Had the team at GameCoder shied away from formula and tried to do something more unique with Attractio, I think we could've ended up with a far better game. As it stands, it feels too "me too"-ish, without any sort of validated story or voice acting, and that makes the $20 purchase one that isn't so, erm, attractive.
It's still playable, and might be fun for devoted fans for the series, but there's no question that a lot more polish could've gone into Tony Hawk's revival.
L.A. Cops isn't a bad idea in itself, as it takes the concept of Hotline Miami and turns it on its head, making you the law instead of the law-breaker. However, its execution is flawed almost every step of the way, between iffy gameplay decisions, a lackluster presentation and having to work to unlock the awesome stuff, instead of just giving it to you right away. If you have to be the ultimate police officer, stick with Hardline instead.
Had the development team at Wales really tried to make Infinity Runner stand out with more diverse level design and better freedom of control, it could've really been something. Instead, it drags its feet just when the game is getting up to speed, and literally trips over itself in the hopes of achieving speedy greatness. Unless you need to see where this bizarre tale truly goes, just skip it.
Despite some strong world design and a compelling soundtrack, Toren just can't keep up with the other great platformers on the market, even from the previous generation. The miserable visuals, combined with technical problems and loose gameplay, leave this journey coming up way short – and making us wish that The Last Guardian would surface sooner rather than later.
Submerged just ends up being a disappointment. Great ideas in the storytelling and presentation are lost with a poor connection to characters and truly lacking gameplay. All the great intentions in the world don't mean anything if they don't convey into a fun game experience. Go play Journey instead.
Lifeless Planet could've been so much more had key decisions been made with less limited breathing, more intricate puzzles, environmental expansion and better gameplay. Instead, it feels more like a second rate space adventure rather than the equivalent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Oh, what could've been in the stars.
Switch Galaxy Ultra is proof that a mobile concept doesn't always translate well into a console experience. There are some modest "twitch" sessions to take part in here, but with very little diversity to go around, and even less worthwhile content to come back to. Worse yet, the price is jacked up extremely high, and the promise of multiplayer competition is dwindled due to the fact that, well, there is no competition. For a game with the word Galaxy in its title, there doesn't seem to be much to explore here. And that's a shame.
White Night has plenty going for it when it comes to artistic essence, but it comes up short in scares, cohesion, puzzle solving, and camera selection. Way short. OSome should've taken the time to make this darkness worth exploring. Instead, you'll simply feel better spending your Night elsewhere.
Maybe with Yo-Kai Watch 3 – which is a sure-fire bet at this point – Level-5 can take off the safety gloves and really give us an adventure that moves the series forward. But for now, it just proceeds with caution, and buyers may want to take the same route.
Had Nintendo taken the time to produce a sequel with the same amount of depth as the original Chibi-Robo, we'd be getting somewhere. But Zip Lash just feels like a routine platformer, not offering enough bang for the buck to satisfy die-hard fans of the series. Kids may get a kick out of it, but more could've been done to assure a long-lasting life for our environmental hero. Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of him.
Baseball Riot could've done more with its gameplay to stretch its wings and not try to be another Angry Birds. Instead, it just doesn't do enough, and only hardcore baseball fans – or those seeking out an interesting but flawed puzzle game – will want to invest. Everyone else can easily look elsewhere to take their batting practice.
The gameplay is fundamentally flawed, mainly with the inaccuracy of the AI and shooting system, and the presentation needs sprucing up, especially in terms of commentary. With a lot more effort in these departments, EA Sports just might pull off a contender. Or, hey, maybe it's just time to bring back NBA Street and stick with what works.
The Legend of Korra is a disappointment, an unbalanced action game that will likely frustrate its young fans alike – as well as die-hards who live for Platinum Games' over-the-top action roster. Its presentation hits the mark, and Pro-Bending can be fun, but, as such, it's not worth bending over backwards for.
Rare kind of dropped the ball with Kinect Sports Rivals. It's not very fun to play, outside of jet ski racing, and the fact you have to wade through so much just to get to free play is tedious. Casual players probably won't mind trying out this Olympiad, but other players may want to stick to the more general – and less expensive – Xbox 360 collections.
Had the game mixed up its gameplay a bit – and taken off its endless running shoes – it certainly would've fared a lot better. As it stands, Funk of Titans is a novelty that can only last so long with an audience – and there's nothing funky about that.
The Golf Club would've been a great Tiger killer with some nuances added to the gameplay and some cleaning up in the visual department. As it stands, it's a decent golf sim, but one that's hard to swallow with its ridiculous price and problematic issues. Expert players, however, may find value in the course editor. Try it out first if you can.
So Metroid Prime: Federation Force just feels weird to me. I'm glad that Nintendo is still paying attention to the franchise, but this off-shoot never really comes together like it should.
This isn't really so much of an Ultra Smash, as it barely qualifies as "just flying over the net."
While Deadpool certainly isn't as bad as other comic book fare on the market, it feels somewhat average with its rushed treatment on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Had the developers added better visual details and made it much cheaper, we'd be talking a great value here. As it stands, though, only serious comic book fans or those looking for mindless action should invest. Others can easily wait for the movie and stuff themselves silly with tacos.