As a fan of the action RPG genre, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon should be everything you've been craving after devouring the other great titles this year, but that's probably the worst knock on the game as well, it does little to make itself stand out and call it a game you must play, or even should probably try eventually.
Two great game genres that play great together, Spellforce 3 isn't anything special in any one area but the combination of the elements adds enough that it should keep players coming back for a long time.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory isn't so much the Majora's Mask as it hoped to be, but the story here grabbed me from the start and the pace kept me in. The scope of the game earns it being more than DLC, but the huge leaning on reused assets will quickly tire a returning player. Take it in stride however, and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory is every bit the decent RPG that the previous game was.
If you're a series' fan, you'll find a lot to like about Thrones of Britannia, and perhaps even appreciate the fat that's been cut to let you just get to the action faster. But overall, Thrones of Britannia is a hard game to recommend to someone who isn't already a fan of the genre.
If you've played Madden in the last several years, odds are you already know if you'll enjoy Madden NFL 19. That isn't to say the game does nothing new or better over the previous game, but it is very much another iterative game that will make you go, “Yep, that's a Madden.” Whether that's a good thing or not is really up to you.
Defiance 2050 might lean too hard on players knowing a show that nobody was even watching in 2015, let alone now, but once you get past that, you find that the game is a very competent open world shooter wearing the trappings of an MMO. It's nothing that's going to change anyone's life, but the price is right and the right people playing with you can turn the game into some great fun.
The improvements to NASCAR Heat 3 are so profound that it's hard to believe that this is even from the same team. It's still no Forza, or even Driveclub, but the game is moving in a decent direction that makes it easier and fun to play than previous games.
Mario Golf: World Tour isn't set up as well as it could be, and fails to live up to the rest of the series. It is still very well executed where in matters, and it's consistently fun to hit the links of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 doesn’t really welcome newcomers into the amazing crossover battles that the game can offer, and doesn’t have any new content to really tempt a double dip from an old fan, but the visual update and just being made available again is fantastic. It’s great to welcome another fighting franchise to the current generation if you’re looking for something to play with friends, but perhaps the PS3 version can be busted out for the same experience until Infinite comes out.
Atelier Feris: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey is sometimes charming, but frequently feels a bit vapid in execution. The core of Alchemy is done well, but the things around it don’t hold up. I can praise it for telling a more personal journey, but not much else.
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam may not be a game for everyone but I can see how deep an enthusiast could dig into the foxhole if they can survive the brutal bombardment that is the learning curve. Tie up your boots and give the game 20, 30, even 40 hours, and perhaps you'll graduate and have a very rewarding time.
Football Manager 2018 is very good at what it does, the problem really is that what it does, is for a very specific subset of people, and to anyone outside of that it's a game that feels far too often like you're doing your taxes. It can't be called bad, but I lament the lack of newcomer friendly features.
Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame is actually a surprisingly competent for what it sets out to do, and fairly accommodating next to something like NASCAR Heat 2, which generally just didn't care if you were hoping to get into the genre.
Cel Damage has a great core concept that would be great to see explored further, but that glorious promise just makes it more of a shame that Finish Line Games for whatever reason couldn't take it to that next step. As it is, Cel Damage is a hard sell to those without a strong core group of people to play locally.
There’s a lot of potential within Mantis Burn Racing, but a lack of content really sells short the fantastic execution. A follow up with more fantastical tracks, and a lot more tracks and vehicles baked in would really be a treat, but I can’t recommend the game right now.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is the definition of phoned in, as even compared to other Warriors titles the combat is bare and they do little to nothing to mechanically bring you into the world of the game. Limited maps take away the extra juggling the series needs to keep interest and the result is just a pretty boring time.
NBA Playgrounds is let down by several little things, but most chiefly by the singular mode on offer. If they launched with some more fun modes to embrace the irreverent tone the game clearly wants to go for, or add them later for some added value, then the game might have some staying power.
ELEX has ambition it lacks focus and refinement to become something more than it is. Technical fumbles, bad writing and robotic animations all bring the game down from any possible greatness, and what's left can only be called mediocre.
Resident Evil Revelations is a game out of time and it doesn't hold up to the standard of the hardware it's trying to compete on. Is it still classic style Resident Evil? Yeah, sure. But it's hard to say whether that's enough in 2017, and with the rest of its issues, it certainly lacks in many departments.
Bladestorm Nightmare is an anachronism. It tries to do a lot of things, but does nothing terribly well. The opportunity porting the game offered was pretty much squandered, as it drags most of the original games shortcomings up with it. It's not a game for the uninitiated and it's probably better left as the cult title it always was.