I don't often play a game and immediately go through it again after finishing it, but I did that with Color Guardians. Thanks to its fun and bright graphics, truly difficult levels, and different scoring systems, I found myself playing each level again and again in an effort to get all three stars or get a high score for the leaderboards. While the side-scroller could use more tutorials and more story, it offers up challenging and fun gameplay. That said, Color Guardians is a game that probably shouldn't be missed.
It's kind of hard to give sum up Omega Quintet. It does some core things right, like the combat and the numerous places to explore, but it does a lot of little things wrong, such as the huge amount of fluff and the useless crafting system. I think a sequel would have a lot of potential, but as it stands Omega Quintet might not be worth your money, unless you want to skip by most of the story and dialogue and just focus on the game's solid combat system.
Still, for only $15, Ziggurat is a pretty amazing game. It looks beautiful, offers a great deal of replay value, and features wizards in a badass way. There are a large number of spells and upgrades to choose from, and each playthrough literally brings new and exciting features into the game. If you haven't already downloaded Ziggurat, you probably should think about doing so.
That is kind of the way Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China feels like in general — it starts out okay, but soon becomes dull fairly quickly thanks to a lackluster plot and uninspired gameplay. While there is a lot to explore, especially considering the $10 price tag, the poor enemy AI and almost useless gadgets probably won't have you staying in the game's visually beautiful world for long. Unless you are the world's biggest Assassin's Creed fan, you should probably think long and hard before giving this a go.
While Titan Souls is a brutally difficult game, it won't have you giving up right away. Thanks to beautiful visuals and a memorable soundtrack, it is one of those games that will stick with you. If you like a good challenge, then Titan Souls is a must-buy.
But then again, BRAWL isn't really about being easy. It is about forcing players to make strategic moves and plan accordingly, all while giving them a limited amount of time to do so. It's fast, it's smart, and it's absolutely worth picking up, especially if you dig party games. While it has some flaws, BRAWL is a game that will keep you occupied for quite a while. It also should be noted that PlayStation Network accounts that purchased Basement Crawl will be credited with BRAWL for free, giving you yet another excuse to download and play the game when it releases.
If you are looking for a game to fire up every now and then for some quick, addicting gameplay, you probably should check out We are Doomed. Giving players only a tiny laser to kill bad guys with puts a unique and interesting spin on the typical top-down shooter model, and beautiful visuals offer a nice retro feel. For $9.99, it will make a nice addition to your PlayStation 4 game collection.
But, other than being annoyingly repetitive, Toukiden: Kiwami is a fun game. Thanks to a large amount of weapons and armor to choose from, and characters that not only exist as chattable civilians but also as bloodthirsty warriors, you can spend a lot of enjoyable hours on Toukiden. If you're a fan of either Monster Hunter of the Dynasty Warrior titles, you might want to give it a try.
Despite the lack of choices, Game of Thrones: Episode 3 is probably the best episode of the bunch. It gives its main characters more purpose, tightens the overarching plot, and moves at a much faster pace than the last two episodes. Thanks to many truly impassioned moments, Episode 3 will leave you full of anxiety and wanting to jump right into the next episode. If you have enjoyed the first two episodes, you should definitely pick up Game of Thrones: Episode 3 – The Sword in the Darkness.
Just as I felt after playing Life is Strange: Episode 1, I left the second episode wanting to dive right into the next chapter. Despite some completely out of place and unrealistic reactions to things, many of the characters still had that indie movie charm and relatability about them. The core gameplay, filled with tough choices, Max's snarky comments, and artsy music and visuals stays the same, which sits just perfectly with me. While Episode 2 doesn't feature that same magical feeling that the first episode exuded, it's still a must-buy.
That is the problem with Bladestorm: Nightmare – it loses its appeal too quickly. Between the monotonous battles, boring story, and ugly visuals, there isn't much there to hold someone's attention. If you want to have some fun with it, rent it for a day or so. After that, Nightmare is pretty much worthless.
Clearly, Capcom and Ninja Theory put their time into creating DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition. Between the upgraded visuals and new features and modes, the Definitive Edition is worth buying for fans of the series or complete newcomers. There is enough new material here to allow players who have already completed the original game to go back and enjoy the Definitive Edition, and, besides the few cutscene errors and the poor writing, it is a must-buy title.
Without the heavy emphasis on strategy, Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires would be a fairly dull game. With its poor character AI, bland environments, and underwhelming visuals, actually fighting in Empires gets repetitive and old pretty quickly. But, because of the vast number of customizations one can make to their character, and the numerous strategic and political decisions to be made, the game ends up being not bad in the end. It's hard to say if it's worth $50, but if you are a hardcore fan of the franchise then you might want to give it a look.
Despite the occasional freezing, I enjoyed my time with Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. Its updated visuals, huge character list, and numerous costumes set it apart from previous versions of DOA 5, and the fun and interactive environments really kept me interested in the core gameplay. While the story mode was confusing and the characters felt somewhat bland, Last Round is a game that fans of fighting titles should probably check out. If you're still on the fence about it, remember that a free version — called Dead or Alive 5 Last Round: Core Fighters — can be downloaded on the PSN Store or the Xbox Games Store right now.
Overall, The Lost Lords is a bit of an improvement over the first Game of Thrones episode. Although the character transitions are a bit confusing and making decisions doesn't seem as impactful as it should, Episode Two is by far more political and more interactive, giving players a chance to both think critically and have some QTE fun. As with the end of the first episode, I left this one wishing I could jump into the next episode right away, but unfortunately, players will have to wait another month or so for that to happen.
In the end, the only thing I can truly say is that Life is Strange is a must-buy. With its artsy graphics and music, relatable and realistic characters, and numerous mysteries and choices, the episodic adventure easily sucked me in and had me wishing I could dive directly into Episode 2. If the future episodes are anything like this first one, then I think Life is Strange is set to be one of the best games of the year, if not the best one.
Combine Undead & Undressed's disturbing sexuality and sexism with its poor graphics and combat and $50 price tag, you get a game that not only should definitely not be purchased, but probably never should have been made in the first place. If you want to spend money on the PlayStation Store this week to take part in the spend $100, get $15 back deal that is currently going on, I would advise you to spend money on anything at all besides this game. You'll thank me later.
Between the different characters, morbid and disturbing story, and intense, action-packed gameplay, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is definitely a game all PS4 and PS Vita owners should have. If you haven't already downloaded it for free this month, I really think you should do so — you won't be disappointed.
Between the game's graphics, gameplay, and $40 price tag, Shadow Warrior is a definite buy. It offers hours of gory, hack-and-slash fighting, and focuses on just being a really fun game. If you are looking for developed characters or a story you can really get into, Shadow Warrior might not be for you. But, if you just want to kill hordes of enemies in brutal ways, you should probably pick up a copy.
Overall, Styx: Master of Shadows is a great game that completely took me by surprise. It is strategic, intelligent, and offers players hours and hours of sneaky gameplay. Although the game does have a cookie-cutter story and some goofy voice acting, it is a great buy for the $30 price tag. I recommend picking up a copy if you have ever played Of Orcs and Men or are a fan of stealth games.