Brian Dumlao
Depending on what you're looking for, Killzone: Shadow Fall is either a hit or a miss. If you're looking for something to showcase the power of the PS4, this does the job very well. A few missteps aside, the graphics are beautiful and present something rarely seen in the previous generation of console shooters. If you're looking for a solid multiplayer experience, the game works well. The shooting feels right, the progression system is good, and the constantly rotating objectives keep things fresh. If you're looking for a solid single-player experience, Shadow Fall doesn't provide that. Despite a better plot, the story is jammed down your throat. The game should be in your launch library if you're invested in a stable, sci-fi multiplayer shooter.
Madden NFL 25 is still a good football game. All of the modes from the Xbox 360/PS3 release are still here, the gameplay is practically the same, and there are a few improvements in some areas. However, those improvements are negated by a few new issues, and what you have is a game that doesn't have enough to convince many to move on to the next console generation just yet. If you're an early adopter of the new consoles, you'll be fine with this version. Otherwise, waiting for next year's iteration is a good idea.
If anything, NBA Live 14 helps prove that the NBA 2K series will be the reigning king of video game basketball simulations for years to come. Some decent game mechanics are ruined by very poor AI that has little to no idea of what to do most of the time. The audio is poorly put together, and the visuals are decent for the middle of the current generation, not at the beginning of a new one. The ESPN license feels largely wasted in the bare-bones presentation. A few modes are too tedious to be fun. There are some good ideas and modes here, but with so many issues plaguing it and few players online in the first few weeks, the whole effort seems pointless. With any luck, the plan for EA is to learn from this and deliver a worthy product next year. Unless you need every game on your chosen platform, just pick up NBA 2K14 for your hoops fix this year, and don't look back.
Dusty Revenge has lots of potential and looks very eye-catching. The combat system is satisfying enough despite some cheap enemy tactics, and the boss fights are quite good. However, the camera/HUD issues and the limited use of sound is disappointing, and collision issues and bugs pop up often. The varying quality on the controls can infuriate, especially during the platforming segments in the latter half of the game. For $10, the experience is still worth it but only if you've already played the better titles in the genre.
Given the amount of development time and the public nature of the game, Fez no longer seems like a revolutionary title. The puzzle mechanics has been used in several different ways in other games (that were released earlier), and the move away from realism and into a more whimsical, older look has also been done by other titles. The graphics and sound are still charming, even if it falters in a few places. More importantly, the game does a great job of throwing in a number of obtuse and brain-melting puzzles, and the sense of elation when you finally solve them is second to none. Those who love a good challenge will have some fun with this well-made puzzle platformer.