While it’s nice to know that players can extend their time in Shu, it’s not needed for me to give it a recommendation. As even if you only play through Shu once, it’s absolutely worth doing so. It’s a love letter to a fantastic genre, and is such a pleasant way to spend an evening. It may not be a grand adventure like Super Mario World, but I enjoyed every single second of it, and that can’t be said about most games.
'Aragami' is an ambitious stealth game that occasionally brushes shoulders with greatness. A poor frame rate and sub-par enemy AI really hampers the experience, but stalking from the shadows remains fun throughout. Hopefully some patches will make this fulfill more of its potential, but until then players will have to settle for a heavily flawed, yet entertaining experience.
XCOM 2 has received a solid port here, albeit one with some bugs. Those who can't play on PC will still have a good time, but there's really no reason to pick it up if you already have a solid gaming rig.
'Azure Striker Gunvolt' and 'Azure Striker Gunvolt 2' feel like the next evolution of the 'Mega Man' series. While it definitely has room to grow, the 'Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack' contains two games that aren't afraid to take chances. It's a refreshing take on a structure that was showing its age in 1993. If you're looking to get the taste of 'Mighty No. 9' out of your mouth, be sure to pick this up.
While The Bunker is a rather straightforward adventure game, its FMV trappings are enough for it to stick out from the crowd. It’s proof that full-motion video doesn’t have to be campy in order to succeed, and can be just as viable as any other form of animation for the right type of game. Check it out if you’re looking to experience a solid story, and play something a bit different.
Rise of Iron is a rather pedestrian expansion to what has become a pretty great first-person shooter. If you're looking for more Destiny, then you can't go wrong by picking it up, but nothing here will convince lapsed players to come back. It's simply more of the same, but that's fine.
Despite its very rough edges, I ended up having a lot of fun with 'God Eater 2: Rage Burst.' Sure, I was constantly fighting both the controls and the camera while also battling Aragami, but it wasn't enough to ruin the experience. 'God Eater' is begging for an iteration developed for consoles from the ground-up, so hopefully that will happen soon. Until then, fans will have to settle for a serviceable port that sadly isn't optimized for the PlayStation 4.
'Marvel's Women of Power' is yet another solid add-on for 'Zen Pinball 2.' Clearly Zen Studios knows how to produce great pinball tables, and it's a pleasant surprise to see lesser characters from the Marvel universe receive the spotlight. It's not the best DLC, as 'Aliens Pinball' and other tables have topped it by being more inventive, but it's still worth picking up if you're a comic book fan or are just looking for some new high scores to beat.
It's all one long microtransaction process of repeating the same steps that goes with the theme, but eerily so.
If you can look past the sadomasochism theme (and I won’t blame anyone who can’t as it constantly irked me the wrong way) then you’ll find a redeeming RPG. The star of Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors is its battle system, which is a fun twist on turn-based gaming. While I wish it was in a different game, for now I’ll have to stoop to spanking girls that clearly don’t enjoy it in order to experience it.
Forza Horizon 3 doesn't bring much new to the table, and it feels like I've now played the same game three times over. It's still good, and fun for newcomers, but it's definitely at the point of diminishing returns. Throw in a myriad of technical issues, and it's ultimately a disappointing sequel.
'Dear Esther' helped spark a trend of narrative-focused indie games, and it's great to see it celebrated in such a nice package. The 'Landmark Edition' is the best way to experience The Chinese Room's gorgeous adventure, and the developer commentary is a fantastic addition. It's well worth the price of admission, whether one has played the original or are just experiencing it for the very first time.
The 'Dead Rising Triple Pack' is a trip through memory lane that is helped tremendously by the games still being a blast to play. While the package falls short as both an update (none of the games have been mechanically improved in any significant way) and a historical package (the standalone expansions 'Case Zero' and 'Case West' are missing), it's still enjoyable getting to see how the series has evolved over time. It's a great appetizer before 'Dead Rising 4' releases later this year, and a reminder why Frank West is a great character.
NASCAR Heat Evolution is a thoroughly disappointing release. It’s pretty bad when PlayStation 2 games were more fully featured and fun to play than a new release in 2016. Monster Games have proven in the past that they are a talented developer, and NASCAR fans deserve a better video game than this. I’m just left wondering where everything went wrong. Dig up an old Electronic Arts NASCAR game instead, you’ll have more fun.
Konami might not be involved in video games for much longer, but they can still put out one heck of a football sim. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017‘s Master League is one of the best career modes I’ve ever played in a sports game, and it’s backed up by incredibly solid gameplay. Once you look at the disappointing lack of team licenses, players will find one of the most rewarding sports games available.
Oceanhorn's gameplay isn't as polished as the SNES title it attempts to emulate, and the level design never evokes the brilliant dungeons that the developer was inspired by. Every aspect of the game feels like a poor imitation even down to the Wind Waker art style that falls apart when seen up-close. There may have been some novelty of playing "Zelda" on an iPhone, but all of that is lost once Monster of Uncharted Seas made its way to consoles.
NHL 17 is only held back by a few issues, but they rear their ugly head during every single match. Both player selection and poor teammate AI could be improved by patches, but right now they make every match become frustrating in spots. It’s incredibly disappointing to see a game that gets so much right also proceed to get a few important things dead wrong. There is still fun to be had, especially in the Be A Pro mode, but the action on the ice isn’t nearly as satisfying as it should be.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice manages to reinvigorate a series in its sixth main entry by introducing several smart new features while also bringing back mechanics that had been cast aside.
I wasn’t able to find many full matches in Verdun, but when I did I actually had a pretty good time. It’s too bad that most of my play time was spent in matches with three or four people, not 32. Nobody is playing this game because it’s a technical mess, and I can’t recommend it to anyone due to that. If you want to play Verdun, then pick it up on PC. Sadly, the PlayStation 4 version is an inferior version that launched dead on arrival.
One Way Trip may not be a great game, but I definitely feel like everyone should meet Boobs Cowboy and use the term "word" more often.