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While Jaws of Hakkon is neither revolutionary or ultimately necessary, it is gorgeous and offers 6-8 hours of gameplay for the price of a solo trip to the movies. The new end-game content fits nicely into the fold, even if it offers very little deviation from the well-established formula.
Tom Happ's Axiom Verge keeps the best of the past and improves on every facet, crafting a game about singularity, identity and pure pixellated fun. This is concentrated, unfiltered, Super-Nintendo-excellence given the modern treatment, and a landmark indie title.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is the victory lap that every Borderlands fan will enjoy, and packs a tremendous value into one disc. Some performance issues hold it back from being flawless, but all the ingredients are here to sate your chaotic sweettooth.
Bloodborne takes what made Souls amazing in the past, and infuses it with speed, risk-reward play, and a haunting atmosphere. Only a few technical hiccups hold back a masterpiece from Miyazaki and From Software. This is a must-play game for any PS4 owner with a masochistic side.
When all is said and done, Resident Evil Revelations 2 takes the franchise in the right direction. There are plenty of suspenseful set pieces to keep you entertained throughout the entire game, and the focus on teamwork is refreshing. It's just a shame about the lack of online co-op. As a survival horror game, it doesn't add much to the genre but as a Resident Evil game, it changes up quite a bit of things to keep the series fresh and relevant, which is something it desperately needed.
Mario Party 10 is fun at times, but the experience is often dampened by its reliance on luck. The game may have a few redeeming qualities, but its strong random element and lack of compelling minigames makes this installment feel like a step back rather than the gameplay revamp that the series needs.
Dreamfall Chapters is a strong adventure game, held back only by the required knowledge base for entry. A fascinating game with interwoven tales, beautiful set pieces and believeable protagonists, Dreamfall is going strong and only getting started.
All and all, Sid Meier's Starships on the PC turns out to be a mixed bag of mostly sour elements. It's a nice distraction and even a good bit of fun depending on how much you enjoy space combat titles, but only if you go in knowing full well that this is a port a mobile game, absent of much the charm and detail we've come to expect from Sid Meier titles. In concept, this game is a fantastic way to build upon the fledgling Beyond Earth legacy, but in function, this game feels like a cheaper version of another Sid Meier's Starships that was never actually made.
No amount of visual updates can mask the fact that Type-0 was clearly never designed to be on consoles. What great ideas it has are buried under a story that's rendered meaningless and a camera that prevents you from seeing most of them in the first place.
Battlefield Hardline has an amazing single player campaign, with some very unique ideas. Where it fails the most is when it quits trying to be different from past installments.
Wrong Number is the right call for anyone looking for just more of the same, but some problematic focus on the wrong things keep it from feeling as fresh and exciting as the original. You should still buy the soundtrack, though.
Many great games struggle to release solid DLC, but Far Cry 4 has avoided that issue very well. Valley of the Yetis has a few issues, the major one being the stripping of all your hard work in the main game, but it is still a ton of fun. The tower defense-esque elements added are integrated well and do a great job of pushing forward more Far Cry 4 combat, easily one of the best parts of the game. While there are some slight rough edges that could have been sanded down, Valley of the Yetis provides a great reason to hop back into Far Cry 4.
DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition keeps all the things that made DmC: Devil May Cry great and improves them for the current generations of consoles. While there isn't a terribly large amount of new content, Ninja Theory's gritty Universe is excellent enough to warrant a second playthrough.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not a bad puzzle platformer, it just doesn't bring anything new to the table. The cross-buy between Wii U and 3DS is a welcome bonus, but perhaps this was done because the game feels very much like mini game for your phone and is not very well suited for either of the two systems.
Code Name S.T.E.A.M. blazes ahead with entertaining characters, a robust host of missions, and engaging combat. Just the right amount of difficulty will keep any strategy fan engaged, and collectibles and multiplayer will keep you in long after the credits roll. Nintendo's IP is going at only one speed: full S.T.E.A.M. ahead.
Ori and the Blind Forest sets a new standard for the platform/adventure genre, by managing to handily surpass the games that inspired it in terms of storytelling, gameplay, and presentation.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is excellent fan-service and has a ton of potential, which makes it frustrating as hell to see it held back by technical issues and repetitious combat.
It really is unfortunate that Tormentum's puzzles slide in short as the art and characters work together very well, which is only heightened by the solid soundtrack. While the story is mostly barren for a majority of the gameplay, the characters manage to carry your interest in the happenings around you. Ultimately, Tormentum comes close to forming a great point-and-click adventure in 2015, but the lack of variety in the puzzle design really drags down the whole experience.
While the maps and enemies could be more varied and interesting, there's no denying that the gameplay is stellar, rewarding you for working closely with your teammates and punishing you otherwise. And best of all, the multi-player system powering the game works flawlessly, making it easy for you to find other people to tackle missions with. The deep upgrade system and customizable loadouts will go a long way towards keeping you engaged long after your first battle. Simply put, Helldivers is a wet dream if cooperative multiplayer games are your thing.
While Hand of Fate can get aggravating, the novelty and personality oozing through it is undeniably alluring. The game's simple but satisfying combat and risk versus reward card game will have you coming back for one more hand, waiting for your luck to turn around.