In the end, Comrades feels like the missing puzzle piece of Final Fantasy XV. Not only does it plug a narrative hole, it does so with coherency and commitment to its end-of-the-world bit. Yes, the multiplayer itself is over simplistic and you can actually play the expansion without interacting with others — but then you’re missing the point of story Comrades is trying to tell.
As another piece of the Final Fantasy XV world, I enjoyed my time with Monster of the Deep.
If you’re not a huge fan of Fire Emblem, you may want to sit this one out. Fire Emblem Warriors is largely a vehicle for fanservice to those in love with the nearly 30-year-old strategy RPG series. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm has so far been consistent in its delivery of a heartfelt story with lots of wiggle room for players to craft their own emotional journey. The final episode can’t come soon enough.
If you’ve played the first Life is Strange, Before the Storm is a must-play. Even though it feels little more than a setup, it’s still an intricate setup, with a lingering promise of big emotional reward.
Despite it's short campaign--you can complete everything in a little more than an hour, if you're skilled--Rez Infinite is the game to buy a PSVR for. It's hypnotic and enveloping. And it's transformative, both within itself and in the wider scheme of the experiences made possible by VR. You don't want to sleep on Rez Infinite, because with the addition of more polished visual flair and the dreamy Area X, we have a new classic for the new generation on our hands.
The latest courtroom adventure for the Wright Anything Agency may be its best yet, with a wide range of crime-solving tools and characters that create room for elaborate drama and meaningful moments.
Attack on Titan's latest gameplay iteration doesn't win any technical achievements, but is a fun, faithful adaptation that can rope you in with its traversal alone.
Star Ocean's return is a bumpy ride, with slick combat and smart upgrade systems bogged down by a watery story and some frustrating technical designs.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a smart, fun collaboration between two franchises that feel like they were always meant to be together.
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright polishes the series' time-tested strategy combat and adds intimate, exciting interpersonal relationships.
Fire Emblem Fates' neutral path delivers the biggest payoff of its three storylines, and is an incredible accomplishment in marriage of storytelling and gameplay.
Final Fantasy Explorers is a mashup of fanservice and Monster Hunter-like quests packed with deep character customization and genuinely fun multiplayer.
Masterful audiovisual design and a witty script set Oxenfree's tale of angsty teens battling the supernatural apart from other horror games.
Game of Thrones' finale includes surprising twists, gut-wrenching decisions, and myriad branching paths, encouraging you to return to Westeros one more time.
Yo-Kai Watch is a quirky tale with deeply strategic combat, but the way you collect its creatures leaves too much up to random chance.
Ziplining through London is thrilling, and the game allows you to organically discover missions and leaves you open-ended solutions lets you to create a meaningful, personal experience within its world. Coupled with strong, loveable leads and a seemingly endless procession of ways to leave your (fictional) mark on London's history, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is a shining example of gameplay and storytelling.
Tales from the Borderlands' finale wraps up a masterful story in an equally masterful package, ending its poignant and witty story on a high note.
The finale of Life is Strange undermines its powerful, heartfelt story and cracks its tense atmosphere with tedious gamey sequences and a disappointing climax.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a well-intentioned addition to the Wii U's mostly family-friendly library and does an excellent job of transporting you to another place and time. That's about it, though. Its story and characters are not compelling, and the GamePad-as-camera controls are frequently unreliable. These prevent the game from attaining any real sense of excitement or drama. With too much out of sync--from wildly variable handling to the way you use items to the unconvincing character relationships--Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water isn't anything more than a mediocre experience.