I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy this entry as much as I did the previous trilogy since it changed developers, but how silly I was to even think it’d be anything less than amazing. Gears of War 4 is hands down one of the best games released so far in 2016. The Coalition nailed the feel and atmosphere of the series perfectly, and the future for fans is looking brighter than it ever has.
I had high hopes for Mafia 3. It was one of my most anticipated games for the rest of 2016, and I'd by lying to you if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed. Certain aspects of the game are still rather enjoyable, especially the storytelling and the way the game is presented to the player. But I'm not sure if that's enough.
Fans of the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise will absolutely adore this game, and I can say that with full confidence being one myself. Newcomers to the series may be a little lost, but they should have no issues adjusting and enjoying the game for what it is. Either way, Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls is a great addition to the series, and one that should certainly be experienced.
Dragon Quest Builders is one game that is definitely worth your time and commitment if you are a fan of the series, a fan of creation within games, or even better, both of those combined.
With a campaign that tells a tantalizing story, and a multiplayer mode that belongs near the top of its class for the series, fans of the franchise have plenty of reasons to keep coming back to this until DICE releases another game. Battlefield 1 takes me back to the Medal of Honor era that I thoroughly enjoyed and quite miss, and makes me realize how badly we needed a historical setting once again in today’s first person shooter market.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is one of the best in the franchise released thus far. With a truly engaging campaign that makes you really feel for the characters and what is happening both at home and abroad, as well as a villainous group that you’ll love to hate, it has a lot going for it.
Dishonored 2 is an amazing sequel that fans of the original game should absolutely play, and cements this as a (hopefully) permanent franchise for Bethesda and Arkane Studios. Being able to play a number of different ways, changing the world and story on a whim, and having the ultimate freedom at your fingertips, it’ll keep fans of the series coming back for more for quite some time.
Batman – The Telltale Series Episode 3: New World Order continues to solidify this game as one of the best that Telltale Games has done to date.
Ultimately, Here They Lie is not a particularly great game. It's very average, and if this wasn't taking place in a virtual setting, and wasn't one of the original show pieces for the tech on PlayStation, it'd probably be borderline bad.
Batman – The Telltale Series Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham definitely has a lot of good going for it, being a part of one of the best series Telltale Games has crafted to date. But it is definitely the weakest episode up to now for this otherwise stellar game.
Mekazoo does a lot of things right with the platforming genre, and fans should absolutely give it a try. While we can’t say it is among the best of the best, it certainly is a good game. And in a time period where a lot of games feel very similar, we wish more studios would take a chance with games like Mekazoo. Developer Good Mood Creators has a nice foundation built, and we would love to see what they can do with future releases.
In the end, I was left feeling disappointed with Loading Human: Chapter 1. I wanted to like this game, because I felt the idea behind it and the promise it had as a trilogy was strong. But after taking the four or so hours needed to complete the journey, I'm skeptical on the future and for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. I'm hopeful for a turnaround and for an amazing Chapter 2, whenever that may be.
Watch Dogs 2 is a great step up from the original Watch Dogs, and certainly seems to be driving the franchise in the right direction moving forward. It’ll be interesting to see where Ubisoft decides to take the series next. One thing for sure, I hope that there is another sizeable gap between this one and the eventual Watch Dogs 3, if there does happen to be another one. Going away for a couple years gives fans of the games time to appreciate them more, especially with Watch Dogs 2 since it is such a great game with a lot of content to hold fans over for now.
The Dwarves was a great concept on paper that failed to materialize into something that should have worked naturally when making the jump to a video game. I’d certainly like to see this type of crossover happen again, as I feel it could easily work. The Dwarves is a very hard game to recommend to even the most hardcore of fans, but there are certainly some out there who will find enjoyment out of what it has to offer.
Robinson The Journey is a prime example of where VR technology is going to take us as gamers in the coming years. Unfortunately, controls within a 3D environment are holding back games like Robinson from being great and instead are relegating them to being average at best. That being said, Robinson The Journey is perhaps the best showpiece for gaming on PlayStation VR currently available on the market, and for those that can stomach the controls and motion, it should absolutely be experienced at least one time through.
Final Fantasy XV does not disappoint after waiting for so long to enjoy it. The relationship that formed throughout the game between Noctis and his friends is definitely one of the strongest aspects of the story. But the rest of the story is just as good, even if it is lighthearted at times and silly. It does have its moments that'll tug on your heartstrings, and the soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura helps paint an epic tale that I was glad to have been a part of and experience after first seeing Noctis in a trailer over ten years ago. Final Fantasy XV certainly is moving the franchise forward in the right direction. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the series will go with Final Fantasy XVI. I just hope it isn't 2026 before we see another mainline entry.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will whisk you away on a platforming nostalgia trip while you platform through beautifully designed levels to a rocking soundtrack in the background. The platforming featured throughout is some of the most fun I’ve had with the genre in quite some time. The actual design of the levels is intricate yet fun to navigate, as each one holds secrets galore. Different forms that Shantae will gather allows her to revisit older levels to try and find secret areas and collectibles that you may have missed the first time through. And some of those forms are necessary to reach these areas. The game definitely offers a lot of replayability and invites players to keep coming back to past areas and levels in order to see everything Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has to offer. And since the game is quite fun, doing so didn’t feel like a chore either.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Season One is definitely one of my favorites to come out of Telltale Games in recent memory. Known for their ability to tell amazing stories, Telltale Games crafted a world I wanted to physically be invested in as Bruce Wayne to try and make it a better place. The friendships and relationships you can build throughout the five episodes makes this game a real pleasure to play, and I would highly recommend it as a complete package to any fan of Batman or Telltale Games. Unfortunately, certain episodes do have their hiccups when it comes to stability and performance, and that alone is enough to hold it back from being the best game released by Telltale so far. But don’t let the engine’s shortcomings keep you from playing what is otherwise a great fit in the Batman universe.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 5: City of Light caps off the initial season nicely, and wraps up the storylines presented throughout the five episodes, while also clearly setting the game up for a second season thanks to the final scene shown before the credits.
Hitman: Episode 6 – Hokkaido is a great finale to what has been a rollercoaster of a ride with Hitman: Season One. There have definitely been a lot of ups and downs in terms of content and quality releases, but overall, the complete package is absolutely worth playing through by any fan of the stealth genre, or fans of Hitman games in general.