Packing a vibrant, immersive open world, likeable cast of characters, and an engaging plot, Watch Dogs 2 is a good-looking, entertaining hacking romp that's not afraid to make a statement on today's technology-obsessed society. Its missions can be tackled in a variety of ways: Combat is always an option, but the game really comes into its own when you're using your suite of technology-disrupting tools to creatively outwit the enemy. It's involving, rewarding, and a lot of fun.
Arkane Studios returns to the world of Dishonored, with a bigger, badder version of the game they debuted in 2012. Choose between the direct violence of Corvo Attano or the deception and guile of Emily Kaldwin. With a host of amazing power, you'll stealth your way through huge, expansive levels with amazing artistic design. Dishonored 2 is a great stealth-action game and deserves every accolade.
Civilization VI is a worthy sequel for the franchise. Firaxis has crafted the best vanilla version in the franchise's history, with a host of leaders, a great soundtrack, some keen art direction, and new features like the city expansion. There's not much missing this time around and I look forward to seeing what Firaxis adds to an already amazing game.
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City are amazing games, but this collection doesn't stand up to the same quality. The visuals have been improved, but at a loss of the dark ambiance of the originals. The 30 fps frame rate isn't locked, with the occasional stutter marring the experience. Worse, there's no new content available here. If you own either game on PC, there's no reason to get Return to Arkham.
Shadow Warrior 2 is a beautiful, fast-paced shooter with a ton of guns. There's an RPG-like layer of additional skills and extensive weapon customization, a great cast of characters, and nothing to get in the way of pure reckless shooting. And when you're done with the campaign, there's four difficulty levels, New Game+, and co-op play waiting for you.
Hangar 13 tells a great story in Mafia 3, pitting Lincoln Clay against those who took his family from him. Great characters, solid dialog, and some top-notch motion capture flesh out the world. Unfortunately, the open-world nature of the game kills the story pacing with a repetitive mission loop. Mafia 3 could've been great, but it's just good.
Telltale continues to craft its own version of Batman and Bruce Wayne. The action is still solid, but this is all about the story: Who is Bruce Wayne when everything he knows to be true is a lie? Given the truth of his origins, who is Batman? Telltale's Batman relies on safety and familiarity to subvert expectations here and it works well.
ReCore is a style of game we haven't seen in a while. Part Mega Man Legends, part Metroid Prime, ReCore puts exploration and platforming at the forefront. With your trusty corebot pals, you'll double jump and dash through an open world and some damned fiendish dungeons. While ReCore trips up a bit with some odd combat and gating mechanics, it's still worth your time if you remember how platforming was in the old days.
With 50 fighters (17 of whom are all-new), 19 stages, and a host of gameplay modes, SNK is coming out swinging with King of Fighters XIV. The roster is diverse and interesting and the game is easy to get into. The game could definitely use a boost in the visual department, as the art style can come across as safe and bland, but the game itself is solid. As the beginning for a whole new era of SNK, King of Fighters XIV is a win.
Adam Jensen returns in an all-new adventure, proving that Human Revolution wasn't a fluke. Eidos Montreal has outdone itself with the same great stealth experience, improved combat, and some gorgeous art direction. There's a whole host of augments and weapons, allowing you to customize your experience and certain moral choices you make will stick with you. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided does not disappoint.
Telltale wastes no time in establishing its Batman and the surprising thing is the studio is spending an equal amount of time on Bruce Wayne. The elements are familiar, but the focus is rarely this evenly split. An strong premise, sold takes on familiar characters, and great fight scenes bring this first episode to a strong conclusion. Looking forward to see what's next.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE has a little bit of Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei for flavor, but honestly the title stands out as its own thing. Fans of Shin Megami Tensei spinoff Persona will find a lot to love: great characters, a heavy dose of Japanese entertainment, and a solid battle system. And if you're a Wii U owner, this is a great RPG to close out the system's lifespan.
Though you can tackle it at anytime, Blood and Wine is definitely CD Projekt Red's farewell to Geralt of Rivia. The great storytelling, interesting characters, and solid hunting mechanics all return in one last adventure, taking Geralt to a new region. If you've played Wild Hunt and Hearts of Stone, you owe it to yourself to experience this excellent finish to Geralt's tale.
Uncharted 4 finishes off the story of Nathan Drake in style. It's one of the best-looking games on PlayStation 4, the environments are huge, and the action set pieces are great. The pacing falters in the middle due to new vehicle sections, but once Uncharted 4 gets going, it's a great ride.
If you're looking for a roguelike twinstick shooter, Enter the Gungeon is one of the best. You'll shoot and dodge roll your way through procedurally-generated levels. Over 200 guns and secret rooms means you'll dive into the Gungeon again and again. It's not the most most innovative roguelike, but what it does, it does well.
An absolutely beautiful MMO from developer Pearl Abyss. The beauty is backed by a complex sandbox MMO that offers a lot of freedom, but doesn't explain its systems to players all that well. If you're into starting up a second fantasy life and have the time to spend learning the mechanics, Black Desert Online might be the game for you.
Ultimately, the large problem with Snowfall is the price. It's not a bad addition to the overall game, it's just a very limited content drop for the asking price. Most of the additions are visual in nature and the snow is limited to a few maps instead of being spread throughout any map via a dynamic weather system.
It might look like a shooter, but Superhot's unique game mechanic - Time moves when you move - means the game plays out more like a puzzle. You'll punch, slice, and shoot your way through waves of red shapes and feel awesome while doing it. It's over pretty quick, but once you're done, there's still a whole host of challenge levels to tackle.
A less linear adventure, or perhaps the addition of something that could actually harm the player would have elevated Layers of Fear into something amazing. If you want a keen haunted house you can wander through at home, the game is worth picking up. If you're looking for a great horror experience, the scares in Layers of Fear won't hold your interest, even with the game's short running time.
Despite being built on the skeleton of previous Far Cry games — its map is literally an overlay of Far Cry 4's! — Primal manages to stand apart from other open-world sandbox action games through the sheer novelty of its primitive setting. Although the emphasis on bow hunting and woolly mammoths can give a bit of a Skyrim vibe, that quickly fades as you gain full mastery over the protagonist's ability to summon a variety of deadly beasts into combat. The writing fails to make its primitive heroes anything more than one-note lunks, but the primordial nature of the game world complements the action and ultimately makes up for the underwhelming story.