For many, tacking playable goons onto Superstar Saga won't be enough to revisit the world of Beanbean Kingdom mostly because the campaign is still the same uneven adventure it was before. But even though many will see the minion angle as a throwaway, I loved creating and molding my own little army bit by bit, and found it to be a worthwhile distraction.
The selfless girl of A Hat in Time is not only a great role model, but she forges her own identity as a true mascot, with subtle notes of likable heroes like Dr. Who (complete with her own time-manipulating Tarvis). Any game that makes me smile while I'm glued to it is a great one.
Say what you will about some of these ancillary modes not being included in Nioh as a baseline, but I've gotten more out of the game than almost anything released this year. To see Team Ninja add to it, a project that was already a hardcore action game that mostly does its own thing while building on its predecessors has restored my faith in them as a developer. I can't wait to see what they're up to next.
I feel like Capcom finally was able to settle on a formula that doesn't feel too experimental, while at the same time not being so safe that it's a bore. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is sterile on the surface, but a functional as hell fighter. I'm fine with that. Are you?
Maybe the next 2D Metroid will take more chances, but Returns is far better than I expected it to be. The faux magic system, while shallow, adds some panache to the action, as do the combat animations that work within the confines of the engine.
Darkside Detective is a quirky, sometimes overly so, adventure game with simple but enjoyable puzzles that's over before you know it.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was an acceptable ride from start to finish, but that just isn't enough. It didn't hit the same lows as Ghosts, but it really exposed how long in the tooth Infinity Ward is getting. If Sledgehammer's WWII has a strong debut, they'll without question be the weakest of the three, and Retribution hasn't really helped their case. Saved by the zombies!
Destiny 2 commits a lot of the same sins as its father, but it succeeded in doing something the original never did -- make roaming around the open world fun and rewarding. It still has a lot of room to evolve with expansions and major updates, but the future is looking brighter than it once was.
I wasn't super impressed by Monster Hunter Stories but I don't think the developers intended for it to be a game-changer. It's an above-average RPG infused with some of the cuteness of the Monster Hunter universe, with portability to boot.
Knack II has the bones of a good platformer and a hint of charm but it just doesn't execute. I'm not sure what the Knack series attempted to accomplish, but after a sequel, it stands as one of the most missable franchises Sony has ever crafted. Maybe one day Sony can combine both of these together on the PS5 as a free PS Plus item and call it the "Knack Pack." That one's free.
Warriors All-Stars is good silly fun as the story never takes itself too seriously, nor do the cameos. But in the process a few huge staples we've come to expect have been stripped, much to the detriment of a project of this scale. I really wish it didn't have to be an "either or" situation.
Sparc has the potential to grow, but it needs all the help it can get from as many installbases it can get its hands on.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle's guts are impressive, but its main event feels like a [good] expansion for a fleshed-out strategy RPG that has more to offer than a great combat system. By the time it opens up halfway in and you really start to delve into the skill tree, it begs to be played. But until then both exploration and some battles feel like going through the motions in a "kinda sorta" tutorial way.
Flip Wars is in some ways less fleshed out than the demo for Fusion Frenzy. Almost every feature, from the blocked out local mode to the disappointing "My Room" option (that's less of a room and more like a statistic menu), is a half measure. Maybe Over Fence can add to what they've built with a sequel, a series of free updates, or even a re-launch (which has been done in the very same party space). Until that happens, don't worry about missing out.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy proves that Naughty Dog doesn't need Drake to keep this series going. It's familiar in just about every respect, but given how much refinement has slowly crept up since 2007, it's cemented itself as one of the most reliable action-adventure franchises in recent years.
Sonic Mania is short but sweet. It even functions as a proper Sonic 4 if you don't count the episodic Sonic 4 (remember that one?). As long as the same team is in charge I can easily deal with one of these every few years or so while Sega tries to strike Sonic Adventure gold again and again with their 3D iterations.
Housemarque could have gone a bit farther with Matterfall, because while the general theme is on point, several elements, the protagonist design included, failed to make their mark on me. While it remains stylish throughout there were a few sections where I felt like I was just going through the motions, doing things I had done many times before, just with a nice HDR sheen to it. It's not quite Outland (which Housemarque also created), but it'll do.
Boss Key's philosophy allows for a more old-school arena shooter approach where skill-based twitch reaction is more important than team composition. That's not a knock on any other game, it's just a different feel that Boss Key was going for with LawBreakers, and succeeded. It might not have the flair of a few other games on the market, but it has strong bones that can grow over time.
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 is worth it for 9 alone, but you'll also get to experience several legacy games that were passed by. I'm still holding water for 8 all these years later, and due to some amazingly camp artwork and stellar animations, it's one of the most "showable" Mega Man games to date. I think a lot of people are going to be pleasantly surprised by it, as well as the near flawlessness of 9 -- even if 7 and 10 are just as wart-filled as they always were.
Slowly but surely Ninja Theory has moved into film territory, but they can't let go of their need to shove action mechanics into everything they do. With the increased focus and acceptance of so-called "walking simulators" there's a huge market they can tap into, and I hope they end up doing that in the future. I enjoyed pretty much every facet of Hellblade that didn't involve combat, which unfortunately pops up a little too often on top of the aforementioned technical problems -- just enough to grate.