Yamilia Avendano
While XCOM 2 is definitely not for the faint of heart, people that do not give it a chance will be missing out one of the best strategy games of all time. The combat is unparalleled in its engagement.
Planet Coaster truly is the spiritual successor to the king of tycoon games. You'll have as much of a blast playing it as your park attendees will (hopefully) have riding your rides.
It's self-aware, it doesn't coddle you, the graphics will leave you in awe, it has a ton of action, and it's jam-packed with extra features and collectibles, to boot. If this review were just seven words long, it'd be simple to give the recommendation to anyone looking for a new game to play: Ratchet and Clank is just incredibly fun.
Besides those two slight issues, Oxenfree is a compact, fresh experience that introduces lovable characters, a phenomenal soundtrack, and one of the no doubt dopest endings this year.
For fans of the genre or curious gamers, whether you’re playing through the games scenarios or in sandbox mode, this is one of the best management games to come out this year.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is definitely not for newcomers to the series. I highly advise you to start with just the base game if you're intrigued at all by XCOM or the strategy genre because this adds so much more on top of the already difficult game that it might turn you off completely.
More options means more gameplay possibilities for simmers, and we all know how much we love making up stories. With The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs, the missing piece to any household that needed a pet is finally filled. And even if you don't care about that, there's enough in The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs to make this one of the best expansion packs you can get to date.
In any case, I don't know why exactly Quantic Dream finally made a game I loved (as in, why it took them so long), but as a fan of Until Dawn and The Walking Dead, I'm glad I can actually add a third game to my favorites for this genre. Maybe it's because all of the characters are supposed to be robots so you're force-fed story and juxtaposition through analysis, making it easy from a writing perspective.
Tropico 6 is hands-on and plays on a micro-managing level that's quite undone for the most part with games about management, and I just wish it got more of the attention it deserves.
From the wonderful 8-bit graphics (they move so LIFELIKE THOUGH), to the music by Daedelus, there are many maps, tournament styled gameplay, and special settings to really make the game your own in this quirky little indie gem from Messhof.
As This War of Mine enters the lives of console gamers, we should rejoice that this experience is allowed to reach an even greater audience. It's a game with something to say while providing an emotional experience to the player.
Dragon Quest Builders gives players the freedom to do whatever they want, while making sure they don’t get bored of that freedom too quickly by restricting how they get materials and recipes. This smart concept, mixed with the villager management and RPG elements make this one of the freshest experiences in the series.
The Sims 4: City Living gets an absolute recommendation for fans looking for a new way to play. It changes the game as much as Get to Work managed to, if not more so.
All in all, if you’re a big fan of Cities: Skylines, this expansion is one you should at least have on your radar. It increases the difficulty, introduces some pretty long, unique scenarios, and lets you feel like a malevolent god with the ability to just drop a meteor right on the city center, if you wanted to.
If you're a big Uncharted fan that would love to see more of Chloe and Nadine, The Lost Legacy is definitely for you. There's no ifs, ands, or buts, about it.
All in all, though, The Sims 4: Seasons is worthy of your time and attention if you already have the base game. The expansion packs (with the exception of Get Together, really), all bring something new to the table that adds more life to the game.
With The Sims 4, the choice is yours and how you play or have fun with the game is entirely up to you. The tools are all there, but you're in charge of how your gameplay is built.
The game has realism written all over it. You steer, accelerate, reverse, use headlights, set the headlights, rest when tired, pay fines from the police, and much more.
Is Yo-Kai Watch 2 a good game for that kid gamer in your life? Absolutely. I would have personally been crying at how creepy some of these ghostly monsters can look, but (and I hate to bring it up) if we’re going to love Pokemon in all its simplistic, weird monster ways, then there’s no reason that Yo-Kai Watch 2 can’t be considered an excellent gift for a child in your life, or maybe even you if you’re a fan of the show.
If you're looking for a new The Sims 4 expansion pack, you can't go wrong with choosing this one, but you also have better options if you haven't bought any in awhile.