and even for those a little cold on the idea of the games this is definitely worth a look.
Those craving a solid shooter to enjoy with friends and have no interest in taking on the Fallen alone should definitely give Destiny a shot.
It is clear Minecraft is an absolute beast in terms of sales. With the pending purchase of developer Mojang by Microsoft, I wonder where the series will venture to next. Still, there is a lot of things to see and do, and if you are one of the five people that have yet to experience this game, there has never been a better time than now.
Even with everything missing NHL 15 is still a great playing game. The on-ice action is still hard to top, and if EA does patch in all the missing features, this could end up being the best in the series in years. Sadly, as it stands right now there is too much missing to make it feel like a complete package.
Disney Infinity remains a series with a host of potential that never seems to get fleshed out. The Toy Box once again reigns as the sole reason to purchase the game, and it doesn't come cheap. Disney knows what they are doing though, adding in Marvel only makes kids scream for the figures even more than before.
I kept coming back wanting to play more, even after unlocking almost everything the game had to offer. That is the ultimate compliment I can pay to the latest exclusive title on the Wii U. Fans of Zelda and musou games, this is a no-brainer, but for anyone else on the fence, it is definitely a game worth checking out.
Forza Horizon 2 is a fantastic racing game, probably the best released so far in this short-lived generation of consoles. Xbox One owners should definitely check it out. The amount of content is impressive, but even more impressive is that most of it is really fun to play. Horizon 2 starts off a laundry list of exclusive titles for MS, we can only hope the rest are as excellent as Playground's latest racer.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the first game on these new consoles that screams next generation game play. Even those not so sweet on the source material need to check this game out.
Even with these quirks Trap Team is still the best game in the series to date. Sure it is yet another massive investment, but I am glad to see that the team continues to improve the core game and make it even more fun with each iteration.
Styx: Master of Shadows surprised me. The fluid controls and inventive game play kept me coming back to its lengthy campaign. I also liked Styx as a character. I might not have remembered what he did, but I had a good time getting him there. The price might be a little scary at $30, but for those that enjoy a pure stealth game, this one is definitely worth a look.
Even with these issues I still enjoyed the lengthy adventure Evil Within delivers. It has been a long time coming, but Mikami has definitely delivered classic survival horror. Fans of the genre should not miss this. While it is plagued with visual problems, the pacing is almost perfect, and the tension is unmatched. There is a lot to love with Mikami's latest title, and I cannot wait to see where he goes next.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is a better-looking console version of a solid open-world game. That might be the most generic description of a game I have ever concocted, but it breaks it down perfectly. I enjoyed playing through Wei Shen's story again, but the hefty price tag makes it a little hard to recommend, especially to those who have already played it
Alien Isolation is a great game marred with problems that make it frustrating the longer it goes on, and it goes on for a lot longer than it should. I love the ideas, I love the environments and the atmosphere and I wanted to love the entire game, but it kept giving me reasons not to.
Project Spark is a fantastic creation tool with some severe growing pains. The complexity will scare off lots of creators, and the customization items locked behind a pay-wall will deter even more. I worry that no one will be creating gems on the system outside of a few dedicated creators. A game like this lives and dies on its community, and I am not sure Project Spark has the legs to keep things interesting for years to come.
It is fun, and that is the most important aspect of any game for me nowadays. I spent double-digit hours exploring the city, collecting items, and simply destroying anything in my path, and I can't wait to do more. That speaks volumes about a game, and Sunset Overdrive is certainly not one to be missed this holiday season.
Fans of the original should definitely not miss this, and those who still love the twitch feel of old-school PC FPS should definitely give it a whirl.
There simply isn't anything here to interest fans of the show, fans of good combat games, or even budget gamers looking for a solid downloadable title for their new consoles.