inXile has spent the last year upgrading the original Bard's Tale 4. The release of the Director's Cut is the culmination of all their hard work. They were able to address many of the community complaints with the addition of new game play options and have squashed many of the frustrating technical issues of the game along the way. The Bard's Tale 4: Director's Cut is the version of the game we deserved.
Run The Fan updates the old marble in a maze Labyrinth game with a fresh concept and great visuals but it isn't able to escape the repetitive gameplay due to a lack of difficult levels.
Eden Rising is a nicely constructed open-world exploration game with a side of tower defense thrown in. Nvizzio Creations has created a vibrant world to explore, complete with a simple yet effective crafting element.
For the Campus DLC, the devil is in the details, both good and bad. All of the new buildings, especially the new sports complexes, are well done and up to par with the visuals we have come to expect from Cities: Skylines. The ability to freely place campus buildings is a big bonus that helps differentiate the campus area from the rest of your city. I
For those used to playing World of Warships on other platforms, you may find WoWS Legends a little restrictive in its current state.
Any armchair strategists out there will find plenty of enjoyment with Frozen Synapse 2. If you played the original, you will find plenty of new units, improved AI, and a whole new heap of fun. While the single-player campaign is a little lackluster, the core of the game in both single and multiplayer is the tactical combat, and Mode 7 has hit a home run with this piece of the game.
The whole time I was playing I felt the PC was the wrong platform for the game. While I don't see myself coming back over and over to play the game at home, it would be a fun game to have on a mobile device. My PC gaming time is spent on more substantial games, but the short levels of Juicy Realm could be played while out and about.
With so many recent games focusing on building up towns or surviving hordes of zombies, RFGR is a blast from the past that reminds us that as a kid, building things wasn't the fun part, it was smashing them to bits that made it worth the time!
Defiance 2050, the relaunch of Trion's 2013 MMO sci-fi shooter, attempts to breathe new life into the 5-year-old title. The introduction of classes, along with the reworking of the skill and weapon systems makes the game accessible to players of other modern shooters, but the lack of new content and the decision to not port over existing characters gives veterans little incentive to leave their old world behind.
A roguelike twin-stick shooter with ARPG elements, indie developer Lizard King is punching well above its weight class with Enlightenment. The blending of multiple genres ensures a wide range of tastes will be satisfied with the gameplay. While the heavy use of RNG creates an inconsistent difficulty to each run, the carry over of character progression from one life to the next means every failed run contributes to your advancement.
Stock cars are not nearly as sexy as other high-performance racing machines, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun to drive. While nothing has been done to improve on last year's graphics, a full dirt track series and fleshed out career mode are welcome editions in NASCAR Heat 3. There is plenty of bumping and grinding, but gamers of all skill levels will find a difficulty setting to suit their abilities, so strap in and put the pedal to the metal!
With The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep, developer inXile does a great job of taking all the elements of a 30-year-old series and mixing it up with some modern era mechanics.
There have been a lot of improvements to the game's stability and functionality since its first run back in November, but currently there still isn't enough to keep the game afloat for an extended run.
Tower of time is one of those games that does a lot of things well, doesn't do anything poorly, but unfortunately has a few things that are just average or don't fit the style of the game.
Starship Corporation is a mixed bag. The learning curve on shipbuilding is steep but well worth the time to master. The mission simulator is fun at first but becomes repetitious and predictable after a short while. The galaxy map and turn-based empire builder portion of the game lowers the overall quality and experience of the game, and dropping it completely would have garnered a higher review score. It is obvious Starship Corporation is a labor of love. There are some definite flaws in the game, but while many games feel like a cash grab, you could tell the developer was doing the best they could. It would be great to see a bigger developer jump on board and give this game the resources and polish it deserves in a version 2.0.