The extra featured content does not justify a new purchase for those who have already gone through the adventures of Scott Pilgrim. But for anyone who knows the comics or the movie and has not played the game the new version is a good way to have hours of fun, preferably with a group of friends in coop mode.
Phoenix Point is a deeper experience than the new XCOM and a drier one. It rewards careful strategic planning, strictly by the rules tactical executions, and a lack of attachment to individual units. The best way to enjoy the game is in short sessions, maybe two missions at a time, to allow for time to mentally explore possibilities and forget some of the frustrations.
The lack of human players to battle online is an even bigger issue. The game needed to have cross-platform play between most if not all its launch platforms to maintain a community. It might also have been better to launch the game as free-to-play with a smaller roster and to then deliver paid extra options, once a group of players became fans. Maybe a future title in the series can focus on creating a community first, to make the mech fighting concept the successful brawler it can be.
Fans of the concept will appreciate the unyielding difficulty and the lack of ways to tweak it. But given the changes to the mechanics, it would be nice to see Team Meat make their new title easier to appreciate with less frustration.
The developers clearly have a lot of talent for world-building and dialogue writing, which makes the game a treat for anyone willing to learn about the world and play with its possibilities. Come to Suzerain first for the feeling of power and the scheming, stay longer to discover the characters and the way choices are interlocked in an interesting way.
Those who did not try the game yet, should go ahead and dive into this adventure, they will not regret it. Thanks to the added extra content, Observer System Redux can be also recommended to those who already unveiled Dan's story. Still, it feels that it would have been more appropriate to offer System Redux as a free upgrade to those who already own the game, instead of charging extra money for it.
I'd also like to add that while the game does include microtransactions, everything that you can buy in Immortals Fenyx Rising is purely cosmetic. I also encourage everyone who picks up the game to do the optional content to unlock some of the gorgeous-looking skins for armor and weapons. I didn't think I'd have so much fun playing another Ubisoft title, but here I am trying to 100% all the maps in the game.
Still, the console version remains a fun experience and despite its dated looks, Serious Sam immerses its players completely, transcending them in the middle of the action. You don't need strategies or tactics, just the controller and the mood to blow up everything alien you encounter in the game world. Technically there are no improvements, the fun is still as mindless as ever, and the price of the package is a fair one.
But the current implementation, especially that of the battles, is frustrating. Romero Games needs to make management more important and to bring the characters to the front more. Patches also should include auto-resolve and a big balance update. Empire of Sin needs all of this to begin to realize its clear potential.
The twin challenges of expanding and re-building for greater efficiency are carefully balanced and truly engrossing. Just make sure to take tour time and explore as much as possible before moving through the checkpoints of the campaign. And spend as much time as possible running at the slowest speed, watching how mars can be changed from inhospitable wasteland to a new cradle of humanity. Just don't forget to ponder whether it's actually worth it, just as the protagonist A.I. does.