Nick Plessas
Criticisms often come easier than compliments, but in the case of Red Dead Redemption 2, I am at a loss. This is one of the most gorgeous, seamless, rootinest, tootinest games ever made, and if you voluntarily miss out on it, you're either not a gamer or in a coma.
A fascinating story, sublime mechanics, and a beautiful world come together in an experience that is about as confident of a step forward as the God of War series could make.
Just Cause 3 lives up to the series' standard of high quality explosiveness by exhibiting just how a sandbox game should operate, with chaos and variety.
New franchises are always risky business, but Tom Clancy's The Division delivered on everything it promised and more, with only the occasional hiccup.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a true work of art, and the only time the slightest apprehension may surface is when one compares it to the titanic installments that came before.
Titanfall 2 is to be respected for accomplishing all its objectives. Quantity in games is nice, but Titanfall 2 proves that quality is often preferable.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is an exercise in reestablishing familiarity with one of Sony's most recognizable faces. Almost everything new in the game is ancillary, but what makes this retrospective collection worth consideration is the the quality of design the original games brought to the table.
In a game that needs to balance so much, it finds a way so nearly every feature meets a high-quality standard in this action-RPG
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy honors its parentage with engaging characters and exotic landscapes, setting the stage for more of the best action gameplay out there. It's much of the same, but that's OK when “the same” is this good.
Call of Duty: WWII's changes to the core Call of Duty experience are few but distinct. This leads to a good balance between relishing everything Call of Duty used to be and still continuing to move the series forward.
Remakes can seem like the low-hanging fruit of game development, but Bluepoint does Shadow of the Colossus justice with an evolution of the classic game that improves the overall experience while maintaining its familiar spirit.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has made some bold changes to the series, and ultimately, they're for the better. The inclusion of a battle royale mode is a first, and even the more familiar multiplayer and Zombies survival mode are not what they once were. Changes are always risky, but in Black Ops 4's case, it worked out for the better.
Battlefield 1 does a service to the series’ core fanbase with a unique, yet strangely familiar take on World War I.
Sniper Elite 4 isn't the most sophisticated experience, but it puts all of its strengths front and center and delivers a very polished shooter.
Prey is mildly limited in scope and replay value, but everything that is there will hook players almost immediately. In terms of quality over quantity, Prey made the right trade off.
Shadow of War is stellar in the moments the player focuses on the game's grander scope, but some of the mechanics that tie the rest together should have received a bit more attention. It may start off a bit slow, but the end payoff is more than worth it.
As what may be the last hoorah for this particular story arc, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a stereotypical stealth-action game, but one which manages to separate itself from the pack by excelling in everything that makes this genre what it is.
XCOM 2 is a generally solid experience, but it is definitely one of those titles that may not be for everyone due to its punishing game style and occasional unpredictably of success.
Zombies Chronicles aims for the nostalgia of Zombies fans, and for the most part serves it well. Some of the changes made for the sake of evolution may have been better left undone, but the most important elements of these classic maps are still intact.
Far Cry 5 had much to live up to coming in under the shadow of previous games in the series. While it doesn't quite reach the same level, it stays true to enough of its series staples that fans and newcomers alike should expect a good time.