With witty writing, colorful presentation and smooth and varied gameplay, A Hat in Time is one of the best platform games released in recent years. While the game wears its influences right in the open, it's never bound to them, offering features that do manage to make it stand out from the best classic games. Yooka-Laylee was meant to bring a new golden era for the genre, far from the spotlight for too long, but it's a small spacefaring kid and her trusty hats that may finally be able to do so.
Megaton Rainfall is, in more ways than one, the perfect superhero simulator, making players understand that special powers can do way more harm than good. With a short but very sweet campaign, an engaging story, and a good gameplay variety, Megaton Rainfall is a new take on the arcade shooter genre that no fan of the genre should pass on.
Nights of Azure 2 had the potential of being much better than the original game, but it fails to build upon some of its best features, such as the character development and interaction. The experience offered is thus slightly worse. The game can still be enjoyable with its fast-paced battle system, humorous interactions, and plenty of fanservice, but the low challenge level, bad dungeon design, and underwhelming story make it difficult to stay engaged for a long time. A missed opportunity.
The .hack//G.U. Last Recode remaster is a more than worthy way to experience the original PlayStation 2 releases, offering several enhancements which improve the experience considerably and a real closure with the new Reconnection volume. The enhancements, however, do little to improve the stiffness of the experience, the repetitive dungeon design, and the slow story pace, making .hack//G.U. Last Recode a must buy only for fans of the series. Newcomers, however, may still find something to like in the games, as the story, albeit slowly paced, is quite interesting, and the world well fleshed out.
With a new focused story, a harshly beautiful new area, new weapons, enemies and skills, Horizon Zero Dawn The Frozen Wilds is a worthy expansion of the open world game developed by Guerrilla Games. Ultimately, it's more of the same, as the expansion lacks any major new gameplay mechanics, but when so much love is put into a product, is it really an issue? Highly recommended to all Horizon Zero Dawn owners
Super Lucky's Tale is simple yet engaging platform game that players of all ages can enjoy thanks to its pick-up-and-play experience. The game, however, may be too simple for some, and the easy and short experience may be a turn off for others, especially for those who have experienced other excellent platform games this year such as A Hat in Time and Super Mario Odyssey.
KING Art's take on the series was supposed to introduce it to a new generation of fans, but as things stand, it would be better for those interested in getting the older Black Mirror games, as the reboot is marred by a variety of issues that prevent from being a memorable experience. There is a decent adventure game beneath the mediocre writing, bland characters, and technical issues, but it would be better to look elsewhere if one is looking for a masterpiece.
The Surge: A Walk in the Park is a more than worthy expansion to the game, offering new challenges as well as new tools to deal with them. Story telling may not be stellar, and no new gaqmeplay mechanics have been included, but don't let these issues stop you from taking this lethal walk through CREO World: it's well worth it.
Titan Quest Ragnarök offers more of what makes the main game so engaging - a new Mastery opening up new customization possibilities, new gear, new enemies, new areas to explore and new challenges. With the new content being meant for high level characters, and the lack of any real new gameplay mechanics, it's clear how the expansion is geared toward the most die-hard fans of Titan Quest. Those who aren't particularly fond of action role-playing games from over 10 years ago will definitely not change their opinion with Titan Quest Ragnarök, making it an essential purchase only for those who love the game created by Iron Lore.
Tiny Metal is a love letter to turn-based strategy games of the past, offering a similar experience which doesn't overstay its welcome. Sadly, the game by Area 35 doesn't even try to move away from its main influence, the Advance Wars series, resulting in a game that doesn't feel particularly daring or innovative. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had, especially in Skirmish Mode, where all of the game's subsystems and mechanics get the chance to shine.
Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds is an enjoyable JRPG which brings back features that are difficult to find in modern games, such as a turn-based combat system enriched by action and tactical elements, mini-games and more. Sadly, SEMISOFT didn't bring anything truly new to the table and, as such, fails in being more than just a well-crafted tribute to the golden era of JRPGs.
Subnautica is one of the best survival games released in recent years, and one of the best indie games released in the beginning of 2018. With an interesting story, a variety of play modes that can tone down and completely remove survival elements and plenty of freedom in how to proceed, Subnautica is a game that can also be enjoyed by those who aren't particularly fond of the genre.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on PC is an excellent port and the definitive version of the game, thanks to a variety of additional options not found in the original PlayStation 4 release, such as the ability to activate cheats, play in New Game + mode from the beginning, graphics customization and the absence of any major issue. The gameplay changes also found in last year's release make the game much more enjoyable than the original PlayStation 2 release, such as the ability to speed up gameplay and the multiple License Boards. Ivalice has never looked better.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is an excellent JRPG and a more than worthy continuation of the saga, thanks to a gripping story, well-developed characters, and engaging battle system. While the gameplay experience hasn't changed much, with only some small enhancements to the battle system and an airship customization system, the game manages to be slightly better than its predecessor, mostly thanks to some interesting and unexpected plot twists and a story that doesn't end in a huge cliffhanger like its predecessor. Highly recommended to all JRPG lovers
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is one of the best horror games released in recent years, thanks to an engaging story and a well-crafted experience inspired by the Clock Tower series and other older games. With an excellent atmosphere, the lack of predictable jump scares and constant tension, Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a game that any true fan of the genre should not miss.
Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is the only, true definitive edition of the Square Enix Japanese Role-Playing Game, thanks to the superior graphics quality and several gameplay and story enhancements, which are also included in the consoles' Royal Edition. The open world nature of the first half of the game may not be for JRPG fans, especially for those who love a more traditional approach, but this shouldn't stop anybody from experiencing Noctis' journey the way it was meant to be experienced. The true King is finally here, and Eos can finally rejoice.
Focusing only on graphics, Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered is an acceptable remaster of a game featuring mechanics that already felt dated four years ago. After the release of the excellent Assassin's Creed Origins and other modern open world games, Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered's combat, stealth and overall design feel even worse than they did before, and Ubisoft missed the chance to address some of them with the remaster. Despite these issues, however, the game is one of the few entries in the series that manages to capture a feel of adventure, making it a worthy play for those who love stories where the main character raises from nothing to become the most important man in the world.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is a serviceable entry in the long-running JRPG series by Gust, offering an experience that's surely entertaining, but not as good as Atelier Firis. Additionally, the lack of any real innovation in both story and gameplay departments translates into a very predictable game.
Empires Apart is a more than competent real-time strategy game featuring solid mechanics and unique features. Sadly, the almost complete lack of single player content damages the experience a bit, making the game recommended, at the current price point, only to those who are willing to play online against other human opponents.
Tower of Time is a rather enjoyable cRPG featuring an extremely engaging real-time battle system and some unusual mechanics, like its leveling system. While the story may not break away from some of the genre clichès, Tower of Time keeps players entertained with its charming characters, unique setting and well-crafted mechanics.