The hack-and-slash moment-to-moment action works in its favor even when transitioning to a new style of play, but Dynasty Warriors 9, like some of its predecessors, is clunky and unwieldy; hampered by the aforementioned bugs and performance problems. If you're into the idea of playing an open world game where its arcadey elements are entwined with therapeutic but sometimes dry exploration, maybe give it a shot.
Rise and Fall does exactly what an expansion needs to do, and brings the wayward Civ players back into the fold.
Barring some unfortunate bugs and one design decision that hampered my experience, Aegis Defenders is a smooth, well-thought-out ride. The original art, charm, and in-game universe only add to it, and I'd love to see more.
Despite the kick in the teeth, it was worth crawling back out of that hole and trying again. Any game where you're pondering the optimal setup for a chicken head that shoots egg bombs and a bee homing missile is a-okay with me. I won't be endlessly replaying it, but Octogeddon grabbed me hard for a good while.
Shadow of War had a gamey quality to it and a fanfiction plot that had some moments of surprise. Blade of Galadriel is much more to the point, without much of the same flair -- either the good or the bad.
Dissidia NT is fun to play, but it could use a few tweaks that could easily come as low-effort updates along with its existing premium DLC. More modes, some UI tweaks, and combat flow upgrades would go a long way.
When assessing these packs I try to rate the sum of their parts, and more often than not, the A-game of the zombie team elevates these DLCs. Call of Duty: WWII: The Resistance is another one of those times where the extra bits upstage the main attraction of the maps.
If you've been skipping out on Monster Hunter games for a while because they seem to blend together, jumping into World is your chance to get in. Just know that Capcom hasn't really shaken up the formula enough to piss off veterans or appeal to people who don't welcome grinding with open arms.
Matt Thorson succeeds once again in crafting a tight, beautiful retro experience.
It's a weird situation because people have already been burned by Street Fighter V, so these small Arcade tweaks probably aren't going to be game-changing enough to bring you back. If you're still active, these changes and another season will keep you going. It's that simple.
Even if the developer thinks they invented a genre that's been around for years, their hubris and the game's hype had no impact on this assessment of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. It's a rare occurrence when something makes its way into my weekly rotation of games, and jumping into its crazy world of survival is something I still look forward to after all this time.
Bridge Constructor Portal takes some of the best snark from the Portal series and shoves it into a clever little construction game.
Brawlout is positioning itself as the sort of indie Smash, especially with its addition of Hyper Light Drifter and Juan into the mix. With proper post-launch support, and most importantly, an audience, it could grow and fill that Bowser-sized hole that Smash Wii U left. Until then it'll serve as a fun party game that could be a little more.
My only real complaint about L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is that I wish it was longer, and that it was available on more platforms. It's not going to magically change your view on Noire as a whole if you already didn't like how the original played out, but it makes an excellent case for VR conversions, and I see a bright future ahead of Rockstar if they can pull this off again.
The spirit of Burgle Bros. is here, and the foundation for this tabletop crime spree is rock solid.
It's really tough to follow-up Super Meat Boy, but Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel did it nonetheless with a dreary challenging platformer.
Doom is just as violent and mesmerizing in VR, but a number of concessions were made in this truncated version.
Square Enix recognized its failures from the first two DLCs and was able to address some of them in Episode Ignis. It doesn't entirely redeem the season pass, but it is worth picking up piecemeal for five bucks, or as part of the eventual Game of the Year edition. With the last season pass story add-on out, the cycle of Final Fantasy XV is complete.
I had a great time taking on the new shrines and the obliteration silliness. Breath of the Wild is still a blast, so even if everything feels familiar, I couldn't help but take myriad detours and comb through areas I had already been before just to ensure that I didn't miss something. Keep your expectations in check and you'll enjoy the ride.
While the attempt to encourage exploration is appreciated, the skin of Portal Knights isn't distinct enough to keep me interested