There's an absolute wealth of fantastic new features in Crusade, every one of which turns the 4X genre on its head. Few companies would rip apart a shipped product and inject so many improvements, but the risk paid off big time. There are still a few balance issues to clean up, but Crusade manages to take something conservative and turn it into something revolutionary.
Syberia was a series built around amazing puzzles and unique storytelling. Syberia 3 was an opportunity to bring all of that to a new generation. Unfortunately, it has remained mired in the pixel-hunting past, riddled with bugs, obtuse controls, and an uninspired storyline coupled with head-scratching voice work. I wanted to enjoy Syberia 3, but too many issues may leave this series stuck in the frozen snow.
There's absolutely nothing new to push Virtual Reality and roomspace VR forward in Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality, and it is painfully short with little replay value. Those indictments aside, it's a must-have for anyone who enjoys the dark humor of the show. Perhaps we can Get Schwifty with another run at VR with a longer run time and harder puzzles in the future.
LEGO City Undercover, like many games exclusive to the Wii U, is an undiscovered gem. I’m happy Warner Bros. and TT Fusion decided to update it for a new audience. The story is laugh-out-loud funny, full of witty one-liners and fantastic movie references for kids and adults (“Compupers!”). While the co-op feels very tacked-on, and the loading requires a bit of patience, it’s a worthy addition to the LEGO universe.
Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition brings an incredible list of improvements to one of the most enduring and unique RPGs ever written. Simply put, Planescape: Torment is not like anything that came before it or since, and this Enhanced Edition has updated it nicely.
A Criminal Past puts Adam in jail for a great self-contained storyline pushing a solid narrative and a far greater emphasis on stealth in the final DLC for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. While the voice acting can be a bit of a mixed bag, there’s no doubt that Eidos Montreal is ending this one on a high note.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is equal parts new approach to a storied franchise and familiar and well-trod open world systems. While it doesn’t break a great deal of new ground for the genre, when played with friends this cooperative open-world game can be an amazing amount of fun. Those moments are tempered by technical mishaps and inconsistencies that can be patched, but as a result, this launch ride is going to have some technical potholes that put a damper on an otherwise excellent experience.
Though it is a little light on content, Super Bomberman R scratches the retro itch for hectic action. Voice repetition is a bit of a turnoff, but the charm and multiplayer focus help to make up for it. If you and your friends like purely chaotic action with up to eight players, Super Bomberman R might be right up your alley. If you aren’t investing in extra controllers, you might want to nab this after a price adjustment.
While a step up from last year in terms of included tracks, Just Dance 2017 doesn’t bring a lot new to the table — the meat and potatoes lies in Just Dance Unlimited. The Switch version specifically functions as well as you might expect, offering up an easy second player controller courtesy of readily-available Joy-Cons, though the experience becomes difficult visually once undocked. At this point, it’s what you’d expect from Just Dance, but on a new platform. Consider this tiny cartridge your portal into Just Dance Unlimited as I imagine 2017 might be where physical entries to the series end.
I’ve mentioned Ocarina of Time a few times, and there’s a reason – it is the benchmark by which all other Zelda games are tested. Somehow, and beyond all of my expectations, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild exceeds that mark. I can confidently declare that Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game ever made.
John Wick Chronicles feels like the start of something great that didn’t quite button up all of the intended elements before it launched. More maps would do wonders to expand the gameplay, as would inclusion of some of the cooler elements like weapon jams and hostage situations. Highlights like the sniper rifle make it worth a nod, but I’d recommend catching this on a sale due to the short runtime of just three levels. It’s a solid wave-based shooter, but expect more arcade action than gritty hard-boiled realism.
Rich in story, but less so in execution, Divide suffers from a few technical issues that makes it a little more clunky than it should be. That said, the cyberpunk narrative is evocative of the best of sci-fi, backed up by a fantastic score. I just wish the controls matched that potential.
I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed the additional immersion of Pinball FX2 VR. It’s completely nausea free, and it looks fantastic to boot. While the neck angle required to work the table is a little uncomfortable, Pinball FX2 VR is a great new way to experience the amazing work of Zen Studios and their pinball tables.
When you create sandbox worlds, it’s very easy to leave the player to “make their own fun”, but here the mixture of intuitive controls, player agency, and tongue-in-cheek humor makes Job Simulator a must-have. While it’s a little on the short side, Job Simulator is the easiest VR title to recommend. If you have a VR headset, this game needs to be in your library.
Rollercoaster Tycoon World has so much potential. All of the base pieces are here, and the game's content is being expanded to match that promise, but stability problems and bugs hamstring what could be a solid park creator. There's a fun game here…but you can't experience it if the game won't stop crashing.
More than just a ‘locked in a room’ simulator, I Expect You To Die! Is a masterful use of VR and the Move controllers. The puzzles are just challenging enough to be fun, while not so easy as to be obvious. My only complaint is that the game is relatively short, but the promise of a sequel has me ready to hand over my money. You need this game in your VR library.
There are very few games that consume me like this. Frontier has made a game where obsession over every detail is somehow fun. While there are a few elements that need improvement, such as the staff management and some much-needed heat maps or location services, Planet Coaster delivers in terms of rollercoaster customization and sandbox flexibility. Let inspiration be your guide and check out this incredible thrill ride.
Watch Dogs 2 is Ubisoft open world at its finest. Full to bursting with fun and interesting content, Watch Dogs 2 carefully balances hacker culture, serious moments, and engaging storylines to create a game that has something to say. With far more personality in its protagonist, it’s very easy to recommend Watch Dogs 2.
Thumper is a right hook out of nowhere. It’s the right combination of speed, bizarre visuals, music, and difficulty that makes you want to replay it after the credits roll. The single button and stick controls also makes it eminently accessible to everyone, but difficult to master. Come for the bizarre visuals, stay for the even more bizarre bosses.
Well beyond simple DLC, Escalation polishes every aspect of the base game. The campaign is excellent, and the expansion of defensive and upgradeable structures helps ease in new players. New technology amps the scale, but also provides tools to manage the larger world. Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is a fresh coat of paint for an already-revolutionary RTS.