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In spite of the repetitive sounds, uninspired music and dated visuals, the game still offers the best experience in the entire series. The brawling itself, although repetitive, offers enough variation to keep things interesting, and it will take you a while to try out all the different weapons.
The continued popularity of the Tropico series has something to do with the relative lack of old-school city and country management games on the market and the inability of the teams at Maxis and Electronic Arts to re-launch SimCity in any meaningful way.
Full Mojo Rampage is a delightful twin-stick shooter that takes the best elements from rogue-like titles and adds a lot of personality. Expect a really challenging experience but also a fun and varied one that rewards persistence.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 may not be as polished as other heavy-hitters in the genre when it comes to production value and the streamlining of its systems, but it has a lot of soul and it's not afraid to show it.
Transistor is a really spectacular experience. It provides a great story, a unique weapon, and a combat system that can be as simple or as complex as you want. Throw in the splendid graphics and the impressive soundtrack and you'll have a great time. While the regular adventures may become a bit tedious, you can always relax in the backdoor area and engage in its different challenges. The boss fights can also feel a bit cheap sometimes, but they're still pretty good.
The combination of uplifting and catchy tunes and vivid visuals make the platformer a veritable treat, especially for nostalgics of a day when Mario and Donkey Kong were setting the tone of the adventure.
The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 3: In Harm's Way manages to up the ante of Clementine's new adventures in a great way while developing her character, not just the people that surround her. New survivors are introduced and it's going to be interesting to see if the little girl can continue making grown-up choices.
Bound by Flame is not by any means bad, but it's not spectacular either, falling into the category of good but lacking some elements to make it great. The combat has its issues, some parts of the story feel a bit contrived, but for the most part the game is pretty solid.
Full Bore is a challenging puzzle platformer that requires thought and dedication. You have all the skills needed to explore its open world, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do that, so expect a lot of retries and aimless wandering around until you figure out the best solutions.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a brave attempt at forging a good game based on the famous hero. While some mechanics work, like the web slinging, others fail, i.e. the Hero/Menace system, and others get tedious after a while, like the combat.
Although Nether still has quite a ways to go until it can offer a rich and fulfilling experience, it's definitely looking like it's going to get there. There are many things missing, but, to be fair, it's still early access.
While Daylight is a bit on the stereotypical side, with you running circles inside an asylum where the good doctor wasn't actually that good, and the dementia that the patients were experiencing was more than just a figment of their imagination, it does a good job in the presentation department.
Child of Light is a hugely fun and memorable experience. The combat is intense, the visuals are unique, and the soundtrack elevates the whole game to a new level. While it might get a bit ambiguous about your goals at some points in the story, it's still really good and well worth the investment.
Blackwell Epiphany delivers a fitting end to the arching Blackwell series, offering the most enthralling story yet, not to mention the highest stakes, as the protagonists take on a malevolent force that threatens the very essence of life.
Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition is a good new experience on the PS4, particularly for those who didn't get a chance to indulge in the PS3 version. Its visuals are much better, the DLC modes are quite fun, and the Twitch chat function should certainly motivate players to start broadcasting their gameplay. However, the soundtrack is a bit disappointing, and playing alone can cause boredom in extended sessions.
The Last Federation is like a miniature jewel, a game that seems easy to understand and play at first and, as the player engages with it more, reveals deeper nuances and more interesting mechanics to explore and exploit.
The puzzles are ok for the most part, especially once they get a bit more complicated with the inclusion of platforming, that requires precise timing, but the whole "death as a gameplay mechanic" bit wears off pretty soon, and you'll find yourself with another pretty generic game.
Trials Fusion is a great new entry into the franchise and marks a proper arrival of the series onto the new consoles. Its visuals are sharp, its gameplay is better than ever, and its few downsides don't prevent it from once again getting players addicted to its physics-based racing. The loading times are a bit long and navigating the interface isn't that great, but it's still worth it.
Lego The Hobbit is a good entry in the franchise made by Traveller's Tales. It manages to cherry-pick the best moments from the first two films and put a great Lego twist on the whole series. While it still has some glitches and the new crafting system will sometimes force you to grind areas for loot, it's still pretty fun.
Overall, the game offers a very enjoyable experience, not very challenging but not overly simplistic either, that keeps you pretty interested in seeing how things evolve and motivated to keep playing in order to uncover its story arc.