Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS manages to feel like a complete and worthwhile step forward for the franchise, even though you might occasionally wish for the precision of a real controller.
With a lifeless world, a hazily plotted, repetitive campaign, and an endgame that quickly resorts to a slow grind for marginally better loot, Destiny fails to deliver on the promise of its concept and the enormous potential of its gameplay systems.
Unexpectedly, First Light's story campaign ends up being its weakest link. Compared to the depth and replayability of the score-driven combat arenas, Fetch Walker's origin story proves to be a bit of snoozefest, especially in the context of Second Son's respectable storytelling and mission design.
Sniper Elite III's gory killcams and open-ended arenas succeed at making the act of sniping more involved and rewarding than you'll find in most other shooters, but it struggles to flesh out a complete game experience around that one mechanic.
Entwined spins a single passable mechanic into an overlong (but still quite short) experience with absolutely none of the emotional heft or art-game cred it feigns having.
Pushmo's Wii U debut maintains the franchise's exceptional standard of fun, deep puzzles, but don't be surprised if you find yourself occasionally missing the portability and 3D functionality of the first two games.
Imaginative, cleverly integrated online play helps to bolster Watch Dogs' less exciting single-player offering, which fails to capitalize on its ambitious hacking concept in any truly memorable way.
Transistor falters near the end by giving players access to a few game-breakingly powerful abilities, but the anticlimax is more than made up for by its touching story, gorgeous presentation, and imaginative take on the action-RPG formula.
A few curious design choices and a lack of enjoyable single-player content hold World Tour back, but the golf basics are as solid as they've ever been, and the online multiplayer does wonders to help breathe new life into the series.
TowerFall: Ascension might not be complicated or feature-rich, but the instant pick-up-and-play fun of its local co-op arena battles make this the best game in the PS4's fledgling library.
Actively unpleasant to play, embarrassingly buggy, and wholly devoid of any personality, Eidos Montreal's Thief reboot certainly isn't the worthy continuation fans waited almost a decade for.
Smartly built, endlessly entertaining, and unexpectedly heartwarming, Dadliest Catch manages to turn an utterly ridiculous concept into one of the most surprising games in recent memory.
Incredibly short, forgettably bland, and wholly unnecessary, Operation Broken Eagle does almost nothing to meaningfully expand or enhance the core experience offered by Dead Rising 3.
Uncovering the secrets of Don't Starve's oppressive world is gratifying, but the basics of gameplay get too mindlessly repetitive once you've figured out what you're doing.
For any fan of classic adventure games, playing Broken Age will be like wrapping yourself in a big, comfy blanket made of pointing, clicking, and a whole lot of laughs.
A promising but not-quite-there effort from indie newcomers Spearhead Games, Tiny Brains offers decent couch co-op fun, but suffers from technical issues and some uneven design.
From a mechanical standpoint, Zoo Tycoon works quite smoothly, but a ridiculously low agent cap severely detracts from the game's longevity.
Contrast offers one of the most interesting gameplay gimmicks in recent memory, but the lack of engaging puzzles and interesting levels prevent the concept from being put to good use.
Like its predecessors, Dead Rising 3 offers good, dumb, fun, with just enough story and structure to keep you moving forward and enough opportunities for zany antics to maintain your amusement throughout.
While the driving is superb and the visuals are stunning, the inherent limitations of Rivals' AllDrive concept begin to hamper the experience near the end. The result is a game that's three-quarters great fun, one-quarter miserable, frustrating slog.