Velan Studios' Knockout City is a fun game that anyone can pick up and play. It has everything it needs to be a go-to competitive game that is destined to find its way regularly on an Esports schedule. If the promised content is consistently delivered, then it will certainly stick around for years to come.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a spectacular experience. It is masterfully crafted with the right amount of South Park driving it. It certainly has a few minor faults here and there, but it is built to entertain and it doesn't falter in that area. It's a big game with a properly built turn-based personalty and it all works beautifully within its humorous South Park wrapper.
Night Trap is a legend in the video game industry on its own. Screaming Villains took that legend and made it better. They added meaningful content with a new intro and some nice special features, as well as improvements to the gameplay design through faster/better navigation methods without messing up the original formula of the game. That's not an easy task, but they pulled it off and it is now functionally perfect to play.
Unravel Two is just a pleasure to play. There is enough personality, charm, challenge, and life in this game to deem it a far better improvement over the original. The two-player complexity was a tough sell, but well worth the buy once you get into it.
oOo: Ascension is a great puzzle game that focuses less on huge, high-budget components to distract the gamer, and more on clever gameplay design that is entertaining as it is challenging. It squarely emphasizes great puzzle design to each level that brings something new from orb to orb, while encouraging the gamer to keep going from level to level as it becomes more difficult. That's a good puzzle game, ladies, and gentlemen, and one you should check out.
Housemarque’s Returnal is a brutal roguelike that constantly keeps the fun coming through its well-thought-through item system that is exquisitely balanced and its randomized gameplay design that feels fresh after every death. Definitely a must-have game for the PlayStation 5.
Mario Party Star Rush’s gameplay design is definitely played on the safe side. The only real ‘off the beaten path’ element in the game is the size and functionality of the game boards, which may or may not work, depending on your expectations. Outside of that, the game follows along with a typical Mario Party title structure, especially in mini game and boss battles (thankfully). The additional modes and option for Amiibo integration help to add some variety, but again, not too far off the typical MP structure. Before we move on to presentation, let me just commend Nintendo for providing friend codes for local players to go head-to-head in the game. I know this isn’t a new concept, but it’s nice to see they understand sharing a game can be beneficial to them and to player loyalty. Bravo to Nintendo for doing this.
Skyrim Special Edition delivers the same classic adventure as it did in 2011, while adding packaged DLC, an upgraded visual package and the introduction to mods that have been keeping its PC gaming life alive and kicking for the last five years. Definitely a special edition.
Titanfall 2 is everything that Titanfall should have been. It contains a wonderfully endearing campaign mode that contains some unique and fun gameplay design, while satisfying the multiplayer experience with a bevy of modes and customization options. This certainly feels like a complete game.
Tt Games did a wonderful job with bringing the world of Harry Potter to life through the LEGO Harry Potter Collection and remastering the experience onto the PlayStation 4. The games certainly show their age, but they’re still a blast, especially if you’re a Harry Potter fanatic.
PlayStation 4 owners can now experience one of the best Tomb Raider adventures ever made. Plus, they get some worthwhile content to boot. Not a bad deal for a year’s wait.
Batman: Return to Arkham is a good collection that has considerable upgrades in a lot of areas, especially with DLC and other nice value add-ons. It does fall short a bit with graphical issues and frame rate, but nothing that would detour you from playing both games again on the PS4. The two original games are still some of the best adventures out there and worth any sort of graphical trouble, especially for those who have never tried them.
DICE made a perfect game with Battlefield 1. It has a competent campaign that properly does justice to The Great War and a deep, fun multiplayer experience that reminds us why Battlefield does it better than anyone on a massive scale.
WWE 2K17 has clear focus with what makes for a good wrestling experience. The visuals, the options for gameplay and the beautiful atmosphere of the game make this wrestling title worth your time. The controls do bring the gameplay down a bit, though, as they feel stiff and linear for the most part. Regardless, the rest of the game shows that Yuke’s and Visual Concepts has certainly started to point this series in the right direction.
Skylanders: Imaginators is a fantastic release that brings some new value to the series through gamer Skylander creation and great gameplay in the main story. Toys for Bob and Activision are certainly keeping this series fresh with good ideas and execution.
Atlas Reactor is an impressive turn-based tactical game that has ground work built on fast action and a steep learning curve.
Dragon Quest Builders is a stunning balance of build and adventure. I was incredibly skeptical that the two genres would ever evenly mix, but somehow Square Enix found the right spots and put together one helluva package for Dragon Quest and Minecraft fans to enjoy. It’s really quite good and addictive.
Severed is a short adventure that has a lot of major gameplay elements packed into it. Its unique art style will keep your eyes engaged, while your brain will be firmly occupied with the puzzles and sword play. There’s not a lot more you could ask for from a $14.99 game.
God Eater 2: Rage Burst’s gameplay is driven by a bevy of missions, some great enemies and a variety of different, interesting loadouts to help make the experience fun and somewhat deep. The shortcomings are outweighed by these positives, though those shortcomings come in the form of linear landscapes, plain graphics and difficult controls. Regardless, Shift did a good job overall.
Destiny - Rise of Iron is a worthy addition to the Destiny expansion family. It brings more fun, better balance (risk/rewards) and a tough raid. Definitely a step up, but still contains some old caveats that the series can't quite shake in PvP that hurt it just a bit. Overall, it's a great expansion for the series.