Unforeseen Incidents presents a delightfully captivating conspiracy with wonderful characters and perfect pacing. Its puzzles succeed because they are rational and connected with the story. The icing on the cake is the pleasant and striking visual style.
On the surface, Lake Ridden does not appear much different from other adventure games. But it doesn't take long to see the flaws: a confusing narrative, busywork tasks, fetch quests, and a depressing and dreary world. The handful of good puzzles are simply not enough.
The tactical combat in BattleTech is excellent. Building a roster of gigantic killing machines and managing sundries offers a long-lasting gameplay loop. With a sharper narrative and more polish around the edges, the turn-based 'Mech-killing experience would have been unstoppable.
The wondrous Dwindling Heights is well designed and gives Tilo plenty of opportunities to use his mousey avoidance skills and disguises to help characters. Although there is occasionally too much backtracking, Ghost of a Tale holds a memorable journey in its tiny paws.
Despite interesting choices that alter events, Batman: The Enemy Within is not quite a stellar experience. Watching Joker come alive as he interacts with Bruce is alluring and the finale is impressive, but the second season squanders the best features of the original season and has the same problems as Telltale's other recent efforts.
Like the original, Q.U.B.E. 2 keeps the emphasis on smart puzzle design and maintains a core group of mechanics that fit together like a glove.
Chuchel's overt humor and slick animations will make for an entertaining few hours but its simple puzzles and throwaway mini-games fail to ensnare deep imagination.
BLIK uses a typical first-person puzzler template to produce a substandard game. Because of its bad reflection mechanics, playing with mirrors has never been so irksome.
Subnautica links progression to dive depth and it pays dividends. It also provides useful tools and varied submersibles that facilitate the steady exploration of wondrous biomes far below the waves.
The story and characters in Life is Strange: Before the Storm help to make it a valued addition to the universe. An alluring friendship between the two main characters is the key to its success. It's just a pity that ineffectual player choice, weak adventure mechanics, and a lacklustre ending prevent it from creating a lifelong bond with the audience.
Telltale has barely changed their interactive story approach for Guardians of the Galaxy, but that's not such a bad thing. With a solid application of humor, fun combat sequences, and a well-realised cast, they have forged a bold space adventure.
Although an improved sequel, there is both good and bad in Star Wars Battlefront II. Class-based troopers and a smart reinforcement system are hindered by horrid progression. The large modes succeed, when there are no bottlenecks or balance issues. And if the single player cared about its main character, then it would have complimented the game's astounding presentation.
An insipid and muddled campaign holds back Call of Duty: WWII just as it disembarks. And the plain, inconsistent, and restrictive multiplayer does not quite reach the heights of its predecessors. Its best features come from the new online War mode and the reliable Nazi Zombies, both of which lack the tidal force to wash all the blood from the sand.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War's extensive orc variety and improved nemesis system blends extremely well with its hectic combat. While the story is better than the original, the implementation of quests is poor. Attacking and defending forts is great, although overused in the already lengthy campaign.
Project Cars 2 has the potential to be one of the best racing simulators, thanks to the wonderful tracks, variety, and awesome vehicles, but AI flaws and a plethora of strange technical issues prevent it from being a consistently great experience.
Darkwood does so much with its simple top-down perspective that it matches some of the best horror games released this year. It is easy to appreciate the finer details when you methodically explore a captivating wooded area, gather resources, and fend off deadly creatures before the terrifying night arrives.
Beat The Game does not feel like a complete game. You scour a tiny area and collect a bunch of unusual sounds for limited mixing purposes. A few well animated cutscenes are not enough reason to experience this extremely brief adventure. Aspiring DJs may be able to create something pleasing to the ear, but others will prefer the sounds of silence.
Peregrin's simplistic puzzles, technical quirks, and uninteresting combat hold back an adequate tale of a hero's desolate journey into a lost and fractured land.
Observer features remarkable trips through fictional minds that unsettle and terrify without relying on excessive jump scares. The nightmares contrast wonderfully with an atmospheric and detailed cyberpunk world that is always fascinating to explore.
The story and puzzles are decent in Aporia: Beyond The Valley, so it's a shame that the world is roughly designed, there are consistency and technical issues, and the horror element is shallow.