It speaks volumes about the core mechanics when Dance Central Spotlight can still be considered a good game despite its issues. The demand for some accuracy in your moves makes it a challenge that can be brought into a party environment without alienating players of any skill type. While the new model gives you fewer tracks up front, it allows for deeper soundtrack customization, and it does so in a way that's cheaper than it was on the Xbox 360. However, the grinding needed to unlock some of the more interesting routines can get tiresome, especially for veterans of the series, and the crashes in the multiplayer portion are unacceptable when you consider how easy they are to trigger. If that portion is fixed, then feel free to add a full point to the score, but for solo players who don't mind performing the same songs multiple times to unlock the exciting content for parties, Dance Central Spotlight is a fairly solid purchase for $10.
One Piece: Unlimited World Red is good. Although the combat is quite messy when facing waves of normal enemies, the excitement of the boss fights more than makes up for it. There's some nice variety to the adventure in terms of things you can undertake, and the additional Battle Coliseum mode is a nice bonus for those who want to extend their time with the game without resorting to the available DLC. The great presentation goes a long way toward pleasing fans of the long-running series, but for those just getting into it, this game isn't a bad place to start.
In the end, NHL 15 feels like the skeleton of a better hockey game. Even with the missteps, the core game mechanics are solid and provide players with some fun hockey experiences. Those who don't care much for anything beyond this will be pleased with what's on tap. For those looking for the more involved modes the series has traditionally offered, they are either missing or watered down to the point that they feel like inaugural attempts rather than classic modes that have been tweaked for the better. The game will be patched to address some of these issues, but as far as what's on the disc or initial digital download, it seems like a step backward. With the groundwork already laid out, the hope is that NHL 16 will be a more complete hockey package. For the time being, NHL 15 just isn't what fans are looking for.
You have to be of a certain mindset to enjoy Surgeon Simulator 2014: Anniversary Edition. You have to be willing to accept the game as a big joke and each failure as the punch line. You have to be open to the fact that the clumsy controls, questionable physics, and bad collision detection are all tools to help you get to that bad conclusion. You have to realize that overcoming the odds in light of all of the near-impossible circumstances is the big reward to the overwhelming challenge. It isn't a game for everyone, especially those who demand tight controls and realistic simulation titles or Trauma Center, but if you can deal with the silliness of it all, you'll find Surgeon Simulator to be enjoyable enough.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die may be a short game, but it takes strides to be memorable. The presentation is a little rough in parts, but it's still miles better than what the developers had come up with before. The gameplay mechanics are varied enough to keep from being monotonous, but they're also streamlined so those who dislike the tediousness of most adventure games can get into this title. The story, which is equal parts odd and compelling, will draw you into the game. Fans will love this title, and those who want to know what a good Kinect game looks like will enjoy this experience.
Sunset Overdrive proves that Insomniac's signature brand of gameplay and humor can work well in big, open worlds. The guns feel different and are fun to use, and the game gives you plenty of opportunities to use those weapons. The flexibility in mobility opens up the game for both horizontal and vertical gameplay, and the combination of this and the guns, along with some good level design, encourages creativity. Coupled with a great presentation, it provides an open-world experience with more emphasis on fun than anything else. For action fans, Sunset Overdrive is a must-have title.
In the end, Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is a good platforming puzzle game. The humorous dialogue helps drive a platformer that provides some good challenge in an array of levels. The use of the quarks brings a nice variety of possible solutions, even with the rather small number of abilities. It could be a bit more flexible when it comes to the controls, and the camera could benefit from being more focused, but this is still a fun time for those who'd rather solve puzzles than fight in their platforming games.
If you rate Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition based on the gameplay alone, you'd find it to be a worthy entry in the franchise. It may not have the strongest story in the series, but the gameplay is enjoyable due to the number of weapons and crafting options at your disposal. The large world feels less confining than the mall, and the large swaths of the undead appeal to the sort of person who enjoys games like Dynasty Warriors to a degree, especially now that almost all of the expansions are part of the package. However, the lack of any optimization and the lack user-friendly methods to tweak the graphics is disheartening. The frequency of crashes, while improved since the initial launch, makes it very difficult to play without being frustrated at what could have been. It is still a good game, but you'd be better served by waiting to see if future patches address the stability.
Light is a decent demonstration of stealth done on a smaller scale. The minimalist approach is novel, and the bare-bones stealth mechanic can be refreshing to those entering the genre for the first time. However, those who are more familiar with stealth titles will find the mechanics to be too simple, and the brevity of the entire game makes the $12.99 price tag seem absurd, especially when the levels and item locations are static. If the developer's promise of adding more levels for free pans out and there's a plethora to choose from, then it could be worth it. As it stands now, Light is a very hard game to recommend.
As the definitive version of the core Halo experience, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one of the few games that should be in any Xbox One owner's collection.
