Mortal Kombat X remains a slightly inferior fighter compared to other titles, but mostly when it comes to depth, because, while very "old-school" and bare-bones, it's a very enjoyable experience, nevertheless. As for the XL upgrade it got, while not a game-changer, it fixes the many problems of the original, adds all downloadable content, and makes it a worthy purchase, even for those who were setting on the fence about it.
Don't get disappointed by a plot that is as far from ambitious, original, and engrossing as possible, because, as gameplay goes, few can hold a candle to Arkane Studios' Dishonored 2's level of replayability, non-linearity, and just plain fun. As for the gripes concerning the inexcusable framerate drops, follow this simple advice: wait a while, and then jump right in, because this isn't a title that's worth avoiding just because of its current technical issues.
There are lots of bad things that can be said for Ubisoft's newest idea, with the most annoying one being its poor single-player portion. For those looking for the best medieval-themed PvP melee fighting game, however, it just can't get any better than this. For Honor is not flawless, but it's the current King of the Hill.
F1 2016 is not perfect. Those who believe that are either too happy from the fact that this is a breath of fresh air after F1 2015, or because they've watched too many videos involving pit stop girls. Anyhow, the few improvements are very good, and the few existing flaws (especially the subpar AI), will not be enough to stop most virtual drivers' imaginary champagne showers… pit stop girls included.
The straight-from-gamebook-to-board-game and from-board-game-to-video-game style that The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is flawlessly going for makes this as niche as an RPG can get, and thus, isn't for everyone. Those who can turn on their imagination, "get into" this treacherous world, and actually do some mental role-playing in a role-playing game (gasp!), however, are in for quite the delicious treat.
Event[0] is a fun, beautiful, innovative, deeply atmospheric, and extremely engrossing experience… but it only touches perfection. From the notion of chatting with the AI using the keyboard in order to overcome obstacles, to the subjects that the plot revolves around, this gives the feeling that it could be so much more. Hopefully, this was nothing more than a great start for Ocelot Society.
Hitman: Episode 5 - Colorado is the most straightforward level so far, meaning that one can't get too creative here; it's just sneak, disguise, observe, kill, sneak, disguise, observe, kill. That being said, it's a darn good episode. Being a military base, danger is everywhere, the tension is stronger, and the difficulty higher. Most importantly, however, it's not the same thing all over again. It's a unique level that manages to stand out from the rest, and mostly in a good way.
No surprises, no innovations, nothing new or worthy of mention here. With that being said, Episode 6 - Hokkaido generally offers one of the finest levels in Hitman, despite it being somewhat short and easy. These aren't its biggest sins, however. The worst thing about the title at hand is that it's supposed to be the grand finale, only there's nothing really "grand" about it.
There's no other JRPG like Nier: Automata out there. It blends all sorts of genres, although not flawlessly; it looks cool and has an awesome atmosphere, despite it being a tad rough around the edges; and its plot is simply an amazing piece of sad, thinking man's sci-fi storytelling, even though it disappoints quite a lot every now and then. Yoko Taro's newest creation isn't perfect… but this humble gamer is happy that it exists.
Unexciting battles are easy to stomach when the beauty of a title lies in its world building, and, thankfully, the drenched-in-evil universe of Tyranny is fantastic, both in the way it is structured and in how it handles the concept of morality. Unfortunately, its potential has been thrown from the tallest spire's window, and instead of becoming the magnificent masterpiece that it sometimes feels it is, it turns out to be a very rough diamond that reeks of rushed production.
It plays like Tekken, it feels like Tekken, it looks like Tekken… and that's because it is Tekken, therefore, don't go in expecting something new and exciting. Thankfully, that doesn't mean that this isn't a very good fighter, as it's actually one of the most fun and balanced available in the genre, as long as you don't mind its strong mid-'90s 3D fighter vibe.
Resident Evil 7's first DLC, Banned Footage Vol. 1, lies somewhere between must-have and… meh. Everyone will find something to like here, it's just that it would be nice if this something was a bit longer than two to three hours long.
Death Squared is a cocktail of two things that, theoretically, could never become a successful mix. Having said that, and although combining couch gaming and puzzles is a concept that doesn't work as well as intended, SMG Studio handles its unique idea quite alright. As a result, those who'll look past its few flaws will surely have a blast here.
Those who run away at the sound of the words "hidden object game" should actually stay put because Hidden Folks is one of the better ones out there, with its tiny-yet-gargantuan worlds and "mouth-sound" audio effects giving it a unique, playful, and almost magical charm, and the gameplay portion seamlessly blends fun, challenge, and some welcome amounts of cooling off.
Yes, this is way too expensive; yes, it's in need of a decent amount of fine-tuning here and there; and yes, after getting a taste of a mini-game you have pretty much experienced everything it has to offer. However, while 1-2 Switch is not as good as it should be for a launch title, and although it gives a bitter tech demo aftertaste, it's hard to deny how fun it can be when gathering a bunch of friends ready to go bat-switch crazy with it.
As a game, this is, for the most part, your standard '90s LucasArts adventure: humour, great visuals, wacky solutions to puzzles, and all. It was never a golden classic, but it certainly deserves its place in history, albeit only for the most devoted of genre fans, since it is way too short and easy. As for the remaster at hand, it retains Double Fine's love for its past creations. Long story short: check it out.
Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire won't win any awards for originality, not even in the super-bloated world of Mahjong solitaire games, yet fans of the genre will enjoy it despite the lack of any extra bells and whistles. Furthermore, the price of the whole package is almost as delicious as the girls in it.
Like Bayonetta before it, Vanquish for the PC is, hands down, the best version yet, and maybe even better than Bayonetta in that regard, as the keyboard and mouse control support fits like a glove. As for its gameplay, it's definitely a title that will offer lots of fun to third-person shooter aficionados, as long as its short length and lack of replayability isn't much of an issue.
The first episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm provides a lesson in interactive story-type adventure games. Instead of silly QTEs and simplistic puzzle-solving, its only focus seems to be the story - or, to be more precise, the characters involved in it. It's the first tiny step of what seems to be a small journey, and it kind of feels like an intro rather than a full chapter, but it's so emotive and deeply immersive that it won't really matter.
While in strict gameplay terms this lacks depth, and although it feels as if it tries to bite off more than it can chew on the storytelling side of things, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice turns out to be an epic journey through madness and Norse myth, and one that's worth a play-through or two despite its problems - as long as you aren't here for something more action-packed.