Given its dark and mature fantasy theme, Conan Exiles is a surprisingly accessible online survival experience. Even under the most generous conditions the game will still challenge you as you make your mark on the world, and players who fancy themselves as survival game experts will find plenty to pit their abilities against. No matter your level of experience, Conan Exiles is a survival experience that is very much worth investing in.
If you already enjoyed previous Fallen London escapades like Sunless Seas, there's a good chance you'll enjoy Cultist Simulator as well. It's certainly not the easiest game to break into, but then again it was never really meant to be either. Cultist Simulator isn't afraid to keep its greatest rewards locked away for only the most patient and clever players to find, and there's a lot of potential enjoyment to be had for players who relish the journey as much as the destination.
Even with a new setting and a new developer, Battlefield Hardline is still a Battlefield game which means it can be a rough road to travel for more casual shooter fans. The story campaign is fun but has zero lasting appeal once you beat it and the multiplayer is something you can only really enjoy for the long term if you're willing to invest in the game's Premium service or you have a dedicated group of friends to play with. Battlefield Hardline may have taken strides to shake up the core Battlefield experience but, in many ways, it's still more of the same old Battlefield, for better or for worse.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is hardly a game-changer, as it plays it too safe instead of establishing a truly remarkable entry in the series. Still, thanks to some solid community-based support and a reasonable Cross-Buy program, it's a moderate enough value to build upon, especially if you're a fan of the series.
In its current launch state, Catlateral Damage doesn’t offer enough content to remain compelling over the long term. However, its unique premise combined with its abundant amount of potential could eventually give it the staying power it deserves.
It may not be the most engrossing single-player experience, but if you enjoy local co-op multiplayer, you could do a lot worse than Pac-Man 256.
Immortal Planet isn't the best that the Souls genre has to offer, but it certainly makes a strong effort to stand out, and as I mentioned before, it can serve as an excellent starter game if you're thinking of getting more heavily involved in the genre. If anything, the latest from teedoubleuGAMES proves that the Souls spirit will continue to live on even without the guiding hands of From Software.
As long as you understand the sort of game it is (and the limitations of what it offers), Spartan Fist can provide a few solid hours of fun at the very least. Over time, it could grow into a more robust and complex experience that has more lasting appeal, and even in its current form there's a decent amount of content for roguelike/first-person melee fans to sink their teeth into. There are also some noticeable shortcomings to be sure, but indie fans who just want to punch some dudes with no muss and no fuss will find plenty to love about Spartan Fist.
While Need for Speed may look and sound great from afar, it's sadly little more than a mostly empty box wrapped in shiny wrapping paper (and one which you can only open when connected to the internet to boot). If you're desperate for a new racing game experience, you could do worse, just bear in mind that your mileage will definitely vary.
While Battleborn didn't gel as well with my gaming sensibilities as much as I'd hoped it would, even I can't deny that the game has a lot to offer to the right sort of gamer. If you're itching for a new Borderlands-esque experience which is all but guaranteed to keep you occupied over the long term, Battleborn will certainly scratch that itch. If, however, you never cared for the Borderlands style of humor, and you're more of a solo-minded gamer, you might want to look elsewhere for your next shooter fix.
If you’re on the hunt for a new competitive game to play with friends, Inversus is a solid choice given its price and its unique concept. However, unless you’re confident you’ll be able to recruit some friends to play with, you might want to look elsewhere for your next indie fix.
As far as narrative-driven exploration-based horror games go, Perception isn't the worst out there, but it also can't really stand alongside games like those in the Amnesia series or Gone Home. It still warrants a playthrough if you're looking for a game with a unique hook or if you're just desperate for any new horror game to play, though considering its length and lack of varied gameplay, you might be better off waiting until it's on sale.
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot is certainly not the first game that has disappointed me at launch, and hopefully it will join the list of games I was initially disappointed with but grew to love thanks to their respective developers' continued devotion and care. I know it's not the safest of bets given the Call of Duty franchise's annualized rollout, but I honestly want to see Modern Warfare continue to flourish as much as I'm sure the folks at Infinity Ward do.
With a few tweaks and maybe a more casual-friendly difficulty level, Tharsis could be a fun strategy alternative for those who don't enjoy building large kingdoms or waging wars that take hours to complete. In its current state however, Tharsis is little more than a sadistically cruel game of digital roulette.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is, at the very least, a serviceable co-op brawler infused with plenty of fun nods for longtime TMNT fans. However, its high price-point, lack of couch co-op, and repetitive gameplay are hard to ignore, making it a game which is best bought at a drastically reduced price.
As someone who was a big fan of the Assassin's Creed multiplayer template, I'm saddened to see that Murderous Pursuits basically functions as a stripped-down barebones version of that same concept. The game's Victorian contest of cat and mouse where players are always both the cat *and* the mouse is certainly a unique find amid the usual competitive fare, there's just not enough meat on its bones to keep more casual players invested over the long term.
As I said above, I'm totally ok with admitting that Mothergunship might not have been made with my specific gaming tastes in mind. But when a game tries so hard to tell me how to play and, worse, punishes me so harshly when I fail, I just can't for the life of me imagine that any sort of gamer could find long-term enjoyment out of what it offers.
It wouldn't be totally fair to call Need for Speed Heat a bad game, but given the exciting high-speed material it's defined by, it is a disappointingly boring one. Small blessings like the lack of over-aggressive microtransactions and an incredibly in-depth car customization suite can't make up for gameplay and progression loops which, at best, feel routine and archaic, and at worst frustrating and obtuse.
If you're really, truly desperate for a new adventure-horror game in the vein of Dear Esther and you consider yourself to literally have the patience of a saint, at the very least Kholat will look and sound pretty as you play it. Anyone who doesn't want to deal with tedious gameplay, a confusing story, or frustrating progress roadblocks however should steer clear.
A Matter of Family is an admirable attempt to bring a playable version of Batgirl into the Arkham fold but noticeable technical issues, severe narrative inconsistencies, and a main story that literally goes nowhere drag it down from the lofty heights of greatness.