Drew Calise
With its highs and lows, this light-hearted adventure remains generally pleasurable and highly relaxing. Although it turned out to be brief and very casual, I am hoping that there will be more content for Journey to the Savage Planet in the future.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a shooter with a considerable degree of customization, set in an alluring but static universe, with combat being its central and redeeming feature. The action tends to be generally fun and satisfying, although framed around repetitive missions. The missed opportunities are obvious - such as greater depth to your company's management, or having a tangible impact on the game world.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition brings the 1999 classic into 2019 with admirable grace. The developers manage to introduce very positive changes without radically altering that gameplay which has enthralled legions of fans for decades. Despite some issues, this is an exemplary remastering of a past title.
Abandon Ship is generally enjoyable thanks to its entertaining naval combat system. Narratively ambitious, it does suffer primarily at the hands of some contradictory, tedious or lackluster mechanics - mostly throughout its campaign gameplay.