The first mistake you can make is to judge 'Super Mario 3D World' on what it's lacking than what it brings to the table. This is not 'Super Mario Galaxy 3,' but it doesn't need to be. Utilizing the more traditional geometry from 'Super Mario 3D Land,' Nintendo's designers have given themselves a pre-constructed canvas upon which to dispel their captivating ideas. Without the developmental burden of a dramatically changed visual style or tone, those ideas are translated into substantive flourishes of clearly bustling minds, though that isn't to undermine the gorgeous, HD-aided visuals.
Considering that the majority of this review is spent going over the many marginal changes that accumulate to a massively entertaining whole, the bottom line is that 'Mario Kart 8' is 'Mario Kart,' just better, so the worst thing about 'Mario Kart 8' is it doesn't strive to reinvent much of anything. But then that's how the series has been ever since odd dog 'Double Dash' did its own thing.
Not really a downside, but the overall familiarity of this table requires a stronger appreciation for the tribute aesthetics for prolonged enjoyment, especially for those who own the 'Plants vs. Zombies' table. Myself a fan of the goofy 'PvZ' turn, 'The Walking Dead' is darker, somber, atmospherically unique, nostalgic enough to put the sort of smile on my face only a recollection for horrified enjoyment of 'The Walking Dead: Season One' can bring. Lee and Clementine forever.
DrinkBox wants in on the very prestigious indie-darling club, and now players on a mess of platforms, including the Xbox One, are the benificaries. References strewn about the game are a calling card to DrinkBox's favorite developers in that club, like 'Journey' and 'Castle Crashers.' The game itself exists in adoration of Metroidvania classics. The thing is, DrinkBox only ever needed to create exactly this game for entry, because 'Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition' is its own insane, wild, extravagant, explosive, brilliant beast. It might draw from 'Metroid' and other games in a similar vein, but the pure and creative execution of those ideas, wrapped up in some Mexican glory, bow-tied with delicious melee action, makes 'Guacamelee!' a generation-crossing, 'Super Turbo Championship' classic.
Adventuring through a mine sounds like a one note sort of deal. It could have been, but then I imagine Image & Form never would have attempted the project in the first place. They saw a potentially monotonous act and employed a variety of key mechanics to make it fun and truly satisfying from beginning to start. Somehow tightly linear while feeling open and unique to each and every player, a day in Rusty's metallic shoes is never the same as the last and always worth another trip down into the dark.
At this point, no matter the platform, 'Zen Pinball 2' is bursting with great tables. If you enjoy pinball then you're bound to find a table that suits your style. I did with 'Super League Football' on the PS4 and 'Plants vs. Zombies' on the Wii U. You may with any number of 'Star Wars' or Marvel themed tables. Some of Zen Studio's own creations might even suck you in. 'Earth Defense Force' is goofy fun, and the free 'Sorcerer's Lair' on PS4 is a perfect starter table, though it doesn't quite last like the two I reviewed. The point is – you needn't look further than Zen Studios and their masterful recreation of the true pinball atmosphere in 'Zen Pinball 2.' There's a reason these guys are dominating the virtual pinball market, and it's not because others haven't tried.
'The Vanishing of Ethan Carter' is not a perfect game. It's an alarmingly creative step in the ongoing trek of telling stories through games. At times, I got lost, and some of the puzzles seem like the output of a developer running out of steam, but the core mechanics at play are always gravitating towards Ethan's trials as a kid struggling with family. Exploring these overgrown environments is a way to step into Ethan's lonesome shoes, solving the crimes show his fears and uncovering his stories meaning passing through the doomed optimism of a young, fertile mind. There's tragedy in the small and big moments alike. The framework for this story has been told before, but never like this, never in a way that only games can tell it. Supernatural indeed.
As 'Super Time Force' slowly crawled towards its eventually release, I remember seeing a couple of different mechanical iterations during public showings. At one point, saving a team member was more integral to success, and at another you could only rewind a certain amount of time. For many developers, indie or otherwise, one solid idea seems enough as the foundation for an entire game, but that game eventually suffers for the lack of follow through. Capybara Games made no such mistake, toiling over the finer details, delaying as they needed, to ensure 'Super Time Force' fulfilled tenets of surprising depth and ludicrous fun in a small but dense package.
Zip-lining, jump-kicking, dash-crushing and punching pilots into nothingness with metal fists. These are all things I didn't mention, but they're just a few of the many details that add to the game's allure and make those emergent moments happen. You might chain some of those things together after wall-running across an entire map or leaping into your titan from a rooftop. You might prefer to equip a sniper rifle and climb the highest possible point. Just remember, an enemy pilot might follow you up there and snap your neck. You're a camper, so you deserve it.
'Super Smash Bros. for 3DS' is all of the 'Super Smash Bros.' we've come to love somehow condensed into portable form. It's all there, it's online, it controls well and the roster is satisfying, deep and skillful. Whatever qualms I may have with the single-player modes (they serve their purpose as training grounds), or quips I may throw at the online offerings, the one thing I can say is this: the game feels good. I feel quick, I feel powerful, yet I feel challenged with every new opponent as we fight "For Glory." It's a testament to the balance at play, between speeds and characters, that I haven't found just one character I can't stand to fight against. There isn't a strategy I don't look forward to countering.
