If you’re willing to keep an open mind, you’ll be able to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Remake for what it is at its core: a gorgeous, well-made, and fun RPG that successfully retells one of the best video game stories ever told with a few twists.
Psychonauts 2 is an absolute joy to play. It’s hard to put down not only because it’s a solid game from top to bottom, but also because it’s just so damn charming. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Raz and his crew of zany characters, and I imagine that just about anyone who decides to pick up Psychonauts 2 will feel the same way.
Overall, Battlefield 2042 is an excellent effort and filled with a ton of competitive multiplayer content at launch with much more planned in the near future. There are some technical issues such as respawns and visual bugs to sort out, and some game modes and specialists might need some tweaks, but DICE is off to a great start and Battlefield 2042 should likely be relevant and popular for years to come.
While Endwalker fails to eclipse Shadowbringers in most areas, it succeeds in what is by far its most important mandate: properly ending this extremely long storyline in an incredibly satisfying way. It’s a solid tale from start to finish. The expansion adds beautiful new areas, well-constructed new jobs, and all in all, ticks off everything that you want a Final Fantasy XIV expansion to do with the level of polish that players have come to expect. So take a deep breath Final Fantasy XIV fans, Endwalker is fantastic.
However, between Trials of Osiris and Prison of Elders, House of Wolves adds new attractions that have Guardians doing things they have never done before in places they have never gone before. Could Bungie have been a little more bold? Sure, and maybe we'll see that in its rumored big expansion late this year.
The Swapper isn't for everyone. Its plot is dense and tucked away. Only those dedicated to knowing the full story will bother to locate and read all of the terminals. Also, at times, it can be extremely difficult and its one-dimensional gameplay won't do it any favors in attracting a wide audience. However for what it does within its niche, The Swapper is a complete, well-constructed, and well-thought-out game that will keep hardcore puzzle/platformer fans looking for something new very entertained.
Throughout the story B.J. is constantly reminded that he is born to kill Nazis. As long as that too is your mindset going into this game, you'll get everything you want and more out of Wolfenstein: The New Order. Just don't take the alternate history, the characters, the plot, or really anything too seriously. And that's OK because not everything has to be so serious to be fun. Grab hold of your dual-shotguns, blast off to the Nazi lunar base, and just have merry ol' time shooting those damn Nazis. That's an order, soldier!
All in all, N++ is a prime example of making a great game even better. Sure, it isn't a huge leap forward from N+ and isn't shaking the puzzle platformer genre down the core, but who cares.
Right now though, at launch, The Division is a well-made open-world shooter with lots of ways to keep you busy. It borrows from the right games and improves on them while still doing enough different to feel like its own game instead of a rehash.
Madden NFL 16 is just fun enough and just authentic enough to recommend to football fans, despite its technical issues. Yes, the load times and occasional freezes are frustrating but isn't enough to ruin the game (thankfully).
Until Dawn is an excellent change of pace from the norm. There aren't a lot of games quite like it.
Despite being marred by some dull gameplay at times, Life is Strange Episode 5: Polarized successfully pulls off what many other games have failed to do: delivering a satisfying ending to a player-driven, choice heavy game. There's no pleasing everyone, but the finale does allow players to see the payoff of their decisions and how their final choice impacts the world that they have been invested in for over five episodes. Max and Chloe have turned out to be a pretty memorable duo, and if this is the last game we ever see them in, then we're proud to report that they got the send off that they deserve.
Would a deeper story and some interesting characters put Final Fantasy Explorers over the top? Sure it would have. But considering how well it does just about everything else and just how much there is to do, those omissions are more than forgivable. Final Fantasy Explorers is a game that both newcomers and veterans to the online Action RPG genre should enjoy greatly.
Madden NFL 17 is all about not fixing what isn’t broken. Unlike last year, not a whole lot is radically different for better or for worse.
Despite some noticeable issues, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a must-play for fans of South Park. There's no experience like playing through a massive episode of South Park where the hero of the story is you. The superhero angle really lands, and is an excellent wrapping for the story this time around.
There were times where Gravity Rush 2 drove me nuts, and inner me was telling me to write this review more negatively. But then I’d get past whatever was bothering me, Kat would do or say something endearing, and I’d be back to flying around having a blast, instantly getting over what annoyed me.
The release of TESO: Morrowind is the perfect time for fans of the Elder Scrolls single player games to jump in and give the MMORPG a try if they've been hesitant so far. Even if you just play as a lone wolf and want to experience the game's stories and quests as well as explore past Vvardenfell, it's worth the price of admission.
If peak performance is your #1 concern – which is fine considering how damn pretty Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy looks on PS4 and Xbox One – then maybe you should skip the Switch version.
A Hat in Time is an incredible effort and delivers on its promise of being a worthwhile return to the 3D collect-a-thon platformer genre. It tugs at the heartstrings and delivers all those nostalgic feels.
What it comes down to is: Do you like Steep? If you haven't played Steep and you're intrigued by Road to the Olympics because you're a fan of the winter games or whatever the case is, definitely read our review of the base game first. It's not going to be for everyone.