The truth is that Pyre does exactly what it set out to do, with no caveats or qualifiers. It created a truly original core game mode and backed it up with solid RPG mechanics that extend the game's already impressive longevity for a $20 game.
It's good that, in a game about space, I've never felt limited, because there shouldn't be limits. While this almost feels like "Sim Universe" at times, the core difference is in something for which to strive and active threats beyond your own mishandling of resources and the occasional fire to put out. There's a whole universe out there, and I can't wait to play through Stellaris as many times as it takes to experience the whole thing.
Mortal Kombat XL is a fantastic addition to the base game, adding characters that somehow fit extremely well in the roster. If NetherRealm Studios can make smart choices like this, perhaps we should hope for Mortal Kombat XXL.
Dishonored 2 will successfully function for both fans of the series and those who pick it up for the first time. With a robust side-quest system, you'll find the game has much to discover. That, and the ability to play the game how you want and rewarding you for taking a more challenging course, make Dishonored 2 a rousing success. This game isn't hard to pick up and play, but it will be almost impossible to put down.
It's a well-executed set-up with a wondrous payoff. Whereas the fun in a game like For Honor comes from physically learning how to play, the fun in Tides of Numenera comes from achieving encyclopedic knowledge of a whole new universe through truly meaningful choices.
While Ashes of Ariandel created skepticism where there otherwise wouldn't have been, rest assured that The Ringed City is the genuine article and gives Dark Souls III the send-off it deserves.
Segments from Outlast 2 are forever burned into my memories, acting as much as a traumatic experience as it was an exhilarating one. The thematic elements present throughout make the game even more high-stakes, taking a toll on you as a moral human being. God doesn't love Outlast 2 – not like I do.
It's hard to know where to stop when talking about Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Its visuals are dynamite, the rebuilt cutscenes stoke excitement in any Crash fan, the music is higher-quality than ever, and the little alterations Vicarious Visions made make a huge difference.
And I must again praise Endless Space 2's depth, that seems … well … endless. I've put more than 40 hours into Endless Space 2, and, while I still feel like there are things I don't understand and I'm not always sure if I'm doing the right thing, I also don't want to stop playing. Endless Space 2 is addictive, rewarding and substantive, and it stands tall in the 4X genre even among the greats of Stellaris and Civilization.
Everspace provides some of the most unique experiences I've had in gaming this year, and it does so with style, featuring awe-inspiring visuals and intense gameplay, all without the budget and support of a AAA publishing studio.
Gauntlet delivers a fun and challenging dungeon crawling experience that manages to avoid repetitiveness. Although it has some minor launch bugs to work through, they are easily overlooked.
Its obvious caricatures aside, Overcooked 2 manages, above all else, to feel like working an actual busy restaurant job – you slave away for what feels like an eternity of non-stop, fast-paced work, certain you're always miles behind where you should be, but then you count the tips at the end of the night and think “You know what? Not too bad.” In that respect and many others, Overcooked 2 is a delightful follow-up where each consecutive levels feels either completely satisfying or enticingly challenging.
However, what the developers are doing with a remaster is not simply to squeeze more money out of the consumer; Gravity Rush: Remastered is giving people the opportunity to experience what is genuinely an interesting and entertaining game, one that they might have missed because of the platform on which it was released. Now, with a shiny new entry on the PlayStation 4, Gravity Rush can reach a wider audience, and if Gravity Rush 2 improves at all upon the first, that's ultimately more of a benefit to the gamer, rather than the developer.
While this game has already released in Japan, it fizzled out for reasons I don’t understand. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE seems to be mostly faithful to both wildly popular games from which it draws inspiration. Hopefully it will find a second wind and catch on in NA and EU, as I’ve stumbled upon quite the treat with Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
Against all my better instincts, I have to sit down and Ubisoft's dinner table and eat however many crows they put in front of me. Everything but the beak and feat. For Honor is a damn fine experience, and while it's held back by a few technical issues and an underdeveloped campaign, learning and mastering its every complexity is rewarding enough to balance those out and then some.
Even at the most basic level, there's simply so much to do in Wildlands because they've so carefully populated their open world with enough to do that you won't feel like you're simply walking over massive areas to get to the sporadic points of action.
Killing Floor 2 had a tall order, being asked to recapture the attention of an audience that was either too jaded or too burnt out to give it a fair shake, all the while attempting to improve upon a beloved-yet-flawed low-budget title. Sporting a mostly-overhauled progression system, a built-from-the-ground-up skill system and improving on the grisly gore we've grown to adore, Killing Floor 2 has made a triumphant return. It will likely keep you engaged for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of Zed-killing.
Whether its flying through the sky, walking up walls or exposing a corrupt system driven by the wealthy and powerful, Gravity Rush 2 is a delight.
While this may not come as a surprise, the Tempest expansion has added a lot more *ahem* depth, with its sea-focused expansion. It wastes no time getting to the good parts, and keeps you engaged while you're there. I mean, what other game will let you be a grotesque sea-pirate bent on conquering the planet?
You'll have so much to do and so many ways to do it, with a series of endings as vast as a game like Torment: Tides of Numenera (which was mostly text-based). Nier: Automata begs to be replayed, even as it's punishing you for doing so.