NHL 18 will satisfy hockey fans; that goes without saying. Its real achievement though is in its design, which will seamlessly teach and assist a player who knows nothing about hockey. They're likely to stick around too, because as it turns out, hockey is a blast in videogame form.
Hollow Knight will stick with me for a while. It blends a Metroidvania and Dark Souls in near-perfect fashion. Its tight gameplay as well as its fantastic look and music immersed me into caring about a mysterious civilization of bugs. If "Soulsvainia" is a new sub-genre, then count me in. Also, count me in for the next thing that Team Cherry releases.
While all MOBAs have gone one direction, Awesomenauts Assemble! is still – after all these years – one of a kind. Its 2D platforming and overall accessibility make it great for kids, people new to the genre, and MOBA aficionados looking for a cool distraction from their main game.
Prison Architect allows for freedom and creativity with its deep simulation systems and the multitude of player options. Players may become surprisingly invested in their prison and in their prisoners, something that can only be achieved by letting them mess with every small detail.
Chromagun is videogame love letter to Portal, with an entirely different and unique puzzle mechanic. It may have made a bad first impression in its pre-release version, but eventually won me over. It's a game I have a lot of confidence in recommending to puzzle game fans.
Portal Knights certainly takes inspiration from Minecraft, but does enough different to stand on its own. It's procedurally generated environments and visuals impress the most, which make for a nice laid-back adventure.
Typoman: Revised creates a unique and clever experience that ends just in time to salvage a positive experience. The game may not be perfect, like Limbo, but it still looks and plays great, has a message that resonates, and is a genuine surprise in its own right.
Jotun isn’t a long game by any means, but it packs in a lot. The diverse environments are beautiful, the boss fights are expertly designed, and Norse mythology is just cool. It also tells a personal story that makes the ride all the more enjoyable.
When I started playing Talent Not Included, I was blown away by its tight controls and stage setting. Towards the end, I was still enjoying it, but my enthusiasm waned considerably compared to where it once was. Still, its unique presentation and complementary design does make for a good time.
Feral Fury plays it safe in many ways, but it also plays well, runs well, and does enough to satisfy the roguelike enthusiast. It isn't crazy enough or unique enough to recommend to anyone who isn't already a fan of the genre, though. The laziness in the world-building was also a key disappointment.
Riddled Corpses' solid gameplay and faithful "retro feel" mostly make up for a limited and sometimes disappointing progression system. It's likely to please those who don't mind grinding as well as those who enjoy a challenge – superficial and linear as it may be.
The town of light does some really unique and innovative things for the horror genre but its adventure game aspects are simultaneously mundane and confusing. Still, its real-life horrors stick with you longer than the more fantastical and gruesome images that are commonly seen in other games.
With Pit People, Behemoth tried something new and was only partially successful. It has excellent art design, unique world-building and some truly funny moments, but the problems with its combat and structure hinder what could be a hit. Understandably, the game's weakest parts are those that the studio doesn't have much experience with.
Candle: The Power of the Flame is a beautiful game with a charming and emotionally resonant story.
Risk: Urban Assault, while flawed and bare-bones, has renewed my interest in Risk. Risk’s biggest issue, pacing, is only half-solved in Urban Assault with the “Fast AI” system. Most Disappointingly though, it lacks any semblance of a campaign
Nebulous is a challenging puzzle game that allows for creativity and freedom in completing the levels. There are aspects of the game that are unnecessary and there are a few polish issues, but what remains is a game with more than one unique idea.
Despite the outside-the-box premise and the unboxing mechanic, this package is a by-the-numbers platformer with a few rough edges. 'Feel' is a huge part of a platformer and in that regard, Unbox: Newbies Adventure is fine for the majority of the time, that is, until the physics decide to freak out.
Many aspects of Time Recoil show potential, but the only part that is actualized is its gameplay. The typically confusing time-travel plot impedes enjoyment as does the randomness in levels, which nearly diminishes that stellar gameplay.
Eliminating the rough edges and making the leveling up actually fun and frequent would go a long way to improving Rogue Stormers. It drips compelling things every now and then, but those don’t justify all the grind and frustration that lords over them.
Knights of Azure 2 was not an awful experience, just a thoroughly mediocre one. Combat is dull and simplistic; game performance lacks; many of its systems never amount to much and – its visuals are likely held back by the Vita, a device that westerners forgot about 5 years ago.