Ken McKown's Reviews
Bastion is the epitome of why XBLA alone is worth owning an Xbox 360 for. The game defines what passionate developers can accomplish on the platform, and if you appreciate old-school design with a modern twist, not playing this game could be considered a crime. It has so much to love and is one of the few games I was not ready to be over when the credits rolled. The Summer of Arcade starts off with a massive bang, and I suggest everyone give this one a go when it lands this week.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is by far one of the best surprises of 2020. It shot directly up to the top of my best games of the year. I cannot express how much fun I had with this game. I kept coming back to it with tons of other titles calling for my attention. It is the best game Ubisoft has dropped this year and the promise of more DLC has me dreaming of returning to the world. With back to back excellent outings the AC Odyssey team continues to impress me. I cannot wait to see what they do after they wrap up the DLC for this game. Do not sleep on this title, it is one of the best of the year by a longshot.
It is awesome to finally have Axiom Verge on all platforms now, and for those that missed it for some reason, there is simply no excuse anymore. It is an excellent callback to classic titles, while also bringing its own flair and making a stamp on the genre. I cannot recommend it enough. I am disappointed that I waited so long to finally dive deep into its world, but now that I have, I can't wait to go back.
Whatever reason you haven't played this, it is time to finally dive in, and for those like me who already beat it to death on previous consoles, it is more than worth jumping back into. It really is one of the best releases and the ideal way to craft a remaster.
Still considered one of the best (if not THE best in the series) REmake still holds up today as a trendsetter in the gaming world. Every other title wanted to be it, but none ever quite nailed the formula the way this Gamecube remake does. Definitely recommended for fans of the genre, as this is the pinnacle of what Shinji Mikami created all those years ago.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn't going to make people who hate the series suddenly take notice, but for those that have felt the franchise has been falling flat lately, it definitely re-energizes it. This is the Call of Duty game fans have been clamoring for, and I feel sorry for the team that has to try and top it next year.
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.
Football fans need not worry, it is time once again for the NFL season to begin. Madden NFL 15 will easily keep you engaged for months to come.
The journey through the Metro is more than worth the price of admission, plus the visuals are great at showcasing the new hardware. I am really looking forward to what 4A Games has in store next.
Fans of baseball and even those only slightly curious have yet another great title for the new console.
Rayman Legends is one of the best games that no one played last year. Now is the time to remedy that.
Thankfully this isn't a quick or cheap port that does a disservice to the original experience. This is still one of the best games of last year, and the enhancements make it one of the best looking games to come out in a while.
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.
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.
Smash is yet another reason to own Nintendo's machine, and anyone looking for a fun romp would be wise to pick it up, along with some Gamecube controllers for maximum enjoyment.
Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful, punishing game that harkens back to the classic side-scrolling titles of the SNES. It will beat you down and test every ounce of patience, but not without reward. This is one of those games people will be talking about down the road, not unlike Shadow Complex or Geometry Wars. It once again showcases that there are so many games and so many ways to deliver and experience them; and this is one experience you can't afford to miss.
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.
[I]t takes a lot to bring me back into the online shooter fold, and Titanfall has definitely dragged me back in. I can see myself enjoying this for months to come; I just hope they deliver enough support to keep it interesting beyond that.
Mario Kart 8 is certainly more Mario Kart, but that isn't a bad thing. Any series that can last over two decades and still generate this much love from gamers has to be doing something right. While the latest entry doesn't set the world on fire with its innovation, it makes up for it by delivering some of the best tracks in the history of the franchise, and rock-solid visuals.
Batman: Arkham Knight may mark the end of Rocksteady's trilogy, but it goes out with a bang. There is so much to love about it, it is easily in contention for one of the best of 2015. I am truly excited to see what the team is up to next, but their take on the Dark Knight has been the best, and this final entry is no exception.