Pokémon Sun and Moon is a safe and enjoyable entry in the franchise. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but focuses on polishing the rough edges and making the entire thing shine. It has enough new features to make it a fun adventure without feeling too familiar, and that's important. Some nagging flaws, like a poor frame rate and annoying Pokémon reinforcements, drag down the experience a little, but die-hard fans and curious newcomers alike should still have a great time. Pokémon Sun and Moon offers over 800 monsters to collect, so you'll be catching them all for a long time.
Overall, Watch Dogs 2 is a solid title that improves upon the original in gameplay and plot but still has some flaws. It's too easy at times, and the plot isn't structured well enough to have the desired impact, but that's easy to forgive when you're setting up a Rube Goldberg contraption to send a hacked car covered with sticky bombs into the middle of a group of gang members. It won't drastically change your mind if you disliked the first Watch Dogs, but if you found it flawed but fun, you'll probably enjoy the bulk of the sequel's improvements. The drop-in multiplayer and freedom of gameplay do a lot to keep the title feeling engaging, but it depends on a player's creativity in order to thrive.
Dishonored 2 is an excellent sequel to an excellent game. It retains everything that was good about the first game and effectively doubles it with more characters, more abilities, and more levels. It retains some of the same flaws, including incredible ease, graphical issues, and a weak main narrative, but it more than makes up for it in other areas. It's hard to not be delighted with Dishonored 2, as it shows a developer at the very top of its game. Fans of the original and newcomers alike should find a lot to like here, regardless of whether they want to be a silent assassin or a lethal predator.
All in all, Civilization VI is a solid, fun and enjoyable 4x game. Its basic mechanics are simple enough that players of almost any age can learn to play, but the gameplay is complex enough that multiplayer games can be brutal challenges that force players to the limits of their tactical ability. It has its share of flaws but nothing does more than slightly detract from the game. Whether you're playing for a few minutes before work or glancing up to realize that it's 4 AM, Civilization VI is exactly the kind of game that gets its hooks deep into you and never lets go.
Batman: Return to Arkham is a good, but not great, package. The games have both aged very well and are still plenty of fun to play, and the remaster allows newcomers to experience them. However, the inconsistent remastering job means that it's tough to be overly impressed. Return to Arkham is effectively a mediocre port of two excellent games. If you've never experience the Arkham games before, then this is a good starting point, but returning fans may be more disappointed than excited by some of the changes. There's still a lot to like in the collection, and the nagging flaws aren't enough to distract from the excellent games.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a solid improvement over the original in most areas, but at the same time, it doesn't add much to the equation. Rather than adding a ton of new content, it focuses on fixing the flaws and annoyances of the original game. The result is a title that is at once mechanically superior to the original and less interesting. Fans of the original Xenoverse will find this to be a fun expansion, and newcomers would be better off starting with Xenoverse 2 rather than its predecessor. Some excessive loading times and a weak story drag down the experience, but it's still one of the best Dragon Ball games out there.
Corpse Party for the 3DS is an engaging horror title that is more than the sum of its parts. Solid writing and top-notch sound design elevate basic visuals into something more. If you're a fan of Japanese-style horror writing, there's a lot to like here. It can occasionally devolve into the ridiculous or repetitive, but there are enough genuine moments of horror to help the game over its weak points. Given the flaws and lack of replay value, however, it's difficult to give this title a full-on recommendation. If you're in the market for something spooky, Corpse Party is a good bet, but it isn't a game for everyone.
All in all, Titanfall 2 is a well-made and enjoyable shooter that should be a good buy for any shooter fans. The main campaign is fun to play through, and it makes good use of gameplay mechanics. The multiplayer is fast, frantic and exciting, and it has enough variety that people will repeatedly come back to blast apart pilots and Titans. For PlayStation owners, this is the first chance to try out Titanfall's high-mobility gameplay, but even fans coming over from the Xbox One should enjoy the improvements.
World of Final Fantasy is a solid, enjoyable and nostalgic trip through the history of the franchise. It's cheesy, cheery and a lot of fun to play. The solid combat system and enjoyable humor carry the game through some noticeable bumps in the road. A few half-baked mechanics and a somewhat unnecessary turn toward the serious dull some of the game's shine, but the issues aren't enough to take away from the enjoyment. Fans of the franchise should find a lot to like in this well-made JRPG.
