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But Windward is neither of those things. After dozens of hours it still has you doing the same monotonous tasks you did at the very start, even as you claw your way to a slightly better ship in which to run your errands. For a game set on the deep blue sea, it's unforgivably shallow where it counts.
Not a Hero isn't perfect, but it does enough to confirm that Roll7 is a developer to watch. This is a game where the design principles shine through in every second of the action, foregrounded by a winning combination of clever visual tricks and slick production values. At times everything comes together and this is a delicious, feedback-heavy and flowing system - at others you'll be chewing the analogue stick in anger. Bunnylord, in other words, is a candidate with flaws. But still worth your support.
And once the final mission's done there's a scamper up the difficulty levels, alongside endless, custom and time attack modes, the latter of which works a bit like speed chess, but with people getting whacked over the head. In truth, while pleasant, this is a covering of the bases that Invisible, Inc doesn't really need. Much like the lives of one of its secret agents, this is a game defined by short, sharp thrills. It's so filled with purpose that is has no need to outstay its welcome.
If all that is expected of an expansion or spin-off is to deliver more of the same, then The Old Blood goes above and beyond its obligations. The decision to downplay the story elements does sometimes leave it feeling a bit overwhelming and stodgy - the textures and rhythms that made its predecessor such a sleeper hit simply aren't here - but as a lovingly crafted continuation of a game that was already pretty bloody great, there's little here worth complaining about.
If you make the effort, you'll find that Slightly Mad has built a motorsport game for the people, at once flexible and uncompromising: a single-minded hymn to the gritty thrills of the pit-lane and the back straight. There's room for improvement and we'll be watching future updates with keen interest, but these foundations are strong indeed.
An essential sandbox for anyone with an interest in space, rocketry, or explosions.
It's a minor blot, though, as elsewhere this lives up to the legacy of its predecessor, and takes it to new, interesting places. Kirby rarely gets a starring role in Nintendo's line-up, which is something of a shame, as the Rainbow Curse is another unconventional treat.
This is the strangest, most wilful game Intelligent Systems has ever made - and that's part of its greatness.
In the end, it's the surface details - the dry and gentle wit, the winsome voice acting, and the gorgeous design - that lash it all together. The deeper elements, the bones that might give it structural strength, feel thin. Broken Age doesn't quite suffer the fate implied by its title, but there are clearly fractures that time has failed to heal.
I just wish it wasn't so clumsy where it counts, since there are few gameplay styles more off-putting than poor stealth, and the stealth here is often very poor indeed. Fans committed to the loopy storyline will probably be able to look past that and enjoy the surreal ride for its narrative and atmospheric pleasures. However, such frustrations can't help but drive a large rusty nail into the heart of an otherwise generous pair of expansions.
Almost a year after its launch and Mario Kart 8 still earns its spot in your Wii U disc drive. Nintendo's racer remains one of the finest games on the company's home console, and this second helping of extras has cemented the game further among the very best of the series. If this pack is the work of the new Nintendo, long may such expansions continue.
At the moment, it's hard to recommend actually buying it. It's not hard, however, to imagine that the few months when it should have remained Early Access will be able to make the difference - to file off the rough edges, add the missing features, and create a dungeon experience that can appeal to both the hardcore fans out for a challenge and more casual Keepers looking for the darkly dripping horrors of a place to realise their evil whims.
That's Mortal Kombat in a nutshell: looking cool, even if there's not that much going on behind the curtain. Mortal Kombat X has some new tricks on offer, but the fun of the game is in its blood-splattering finishers and cocky jokes.
As a follow-up to 2011's Dungeons, this sequel is much easier to recommend, fixing many of the problems from that game and introducing new ideas that fit better with the genre. It's still only a partial success, however, and between the fussy menus and interface, and the speed with which you'll find yourself resorting to trudging repetition, this still falls short of the game it could be.
And then there's that one special audio cue: pok! You know that sound. You know it! It's the rounded, punchy, friendly smack of a bat connecting with a ball that was already doing around 90. Close your eyes and you can see the aftermath: the heads tilted skyward, the arms dropping to the side. No need to chase after that one. Home run.
This is a game built with love and thorough attention to detail. It is a startling debut for a young team who demonstrate an enviable clarity of design. But it falls short of greatness, perhaps because its main ingredients of hulking foes and one-hit kills cannot harmonise over the course of an entire adventure.
The arcade-like structure and mounting pile of perks and weapons gives Tower of Guns an irresistible, if brief, appeal. There's tremendous fun to be had questing up the tower, amassing buffs and improvements to both your character and their weaponry, and racing against the clock. But soon enough, the repetitious enemy and environment designs begin to tire, and the initial bullishness of the evolving guns feels a little conservative; nothing goes quite far enough. Tower of Guns fails to reach the heights it might have reached, then, but provides an enjoyable run all the same.
What an intoxicating place it is to spend a few hours, too. There are rough edges aplenty, but while the world Affordable Space Adventures conjures is never quite pretty it's certainly immersive, one which draws you in as you struggle in the space between the main screen and the GamePad. This is one of those rare games that could only ever be possible on the Wii U, and if you've any measure of affection or interest in Nintendo's console and what it's capable of, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Behind the stylish black and white art is a puzzle-platformer that really wants you to enjoy yourself.
All of which feeds into Ride's bigger problem. There's not quite enough here to satisfy bike lovers, and certainly nothing to make bike lovers of the merely curious. Ride isn't a failure, but nor is a particularly great game, and like Milestone's previous efforts it's a noble attempt that just falls shy of its targets - even if it does often succeed in scratching an itch you might not have known was there.