Splatoon is yet another great new IP from Nintendo. It's fresh take on the shooter genre should please longtime fans, while feeling accessible to new players. One of the best games on the Wii U, which is already stacked with excellent titles.
Affordable Space Adventures is a must-have for anyone with a Wii U. It utilizes the Gamepad in ways that few games have before, and truly feels like a unique, yet fun experience.
Homeworld Remastered Collection simultaneously lives up to the legacy of the series while forging ahead with updated graphics and UI elements. Genre fans will love this collection, while others should be able to find something to enjoy with all that it contains.
Any worry that Halo might be in the wrong hands with 343 Industries has been wiped out by Halo 5: Guardians. Taking what works, removing what didn't, and refining nearly every aspect of the experience, Halo 5 is an immediate classic that is on par with its predecessors.
The Last Guardian is a marvelous achievement in a number of ways. Its story is subtle, but beautiful. Its world is fascinating and mysterious. And Trico will go down as one of the best characters ever made for a video game. Players are in for a wonderful treat, but that quality comes at a cost. The game struggles to run well at times, and the controls can be a chore. You will also need to be patient, as Trico truly acts as a living animal, not something you can just control like any other video game character. If you can get past these things though, you will find an experience like none other, and one that is truly worth the effort.
Taking the loot-based shooter to a new level, The Division features a gorgeous world to explore, full of interesting items to collect, and tons of players to team up with. The enemies are still bullet sponges, and the missions can get repetitive, but the social elements allow for a lot of fun to be had once you get a good group together. An engaging story and enjoyable characters are just icing on the top of what will likely be one of the best shooters of the year.
XCOM 2 doubles down on everything that players enjoyed about the previous game. A deeper story, more strategy options, more enemies, and just more mechanics makes for an improved experience all around. Some technical issues pop up, and newcomers will have trouble wrapping their head around the vast array of game mechanics, but once it all clicks there is a lot to love about this game.
Jotun promised a lot with its Kickstarter campaign, but it has delivered on all fronts. A wonderfully crafted adventure based on Norse mythology, players will find themselves engrossed in the world of Jotun from start to finish. The art style is gorgeous, the soundtrack is epic, and the boss battles are tense. A few flaws crop up, but enough is done elsewhere to make up for it in the end.
Unravel is an endlessly surprising game in so many ways that it's tough to pinpoint exactly what makes it all work so well. It feels like the game equivalent to your favorite art house movie, where it speaks a message that is both universal, and yet completely personal to you. Even beyond the artistic, the game functions well on a technical level, delivering both great graphics and fantastic music, while also hitting on some great gameplay. Trial and error deaths get in the way, and some puzzles might frustrate, but overall Unravel is a triumphant experience from start to finish.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is a fantastic upgrade to an already magnificent game. Certainly, it hasn't aged as well as some of the other games in the series, but the work done to bring it to the Wii U fixes most of the problems that could have arose. Nintendo also tweaked a bunch of gameplay elements, on top of adding in Gamepad support, making for the definitive way to play one of gaming's best adventures.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS might be the lead up to a better game on Wii U, but when what's there is so much fun and contains so much content there is no reason to complain.
Fallout 4: Far Harbor is a true expansion to the already excellent action-RPG. This DLC takes what the main game did and improves on it in many ways, while offering a fresh location full of mystery and intrigue for players to explore. If you have run out of things to do in the Commonwealth, or simply want to experience something with more variety and choice for the player, then Far Harbor will surely satisfy.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole doesn't remake the wheel that The Stick of Truth crafted so well. The first game made for a near perfect South Park experience, with bare bones RPG elements to make it all work. This sequel does mostly the same, only tinkering with a few things, making for a different but just as enjoyable final product.
Pokemon Sun and Moon are a fantastic new addition to the storied franchise. They make improvements in a ton of key areas, shaping the experience so that it is more fun, less frustrating, and just overall more enjoyable. The new mechanics, such as Z-Moves, range from good to great, but the lack of some older features might annoy a few players. There are alternatives though, so this is still a top notch entry, even for longtime fans. New players shouldn't even wonder, they should just go buy this game today.
For Honor offers up one of the most visceral multiplayer experiences in video games. The single player campaign is a nice diversion, but won't satisfy those seeking a full experience. Once you hit multiplayer though, you'll be hooked and finding time for other video games will be the real problem.
A true return to form for the long running series, Resident Evil 7 reinvents itself while still retaining that classic RE feel. Delivering a real horror experience, the game can definitely scare, but it also just works as a fun and engaging survival experience.
Obduction is a true successor to Myst and its legacy. The game can be painfully unforgiving at times, and its puzzles might feel both confusing and unintuitive, but there is a logic at its heart. Once you figure it out the feeling of accomplishment and success is unrivaled. Those who've waited years for more games like Myst need look no further.
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour is a fantastic remaster of a true FPS classic. Doing exactly what a good remaster should, this re-release improves in many areas that needed it, while leaving in others; warts and all. The new graphics, sound, commentary, and other features are all cherries on top of what is easily the definitive version of this seminal title.
Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 5 is a fantastic conclusion to this great series. The episode is a perfect amalgamation of everything that has worked so well in the series so far. It is also a massive improvement over its predecessors in a number of ways, and it takes the story began four episodes ago and ends it in a very satisfactory way. This is all on top of fixing most of the technical problems that have plagued the series over these last few episodes, delivering a finale that cements this as one of Telltale's best series to date.
Superhot VR is one of the best VR games out there. Blissful action in a unique setting, the game has a lot to offer. It's over too soon, but extra modes will keep you coming back for more.