GamingTrend
HomepageGamingTrend's Reviews
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 feels like a failed attempt at rushing a game out to cash in on a trending genre, that ultimately suffers from too little development time and polish.
The Sims 4 is a fantastic game at its core, but with its tiny neighborhoods and many features simply missing, it holds itself back from Sims greatness.
Endless Legends tries to overcomes flaws by focusing on strengths. Unique factions, in-depth customization and beautiful art will keep you hooked and wanting more. It isn't perfect, but it is still a solid strategy game.
Few games can come close to creating the same mayhem and excitement as Gauntlet can. While not the game for a lone wolf, Gauntlet is all about friends competing for gold and shooting each others' food. From the new hero designs to the variety of enemies and snarky humor, this is one that co-op fanatics won't want to miss.
This feels less like a review and more like a love letter to Forza Horizon 2. This game was an absolute joy to review, and I'll play it long after this article goes live. Like opening the hood on a Ferrari, Forza Horizon 2 is filled from fender to fender with absolute awesome.
While Archeage doesn't bring much to the table in terms of story, quest mechanics or even combat, the sheer depth of the PVP and tradeskill system promises to make it into the EVE-Online of the fantasy genre. The queue system is marring what would otherwise be an enticing game, at least for those players who have been looking for a fresh take on the fantasy PVP MMO genre – Ultima Online can only last so long.
Destiny is the sort of game that will need to breathe before it's appreciated. The team has launched the first free raid upgrade yesterday, and they promise far more universe-expanding content in the immediate future. As it stands now, it feels like a strong foundation coupled with a thin story and some baffling missteps on the MMO aspects of the formula. When Destiny is a shooter, it's amazing, but when it aims to make that a social activity it falls on its face. Like Bungie's previous efforts, history will prove it to be the classic it aims to be.
It's certainly not perfect, but Hyrule Warriors' combat and treatment of the typically sterile Zelda franchise is just big, dumb, loud fun.
There have been way too many years where you can describe the changes to Madden as "minimal, but helpful." This year, the changes to the defense and boost in presentation slide it away from "minimal" and feel much more substantial. But unfortunately, I find the player aspect of Connected Franchise to be one of the biggest parts of the whole Madden experience, and it being a husk of its former self is more than a little disappointing. That said, Madden NFL 15 is definitely one to jump into if you have not played a Madden game in years. It will be very interesting to see how EA Tiburon builds upon this success in Madden NFL 16.
Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition is simply a fun game. Its story lacks and it has its fair share of downfalls but it is all worth it due to its unforgiving and humorous gameplay. If you don't have an Xbox One, this package includes all of the DLC as well as a few new graphical bells and whistles. Dead Rising 3 is truly a game that is its best when it isn't trying, it is unapologetic and bloody, and one of the best zombie hack and slash games that has ever been released.
Firefall is a massively-mixed bag. The game is at its best when it forces players to frantically shoot their way through swarms of enemies while protecting an objective, but the fun found in these missions wears off when repeated over and over. I think there are a few hours of genuine pleasure to be found in Firefall, but beyond that I think it's hard to recommend it to anyone, unless they're just a diehard fan of MMO tropes.
The next generation jump for NHL 15 is far from a mind blowing one. It brings about fantastic visuals and more of the same excellent gameplay we have come to expect. Unfortunately, it really is just more of the same but with an impressive visual bump. Of course, the improved presentation is nice as well but it lacks that oomph needed to wow consumers. That being said, EA Canada has done enough to create a very recommendable hockey game, but they may have some trouble on their hands if they continue to provide more of the same next year.
Infamous: First Light takes an interesting, flawed character and does nothing with her. Even at $15, it's a vapid, empty, wasted opportunity. At least the combat is still fun, though.
Natural Doctrine is a broken attempt at revitalizing the tactical RPG genre. At first glance, it appears to have all the markings of a classically inspired and intelligently designed strategy game. But sadly, despite delivering its own rare bursts of satisfaction, it remains frustratingly bogged down by artificially challenging gameplay, a confusing and overtly complex user interface and a painfully slow pacing that will try the patience of even the most Zen-like of gamers. If you're looking for the next Final Fantasy Tactics, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to keep looking elsewhere.
So back to the original posit that this newest generation of consoles is filling up with HD remakes. At a cost of $1.99 per track times ten tracks, you are essentially getting the game for free and the tracks at half price. This update to the Xbox One costs less than two cups of coffee and is far more than just a new coat of paint. Come for the new and improved features, stay for the far better soundtrack.
Lichdom: Battlemage is a clever and exciting arcade style action-RPG, which can be a lot more fun than one might expect. The battles are challenging, the magic system is as diverse as advertised, and the play mechanics do a pretty good job pulling it all together. A few rough edges here and there, in combination with the game's high requirements can lead to some embarrassing hiccups and broken moments, but it's nothing that gets in the way of the overall experience. Hopefully future installments will dare to flesh out what this title lacks, but what Xaviant focused on this time around they really managed to deliver.
Metro Redux combines two of the most uniquely harrowing first-person shooters onto one disc, and applies a whole mess of graphical and gameplay improvements that hit far more than they miss.
All in all WildStar is a fantastic and strong entry in the MMO market. It may not add anything new to the gameplay but it takes all the MMO's before it and intelligently combines them into a polished and fun game. It is beautiful, humorous (for better or worse), polished, and fun to play. It definitely seems to appeal to a certain crowd with its aesthetic, but gameplay wise it is one of the best MMO's I have ever played. It is relentless at times and gives hardcore players looking for a challenge a new home. Only time will really tell if the market and gamers have room for another MMO, especially one that still charges a monthly fee, but as a game WildStar is one of the greatest MMO's on the market and can stand toe to toe with any game out right now.
CounterSpy does not last long enough, but the time you have with it is an absolute blast. The implementation of the DEFCON system and cover mechanics freshens up an increasingly bland genre, with the spot-on atmosphere and witty writing, feeling like icing on a delicious cake. Throughout CounterSpy's lifespan, you will die a whole lot, and with that comes frustration. But on the other end of that frustration is an immense feeling of satisfaction as you get one step closer to saving our precious little moon.
There is no doubt about the fact that Hohokum achieves exactly what it wants to, the game is a relaxing and gorgeous adventure that can take a few hours from you. It does a wonderful job at helping you clear your mind and just focus on the magic happening on your television screen. Unfortunately, that relaxation can turn to confusion as you wander around attempting to figure out what to do next. Hohokum's visuals, music, and controls are spot on, but it is missing that little hand holding experience that many games need. Despite the occasional frustration it brings, Hohokum is an absolute treat to behold.