Is Dead Island good? Yes it is … but it isn’t at the same time. It’s inspired, but turgid. Brilliant, but flawed. Fun, but infuriating. If you’ve never played it before, the Definitive Edition may just provide you with enough of a laugh to be worth picking up.
The only positive point I can make is that I didn’t completely hate it.
A silly, cartoony, extraordinary multiplayer shooter that doesn't want to be more or less than that. Which is just bloody lovely.
Simply put, Homefront: The Revolution is outclassed in its bracket by every other big-budget game released this generation. And that's without getting into how shockingly shit the PC version is. This game made me feel unwell, it bored me to tears, and it irritated the piss out of me.
id Software knows what it's best at, and it works on honing that talent to a razor's edge. With Doom, id has delivered a highly polished, utterly shameless Hellbound hecatomb that confidently swaggers into the world with gaudy fervor. It's huge, it's preposterous, and it's absolutely bloody majestic.
Battleborn constantly pops with a charmingly garish visual style, a small army of exotic characters, and disorderly combat with just enough strategic edge to keep it from being sloppy. While some may find the clashing colors and overall derangement to be a little too busy, I personally felt right at home with its special blend of stupidity and style.
As cornball as it can be, however, Uncharted 4 remains a damn classy romp with a sensitive side, and fans are undoubtedly going to adore it. If this is to be Naughty Dog's series swansong, they ended on a note to be proud of.
I can't see this game being anywhere near memorable in the long run. It's okay, but it just doesn't do anything anywhere near special enough to make it little more than an aping of games and sci-fi media that have come before.
Star Fox Zero is just plain rotten. An otherwise run-of-the-mill space shooter that couldn't be content with its own mediocrity and subsequently mutilated itself in a desperate attempt to stand out.
Sega 3D Classics Collection is a fantastic presentation of mostly mediocre games, like a beautifully shot and directed movie featuring David Duchovny in its leading role.
Ratchet & Clank succeeds because it's a Ratchet & Clank game, which sounds like a ludicrous thing to say. What I mean is, it doesn't concern itself with being a movie tie-in, and I think that's helped by the fact the movie doesn't seem too concerned about being a videogame tie-in.
Enter the Gungeon is a fast paced dungeon shooter that punishes and rewards in equal measure. Easy to get into, and tough as nails when it wants to be, Dodge Roll's energetic and hilarious loot 'em up is sometimes frustrating, but more often a joy to experience.
Lords of the Fallen has all the stuff needed to be a truly great game. Despite not nailing the point of Dark Souls, it manages to hold its own as a Souls-lite production for a good portion of its running time. The desire to progress is effectively coercive, and there are some legitimately grueling boss fights on offer.
Any player who's been through this mill is prepared to die, but once more, that fantastic beacon of hope urging players to press forward and overcome each obstacle is shining as bright as ever. Because that's what Dark Souls is all about – perishing, persevering, and prevailing. No game series comes close to doing what Dark Souls does, and Dark Souls III has done it again.
It’s not enough to say that Resident Evil 6 is poor as a Resident Evil game. That alone implies there could be a quality experience if fans can get past their preconceptions and feelings of betrayal. No, Resident Evil 6 is poor by the standards of any game, not just the high ones set by its own legacy.
Quantum Break is not the most revolutionary of games, and its box of time toys cover what is, at heart, a fairly standardized shooter. However, it carries itself with style and speed to create something genuinely fascinating to play, flavored by a story that, while failing to pay off in the final stretch, is more detailed and engrossing than most in its league.
Hyrule Warriors Legends is every bit as good as the original, with more meat to chew through and a colorful cast of extra playable characters. While some of the original game's problems are still present, improvements made to the fluidity of battles and player freedom more than make up for it. In fact, I'd go as far as to say this is easily one of the best 3DS games ever released, at least if you have a New 3DS in your pocket.
Tom Clancy's The Division is overwhelmingly okay. It will drown you in its abundant okayness, so okay is it in terms of playability and content.
I like it, is what I'm saying.
Ultimately, Heavy Rain is an experiment that both succeeded and failed, when it could easily have been a total success if the brains behind it weren't trying so hard to be smart and cared more about providing a sensible plot as opposed to a shocking one.