Skylanders: Imaginators fun, accessible and easily played by gamers of any age. It doesn't break the mold, and the highlight of the game is in creating your own character. The core gameplay will feel very familiar and perhaps too safe. The ability to create your own Skylander means there's a lot of potential fun for the younger set — though it can be a hit to the wallet for parents! Players who are aging out of or burning out on Skylanders might not see much of a boost from it.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is somewhere between an expansion pack and a sequel. There's a lot of familiar content bolstered by some fresh content and strong mechanical changes. It's more Shin Megami Tensei IV, so if you enjoyed the previous game, you'll find a lot to like here, even though it can sometimes feel too familiar and repetitive for its own good. The story makes it rather inaccessible to newcomers. Despite the myriad mechanical improvements, it's recommended you play SMT4 first to fully appreciate Apocalypse. If enough time has passed since you played SMT4 and you're hankering to return to postapocalyptic Tokyo, Apocalypse is the game for you.
Dragon Quest Builders is an excellent example of a game that can take after something more popular but retain its own personality. There's no mistaking the Minecraft lineage, but there's just as much Dragon Quest in Dragon Quest Builder's DNA as there is Minecraft. It's charming, it's funny, it's accessible, it's easy to play, and it has enough of its own strengths to be worth playing even for die-hard Minecraft fans. Only some nagging flaws and annoying camera issues drag it down slightly, but it's still worth playing. For Dragon Quest fans, it's a great introduction to the genre, and even for those who aren't, it offers a structure and sheer playability that many Minecraft clones don't.
At the end of the day, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is a solid sequel that suffers from trying to add too much to a formula that was almost perfect. It's still plenty of fun to play but feels too excessively bloated compared to the excellent original. If you're a fan of Championship Edition,then you'll find a lot to like in the sequel, and newcomers should find it an accessible place to start. It's an interesting evolution of the Pac-Man gameplay and makes for a solid pick-up-and-play title for players of any age. It is, after all, still Pac-Man at heart.
All in all XCOM 2 is a solid sequel. In many ways, it's more of the same with some new enemies, mechanics, skills and weapons to make it feel like a true sequel rather than a mere expansion. It doesn't make any big changes to the formula but improves upon the original. Fans of the first should find a lot to like here, but newcomers may want to start with the original XCOM. At the end of the day, it's a solid, fun, and incredibly unforgiving strategy game that will test your wits and your patience. Don't get too discouraged when your favorite soldier is disintegrated by a lucky crit from a laser beam. That's just the XCOM experience.
Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom deserves a lot of praise for accurately capturing the feel of the anime and translating it to video game form. Unfortunately, once you get past the accurate representation, there isn't much to the game. You'll kill the same Titans in the same environments with the same tactics over and over, and there's little to no deviation. There's enough interesting content to last you through the story mode, but it wears out its welcome long before you finish the epilogues. Fans of the anime should get a good amount of gameplay out of this, but only the most hardcore will keep going after they're finished.
All in all, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is a solid addition to the franchise. At times, it feels like it's more of the same and just spinning its wheels, but even at that point, it's charming and fun to play. The cases are strong, the characters are funny, and the visuals are delightful. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or drastically change up the series, but it doesn't need to. The title provides enough satisfying payoff for long-term subplots that it carries itself through the weaker moments. Fans should have a lot of fun, but newcomers may want to play Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy and Dual Destinies first.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 is a solid and enjoyable sequel. The tone has changed, but the characterization and combat are back in full force. There are a few nagging complaints here and there but nothing that should sour the experience for people who enjoyed the first game. At worst, it feels too familiar in both strengths and weaknesses. Almost every complaint and praise about the first game can be leveled at the second. ToCS2 is not a game for newcomers at all and is only for fans of the first. Likewise, be prepared for a game that leaves as many questions as it answers. It's a more satisfying ending than the first game, but there's still a lot more going on in Erebonia.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a very strong game that's dragged down by a lackluster plot and weak story structure. If you enjoyed Human Revolution for the gameplay and exploration, you'll find a lot to like here. This is not a story-driven narrative that advances the world of Deus Ex, but anyone who enjoyed Human Revolution will have fun with Mankind Divided.
I Am Setsuna lacks confidence in itself but still tries to stand with the greats. Chrono Trigger was a tremendously ambitious and far-reaching game because iIt ventured across space time and took huge risks with its characters. I Am Setsuna wants to remind you of classic games such as Chrono Trigger but doesn't have the courage to do anything more than that. If I Am Setsuna had been released as a $20 indie title, it would be more understandable, but as a $40 game published by Square Enix, it is found lacking. RPG fans will probably have a fun, if forgettable, time with the game, but there's no need to rush out and buy this one unless you've exhausted your other options first.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is the kind of game that is full of potential but needed a lot more development time. The final product is about one-third of the game that it needs to be. The lack of environments, weak combat and bizarre pace makes it difficult to recommend even to die-hard RPG fans. There are a lot of strong individual bits, but they don't gel into a cohesive whole. It might be worth a shot once it comes down in price and if you're aware of the flaws going in. Even fans of the franchise will find this to be a step backward.