Yet, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle pretty much speaks to everyone, even if a few of its core mechanics aren't as refined as several of Arc's other works. It has a wide array of cast members from several universes, a pointed 2v2 focus, and a sufficient amount of stuff to do if you aren't the online competitive type. I sincerely hope this sets the stage for more experimental "all-star" types of fighters from Arc, as they have a seemingly limitless well of ideas to draw from.
Onrush could use some refinement when it comes to its modes but its core is strong, and the foundation is set for a great arcade racer. I'm anxious to see how it evolves and if people will really pick up on the class-based system enough to explore it past the first few weeks of launch, but for now I'm happy boosting off of a cliff and doing sweet flips on a motorcycle to earn points.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon keeps the lifeblood of the Castlevania series pumping with a condensed, and appropriately retro homage. It might not blaze the trail on anything new like a few other recent Inti Creates projects have, but it does exactly what it needs to do, and helps bolster the new legacy of Bloodstained proper before it's even out.
Detroit: Become Human, like most Quantic Dream games, is filled with muddled symbolism and a spark of hope amidst its most interesting universe yet. It doesn't have anything particular new to say, but it delivers in terms of drama, to the point where I started a second playthrough shortly after my first seven hour-ish run. It's flawed, but coherent, which is an upgrade.
Dark Souls Remastered speaks for itself just in terms of the raw mysteries it offers beyond its new coat of paint. The feeling of zoning into Firelink Shrine is just as special the 100th time as it is the first, and the open-ended nature of the world is just as fresh. Sometimes needlessly so, From Software has packed so much into Dark Souls that I'm finding new items or experimenting with strategies I've never seen before -- a testament to the longevity of this particular entry, and a more than justified remaster.
Despite creating two other Runners, Choice Provisions has shown that they're not out of ideas quite yet. Bring on Runner4.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is pushing it, given that there's already been a portable "definitive" release with previous DLC and then some, but if you skipped out on the 3DS release entirely (because it ran poorly on non-"New" models) or haven't played Hyrule in any form yet, it's going to be a much more enticing prospect.
Aside from the incorporated change that made previously limp exotics actually fun to use, it's clear that Bungie has a lot of work ahead of them.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Desolation of Mordor brings a worthy character into the spotlight with a slightly different feel, to aplomb. Instead of controlling a superhero you're a stronger-than-average man, which somewhat grounds the gameplay while still allowing for plenty of wonderful toys. The whole "roguelike" angle was a bit oversold, but depending on your perspective, that could be a plus.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a platformer that needs to be experienced by as many people as possible.
I'm still tooling around in skirmishes in BattleTech, and it's done its part in getting me interested in the bigger picture. Harebrained Schemes should be proud, as it's mostly done right by the various tabletop licenses it's worked with for the past five years or so.
God of War is a different game for a new era of the medium. While I'm a sucker for more frantic arcadey action there are plenty of studios left carrying on that legacy. Unless something catastrophic happens to Sony Santa Monica, there's more story to tell, and I hope the exact same team is able to tell it.
WWII's DLC is slipping into a comfortable skin, which is great if you've already nabbed your season pass, and meh news for everyone else.
Extinction is a good blueprint for a more interesting game. I came in excited to slice up some giants, but after the fifth rote exercise I was kind of over it. There are some flashes of brilliance every now and then but the over-reliance on the core energy meter idea keeps it imprisoned in the depths of repetitive arcade territory.
TERA is still absolutely worth trying out if you've never delved into it before. It's something I plan on sticking with on the side rather than as a main course, but those of you who are already chowing down on TERA should probably stay with the PC version.
NIS delivers the weird yet again with Penny-Punching Princess, a fun little arcade romp that just escapes the danger of staleness. Stretched a little too thin but a lot of people are going to be enjoying this one with a price drop.
I want to see a lot more of Detective Pikachu despite my misgivings with his 3DS debut. I just hope the next game is a little more fleshed out and doesn't tease us so heavily, but developer Creatures was able to build the skeleton of a low key adventure romp.
Level-5 is more than capable of dumping out healthy portions of its secret sauce on top of its games, but the combat of Ni no Kuni II and its attempt to do so many different things can hold it back. From the first hour I was mesmerized and captivated, willing to see its tale through until the end. While it does fall into some genre trappings and doesn't feel quite as epic in scale compared to the first, Level-5 has the uncanny ability to keep the memory and magic of the JRPG alive.
Burnout Paradise Remastered isn't really worth grabbing if you already have the original. Hell, said original is even backward compatible on the Xbox One right now. Without any prior experience though I would absolutely give Paradise City a spin -- even with its faults, it's still one of the most memorable and mild open worlds in existence.
Most of the stages aren't the only linear aspect of Star Allies, as the world map for each realm is fairly flat. It's always great to find a secret switch and unlock more extra stages to romp around in (something that feels distinctly Super Mario World), but more hidden secrets and an actual use for hub screen jumping would elevate the age old level-to-level feel a tad.I don't think HAL is very interested in drastically altering the Kirby formula at this point, and that's perfectly fine. Not every creation is going to be a masterpiece, but for the most part, all of the console iterations have a special degree of love and care that shine through. Kirby Star Allies is cute, gorgeous in its own special way, and fun to play. It's par for the course.