Technomancer is a great mid-tier Sci-Fi RPG. Those waiting patiently for Mass Effect: Andromeda might find their appetite satiated for the time being, but those wanting a flawless AAA experience will be left frustrated. The depth of the game is extremely admirable and well-handled, the influences are well placed without being beaten to death, and the game overall straddles the line between good and fine.
Deadlight Director's Cut packs a good game in a shinier package – a solid platforming survival (not zombie slaughter) game that emphasizes staying alive and moving quickly while taking the high ground that now has refined visuals and controls. Overall it's a good package and certainly the best way to experience Deadlight but those looking for a ton of value packed or incredible voice acting might be left a little disappointed. In the end, it's a good game, great experience, and we can't wait to see what Tequila Works brings us next.
Fenix Furia has had a rough go from concept to release, and while there's a good platformer in there for the glutton for punishment, there's also quite a bit of frustration. Some cool concept and art design with straightforward controls give a good core platforming game, but some light story, frustrating mechanical choices, and lack of reward may leave players wanting more.
Far Harbor is Bethesda doing what they do well, extending the longevity of the product and prolonging the players want and need to explore more and more. I finished most of Far Harbor, but it’ll be weeks, if not months before I can say I’ve seen everything. The creepy atmosphere, new designs for everything from weapons to characters and buildings really make this DLC feel different. While there’s a hiccup in the action with the hacking/data theft section, it’s not a dealbreaker.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for PC is the definitive version of two great entries in the overall series. There's more than enough additional content packed in, refined visuals and a remastered soundtrack that alone would be worth it, but put on top of it a few of the better Final Fantasy journeys and memorable characters, as well as mechanics and it's an easy recommendation.
Shadwen is value-packed game that has a few hours of content in a more than reasonably priced package. The mechanics of rope swinging, grappling and zipping up, as well as chaining together the perfect kills while never being discovered or rarely touching the ground are entirely rewarding.
The Banner Saga 2 absolutely deserves the time of gamers looking for a narrative experience with challenging gameplay, and true gravity behind decisions made during nearly every moment of playing.
If you’ve got the Season Pass it’s worth firing up to see what’s new and maybe spruce up Sanctuary Hills, but is also completely skippable for those looking for anything more than a few new items and a somewhat neat new arena mechanic.
Adr1ft is an absolutely stunning visual experience. It looks amazing and feels great to be in nearly at all times. That is until you progress to the point when you realize you're doing the exact same thing in a new sector of the ship, not even with different objectives or quick time moments to try to mask the fact that you're hitting enter to make yet another core and plug it in. The whole experience is relatively short, and while it's something to behold visually and feels good while in it, it might not be something for everyone.
Dark Souls 3 should serve as an example of a game that not only serves existing fans extremely well, but isn't so obtuse in its approach that it can't be picked up by a newbie and enjoyed, just as much as I did.
Fallout 4’s first DLC Automatron sets a good precedent for content coming out of Bethesda to support the game. There’s plenty here to not only explore once, but also to build multiple robots to take on adventures through the wasteland. If you’ve done literally everything else on the map, it might not keep you going for long, but for everyone else you’ve got a fleshed out and thorough reason to jump back in.
MLB The Show 16 could've been a disappointment, just another entry with an updated roster. Fortunately Sony San Diego brought improvements, innovations, and some (potentially) fun experiments to the table. The Show remains the only real player in the baseball simulation realm, and while unfortunate for Xbox owners, and the only choice for PS4 players, it would fare well against any competition that were out there.
Trackmania Turbo is a thrill ride, offering up some high-speed action that feels great from beginning to end. Complaints are minimal, and even though the cosmetic items are slow to earn unless you're a natural, it still feels good when they are unlocked. The sense of speed, simple to learn yet hard to master controls, and the consistent mechanics make the game truly come together as a great arcade racer with some surprisingly consistent, almost simulation-grade mechanics like cornering and drifting.
Superhot might not be a FPS in the vein of Call of Duty or Battlefront but it has it's place in the landscape as a thoughtful, interesting, and artistically striking game. It brings unique style, compelling puzzling, and a method of making trial and error engaging that is seldom found in other games. Superhot is one of those rare games that anyone can sit down with, make total sense of, and come away classifying it as a great experience.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is just that, the best way to play Gears of War. Although there were a few hiccups and muddy textures, the overall experience brings back a good amount of feel-goods and memories. Some may forget that Gears isn’t just a muscle-bound third-person shooter, instead finding influences in horror, suspense, and thriller and mixing themes to great effect. Alongside obvious visual improvements and additional chapters from the original PC release, the Ultimate Edition the game gets performance and menu additions that will be welcomed by the PC crowd like benchmarking, and Windows 10 Game DVR functionality. Ultimately, if this is your first Gears of War experience, or you just want to remember what a great beginning to end game feels like, this is the way to play Gears of War.
Far Cry Primal is a bit of a surprise, not just being it happened in the first place, but that it works so well. It's a beautiful game set in an interesting time, place, and involving interesting characters. Weapons feel great, the gameplay itself is fantastic, and the new mechanics introduced work extremely well for the game itself. While it doesn't break any ground in the narrative department, it tells a decent story of family, legacy, and revenge. Far Cry Primal is an unexpected but wholly welcome entry to the series, and serves as an example of something you didn't see coming, but can't see yourself without.
Street Fighter V is a technically sound, and all around well designed fighting game. Unfortunately without being able to report on the online matchmaking in any mode at all, modes missing like a fleshed out story that makes sense and has closure, challenges, and inability to purchase or investigate prices for in-game currency make this a tough game to recommend as a day one purchase. Capcom has some great plans for a well supported 2016 for Street Fighter V, and the ability to cross-play between PlayStation 4 and PC might be an attractive option for some. At this point it's impossible to say that it's a must-own for the casual or much less than big fighting game fan collection, but will hinge on your trust in Capcom to refine, patch, and deliver content throughout the year for Street Fighter V.
Dying Light on its own was a great game - now with the Enhanced Edition, more story, more to do, and more guts to splatter - it takes an already great thing and makes it even better. There's tens of hours to be had exploring, completing side quests, and just breaking bones and slashing zombies, and that's what makes this one the definitive version - all the right additions, nothing really holding it back. Dying Light: The Following and the Enhanced Edition will go down as not just a zombie game done extraordinarily well, but a complete experience that is a love letter to players in a time when it seems ok to be happy with less than great.
Resident Evil 0 HD is a good remake of a good game. Simple as that. If you like the series, or the original production, you'll like this quite a bit. The remake serves as a great history lesson to gamers that haven't gotten the chance, or a great throwback for those that just want to play some good old Resident Evil. Control, camera, and visual hiccups aside, the remake is good enough to forget Resident Evil 6, and remind us of the roots of the franchise. Hopefully this signals the return of true Survival Horror to the Capcom classic.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is an incredible game. The amount of content is incredible. The ability to control and mix up your character at any time is incredible. The variety in not only location but weapons, armor, and items are incredible. The ability to jump and grab a giant enemy, scaling it to stab it in the face while it thrashes about is incredible. You get it, now if you're a fan of Fantasy RPG, saving the kingdoms from dragons and demons, and extremely satisfying gameplay from nearly every aspect, buy Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.