T.J. Hafer
Technical shortcomings aside, Dragonfall's story rocks; a well-spent $15 for any RPG fan.
Ancient Space's tactical depth and unit variety are tarnished by excessive micromanagement and vexingly slow combat.
CoH 2: Ardennes Assault is an adept interweaving of the strategic, tactical, and personal facets of warfare.
Grey Goo oozes with enjoyment for old-school
Total War: Attila is an adept refinement of Rome 2, with a great, harrowing campaign that sets it apart.
Blood Bowl 2 is a smashy, satisfying, goofy tactical melee that leaves just a bit too much up to the six-sided dice.
Rising Tide's great new diplomacy and artifacts can't quite fix Civ: Beyond Earth's replayability problems.
Anno 2205 is an engaging and strategic city builder with a forgettable story and too little motivation beyond profit.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a deep, exciting, varied RTS with all the right tools.
Bombshell is a fast-paced, energetic, deliberately absurd action shooter that's mostly competent at everything it tries to do. Stunningly crafted, downright epic environments and tight, responsive gamepad controls steal the show. But it certainly doesn't pull off anything innovative or revolutionary, and the whole experience is dragged down by spiky difficulty, half-baked RPG mechanics, and poorly constructed (though varied) boss battles.