My qualms with the game's identity and lack of overt motivation likely signals a desire for more than what an arcade like title is meant to offer. Still, 'Velocity 2X' is impressive in its devotion to its namesake, and even more so in the advances it makes past the original title. Adding the sidescrolling segments was a risky idea that paid off, not because of sheer luck, but because the developer knew exactly how to accomplish that same feeling of speed and urgency on foot as in the void violent space. Not competency, but real talent in level design, highlights 'Velocity 2X' as a pristine example of the common "teach them, test them, then move on" theory of progression, all at a lightning-fast paced sure to go unmatched until the next of the series.
I still don't really know why anything I'm doing in 'Destiny' matters to the characters in the game, but I do know that getting a new gun and leveling up to 26 in preparation for the upcoming raid, or the weekly strikes, or the daily mission, or for the simple fact that I enjoy getting (admittedly generous) headshots on both the aliens and my fellow guardians, pushes me onward.
'Garden Warfare' is beautiful, sounds great and it plays pretty well too. PopCap doesn't push any boundaries from a gameplay standpoint. That's understandable; this first installment is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The fact that it all works so well is impressive enough. While you won't find a whole lot of depth in the game modes themselves, sifting through the character classes and matching their individual tactics and abilities with the sprawling maps should be enough to grab the prolonged attention of an avid shooter aficionado.
The excellent disparity between the multiplayer and single player makes it clear; DICE should not even bother with the forgettable single-player. DICE is a multiplayer studio, and proves it again and again with every new 'Battlefield' release. The fourth core installment of the series is the biggest, most glorious realization of massive, vehicular warfare yet, and DICE has made some admirable strides with balance and destructibility. The maps deserve special praise. I would live in them if they weren't so dangerous and gratifyingly unpredictable. I'd take to the surf if an attack boat wasn't likely to shred me to pieces.
The scenes you explore and characters you discover will keep you delighted. 'Broken Age' is charismatic, colorful and, above all, decidedly unique. Double Fine is unafraid to break with the current trends that lean away from this kind of tale and this kind of game. I can't say anybody who hates point-and-click adventures will suddenly find joy in the kind of puzzles requiring your attention, but that's really not the point anyway. Vella and Shay are well-designed characters looking for their own answers in well-written worlds. It's their answers, and not the puzzles', which propel the player forward.
More or less a collection of lengthy obstacle courses with a tendency to break apart and tumble around you and with you, 'Tropical Freeze' accomplishes much in the way of satisfaction and difficulty. Though more an expansion of old ideas than anything blatantly new, what small additions there are, from new sidekicks to subtle level twists, are undeniably positive ones. Accompanied by excellent visual and audio design, it's a successful sequel, bolstered especially by the Wii U's extra bit of power (think about it from Retro's perspective). The studio isn't making waves with this reboot series as they did with 'Metroid Prime,' but they have again delivered an ideal and genuinely exciting Donkey Kong experience.
'Expedition,' with just three maps and nothing else for the game, is fulfilling only for those with bare expectations. However, two of the three maps are now among the best the game has to offer, which means that 'Titanfall' as whole is indeed improved. Between finding routes amongst the crowded forest of 'Swampland' and navigating the complex maze of 'War Games,' the already excellent gameplay takes turns exploring new, fun, and interesting directions, which is the best you can ask from new maps.
As much as I harp on the topic of autonomy and linearity, I still find it extremely difficult to fault the game in my final calculation. 'The Walking Dead' as a whole and this latest episode are doing amazing things for storytelling in games. Clementine is an all-time great character, this season solidifying her as a unique and compelling protagonist, and William Carver might just be the series' best villain. He may not even be a villain in the coming episodes, and it's exactly that kind of ambiguity that keeps me on my toes. It keeps me wanting more. 'A House Divided' fleshed out the group and offered up some moments of sincere tension and, for some of us, regret.
The bottom line is you'll never play 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown' for the first time ever again. It's okay that 'Enemy Within' doesn't give you that feeling. It doesn't recreate the dread we all felt in those first couple playthroughs. That's where ironman mode comes in. 'Enemy Within' is all about piling on the goods, throwing in some new ideas with Exalt and buffing up the sense of personalization and customization with your squaddies. There's a lot more to do, and with a game as good as 'XCOM,' that's never a bad thing.
Press Play squeezed more than its fair share out of the simple yet powerful drawing mechanic originating from 'Max and the Magic Marker.' Expanding that idea in 'The Curse of Brotherhood,' with narrative focus and tighter puzzle creation, a wonderful Xbox One title emerged, fresh and new. For anyone with the new console and desperate for something that doesn't involve pointing a gun or a car, Press Play's latest is absolutely worth the time. Without more surrounding polish, however, and leaning on traditional dressings in most areas other than strict puzzle design, this is no classic. Here's hoping Press Play keeps on going with this apparently endlessly fruitful idea and finds something more to say with it in further iteration; there's still fertile ground here.