T.J. Lambert
Dying Light builds on the ground work of games like Dead Island and Mirror's Edge and excels in so many ways. The combat and crafting system is solid, and mixing in parkour as the main style of movement makes this game stand out against an onslaught of zombie-themed games. The atmosphere cultivated by the direness of the survivor's plight and the ever-looming threat of nightfall is wonderfully executed and a solid experience for players.
Road Not Taken has all the enjoyable staples of a Roguelike game and presents them well. The built-in replay value is high, and the variables of villagers, charms, banned obstacles, and the woods themselves ensure a different game every time you play. More than once I found myself stuck without the energy to go on, and even knowing that I could start again, I was annoyed to be losing my progress so often. A checkpoint system in the form of an altar helps this problem, for which I was very grateful.
I usually stay away from fighting games because I lack the patience to master the complicated nature of a character's fighting style. I stay away from sequels if I haven't played earlier installments, because I don't want to be lost in a story that's already well established. I was very impressed when BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma handled both of these concerns.
After figuring out the defense part of this dungeon defense game, I had a great time. Once I understood how the game mechanics worked, I really enjoyed planning my exploration and building cool modules to help me fight off monsters. My issues with character control were answered with a multiplayer experience that let me enjoy the game even more.
I appreciated both the familiar elements of Runers and the new ideas that were tried. The options for customizing your character were also a great addition, and the variety of enemy types, character classes, and spells was a great asset to the game. The learning curve may inevitably drive some people off, but with a little experience the game becomes quite fun.
The familiar mechanics and themes of the game, combined with a better looking quality from its 90's installments, makes Tesla Effect a game fans will be happy to play. Hopefully, the humor and fun atmosphere of the game will spark interest for newcomers to the series looking for an adventure.
It seems like Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham played it safe, keeping in most of the familiar and liked aspects of the game, without venturing into anything too different. Being able to change Suits at will, and the space vehicles missions are good new steps, and hopefully will help fans forgive the lack of real free roam.