It would be unfair to criticise The Western Front Armies for my own shortcomings. But having comfortably beaten hard AI, I don't feel wholly responsible. For whatever reason, multiplayer still seems to be won and lost (mostly the latter) in the first five minutes—and surviving only affords me the chance to watch my resources dwindle as the enemy grabs victory. The Western Front Armies deserves to be enjoyed, and I hope to master the game and make that possible. It's a punishing game, but if you have the talent—or a hell of a lot of patience—then it is a complex, varied, and enjoyable RTS experience.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is not videogame literature. It's fanfiction—rough, unpolished, and unapologetically hammy. The Warriors formula is still imperfect and Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate fails to iron out all of the flaws, but there are improvements. And as flawed as it is, there are few games—if any—that can stand up to Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate for pure beat-'em-up joy.
Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition is a confused but enjoyable zombie-killing sim
If you love rich and complex management sims with almost unnecessary levels of detail, then you might want to pass on this; look towards the terrific Excel-spread-sheet-imitating Football Manager series instead. But, if you want to feel like your favourite footballers playing the beautiful game—or can't wait for football season and need to play-watch an almost-real match to scratch that itch—then FIFA 15 is the most visually impressive and functionally satisfying football experience out there. Y'know, apart from maybe being a football superstar.
Natural Doctrine is a cruel, unpolished, but interesting spin on tactical RPGs
Living and fighting and dying in an organic, dynamic world is utterly spectacular. Shadow of Mordor can offer nothing better than that: the plot is average, and side missions range from the severely limiting 'kill x orcs in this specific way' to the unreasonably tedious 'free these identical human slaves (again)'. But existing within this open world is a satisfying experience, purely because your enemies feel more rounded, more genuine. The Nemesis system is Shadow of Mordor; it's as simple as that.
Struggling to break into the first eleven, but has a few new tricks
Aims for the stars and reaches them
Promising first episode
With the mantra 'the pitch is ours', PES 15 believes that it has done enough to usurp the title from the FIFA franchise. While PES 15 has improved on a number of features, there are some issues that dampened my experience. Pro Evolution Soccer 15 might have played well, but FIFA definitely still owns the pitch.
Rome could burn down in a day, if only the Huns were easier to control
One of the better Final Fantasy titles of late
[D]on't expect Jaws of Hakkon to fundamentally change anything; it's more of the same. That's not a critique—Dragon Age: Inquisition is wonderful and this DLC only contributes more of the positives. At a relaxed pace with lots of exploration, there's a solid ten or so hours to be found in Jaws of Hakkon. With interesting plot threads to discover, beautiful locations to traverse, and powerful equipment to loot, there's plenty on offer in Jaws of Hakkon—it's a valuable addition to what was already a worthwhile experience.
Take a leap of faith and you won't be disappointed
Ronin is not a stealth game. The self-confessed Gunpoint rip-off is a frantic, physics-defying, blood-spattering, minimalist tale of revenge. It culminates in a superb final level, offering two equally powerful endings. And while its length might leave you craving more murder-fun, it does offer a new game plus: go destroy your enemies all over again, in style.
A beautiful, emotional, minimalist journey full of wonder and heartbreak.
For all its shortcomings, Way of the Samurai 4 manages to be captivating. It taps into that collective interpretation of Japan as mysterious comedic badass, which—while terrible for various reasons—is incredibly appealing.
The Swindle is not immediately satisfying, but this seems to be a deliberate choice. The randomness of the level generation means that there's every chance the first heist lacks the £100 needed to buy hacking—or the passages are blocked off and inaccessible—which can be a little deflating. But the constant, continual escalation is what keeps The Swindle gripping and satisfying—even when it feels unfair. Which is often, because I am terrible.
else Heart.Break() is weird adventure in a strange, techno-centric world that hasn't yet lost its human fondness for romance or the bizarre.
Sometimes there are diamonds to be found out in the wastelands. Maybe with a different kind of combat system polish, Skyshine's BEDLAM could be one of those.