Airscape: The Fall of Gravity is a tough but entertaining platformer experience that throws in quite a few interesting concepts and mechanics and makes them work quite well. There is plenty of trial and error, and sometimes the cute octopus might not seem so loveable, but you'll have a pretty great time with it either way.
Party Hard blends a novel concept with a great mix of gameplay mechanics. Throw in the random behavior of NPCs and the tongue-in-cheek style, and shutting down parties feels quite good. Gameplay might become repetitive in some situations, but overall, you'll have a nice time with it.
Full Mojo Rampage is a delightful twin-stick shooter that takes the best elements from rogue-like titles and adds a lot of personality. Expect a really challenging experience but also a fun and varied one that rewards persistence.
Sublevel Zero is a really good take on the genre pioneered by Descent. The roguelike mechanics are a bit punishing, but the gorgeous visuals and the procedurally generated levels manage to keep things fresh and get you to come back.
The Deadly Tower of Monsters is an interactive love letter to MST3K but also to those who love the old sci-fi movies that were featured on the show. You'll have a blast not only playing the title but also listening to the commentary or trying to spot from where all the different elements originate.
Armello shows a lot of promise and its mechanics work well in a virtual environment while still keeping their tabletop feel. However, the lengthy AI turns, not to mention the sometimes-unfair RNG and erratic AI behavior, weigh it down.
Lego Marvel's Avengers is a solid journey into the Marvel cinematic universe, incorporating some of the best moments of the different films released throughout the years while respecting the limitations when it comes to the character roster. Gameplay is as captivating as ever, and the couple of improvements manage to fit quite well into the established recipe. However, there are some noticeable downsides relating to the voice "acting" not to mention the design of some specific stages that feel rushed or confusing.
While overall Mad Max borrows from past titles like Batman when it comes to combat, or Far Cry when it comes to the design of its open world and its activities, it still manages to stand out through its car combat. The story is also pretty compelling and manages to keep you invested even if some of the missions get repetitive after a while.
Assassin's Creed Liberation HD is a successful re-release of the PS Vita game, managing to deliver the experience to many fans who missed out on it the first time around. Even so, don't go in expecting something on the same page as Black Flag, as its graphics are much poorer, while the gameplay still needs some upgrades and polish.
Oceanhorn: Master of Uncharted Seas is a pretty enjoyable action-adventure experience. Yes, it's a Zelda clone, but it pulls it off very well, and while some aspects, like the sea fairing mechanic, weigh it down, it's still quite a treat to play.
Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers does a pretty good job of giving players a set of satisfying experience with the main characters, while alternating pretty well between intense conversations and hectic fight scenes. While once again you don't have that much choice in what's actually going on, at least the plot is shaping up to lead in an interesting direction when the final episode comes around, probably in September or October.
Super Galaxy Squadron is a solid shoot'em up/bullet hell hybrid that manages to feel welcoming to newcomers but also challenging to veterans. The variety of ships, the great endless mode, and the interesting story campaign make its downsides fade away. What's more, all the proceeds go to the Child's Play charity, so you'll also do a good deed by buying it.
Guns, Gore and Cannoli is quite an entertaining side-scrolling shooter platformer. The 1920s mob theme, the undead, and the simple yet solid mechanics make it quite enjoyable and you'll have a blast going through the story either alone or with friends locally.
Halo: Spartan Assault is a pretty fun twin-stick shooter that works even without its relationship to the core Halo franchise. Xbox One users should certainly try it out if they're fans of the genre, but first-person shooter fans might want to wait until Halo makes its proper debut on the Xbox One in the future.
The Havoc add-on for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare offers a pretty compelling package to fans of the shooter. While the competitive maps are interesting and varied, by far the most impressive aspect is the Exo Zombies mode that makes the investment more than worth it for co-op fans.
Ascendance brings plenty of good new elements to Advanced Warfare. While most maps are fun, Chop Shop is by far the least interesting and most generic. Fortunately, the Exo Grapple ability and playlist make up for it. On the other hand, the new Exo Zombies scenario takes a long time to get used to, due to its convoluted layout, and you might not have so much fun with it.
The Sims 4 is a fun experience that certainly takes great steps in improving the core mechanics of the series. The Create-A-Sim and Build Mode systems are much more accessible yet offer a lot of depth for those that desire it. Sims are smart, can multitask, and interact in lots of nifty ways. However, there are still plenty of missing core items while the existing set of options are limited, to say the least, no doubt to ensure that the upcoming expansions bring lots of highly desirable things.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III is a good game but it might not exactly delight all of its players. Yes, it's a pity that players can't import their characters and classes but the new ones are quite varied, even if they can only reach level 30. For such a low price, Neocore's RPG is a great investment.
Mercenary Kings is a good side-scrolling shooter, but when you play it alone, you're bound to get annoyed by quite a few things. When experienced with at least one more friend, things are much better and you can focus on the fun factor of the whole game.
Lego The Hobbit is a good entry in the franchise made by Traveller's Tales. It manages to cherry-pick the best moments from the first two films and put a great Lego twist on the whole series. While it still has some glitches and the new crafting system will sometimes force you to grind areas for loot, it's still pretty fun.