With diverse, interesting gameplay, excellent production, and a world that sucks the player in, Bastion is a downloadable experience that's not to be missed. It's a game that every gamer should pick up, as it hits the core of why we all love our gaming hobby. Bastion celebrates experimentation, rewards exploration, allows room for growth and challenge, and never condescends. In the end, it leaves The Kid's motivations as an open issue. Are you a hero working toward a new golden age, a villain working out some major anger issues, or just a kid doing his best to muddle out of a bad situation? The Bastion ain't gonna tell you, son. That's gotta be up to you to decide.
A Link Between Worlds captures plenty of that old Zelda magic with its excellent dungeon design and gameplay-first formula. Series fans will not be disappointed, although it may not deviate from formula quite enough for some. In my estimation, the developers stuck to the right parts of series formula while innovating in important areas, such as non-linearity and user-friendly interface decisions. This is yet another entry in a string of great 3DS games this year, making that device one of the best gaming investments out there.
I dearly wanted to enjoy Contrast. It's the kind of game that is normally right up my alley, featuring puzzles, platforming, a stylish, historically inspired world, and an intelligent young female protagonist. It simply wasn't fun to actually play. Contrast would have made a delightful short film, but I'm afraid that it isn't a particularly good game.
Fun games can be simple, and simple games are often fun, but there's a tedium at the heart of Super Motherload that it just can't shake. With a number of tweaks that added more interesting puzzles, made the game less grindy, and reduced the amount of up and down necessary, it could've been a lot better. As it is, I think I'd really rather go back to playing Diamond Mine in Bejeweled 3.
Destiny has been a fascinating experiment, but at this point it could use a reboot from scratch in order to truly fulfill its promising premise. Rise of Iron makes the best out of what's been done, but what we really want is a new Destiny with a bold, cohesive story and a rock-solid expansion plan. Go forth, Bungie, and deliver.
Despite its issues, both technical and philosophical, I'm giving Freedom Cry a "must play" rating. I think it's an important start in tackling such a difficult and tragic topic via the medium of interactive entertainment. Few companies are brave enough to even bring up topics like slavery and genocide in a real-world setting. You should play it, and you should feel uncomfortable, angry, and sad while playing it. Adéwalé may not have been a real person, but this is our history, and the reality of slavery was even more brutal than the game depicts. Freedom Cry may stumble, but it opens up some important discussions that we should be having as gamers and human beings.
Overall, Dr. Luigi certainly scratches that virus-busting itch, and is especially fun with two players. Fans of the series and Tetris addicts shouldn't hesitate to pick it up from the Wii U eShop. It's the kind of game that doesn't need to change a great deal between versions, and its designers have wisely stuck to the basics while adding some entertaining twists to the gameplay with Operation L.
Despite its lack of challenge, Broken Age is absolutely worth playing in order to explore its world, meet its wonderful characters and become hooked by the mystery presented by its story. I might even suggest playing Part 1 now and being forced to wait for the second half of the game to come out in the spring. It gives us time to ponder the mystery, come up with theories, discuss them with fellow fans, and get excited over the kind of mystery that's rare in this day of Let's Plays and Internet FAQs. It may not be the perfect game, but Broken Age is something special that any gamer with a taste for the fantastic won't want to miss.
In short, Bravely Default is the Japanese RPG that we've been waiting for. As many JRPG companies cram increasingly bizarre gimmicks, half naked underage-looking girls, or overly convoluted plots into their games, Bravely Default reminds us that it's possible to go back to basics without feeling stale. This classic Final Fantasy-style game is beautifully executed, fun to play, and not to be missed by anybody who has ever loved the JRPG genre.
I'll be blunt: if you loved the original Thief series, you won't enjoy this game. If you have never played the original Thief games, there's some enjoyment to be had, but there are other stealth-heavy games around that are a far better overall package than this one. Thief has a few good ideas, but they're dragged down by the game's design as a whole. With available games that let us freely scale the outside of those wooden castles of old, why should we settle for one that sticks us on a plastic kiddy playground?
If you enjoy MMOs, WildStar is an excellent choice that should have some good legs to it. If you hate everything about MMOs, WildStar is not going to change your mind. It was made for traditional MMO enthusiasts, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you're itchin' for some exploration, questing, player-killing, raiding, house-decorating, and monster-slaying, then saddle up, Cupcake. WildStar is a fun ride.
Entwined is one of the better digital games to be released on the PlayStation 4, although a lack of strong competition weighs into that estimation. It's lovely and challenges gamers in an unusual way, but it is also hampered by an awkward (and possibly painful) control scheme and dropped frames. Still, if you're one of those head-patters and belly-rubbers, it's only $10, so why not give it a try?
For puzzle lovers, you can't do much better than Pushmo World. It's a great deal with tons of challenging puzzles, lots of variety packed into a simple premise, and tons of play value via the World Fair. The best puzzle games are easy to learn but difficult to master, constantly challenge the player to think in new ways, and ensure that players can't be permanently stumped on a single puzzle. Pushmo World does all that and more with style and charm. Go pick it up on the Wii U and get ready for block-pulling bliss.
Sacred 3 has the skeleton of a fun co-op hack 'n' slash experience, but it's marred by too much repetition, balance issues, and the worst comedy routine this side of Open Mic Night at the Middle of Nowhere Comedy Shack.
Despite its oddball shortcomings, Risen 3 is a solid open-world RPG packed with entertaining characters and challenging combat scenarios.
Thanks to the strongest story since the original Disgaea, a battle system that is easy to pick up but has plenty of complexity, and the crazy amount of fun extra activities that can extend playtime, Disgaea 4 is a must-have turn-based strategy RPG. This Vita version is highly recommended for its portability and extra content. Playing politics in the Netherworld is a dirty and violent game, and genre fans will enjoy every minute of it.
CounterSpy is an excellent addition to the PlayStation Network with enough style and unique gameplay mechanics to make it stand out from the pack of side-scrolling platforming/action titles. Those of us who are old enough to remember the Cold War will particularly appreciate the game's style and humor, but it's an entertaining title for anybody who likes some good old-fashioned stealth action. Its later levels can be a bit frustrating, but its espionage challenges are enough fun that you'll want to keep trying until you reach the final mission.
First Light is an excellent introduction to the inFAMOUS series for new players, and series fans will enjoy this game's story and focused gameplay. Male and female players alike should enjoy playing as Fetch, thanks to her strong characterization and entertaining powers. In addition, the look and sound of this title serve as a good reminder of what the current generation of consoles have to offer. Go ahead... dip your toes into the world of inFAMOUS with this title, and don't be scared to feel the neon. Fetch says it's tasty.
These complaints are rather minor in the grand scheme of things, because Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a fantastic tour of the series' musical history and an entertaining game to boot. It successfully combines the RPG addictions of leveling and customizing characters with the rhythm game addiction of mastering songs. Veterans of the first game and newcomers alike will enjoy its huge catalog of songs and fun features. If you like Final Fantasy and its music, you should absolutely grab a copy of this game.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is absolutely a great game. It retains all the action, polish, and fun factor that makes the series wildly popular with a wide range of gamers. However, the game gains little and loses much on the small screen. As much fun as it is to play, it's going to be more fun, more attractive, easier to control, and hopefully more online-capable on the Wii U. I won't say that you shouldn't buy the game on the 3DS, but I will suggest that the Wii U version is probably the game that you really want to play. The excellent roster and various other improvements found on the 3DS only make me more excited for the big-screen version of the game that is to come.