Assassin's Creed Odyssey, for better or worse, feels like a palette swap of Origins.
It Takes Two is a dazzling adventure filled with more mechanics than you can shake a stick at. Working together throughout the mesmerizing set of levels is compelling and full of hearty chuckles, but sadly the story falls short of that bar with inconsistent tone and a lack of perceptible character growth along the way. It’s still well worth your time and energy, just don’t expect to be as emotionally invested in the journey as you might have been with Hazelight’s past work.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure represents a nearly forgotten genre of game, and represents it in fine fashion. Competent if not revolutionary platforming propels Sackboy through a stunning world full of fun set pieces and clever writing, while an approachable challenge level opens the experience to all skill levels. It’s about having fun, and Sackboy’s first full adventure absolutely succeeds.
Is it an excellent open world game? Not quite. Is it worth playing? Oh yeah. The gorgeous and well-built environment is a treat, and the mechanical twists on the Sony’s first party formula make Days Gone a nice spring surprise.
If DICE is telling the truth and Battlefield V develops into a long-term, always evolving online game, fans are in for a treat. The bones of BFV are robust. It looks outstanding, plays great, and the stories of World War 2 are a constant draw for history fans. There are rough patches for the time being, but if those get smoothed out and the content pipeline remains full, Battlefield V stands to have a very, very long shelf life with shooter fans.
Transformers Devastation is a great action game marred by a few design hiccups. Camera issues can make combat a chore, but that combat is extremely satisfying at its core. Fans of cartoons, action games, comics, Transformers, and fun will likely have a good time with Platinum's latest. Is it the best they've done? No. Is it still a good time? Heck yes.
While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is tweaked sufficiently to warrant being its own entity. The oxygen, new classes, and gravity mechanics make gameplay feel fresh, while the story provides enough of a thread to tie things together. Sure, the missions and environments are repetitive and there are some technical hiccups, but The Pre-Sequel is fun to play, and well worth a look for fans of loot and/or shooting.
The Pathless is a great game. It’s beyond stunning, with a remarkable soundtrack and phenomenal sense of place. Refined traversal mechanics do a lot of the heavy lifting, while puzzles and boss battles could use an extra dose of variety. Though the formula gets tired by the end of the tale, The Pathless proudly stands among giants of the genre like Journey.
Another slam dunk from 2K Sports
_____________________________ Exploration and empire expansion are genuinely captivating.
While very much an extension of the previous title, there are several welcome enhancements that should put the game on the radar of any serious turn-based fan.
Don't like grey areas? Just become the Borg via the hive mind belief system
Stealth Inc 2 might seem like a standard *shudder* Metroidvania experience on the surface, but it actually offers a unique and very entertaining experience. It looks great, it feels great, and it's legitimately fun to play.
The Division 2 sets a new bar for online loot shooters with fun and diverse encounter design, and more importantly, once again sets the expectation of releasing a feature complete product. It’s not the prettiest pony out there, nor does it possess a strong narrative, but the amount of sheer fun on tap either solo or with friends is sky high.
It may not consume your whole year like FTL did, but Into The Breach is a tighter and more concentrated experience that's well worth the money.
No matter what your experience level is with these familiar faces, Gears 5 is the most accessible title in the line, and is ultimately successful in trying to be something for everyone.
The fantastic combat and strong story points far outweigh the technical missteps and more cringeworthy moments.
Rise of the Tomb Raider isn't the biggest open world game. It doesn't have the most quests or the most collectibles, and heck, you don't even climb tall structures without a darn good reason. What Rise of the Tomb Raider has in spades is balance. Everything about the experience screams quality, and every objective has a good reason for existing.
Even with its imperfections, the incredible design, storytelling, and gameplay chops on display boil down to this: Control is the best game Remedy has made, and it’s one of the most unique narrative action games out there.
FIFA 16 stands as a high water mark for soccer games, and sports games as a genre. Its nicely balanced gameplay and innovative feature implementations reaffirm the franchise as an industry standard, and soccer fans everywhere are going to love it.