The real essence of Shadwen‘s overall delivery — and as a result the enticement to keep playing — is how tactically-focused the stealth is.
Despite its shortcomings in the multiplayer — easily forgotten and waved off as an unnecessary add-on — and the rare instances of a mechanically loose screw, DOOM is undeniably one of the best looking and sounding shooters there has been for some time.
Yet in the end, for all its slick, admittedly-impressive detail with its visual assets, Hyposphere tries too hard to impress from the surface without considering anymore for what lies underneath its many high-resolution environments that play out more like demonstrations than fully realized, fully finished video game levels.
Despite all these pressing and quite glaring faults, there is a good game and pleasant experience to be salvaged from out of Star Fox Zero's momentary, lofty set-pieces and short-lived moments of daring adventure.
As expected, Resident Evil 6 — four years after its original release — remains one of the series’ most underbaked, underdeveloped and downright unappealing entries in a franchise that has claimed far greater heights in terms of gameplay and presentation.
Even with unfortunate performance hiccups, it’s safe to say Ravegan have created one of the more interesting and cleverly addictive shoot ’em ups in recent years.
To make a fittingly Nintendo-affiliated comparison, Bravely Second: End Layer is to the 3DS what Bayonetta 2 was to the Wii U: a sequel with its own respectable amount of anticipation that, while offering little by way of drastic change, delivers more than enough fresh and returning moments to remind us all (new and veteran players alike) why such a release struck an immeasurable chord in the first place.
Simplistic and often jarring its intended design may seem, Soul Axiom is a game that requires, as much cunningly desires, the player's warranted need to look beyond the surface that's initially presented.
I won't hold it against Calvin Weibel's skill and prowess with basic game design, because for all the obvious negatives I'm insistent to bring up, Doors is so clearly and obviously an interesting premise that revolves around logic, reverse psychology and trickery.
Perhaps it's unfortunate that Calendula comes a mere month after Pony Island took almost everyone by surprise and as such is already at a disadvantage as to its perception from the user-base.
Despite its shortcomings and unfortunate slip towards the end, Klaus stands as an admirable and respectable first outing for La Cosa Entertainment.
There is indeed a one-more-game pull to Zotrix's gameplay and if you're willing to take apart its mission-based structure as slices of a cake, there is a somewhat commendable attraction to the way its resource and upgrade management system plays out like a carrot dangling on a stick.
It's a shame that a mechanic as promising as playing as a toddler — and all the repercussions surrounding it — is underplayed here, as tied in with a psychological leaning in horror, Among the Sleep could have offered a fresh take in what is a painstakingly underused concept in games. [Hardcore Gamer separately reviewed the PS4 (2.5) and PC (2.0) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Surprisingly, however, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam dishes up an interesting take on the Mario RPG formula without wandering too far from its roots. Some may scorn the lack of drastic change in the gameplay and while it's fair to conclude it is more of the same in most parts, Paper Jam is — at its heart — a solid RPG with plentiful personality. It may not be the RPG we had sought at the beginning, but it's one that marries together most (though not all) of what makes this Mario spin-off so immediately engrossing.
As unique as Typoman is, seeing the scale of its missed opportunity unfold only saddens me evermore.
Pitting the player's wit against a changing set of circumstances is a fun and exhilarating experience on paper, but ROOT makes too many wrong decisions in executing this mechanic that it's hard not to see the majority of its level-by-level progression as anything but malnourished of some much-needed player-support. Be it the lack of checkpoints, lack of salvageable health, lack of difficulty balancing; there's not even the ability to reload your weapon.
Reality itself may be a lot less pixellated here, but Poncho's well-planned orchestration of sound, aesthetic and more importantly art direction resonate remarkably well. For a game so mechanically simple, it's one of the better experiences out there — four-letter swear words and all.
A faithfully promising concept with an ultimately (at the very least) questionable execution.
Tri Force Heroes is not the Zelda we've come to expect and certainly not the experience we're all so agonizingly, painstakingly looking forward to seeing more of (whatever platform it'll be built for).
By no means is Tales of Zestiria bottom of the pile, yet as far as all around quality goes — by which the many cogs keep this latest entry circulating; moving with swift, relevant engagement — Zestiria is perhaps the point wherein Bandai Namco really do have a franchise on one hell of a tipping point.