Ron Burke
An already gorgeous game in its own right, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition celebrates this amazing title on PC with a host of improvements. Catch up on an amazing adventure and get ready for Horizon Forbidden West next year.
Rebuilt from the ground up in every way, Destroy All Humans! (2020) puts every other remaster on notice -- this is how it's done.
This standalone expansion to SUPERHOT is a welcome addition to the formula. What it lacks in bespoke puzzle elements, it makes up for in a completely fresh and vastly expanded approach to the central concept.
Ghost of Tsushima is easily the biggest and most ambitious game Sucker Punch has ever undertaken. It's also the best game they've ever made. Akira Kurosawa would be proud.
With a fresh story, AAA quality and length to match, excellent tech, and fantastic gameplay, Marvel's Iron Man VR is the reason to own the PSVR. If you own Sony's HMD, this game is a must-have for your library.
nDreams has succeeded wildly with Phantom: Covert Ops. The visuals are gorgeous, the goofy premise works perfectly in context, and the mechanics are an intuitive and downright rewarding use of VR. While you may need a great deal of VR callus to deal with the smooth motion of the game, Phantom: Covert Ops is VR stealth done right.
At $17.99 on Steam at the time of writing, it's hard to beat up The Academy: The First Riddle too much. It's a lot of fun, it's value priced, and the developers are actively engaged with the community and prepping patches for much of the things I've mentioned. Could it be better at launch? Certainly. Does it deliver a compelling stack of puzzles that'll have you scratching your brain for hours? Absolutely. We have to give credit to Pine Studios for trying something new, even if they might have gotten a C on that "Debugging" class.
The Last of Us Part II is a stunningly beautiful and impeccably written story of family, consequences, horror, and loss. It pulls you in and holds tight, forging a deeper connection with Ellie, her fellow survivors, and the hostile world in which they live. From start to finish, this could be the best game on the PlayStation 4 -- ever.
Desperados III feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. A great deal of the muscle memory and character interactions we learned in Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun are at play here, but a whole host of improvements, and a brand new character in Isabelle, make it all feel brand new. A true refinement of an already excellent formula, Desperados III is a masterclass in real-time tactical stealth, and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.
There's a lot to love in this remaster. Eclipsing the 2012's "Ultimate" edition, this version may not contain all of the sequels, but damn if it doesn't make the originals truly fantastic. It might be too much to hope for a complete remaster of all of the sequels, but Command & Conquer Remastered is pure fan service. Welcome back, Commander.
I was surprised to realize that I'd already played Monster Train for 15 hours before I began to write this review, and I wasn't even halfway finished with unlocking everything. The randomization of the relics, cards, and other elements of the game keep it fresh and fun long after you've beaten the game a few (dozen) times. If you are a fan of card battlers, this is a must have.
Cannibal Cuisine is a great little spin on the cooking genre, and it's a blast with friends. While some UI and balance issues make for rough edges on the fun, the goofy and grisly nature make it a great addition for your cooperative craziness.
XCOM 2 on the Nintendo Switch is the complete package, including all DLC and the War of the Chosen expansion. Tactical gaming on the go will cost you a little graphical fidelity and a few frames, but in the war against the Elders, it's a small price to pay.
Developer Moonshine Studios has built something fantastic for Stadia's first platform exclusive. Cooperative chaos combined with a delightfully goofy storyline of a salt company gone rogue makes for many laugh out loud moments. While there are some technical hitches to iron out, Get Packed is a must have for anyone on Stadia.
This Genki-sized update is more than just a polish job, it's the whole enchilada. With visual upgrades and a dash of physics improvements, it's sure to draw any Saints Row fan in all over again. Now we've just gotta get rid of the Genki-sized bugs.
At 192 pages, this hardcover book is filled from cover to cover with amazing concepts and final artwork that brings the story of Gears Tactics to life. It breathes even more life into characters that you'll grow to love over the course of the game, providing a better understanding of friends and foes alike. While Gears isn't known for its story depth, this book from Titan has something to say about that.
Simple in concept, and hilarious in execution, Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) is a great family friendly block stacker. Nearly every level is a fair, albeit random, challenge that is sure to delight players of all ages.
XCOM: Chimera Squad brings together a huge list of fresh new ways to play. Each change introduces a new layer of strategy, and the new turn system completely upends what you know about XCOM. This is a daring new take on this venerable series, and having just completed it, I can't wait to run it again.
Biped is a cooperative game full of fun and suitable for kids and kids at heart. My only wish is that there was more to enjoy.
It's refreshing to see a wave-based shooter that doesn't quickly devolve into a mindless numbers game. Good Goliath's storybook art style and settings are varied and interesting, and the throwing mechanic starts off simple and ends somewhere past chaos, but in a fun and rewarding way. While the peasants may not like you much, Good Goliath is a great game for your whole giant family.