Jotun is a beautiful game. The simple controls are easy to use, and the game's adventure is great. After each level, Thora monologues on her situation, expanding upon her backstory and her current situation. Fans of Norse mythology would be hard pressed to skip this game, plus the challenge from battling the Jotun is too great to pass up.
Armello is definitely a game I'd recommend if you are a fan of tabletop board games. It manages to capture that unique spirit and presents it in a magical world full of color and vibrancy. Even with the prologue helping teach new players, there's a deep learning curve on the main game that may take a few attempts to fully comprehend everything. With that said, it's not necessarily a bad thing though since Armello rewards multiple playthroughs. The single-player portion isn't terribly long, meaning a single game can be finished relatively quick, depending on the situation.
This 8-bit stylized game is a blast to play. Every level holds its own challenges and combined with the procedurally generated pieces, no party will play out the exact same way. The game may not necessarily be deep, but it holds a unique charm in its straightforward and fun gameplay.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a great return to the game and I thoroughly enjoy MachineGames' focus on creating an excellent single-player experience. Fans of the series will definitely get a kick out of the game as well; it has the same charm and feel as last year's title while offering a short chance to kick some Nazi ass.
Fans of puzzle games and platformers will feel right at home in Stealth 2. I recommend the game to those up for some fun (and gory) challenges, and don't mind dying over and over. Since each test chamber is different from the last, there's no way players should get bored with this one.
Etherium isn't a bad game by any means, as the RTS elements of the game are perhaps the most enjoyable, combining the best pieces of other strategy games. However, the turn-based sections of the game seemed to slow the overall pace down, and the card system seems disconnected from the rest of the game. Toss in a myriad of crashes, and I feel this one could have used some additional time to polish the experience.
Total War: Attila is a fantastic game and a must-have for fans of the franchise. The army management and battlefields are still the best piece, but I felt like the clan and empire management aspect has dragged the gameplay down a little compared to earlier titles. A major bonus is the cooperative gameplay has seemingly been fixed. I'm still working on verifying this fully, but previous titles since Shogun 2 has a desynchronization issue with cooperative campaigns, but it seems to have been fixed between Rome II and Attila.
Tengami's visuals and soundtrack are really well done, but overall it was lacking in substance. I would have liked to see more perplexing puzzles and a developed narrative. That being said, I still enjoyed the ethereal atmosphere and spent most of my time admiring the world around me. Thanks to the short playtime, I didn't end up as frustrated as I could have been. You may want to try out Tengami purely for the art and music, which is what it's really all about.
Grey Goo is a crowning achievement to the RTS genre, and a must-have for fans of strategy games. The narrative is excellent with stunning cinematics, and the gameplay either online or offline is certainly worth your time. This is a wonderful step back into the glory days of RTS games for myself, and for those wanting to try it for the first time, it will not disappoint.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are solid additions to an already beloved franchise, and can be enjoyed by both longtime fans and newcomers alike. I do wish it had been slightly more challenging, however, as I often found myself over-leveled and smashing through gyms. Though the post-game content makes up for that by offering a wealth of activities to keep you interested. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire has a little bit of something to offer everyone.
Elegy for a Dead World will not be for everyone, and that is understandable. Coming from my English-centric background, I found it fascinating and reminiscent of some of the workshops and classes I've taken over my education. Being able to take a prompt and run with it as I saw fit is an excellent mental challenge and I can easily see this game being useful in classroom situations. While it may not find a place in the big leagues, Elegy fits within a niche group that will certainly be diehard fans.
Many have complained about the number of glitches within Assassin's Creed: Unity, and while I have experienced some myself, the game is still playable and fun at that. It's got a solid core and I've enjoyed the story, but I feel like Ubisoft completely dropped the ball with some aspects. The connectivity they've forced upon players is just a major drag on the game and I feel cheated that because of their broken systems, I am unable to participate in every piece of Unity. If you can get past that, however, you'll certainly enjoy the game.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is perhaps one of the best RPGs I have ever played. It combines a number of excellent elements and stuffs them into a huge game. It's got a little something for everyone and enough meat to the game that it'll keep them going. Fans of the series will not be disappointed and those wanting to jump in will be awed.
Assassin's Creed: Rogue is certainly my favorite of the last generation of Assassin's Creed games and arguably the best of them all. It brings so many new things to the table, relying wholeheartedly on the mainstays of previous titles. It's got the best aspects of everything, a larger world to explore, and you still get to be a pirate. What's not to love?
Randal's Monday is a great gem of a game. While the puzzles can be extremely challenging and misleading (who thought drinking rat poison was a good idea?), they're fun to try and mess around with. Thankfully Randal will point out directly how dumb some requests are, keeping you from feeling too confident in yourself about your puzzle solving skills. Combining that with the pop culture and humor and it's a great adventure game.
The game offers so much for players interested in a deep experience guaranteed to take hours to complete. I think it shines more in the free roam aspect where you can set your own path, but there's so much to do.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an absolute blast to play. The gameplay builds off of the successes of Batman and Assassin's Creed and weaves a story through the world of LotR that connects very well within the framework of the overall universe. It's a title that I definitely recommend picking up since you'll certainly enjoy it if you do.
Styx: Master of Shadows is fun. It falls somewhere between enjoyable and infuriating on a scale, as for every shining moment there is one of constant resetting. I feel players will quickly acclimate themselves to the gameplay and be able to move about quickly as the game is very intuitive and pulls from the likes of Metal Gearand Thief. Topping it off, it has a decent story to boot that works its way into Cyanide's previous title, tying both together.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a fantastic game. My only true complaints are the short length and lack of replayability, but I can easily stomach that after enjoying it so much. I'd love to see more games in this vein from The Astronauts since the story really grabs the players and pushes them to continue. It is definitely worth playing for those that enjoy a bit of suspense in the middle of supernatural mystery.
Bungie and Activision has opted to partner with Sony to release exclusive in-game content that you'll only find in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. An additional 3-person Strike mission that takes place on Mars is missing in the Xbox versions of the game, as well as an additional competitive Crucible map taking place on the Moon. Along with the maps, two exotic weapons and a unique armor set for each class round out the exclusive content. There are also three unique ships, but those are cosmetic only and don't have any bearing on the game