The shortform point in all of this is "if you love Call of Duty, you'll find some value here, but not nearly as bolstered as it ought to be at this point", if you're on the fence though, it's a hard stretch for me to recommend this fully.
From a technical standpoint, Dead Rising 3 is not the pinnacle of how a next-gen game should look (or perform), but from an expanded gameplay perspective, and one of pure fun, it's my favourite launch title among the lot. Hopefully we see a patch or two over the coming weeks to attempt to fix some of the mechanical problems with the game.
Reactive hipoints on enemies would have been a much more "definitive" way to go here, but like the core story and animations, it's delivered in the same broken (or unrealistic) fashion as the 2013 release. Combat is the least fun in the game, but it's passable regardless. What's best to take away from this is you get the full game and all content released, updated visuals that actually make the game look next-gen, and that same rewarding sense of adventure and exploration coupled with Lara's personal, traumatic ascension to true Tomb Raider. Bring on the inevitable sequel, I say.
If you're after a new next-gen experience but can't see yourself moving past the main campaign, I'd say this is probably not for you, at least not unless you have money to burn. It's a terrific little package brimming with options to replay, but it's not a large play-space by any measure, and there's not a huge amount of variation on scenery or tone. This one boils down to preference.
What you can walk away with is, like Assassin's Creed before it, Watch Dogs has walked into a genre otherwise owned by one of the most popular and rewarded developers in the industry and holds its own. The question will always be "is it better than GTA?" and at this stage the answer is invariably no, but it's early days for a game that builds on the strengths of its core marketing line, while balancing itself out on various fringe areas. It fails to expand upon its own principles though, and as a result remains slightly out of line with its potential. But damn, what potential it has.
The concept and setting here were ripe for out-of-left-field explosiveness, but due to a lack of direction and capitalisation, and likely a small budget, all we're left with is a lifeless game that fails to live up to its potential.
[I]f Naxxramas is just a taste (and test) of things to come, Hearthstone continues to look vibrant and healthy.
There is room to improve and build upon this base, but it's a fantastic base regardless. It should only get better from here on out.
An absolute must-own.
[E]ven with that level of polish I'd have liked to see, it's difficult to think of any reason you shouldn't play this, because I can't. It's a compelling experience unlike anything else out in the market, despite borrowing heavily from a couple of other big guns. Thoroughly recommend.
Where BioShock Infinite aggressively tugged on heartstrings, The Evil Within tears them from your chest and crucifies you. It strangles you with your own tendrils and feeds you your own beating heart, mouth locked shut and tied with entrails, forcing you to chew and swallow. But when the last sliver slides down the back of your throat, you'll look up and smile a sadistic smile before asking "more, please".
There are options all over the place -- asymmetrical multiplayer, open-world single-player, full narrative co-op, user-generated content, more use of vehicles off rails, grappling hooks in goddamned multiplayer... and so on. None of that is meant to lead you to believe this is a bad game -- it's the best Call of Duty since Modern Warfare and may in fact be better, but saying that isn't because it's changed the series' formula the way that game did, rather it's refined it. And maybe that's not the fault of any of the developers working on the game, and rests more squarely on the shoulders of the publisher who sets that beat I've talked so much about.
Your reward, beyond cracking a smile, is at least a collectable zombie statue because the team behind Dying Light are gamers, and they know what gamers want.
And for stopping the moon with the harlequin grin.
Evolve deserves its time in consumer hands and is a game that should not be so easily forgotten, but it does need some work to regain momentum.
The most stunning open-world ever created
Its game-world is wholly realised and gorgeous to look at, but above all else, it tells such an incredible story in so many new and unique ways, it's impossible to ignore. Batman: Arkham Knight is a Batman experience no self-respecting fan should miss, and if Batman's not your thing, then make it your thing. You won't regret it. Trust me.
Mad Max is obviously a licence close to my heart, and The Road Warrior is my favourite tale in the franchise, so it could be considered unfair to have judged the game how I have, but there are definitely some glaring issues here that make the product schizophrenic in its licence representation. When applying played-out tropes, however, it actually works through the game's size and goals, and is easy to enjoy -- just as long as you forget the past and embrace the present.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate gets more right than it gets wrong, but in trying to amend some of the sins of the series, it exacerbates the issues instead of offering a cure. Despite that rather lengthy list of cons at the bottom of my review, one thing's for sure: Assassin's Creed Syndicate is still a hell of a lot of fun.
I dunno, in the end it feels like Guitar Hero Live is a job, and not the party the previous games were.