Mighty No. 9 contains the seeds of a good platforming franchise, but for now they're exactly that: Seeds. In its current state, Keiji Inafune's intended successor to the Mega Man series lacks creativity, joy, and character – not to mention several weeks' worth of polish.
Bravely Second: End Layer is a worthy follow-up to Bravely Default, which in itself is one of the best RPGs on the Nintendo 3DS. Granted, if Bravely Default didn't move you the first time around, Bravely Second probably won't, either. For better or worse (but mostly better), it's a straight-up second helping of its predecessor.
If you're a fan of turn-based strategy games and you haven't played Valkyria Chronicles, you need to remedy that. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is a great starting point. Veterans should also consider starting up another fight to drink in Remastered's slick new visuals.
Like any horse race, your success in Pocket Card Jockey relies on luck -- a little too heavily for some players, maybe. Nevertheless, once the game sinks its big, horsey teeth into you, it won't let go for a long time.
The console version of Koi has potential to be a standout indie hit, but as it is now, it's a very small fish in a very big pond.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut is a good action game, but it looks and feels a bit primitive next to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. It's still worth playing if you're a fan of action titles, and that especially applies if you're a fan of Shantae who missed out on the first release of Pirate's Curse.
Bravely Second: End Layer is a worthy follow-up to Bravely Default, which in itself is one of the best RPGs on the Nintendo 3DS. Granted, if Bravely Default didn't move you the first time around, Bravely Second probably won't, either. For better or worse (but mostly better), it's a straight-up second helping of its predecessor.
Hyper Light Drifter is very much worth the time, effort, and aggravation it costs you (and inflicts upon you). Its blistering speed takes some getting used to if your experience with action RPGs leans towards the likes of Zelda and Secret of Mana, but once you warm up to the icy slickness of Hyper Light Drifter, it quickly commits itself to your muscle memory.
Salt and Sanctuary is a quality platformer with well-implemented Metroidvania elements. It's brutal at times, but deeply satisfying to play. Is it thematically derivative of the Souls games? Yes, but not disgustingly so. Just get out there and give a few demons what for.
A single battle in Project X Zone 2 can drag on forever, and its overarching story doesn't make much sense. Still, its hilarious character interactions and chaotic fights embody what a video game should be: Fun.
SteamWorld Heist's mash-up of action and turn-based strategy makes for a deeply satisfying experience that feels like it's over a touch too soon.
Unravel is a solid (if flawed) puzzle platformer wrapped up in beautiful visuals and emotional moments. It's like a Christmas sweater. It's not perfect, but you're compelled to love it just the same.
Though slow in parts, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is fun, funny, and simply feels good to play. A must-play for Mario RPG fans of all stripes.
The story for the first episode of Minecraft: Story Mode is a little familiar, but it's solid and full of fun references to Minecraft lore. The puzzles are lacking, however.
The game used in this review was a digital copy supplied by the publisher.
Typoman dishes up pleasure as well as pain, which probably isn't surprising, given its scenario. It's a flawed game, but an interesting one nonetheless. If you get a kick out of word games and/or puzzle games, it's worth a look. Just steel yourself for frustration when it comes time to run.
Through its solid workmanship, cool settings, and myriad content, Skylanders: SuperChargers demonstrates Activision's lofty fantasy world is still a fun place to visit. Kids will love it, obviously — and if you're an adult fan of 3D action games who's yet to make a brief stop-over, maybe it's time you did so.
This is a portrait of what its genre can offer. It's only downfall is it may not have taken enough chances to truly distinguish itself.
It all comes down to this: don't deny yourself Final Fantasy V.
Mario Golf: World Tour's single-player experience challenges you to perfect your game. It's a dry process that moves slowly while committing impressive attention to detail, though the inclusion of RPG elements could have made it more interesting. Versus mode lets you cut loose a bit and offers good times with friends.