Assassin's Creed: Unity is full of ideas and systems that don't gel or haven't reached their potential. The return to an urban sprawl is fine after playing in the wide-open spaces of the last few games, and the setting is gorgeous even in its state of decay. The core action is largely the same, with the small amount of improvements being very welcome at this stage in the life of the series. With the plethora of single-player and co-op missions available to the player, the game is full of content that is in line with the series' earlier titles. However, the bevy of technical hiccups, from poor online connectivity to bad stuttering to degrading audio, makes this title feel like a rushed effort. Of all of the entries released on home platforms thus far, Unity is difficult to recommend to even the most die-hard of franchise fans.
In the end, Project Spark can be a rewarding title, especially if you plan on putting in some time to learn how the creation system works. There's a level of depth not seen in a console creation title since the PSone era, and while there are plenty of simple games out there from creators, there are also a number of interesting games that speak to the title's long-term potential. Those who just want to play with these creations will be fine with the free version, as it's the best bargain for those who want quick but varied experiences without a high level of polish. For the creators out there, check out the free version to see if you can come to grips with the system, but dive in to the Starter pack if you want a wider range of elements to jumpstart your creative endeavors.
#KillAllZombies is something of a paradox. The core game is simple but strangely addictive once you get past the initial horrible impression. The random nature of the terrain and the perks keeps the experiences different, and the live-streaming integration is a nice touch, provided you have an active audience interested in your exploits. Unfortunately, the game can feel like a grind as you work toward weaponry that actually makes a difference, and the lack of modes makes the game feel both rushed and incomplete. Combined with the price and lack of cross-buy, which other twin-stick shooters on the system offer, it's rather difficult to recommend #KillAllZombies to anyone but the most dedicated twin-stick shooter fans.
In the end, Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops is a fine twin-stick shooter that's best enjoyed in short bursts. The game is pretty lengthy, but the sameness of most of the missions starts to wear thin, especially if you don't play on the hardest difficulty level in the latter half. The title may not have microtransactions, but the grinding nature doesn't help alleviate things if you want to power up your players. Despite this, Joint Ops is fun, and the cross-buy and cross-save nature means that it is accessible almost anywhere. For those with a twin-stick shooter itch to scratch, Joint Ops isn't that bad of an investment.
Despite the long wait between entries, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions ends up being a very solid game in the franchise. The core shooting mechanics remain tight, and the addition of new powers doesn't cheapen the experience. The level designs add a fresh feel to the shooting, and the various modes cater to those with specific preferences. Though the presence of progression gates can be frustrating and encourage too much grinding, the various leaderboards and pure addictive nature of the high score hunt mitigate that just a bit. For arcade style shooting fans, it feels almost mandatory to have this in your gaming library.
A City Sleeps is a better experiment than it is a game for dedicated fans of rhythm games and shoot-'em-ups. The fusion makes for a game that sounds great on paper, but tying the shots so tightly with the predetermined rhythm makes for a less-than-satisfying experience. The difficulty spikes and haphazard way in which the power-ups are strewn about makes for a game that seems tailored for hardcore shooter fans, despite some seemingly inviting mechanics and graphics. Since the game is so brief, it becomes tough to recommend the game to all but the most dedicated of shooter fans.
As a setup episode, Game of Thrones: Episode 1 – Iron From Ice has all the right hooks to keep fans enthralled and newcomers interested. While it is very light on the puzzle and exploration elements, it is very deep when it comes to the story. The overall tone is spot-on with the show, and even though there are a number of questions to be answered, what's presented here is compelling enough to make you want to see what happens next.
In the end, The Marvellous Miss Take is a stealth game for genre fans who want to experience something outside of their normal expectations. The distilling of stealth is novel, and turning a chunk of the missions into speed runs adds some excitement to the genre. The non-predictable AI pathing for the guards keeps you on your toes, and the optional goals and the secondary cast make the game deeper than expected. Some work could've been done to make the controls tighter, but those who aren't easily frustrated by such things will find The Marvellous Miss Take to be a nice change of pace for the genre.
From top to bottom, Fluster Cluck is dreadful. The gameplay is basic, but the uninspired map designs, weak weaponry, and confusing scoring system ruin the fun. The campaign feels like it drags along despite being so short, but the dependence on grinding to open up more levels is infuriating. Multiplayer makes things a little better, but the paltry map selection and pittance of modes saps away that fun rather quickly. The lack of online multiplayer cripples the potential audience even more. Even the presentation is weak enough to give the player the impression that this title was done as quickly as possible with no regard for quality. As it stands, Fluster Cluck is up (down?) there with Basement Crawl as one of the worst multiplayer console experiences to date. There is absolutely no reason to grab this one, especially at its rather high price point.
In the end, OlliOlli is quite good. It's familiar enough for genre fans to be able to pick up quickly, yet it's different enough that it feels fresh. It's challenging enough to make people work for their high scores, but not to the point where retrying the same level becomes infuriating. It features a good amount of gameplay that can be endless if you like chasing high scores, and though it is best enjoyed in short bursts, playing it in prolonged sessions doesn't hurt. Even if it doesn't cause a resurgence in the extreme sports genre, OlliOlli can stand as one of the better sports games on the PC.