Instilled with a pervading sense of disquiet and a knack for the disturbing, Inside is a memorable, beautifully realized puzzle-platformer. The game’s middle drags as it leans too heavily on puzzles, and the game’s short length and ending will no doubt put some off, but some strong puzzle and world design and an engrossing, murky narrative makes Playdead’s latest is an adventure worth taking.
King of Fighters remains what it has always been with its latest entry: a niche fighter with a great cast, an unforgiving learning curve, and a lot of heart anchored by an incredible fighting engine. It’s not for everyone; no game is. But if you’re willing to dedicate yourself to it, and learn it, it’s a tournament worth entering and a fight worth fighting, all these years later.
Madden NFL 17 isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn fine football simulation that puts the game first, and then gives you lots of ways to play it. There’s teaching tools to whip even the most noobish of newbies into Football Gods, and the strong core gameplay and large variety of modes should please longtime fans. If you’re a football fan, it shouldn’t be missed.
Livelock is a solid twin-stick shooter with interesting character classes, good gameplay, and fun co-op play. The story is unoriginal and bland, and the game is relatively short, but it’s a worthwhile play for fans of the genre, even if it doesn’t do anything to drastically change it.
When Verdun works, the mixture of tension and uniqueness it provides is unlike anything else and utterly engaging. Too often, however, the game gets in its own way, either due to technical issues or poor design decisions. It’s an incredibly interesting and unique game, but its tedium and technical issues should be considered before you enter its trenches.
Great zones and questing content, new additions like Demon Hunters, Artifacts, and Class Halls, solid group content, an engaging story, and the return of WarCraft’s best group of villains make Legion one of the best expansions WoW has had at launch. It’s hard to judge the final quality of an MMO on release, but right now, Legion is on the path to becoming one of WoW’s strongest expansions.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles' focus on exploration, crafting, and farming, and decision to eschew combat, is a relaxing change of pace in an industry often focused on violence. How much you get from a game like this is up to you: its lack of direction will inevitably bore some people, but it will captivate others. If you open your mind, the world of Gemea has many beautiful things to show you.
Despite its variety and the occasional innovation, Aven's lack of threat and mediocre story make the game feel undercooked. It's a sold city builder that doesn't do enough with its premise to stand out.
Incredible levels, beautiful art, a fantastic soundtrack and classic gameplay make Sonic Mania the best Sonic game in years.
Unfortunately, Matterfall never quite comes together, despite its short runtime
NHL 18 impresses with new teaching tools, sublime skating, updated dekes and defensive moves, new modes, and a lot of improvements. It isn't a perfect hockey game, but when it skates this well and looks this sharp, who cares?
Death of the Outsider's story never lives up to its promise, but strong mechanics, good gameplay, and a fascinating world pull it through.
Excellent mechanics, lots of options, stunning visuals, top-flight sound design and a emphasis on accessibility make Project Cars 2 a worthwhile sequel that will appeal to anyone who loves cars and isn't afraid of a challenge.
Gran Turismo Sport isn't perfect, but it is a focused sim with a genuine love of driving. Excellent driving, beautiful cars, a strong online component, and tons of features help it overcome a stringent online requirement, a smaller number of cars and tracks, and weak crashes and damage modeling.
Strong writing, excellent performances, good gameplay, and a surprising relevance to current events combine to make Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus an old school, Nazi-killin' good time.
Hidden Agenda is a fun co-op or competitive title with a good production values and a gripping story. The PlayLink system can cause issues and an unforgiving save system means that you may have to start over, but this is a well-made game that's extensively replayable and a killer with friends.
Super Lucky's Tale is a funny, joyous game with excellent mechanics and great characters. Microsoft has finally found their platformer.
A derivative, middling campaign, good multiplayer, and a ton of content means that Call of Duty: WWII is more Call of Duty - for better and worse.
Strong writing, great performances, an engaging story with choices that matter, and a fantastic soundtrack make Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy an intergalactic ride worth taking. Just don't forget your Walkman.
Dead Rising 4 is a good game, but a poor Dead Rising game. Fans will likely bemoan many of the changes, but underneath that, there's a very good, very meaty game, albeit one that's far more generic than previous entries in the series.