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Doing the impossible by topping its predecessor, Rayman Legends is one of the best gaming experiences this year. It takes everything fun about classic platforming and puts it in a visually stunning environment.
Tomb Raider remains one of the better action games to have been released in the last twelve months, and it gives the next generation consoles some life in a rather dry time. This is without doubt the definitive console edition of Tomb Raider, but the completeness and subtle visual enhancements are not enough to warrant another playthrough.
While Shadow Fall may be best representation of the PS4's visuals, Need for Speed Rivals is the best representation of its power. It's blisteringly fast, not batting an eye at speeds over two-hundred miles per hour for a sustained period of time. Cars look realistic, environments are highly-detailed and the dynamic HUDs and interface are the best the series has seen. It's raw, visceral, intense and boasts a ton of replay value thanks to over one hundred events and seamless online multiplayer. Need for Speed Rivals proves how impressive a PS4 racing game can be by offering a fully realized product that blows past conceptions of what a launch title can offer.
Gamers come to Battlefield to drive ATVs strapped with C4 into enemy tanks, barrage enemy troops with RPG-fire while parachuting from their buddy's helicopter and more outrageous activities that Battlefield 4 delivers in spades. With improvements and additions to the tried and true formula, the lackluster single-player can't hold the game down — the explosive multiplayer playground simply must be experienced.
By seamlessly weaving creative humor, some of which is entirely player-driven, into a narrative that constantly leaves players guessing, "Zer0 Sum" is as good of a pilot as we've seen in an episodic game. Regardless of where Rhys and Fiona's ridiculous journey take them next, hysterical one-liners, tense moments, and intense struggles are sure to follow. The biggest question here isn't whether or not Tales from the Borderlands is worth your time; it's when will Telltale's incredible run finally come to an end?
Nihilumbra is the kind of game that many will look over because they think they've played things like it hundreds of times before. It's not.
We couldn't have asked for anything better than Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. It comes packed with a staggering amount of content that will leave players overwhelmed in both quantity and quality. It contains a storyline that's highly entertaining and rivals most RPGs in length, three new jobs that are more than welcome additions and flying mounts that help revolutionize traversal in Eorzea.
Not only is Episode 3 of Tales from the Borderlands a fantastic entry into a fantastic series, but it sets the stage for a thrilling final two episodes. Everything seems to come together perfectly, from the introduction of the most endearing character to grace the Borderlands universe, even more so than the hysterical Claptrap (who is totally going to show up in some capacity, let's be real), to the fact that the storytelling sequences might just reveal something insane.
There's an exhausting number of features that have been implemented into Forza Horizon 2. The open world isn't just an empty free roam field to drive through; there's so much stuff packed in that it's a little daunting.
Warlords of Draenor puts just about every other MMO in recent memory to shame. Guild Wars 2, RIFT, TERA, WildStar and others don't boast the sense of satisfaction in the quests, reward in the dungeons, progress towards real achievements or impact on the surrounding world that are all available in spades in Draenor.
Gauntlet delivers a fun and challenging dungeon crawling experience that manages to avoid repetitiveness. Although it has some minor launch bugs to work through, they are easily overlooked.
In the end, Dragonfall is a more complete and sophisticated version of last year's Shadowrun Returns. The new campaign setting is utterly compelling, the writing is some of the industry's finest with astounding prose and character development and the added content simply equates to an experience that is only rivaled by the genre's best.
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is one of the finest JRPGs in the history of the genre, and that still holds true for its Steam debut. Even as it revels in nostalgia for its forebears, it forges ahead on its own path.
Boasting a huge open world to explore, over one hundred hours of gameplay and not even the slightest suggestion how it should be tackled, Divinity: Original Sin is remarkable. Will you be the stalwart hero or rob everybody blind and sell their stuff to merchants? There are so many different ways to do so many different things, from how to solve a particular quest to how to best tackle a group of enemies.
If you decided to wait for the PC version of Dark Souls II before jumping in, you've made the right decision. It's not leaps and bounds better than its console counterpart, but the graphical enhancements aid the immersion.
If you're getting tired of swords and sorcery, or just looking for meaty tactical battles, few RPGs will satisfy you better.
Baldur's Gate II is not a game to be missed. With an epic story, memorable characters, hundreds of hours of dungeon crawling, questing and adventuring, Baldur's Gate stands tall among the classics.
It takes games like Her Story to allow us to step back, realize what innovation and uniqueness actually look like and actually define what special is. This isn't the type of game that will push your reflexes to the brink, but let's be fair, not every game has to do that.
If you love point and click adventures, The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is everything you could possibly want and more. With stunning (and clever) graphics, a fully orchestrated soundtrack and top-notch voice acting, its production values are second to none, and it has writing chops to match.
The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition is a fantastic package of two great first-person puzzlers. It's basically identical to the PC version, so if you've got those already there's not much need to double-dip, but otherwise it's a must-own.