It's not a huge departure from the themes and gameplay of the last two Persona games, but there are enough successful tweaks to the formula that Persona 5 feels both familiar and wonderfully new.
There's not much to dislike, especially for die-hard fans of the genre. Double Fine promised a classic point-and-click title when it launched its crowd-funding campaign three long years ago, but the developer didn't just rely on nostalgia. Instead, it made a game that captures the humor of the games Tim Schafer worked on at LucasArts while creating a modern aesthetic that totally suits the story.
In Hades, you'll die a lot, but this compelling roguelike makes battling out of the underworld a pleasure.
The Disney magic shines brightly in Fantasia: Music Evolved, and Harmonix has delivered another great reason to own a Kinect.
Though it was received well critically the first time around and became a cult favorite, VC largely flew under the radar upon its initial release. I’m glad it’s getting another chance to shine a generation later.
Civilization: Beyond Earth sets itself apart from the previous games in the series in ways big and small, and you would be mistaken to dismiss this entry in the strategy franchise as "Civ V in space." Beyond Earth is an excellent standalone experience that can be enjoyed regardless of your history with the series—though having some understanding of how the turn-based strategy gameplay works is certainly an asset. After 300 hours of Civ V, the time has come to move on; I've left Earth and headed into space, and I think I will be there for thousands more turns to come.
Dance Central Spotlight is the first Xbox One game to make a compelling case for Microsoft's once-mandatory peripheral.
It's not often that I stare at a game's menu screen for a few moments just because it looks so good. That's exactly what I caught myself doing the first time I loaded up Civilization: Beyond Earth with the Rising Tide expansion installed.
While previous attempts to simulate city life were certainly fun, City Living surpasses them all by making the new locale of San Myshuno feel alive, bustling, and connected.
Thimbleweed Park has more than made good on its promise, bringing the joys of pointing, clicking, and verb usage to the modern era.
Blade Runner meets 1984 in Observer: System Redux, a tense and atmospheric psychological horror murder mystery.
Unpacking uses its simple, satisfying puzzle gameplay to tell a moving story about the things we take with us.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 builds on its predecessor's framework to create a super-satisfying park management sim with the occasional raptor attack.
In Doom Eternal, ripping and tearing has never felt so good, even if the last few chapters really test your patience.
Halloween may be over, but you should take the chance to go trick-or-treating once again with Costume Quest 2.
Though occasionally marred by technical issues and cumbersome segments, Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a delightful experience I'm happy to have been surprised by.
Story of Seasons, for all intents and purposes, is Harvest Moon without the title, and continues the series' tradition of making the mundane into compelling gameplay.
LEGO Bricktales can often get in its own way, but it’s still a fun adventure that breathes new life into what a LEGO game can look like.
Despite its short length, Tron: Identity's visual novel/detective story is well worth playing – and replaying – to unravel the latest mystery of life on the Grid.
With so much more, well, work to do, the expansion bolsters a core game that was a bit sparse at launch. At the same time, it's hindered by the limitations of The Sims 4, which make it very hard to balance careers, family, and fun.