Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a game for fans of the anime. It relies heavily on players recognizing the story twists and turns and grasping how the anime mechanics translate into gameplay. Without that familiarity with the franchise, the game is a combination of fun, simple combat with the more tedious aspects of an MMO. The online play adds some extra spice to the game but won't keep players coming back unless they're big fans of the show. If you're interested in seeing a different side of Kirito and his pals, there's a fair bit of content here and you'll get the chance to play as some of the lesser-known characters.
Steamworld Dig was a fun romp, but Steamworld Heist shows that Image & Form isn't a one-trick pony. Steamworld Heist is one of the most enjoyable budget RPGs I've ever played. It's accessible, fast-paced and balanced. Only a lackluster story and some minor complaints about the combat hold it back, and neither is more than a minor blemish. If you're at all looking for a handheld take on the tactical RPG genre, you'll have a hard time finding a better example than Steamworld Heist. The $20 price tag might seem high, but Heist is enjoyable enough to justify it.
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is a solid and enjoyable expansion that adds some much-needed new content to the game in exactly the right places. The addition of extra weapons helps flesh out repeated playthroughs, and the new enemies and new challenges should provide a welcome burst of excitement to those who've long since worn out their runthroughs of chalice dungeons and New Game+. There's a tons of content both remixed and new in The Old Hunters, and it's a delight. The price tag is high, but Bloodborne fans will easily find $20 worth of fun in this new release.
Battlefront is a Star Wars game first and foremost, and its second priority is being a game for shooter fans. Those who enjoyed the original trilogy will be thrilled to see an AT-AT downed by Rebel snowspeeders or Darth Vader appearing on the horizon with lightsaber ignited. Those more interested in a meaty multiplayer shooter may want to look elsewhere.
Fallout 4 is pretty much everything you'd expect from a sequel to Fallout 3. It's bigger and more detailed than its predecessor. The gameplay is streamlined, which largely seems to benefit the combat and exploration at a cost to the dialogue and non-combat elements. There are few things as fun as grabbing your pipe rifle and wandering into the Wasteland to find a new ruin to explore or a new settlement to create. Beyond the main plot, there are possibly hundreds of hours of things to see and do. Fallout 3 fans should find a lot to love here, and newcomers to the franchise will find a great place to start.
Tales of Zestiria is a perfectly competent but unremarkable Tales title. It's fun to play and has a solid cast of characters, but the experience is dragged down but a lackluster plot and poor level and area design. It tries some ambitious things but generally to its detriment, and at the end of the day, it's a B-tier Tales title. If you're in the mood for a good JRPG, Zestiria fits the bill, but don't expect anything outside of the norm.
At its best, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is some of the most fun you'll have on the 3DS. Clever puzzles, fun boss fights and crazy costumes make for a charming and enjoyable experience. However, there are too many things that can go wrong to easily recommend the game to those who may not have a dedicated group of local friends to play with. If you do, the game is an absolute blast, even if it gets a little "grindy" at times. Between solving puzzles and battling fiendish foes, it captures the feeling of Zelda in a multiplayer game better than any other. Solo players will probably want to avoid the game, but anyone looking for multiplayer 3DS action will be hard-pressed to find a better game on the system.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate's only significant flaw is a lack of ambition. It's an incredibly safe game that makes sure every edge is smoothed out to avoid any backlash. It's a simple, solid and predictable game that is a big improvement over last year's title, but at the same time, it leaves it feeling slightly bland. Syndicate is a good experience, and it's hard to fault a game for focusing on that. Fans of the franchise and newcomers alike should find much to like here.
If you've been curious about Uncharted or want to revisit Drake's adventures, there's no better way to do it than with Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.
This has been a good year for Warriors-style games, but Dragon Quest Heroes is the best of the lot.
For someone with infinite money, LEGO Dimensions is one of the best LEGO games on the market and is a great example of how to make figurine-based games fun both in and out of the game. It's funny, it's creative, it plays well, and it's everything a LEGO game should be. The only mark against it is the fact that it focuses on real-world toys and expansion packs instead of in-game content, which drives up the price and lessens the core game content.
In terms of game mechanics, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is possibly the strongest entry in the franchise. Almost every change it makes is for the better, and the core gameplay has been polished and refined in countless ways. While it lacks big changes, it's an excellent example of the Disgaea gameplay and one of the most accessible entries in the series. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer, there's a lot to like here.
Fans of the original Vita version may not experience the same sense of wonder for the PS4 iteration, but Tearaway: Unfolded is still a delight for players of all ages.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is a remarkably fun entry in the franchise and easily the best One Piece game on any system. It has some flaws, many of which are common to the Warriors franchise, but it's just fun to play. Fast-paced combat, fun stage design, excellent graphics and solid adaptation of the anime and manga stories mean that it also has boatloads to do. It doesn't quite attain the heights set by Hyrule Warriors, but anyone who's a One Piece fan must buy this title.
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain is a phenomenal game. It is a credit to its quality that some rather substantial flaws do little to drag down the game, and even with them, it's destined to be remembered as one of the best titles this year. The variety and quality of gameplay make it a delight, and there's a lot of fun to be had. Metal Gear fans and newcomers alike should find a lot to like here. If it is the end of Kojima's Metal Gear career, then it's a high note to go out on.
Disney Infinity 3.0 is a solid update to last year's edition, and fans will have a lot to like. It seems more focused on addressing complaints and shoring up weak points than it does in reinventing the wheel. It largely feels like an excuse to introduce the Star Wars juggernaut to the franchise, and it's certainly a good move. The Star Wars characters and play sets alone make it a worthy purchase for young fans of the franchise. Having Tony Stark and Han Solo team up to beat up Syndrome is just icing on the cake.
The humor doesn't always hit, but it's amusing enough to carry the game through its 12-hour running time. Perhaps the only real flaw is that the game swapping so constantly between genres means it can never quite settle into a groove, and certain fun elements go underutilized. Fans of old-school JRPGs should find a lot to like in this loving homage to the classics of the genre.
Until Dawn does what it is aiming to do well. It's a near-perfect adaptation of an average slasher/monster film. It's a fun romp through a horror movie, and the tension of all characters being able to live and die contributes well to the overall feel. At the end of the day, though, it's not exceptional and lacks replay value.
The Adventures of Pip is an example of a perfectly fun platformer. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but it's a solid and well-made game. The only things really holding it back are the short length and the unavoidable feeling of repetitiveness that sinks in toward the end. Anyone who is a fan of platformers will find a lot to like here, and the core gameplay stands well enough on its own that I enjoyed the game from almost beginning to end. A little game with a lot of heart, The Adventures of Pip is easily worth a playthrough.
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is a surprisingly sadistic guilty pleasure. It's tough to match the satisfaction of seeing a well-planned trap chain go off. Unfortunately, the fun lasts about as long as that satisfaction does. If you can spend hours setting up deathtraps for helpless humans, then you'll have tons of fun with The Nightmare Princess. However, longtime fans may not find enough extra content in this version for it to be worth the money. This is a solid entry point to the franchise, but only the most hardcore should double-dip with the last-gen version.