Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright polishes the series' time-tested strategy combat and adds intimate, exciting interpersonal relationships.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call adds depth to the best parts of its predecessor
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a smart, fun collaboration between two franchises that feel like they were always meant to be together.
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.
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.
Life is Strange still suffers from some problematic dialogue and "gamey" sequences, but the emotional payoff is worth the effort.
Little Big Planet 3's focus on creative expression is underutilized in its story campaign but shines in its level editor.
Final Fantasy Explorers is a mashup of fanservice and Monster Hunter-like quests packed with deep character customization and genuinely fun multiplayer.
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.
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.
Life is Strange's penultimate episode abuses its own mechanics and drags the pace down, but bookends its slog with two powerful, well-worth-it gut punches.
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.
Tales from the Borderlands' penultimate episode stretches thin its gamey bits, but its emphasis on character relationships and humanity make it a heartbreaking experience.
The finale of Life is Strange undermines its powerful, heartfelt story and cracks its tense atmosphere with tedious gamey sequences and a disappointing climax.
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.
As another piece of the Final Fantasy XV world, I enjoyed my time with Monster of the Deep.
Team Ninja and Omega Force have forced Zelda's universe into the confines of a beat-em-up, but much of the charm and appeal was strained out in the process.
Game of Thrones' fourth episode prioritizes verbal sparring over the physical kind, slowing down the action and packing in new twists to tension's detriment.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse oversimplifies its mechanics, making for an experience alternating between frustrating and dull.
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.