Toronto Sun
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It's tough to get excited by video game zombies these days, but by blending a detailed open world, cool parkour moves and a satisfyingly deep system for character and weapon customization, Dying Light has clawed out a novel space in this crowded genre. Long live the undead.
True to its name, Unity is a cohesive collection of the fundamental elements of the Assassin's Creed experience, and feels like a much-needed reset for a franchise that was starting to become bloated and scattered. It may not be a revolution, but vive l'unité all the same.
[I]t will fray your nerves and test your mind. But won't hack its way into your heart.
MachineGames have done a wonderful job capturing the essence of the old-school shooter while avoiding its pitfalls, and presenting it in a way that will attract new audiences. The result is a game that's as good as you remember its forebears being, even though it facilitates the player in ways that games from a decade ago didn't. This is Wolfenstein for the new generation, and it's worthy of the legacy.
And if you are ready to give up on The Show because of those longer-than-usual load times, just turn on a real baseball game – I'm guessing you'll be back playing the video game in no time.
Fans of Lego games will find more to love with Lego The Hobbit, as long as they're not growing weary of this increasingly familiar formula. There's nothing unexpected about this journey, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
[Q]uibbles aside, Infamous: Second Son is a game that truly showcases the PS4's impressive technology, and succeeds in ushering one of Sony's best exclusive franchises into the next generation. It's by far the most impressive and enjoyable of the three Infamous games, and marks an evolution not just in visual presentation, but in the scope of things that can be done in an open-world superhero game.
Clever, colourful and weirdly comforting – there's little to dislike about The Lego Movie Videogame, even if it feels assembled from the same bricks as its predecessors. Not everything is awesome, but it comes close enough.
To put it more succinctly: after careful consideration, I've decided to endorse this game.
There are a few other niggling issues, like occasionally problematic camera controls, the baffling lack of an instant replay feature and some overall rough edges in the presentation. But for that narrow subset of players who like racing, puzzle and construction games – and who have a slightly sadistic streak, to boot – Screamride is not to be missed. It's almost enough to make you forget high school physics. Almost.
[Y]ou're always doing something, and there's always something to do in this game. Let's just hope that there's ever-faster cars and ever-more stuff to destroy on the horizon with this series.
It's clear from the critical mass of backers that this style of adventure left a lasting impact on the previous generation of gamers, and now that Wasteland 2 has delivered on its promise, this underserved genre seems poised to capture the imaginations of a new generation.
Still, a big part of me wishes I'd waited for Act II and played Broken Age in its uninterrupted entirety. It's smart to always leave the audience wanting more, but when a book is snapped shut in the middle of a story, there's a danger of the reader getting his fingers pinched. And mine, frankly, feel a little bit sore.
Yoshi's Woolly World doesn't do much that we haven't seen before in Nintendo's long history of these sorts of games, and its exceptional cuteness factor helps overcome some of its slightly derivative design. But in a season so focused on doing vicious harm in virtual worlds, its lovely to take a whimsical stroll with this delightful dinosaur daredevil.
But that's OK. Sunset Overdrive is a welcome response to the gritty, drab and deadly serious shooters that make up the majority of this genre. It sometimes tries way too hard to be funny, but more often than not it's a riotous riff on things that gaming holds dear, and an intoxicating action saga in its own right. As long as you can survive the woozy cough syrup hangover the morning after.
If I want serious adult drama, I'll watch The Walking Dead. But for sheer, unadulterated fun, Dead Rising 3 has my thumbs, eyes, brain and heart. Or, as a zombie would call it, a well-balanced breakfast.
I've never played anything quite like Guild of Dungeoneering, and while its lo-fi look took some time to win me over, it's become my go-to game for quick, bite-sized gaming that still satisfies an overall sense of achievement. As the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog taught us, we shouldn't judge something on cuteness alone.
Still, Rocket League is one of those games that almost anyone can pick up and enjoy, yet still find themselves getting better at after dozens of hours of play. It's a throwback to the good old days of gaming, when fun mattered more than anything.
So far, Civilization: Beyond Earth is a stellar – no pun intended – new addition to the franchise, and what it lacks in the familiarity of historical cultures and settings it gains with some clever new tweaks and an even grander vision of humanity's potential. See you in a million days. Give or take.
The meal hasn't been perfect, but it's been very memorable. The waiter keeps coming by with the dessert cart, and I keep waving him away.