Big wins outscore annoying misses, and overall NHL 18 is a step in the right direction.
I loaded up Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus and expected to find something that was fun and outrageous with its violence. I got that, but I was shocked at just how much truth it had in it when dealing with good versus evil and hate versus love.
The heart of the game is in its fighting and that's as good as it's ever been.
As a first-time player of the series, Monster Hunter: World has given me unique experiences and memories that, for better or worse, other games will be measured against for years to come. That has to be a win.
A few things missed the mark that shouldn't have, but I generally got what I expected from Far Cry 5; a fun, open-world game worth the price tag and not to be taken too seriously.
What makes Detroit: Become Human a great game, though, is that even after going back through alternate narrative branches and winding down my play time, I'm still invested. The world that Quantic Dream gave me to explore is only a short leap from the one we're living in now, and the ideas presented have left me contemplating the role AI could play in our lives sooner rather than later.
There are still things that need addressing, but NHL 19 is the best hockey experience I've had with the NHL franchise in the PS4 era.
Fans of the series are going to like it, while those that don't like open-world games won't. Gamers on the fence about Assassin's Creed Odyssey will find dozens of hours of exploration and fun in a highly customizable experience that is great despite a few annoying missteps.
Whether I'm chasing the thrill of a daring train robbery, or the serenity of a solo camping trip, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open-world game I will return to time and time again.
Fallout 76 is a bit of a disaster, which is a shame because there are good ideas and good bits of content here. There wasn’t a single play session where I didn’t have a lot of fun, but there also wasn’t a session where something ridiculous didn’t cause frustration. It feels like it should have been released into early access as a work in progress for the next several months, thus alleviating some of the frustration from poor performance, bugs, and balancing issues. However, Bethesda opted to release Fallout 76 in a broken state, and this time I’m not laughing along about the bugs simply because we’ve come to accept them as a part of the Fallout franchise. How does Fallout 4 look infinitely better than Fallout 76, with the former coming out in 2015, more than three years ago? Fallout 76 is a decent game, but all the good is being crushed by the plethora of problems that just shouldn’t be problems.
It’s not a perfect game, but it’s the kind of game that could be perfect for certain situations or groups of gamers looking for their next adventure.
Ubisoft brought many of their strengths to the table in Far Cry New Dawn.
Trials Rising hits all the right gameplay points for an experience that needs to balance entertainment with challenge.
Whether it’s a wonky voice performance, silly mechanic, or the feeling that it ends far before it’s finished, Unheard fails to realize its maximum potential.
Like a biker, though, Days Gone lacks a certain level of polish. It took me a long time to care about the story that was being told and the characters in it, and it always felt just a bit out of sync for me. I think that’s partly due to the world not feeling very welcoming, which may have been intentional, but robbed me of that precious exploration and downtime that open-world games should offer.
Although a great game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey falls short of perfection.
NHL 20 is close to the best video game hockey experience ever made, and that should be celebrated.
There is no doubt in my mind that six months from now Breakpoint will be a more playable game. Ubisoft Paris will iron out the bugs, bring back AI teammates, concede to player demands on some design, and tweak the experience to be more playable. However, this is the Breakpoint that was offered up on release, and it’s a mess.
It’s a fine game under any circumstances, but it’s a top-notch RPG with heavy consequences at almost every turn for those that are willing to immerse themselves. The Outer Worlds doesn’t tell you a story, it gives you a world full of interesting characters and asks you to tell your own.
The gameplay of UFC 4 is stellar and rewarding, but once the novelty begins to wear off, there’s not much more to keep players invested.