The story crafted by Tales isn't just a fine Borderlands sequel, but one of the most enjoyable sci-fi adventure stories in recent memory.
In Rise of the Tomb Raider, the action set pieces come first and the narratively satisfying reasons to do them second.
The aesthetic of the game is immaculate, stark yet beautiful, suggesting what a Fast and the Furious might look like as helmed by Michael Mann.
This spectacle is impressive on its own merits, but it spins the story's wheels for way too long.
It isn't quite the game to finally thrust Assassin's Creed forward into new territory, but it's the one to point the series at true north for the first time in years.
Jaw dropping beauty and a hefty challenge await you in in the hallowed realm of Jotun.
Tonally schizophrenic, yet still one of the more fascinating game experiences ever made.
This is the best kind of remaster: a lovingly crafted technical update that's also a master class on how a developer can evolve ideas.
It's an experiment that acts as a deconstruction and overjoyed celebration of everything Super Mario Bros.
Players who have already taken this trip with Shadowrun Returns and its expansion may find themselves wanting a bit with the gameplay, and newbies will have quite the learning curve to surmount, but if you see the gameplay as an adequate means to experience the more satisfying narrative end, Shadowrun: Hong Kong more than earns your attention.
It asks us to buy Max as a wasteland messiah whose life consists of spending his most sane years playing fetch.
A better version of a great game, but not as definitive as it could be.
The ninja returns, better than ever.
Prototype 2 certainly offers a stronger experience than Prototype, but it's still thoroughly outclassed on current gen consoles by Saints Row IV and Infamous: Second Son. At its best, a remaster can be a great reminder of why we loved a game to begin with. Had the Prototype Biohazard Bundle actually been a full upgrade, it would at least show us how far we've come. But given even Prototype 2's mind-boggling technical limitations, this troubled bundle is more of a reminder that mediocrity is still not obsolete.
Worst of all, unlocking the new monsters involves trekking through the tedious campaign over and over again, grinding for experience.
It's not the polishing of the old that makes it worthy of the current gen, but how far the game is willing to present a twist on mythology.
Guild of Dungeoneering is deceptively simple but full of fun.
While remastering Ninja Theory's take on 'Devil May Cry' on current gen consoles felt like giving an underappreciated reinvention the platform it deserved, re-releasing 'Devil May Cry 4' on them is a sobering mirror, showing what the series should be leaving behind as we move forward. It's the kind of throwback that's more important for educational purposes than anything, a rough sketch homage where the series is capable of wild, vibrant ambition. There are those who still prefer the ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach of the game, and more power to them. They will be pleased by the TLC, But the reboot showed the way forward. The fandom should follow suit.
Even with all the gadgets, all the exhilaration of success, its greatest achievement is in making it feel like it just might not be enough.
In Her Story, an old game mechanic has been put to captivating new use.