Outside of the wonky difficulty issues, NHL 17 is a fantastic hockey game that is able to brilliantly straddle the line between arcade game and hockey simulator. While the step up from NHL 16 might not be all that impressive, for those like me that skip years, there are a wealth of new and improved features. From the new World Cup of Hockey to a new Franchise mode, NHL 17 has literally everything you could need for a solid Fall/Winter epic hockey shut-in. NHL 17 is a must have for any hockey fan out there.
Normally marketing will begin pushing hard right from day one on a title that is well received, and ReCore was. Instead the marketing and news about ReCore stayed relatively quiet up until it released, and even then it released to little fanfare which is a downright shame because ReCore could be so much more with a little push from the folks at Microsoft and/or Comcept. There are plenty of little moments, like the loving relationship between Joule and Mack, or the overall mission for the game, that really shine and could draw in a lot of gamers, if only it was talked about and highlighted. My biggest fear with ReCore is that if falls into obscurity because nobody seems to be talking about it.
Sad as I am to say, NASCAR Heat Evolution is one to stay away from unless you are the most die-hardiest of NASCAR fans and are quite apologetic for its dismal online play, bizarre progression system (level up by unlocking tracks, and vice versa), and stale audio.
God Eater 2: Rage Burst was a surprisingly well-ported and robust action RPG that contains an interesting story, plenty of mild fan service, and some stunning graphics. Add to it the robust voice-over and solid background music that mixes well with the mission-based style of gameplay and the light crafting and RPG features, and you have a faithful port that does not exactly feel like a port at times. Snappy action with plenty of options, even if it is lacking a lock-on, yield hours of Aragami-devouring fun while not being a tiresome slog.
There is a certain charm to a board game; whether that is the feeling of the dice rattling in your hand, the subtle plastics and resins of the miniature units, the detailed boards, the fact that you actually play it with real people, something. While I was excited for a go at Armello, I was also apprehensive; board games are like couch co-op, better with company. Digitizing the experience, I feared, would lesson the impact of a story, the tense nature of a close game, or the excitement that comes with an excellent roll of the dice. Fortunately Armello and the great folks at League of Geeks laid my fears to rest as the board game experience is translated quite nicely (minus the shouting and making up of house rules) to the Xbox One. In reflection I think that the reason it translates so well is because of the little things, like the idea that you use the left analog stick to rock back, then forward, to roll your dice for combat, or the hex-based overworld movement; tied that into an intriguing and genuinely interesting premise and it really is a winner.
Star Hammer: Vanguard Prophecy is easily on of the best console ports ever, sitting up there with Divinity: Original Sin, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut, and Diablo 3 (the crown jewels of PC-to-Console ports). With an utterly brilliant remapping of controls, Star Hammer's deeply tactical play-style is easily approached and managed through such a smooth and simple control scheme. Sure, there are a few things, like voice acting or hiding of the HUD during setup, that I would like to see, but in truth? Those are minor wants; Star Hammer is the complete package and is spectacularly satisfying on the Xbox One.
The end of summer is here and it is time for the annual titles to rain on us from the gaming Gods. No different than many other popular yearly franchises, the official FIA Formula One World Championship flagship title, F1 2016 is now available and back with even more Formula One goodness. Chalk full of exciting tracks, a robust career mode, and the new Formation Lap / manual starts feature, F1 2016 promises to be the most complete F1 experience ever. Spoiler Alert ... F1 2016 delivers on that promise.
Attack on Titan surprised me. I am more used to licensed properties, especially those in the anime world, being sub-par at best. Shingeki no Kyojin destroyed that expectation, stomped it into oblivion, then chewed on the remains. Serious, intense, fast, and incredibly challenging at times, Attack on Titan really shines when you are swinging from one side of a map to the other in the hopes of rescuing a comrade in distress. Though the Epilogue introduces a horrible looking and frankly dumb new titan, it still provides some good after-action, well, action.
Multiplayer felt flat, primarily due to missing the charm of sharing in and adventure that either one of us (my buddy) or I made, which is what a big part of the allure of D&D is; living the games that your friends and you build. Picking up someone else's adventure and running through it can be enjoyable and Sword Coast Legends is certainly that. If you have recently finished Divinity: Original Sin or Wasteland 2 and are looking for some rock-solid console RPG goodness then Sword Coast Legends can certainly scratch that itch. Not quite on par with Neverwinter Nights 1 or 2 of old in terms of campaign creation or single-player story, but still an incredibly welcome trip through a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure from the comfort of your couch. Sword Coast Legends on PlayStation 4 is a faithful adaptation of a solid D&D throwback.
Obliteracers, while fun, seems shallow in a handful of departments; for one, there is the fact that there are about 10 or so weapons, which all get really old, really fast (most matches devolve into trying to "push" racers off of the map). Another is that there is no real "race" in the game as these are essentially linear, track based arena-style matches.
The Muv-Luv series of visual novels have been around since 2003 and have a fairly massive following. In fact, the sequel to the first Muv-Luv (consisting of Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Luv Unlimited), called Muv-Luv Alternative, received an interesting anime adaptation, called Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. Now, I was first introduced to Muv-Luv via the Total Eclipse anime, and I loved it; while many anime aficionados may scoff at Total Eclipse, I found it to be quite interesting, compelling, engaging, and just genuinely great.
All in all this season of Horizons is shaping up to be incredibly exciting. With the Engineers update well under way it is only a matter of time before we get ship-launched fighters, commander customization, and multicrew ships. With Elite: Dangerous Horizons, Frontier is doing everything right, and little wrong. More variety in ships, added customization, tweaked missions, planetary landings, you name it ... Elite has grown, and in all the right ways.
The Technomancer is the equivalent of a cheesy 90's sci-fi action flick mashup; think Steven Seagal's Under Siege meets Jesse Ventura's Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe all set in the dusty red planet of yesteryear's classics like Total Recall or Dune. For as grand as that sounds, fans of past Spiders titles may be a bit disappointed in the lack of varied gameplay between titles. Others that are new to the universe may be a bit let down by the lack of depth, yet carried along by a decent supporting cast, an interesting and fun if trope-y story, and stellar world-building. While Technomancer may not be deep, overly fulfilling, or entirely sophisticated, it does contain an abundance of charm. Charm not unlike your favorite campy films of years gone by.
If anything, TASTEE: Lethal Tactics is beyond excellent; sure work could be done to add more models, characters, skins, weapons and assets, but what is there is excellent. Fast, for a turn-based title, challenging gameplay yet simple execution, something very rare in a strategy title. TASTEE: Lethal Tactics keeps its light-hearted antics first and foremost, backed by solid gameplay, which puts it into the rare pile of "pick up and play any time you want" strategy titles. It is a certain keeper.
With the proper cultivation and growth, Stellaris can stand with the greats like Galactic Civilizations III or the upcoming Master of Orion reboot, but as it stands, it needs a little more love, whether that is from Paradox themselves or a dedicated fan-base, I do not know. One thing is for sure though, and that is that Stellaris is the planting of a seed that could grow into something spectacular.
If the PlayStation 4 will continue to get priority from Gust I would like to see more attention spent on careful animation and getting away from the amateur-level animations and syncing that I see in Sophie. However, their writing remains top notch, their choice of seiyu and English voice actors remains some of the best in the industry, and their addictive blend of resource gathering, crafting, and more traditional JRPG goodness is masterful when it is at it's worst. Atelier Sophie: Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a powerful entry into one of the best JRPG franchises to date.