A potent combat system and thrilling story are slightly held back by a slow start and rudimentary level design.
Great mechanics and a wild story make a solid first impression, but a shallow selection of modes keeps MK1 from a flawless victory.
A new aggressive fighting system and a healthy cast of characters make Tekken 8 pack a powerful punch.
There's a lot to like in The End is Nigh, just try not to throw the Switch around when the game gets super tough. Someone could get hurt.
The Council Episode 2: Hide and Seek does a terrific job of building more intrigue for its fascinating story.
The WWE barges its way onto the PS4 with WWE 2K15, which isn't the most perfect wrestling game ever invented, but certainly lays the groundwork for future installments. This game brings the look and feel of being in the arena watching top names do battle right to the home, and wrestling fans will marvel at the level of details in each characters' model. I wasn't sure how WWE was going to hold up during its first year in the current gen world, but 2K15 builds a nice foundation for wrestling fans, visual artists, and game players alike. The champ is now here, and the only way to continue is up.
Madden NFL 15 promises full NFL authenticity, but in practice asks us to meet it halfway. There's a lot of great improvements. and the uncanny valley of NFL simulation is in site, but there's a lot more work to be done. It may not fully be the revolution EA Tiburon says it is, but Madden NFL 15 is still a really fun way to get your football game fix. Even after 26 years, Madden still impresses.
An updated release of an older game must always be met with caution, but Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty somehow manages to meld the ideas of yesterday with the visual power of today to create a wonderful return for Abe and his Oddworld. It's not completely 1998-proof, but if anything those foibles will just remind you of the good old days of wanting to hear your freakin' hair out after screwing up that jump for the fifty-fifth time. Ah, memories.
Given the volatile and unpredictable nature of the social media environment, this experiment could have blown up in Other Ocean's face. Instead, I get to enjoy one of the wackiest and fun games I've ever pressed start to play.
On the surface Rise of the Tomb Raider is very much reminiscent of the previous game, to the point where someone passing through a room with Rise playing might mistake it for the last entry.
Xenoblade Chronicles X thrives on its open-ended nature, to the point where the idea of reigning the player in is simply nonexistent.
I didn't think AoT fit well into Omega Force style of game, but I'm happy to say that playing the game has proven me wrong... for the most part.
After playing Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, I realized that the lengthy title is actually perfect. This is a cross-over by definition, but the game plays like the Layton sections and the Ace Attorney sections were made separately and mashed together. Instead of a perfect fusion like Gogeta from Dragon Ball Z, it's more like Janus from Roman mythology, having two very different faces looking in different directions.
Some specters from the previous game still exist, particularly in combat and a bit in driving, but Watch Dogs 2 improves on the original game in every way that counts.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands is exactly what Ubisoft's storied shooter franchise needed to be reinvigorated.
For the most part the Yooka-Laylee has succeeded in meeting expectations, though a few specters from that bygone era decided to make the journey too.
That’s a perfect example of the kind of dastardly fun lies within the complex menus and systems of Evil Genius 2. Laying out the fortress, stocking the rooms with equipment, and executing Schemes is a powerful feeling, like I’m at the top of an empire. I can strike fear into my minions whenever I wish, or I can sit back and take a hands-off approach. Sometimes that hands-off approach takes a little longer than I’d like, but eventually I’m back into the action. Evil Genius 2 allows me to tap into my inner mastermind, creating an evil empire worthy of Blofeld himself even if the game is more Dr. Evil in its demeanor. It’s not a perfect empire, as some technical aspects are more frustrating than fun, but I still had a nefariously good time tapping into my inner evil.
It's not going to unseat some of the bigger titles of the year, but as a fun and unique experience Stray is the cat's meow.
That said, none of these additions are net negatives to the game either. Overwatch 2 simply exists in an awkward transition phase between the game it was and the game it wants to be. It's not a revolution by any stretch, at least not how the original game was, but it's still Overwatch and that means it's still a ton of fun.
What Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion accomplishes is something few other remasters or remakes get right: it revives the original core experience – pun intended – of the original Crisis Core release and places it on modern consoles with modern upgrades. The combat system is more refined and responsive, the visual upgrades are serviceable if not as extreme as some may hope, and the storyline is virtually unchanged – for better or worse.