Scott Butterworth
Tex Murphy's latest weaves campy live action, silly puns, and convoluted mysteries into a fun, if dated adventure.
Escape Dead Island questions how we perceive reality, alongside questionable zombie-killing and stealth.
Rock Band 4 recaptures the unadulterated gratification that made the series such a hit half a decade ago, but mainly because it's a relatively unchanged, repackaged Rock Band 2. A lack of content and general stagnation hold this particular iteration of Rock Band back, but new ideas like Freestyle Solos genuinely enhance the core experience, which remains a sincere and joyful celebration of music.
Devastation leverages the Transformers license masterfully and delivers tight, satisfying action with incredible flair. Honestly, I had fun just driving around trying to do donuts, and at one point, I randomly picked up a taxi and threw it over a building just for laughs. That's pretty great. And when that perfect rockin' soundtrack kicks in as you face off against Megatron, that's even better.
Embarrassing acting, questionable songs choices, and unwelcome microtransactions spoil the biggest mechanical improvement to music gaming in years.
Need For Speed borrows from the series' past to create an excellent street racer with a handful of obnoxious but ultimately forgivable problems.
Left 4 Dead's frantic four-player co-op gets medieval with melee combat, mutant rats, and mixed results.
After more than a decade of handheld titles and digital re-releases, Mario Tennis finally returns to consoles with Mega Mushrooms, online multiplayer, and a disappointing lack of content.
The Wild Run expansion improves Ubisoft's lackluster "carPG" The Crew in a number of ways but can't quite redeem the entire experience.
The rhythm game that put Harmonix on the map returns with spot-on mechanics and a brand new setlist that can't quite compete with the original.