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Fans have waited a long time for Rodea the Sky Soldier, but unfortunately the final experience never comes within range of Yuji Naka's past masterpieces. The issues begin with the fundamental mechanics of flight and persist into its pacing, controls and stability, ultimately tainting even the most joyous moments of freedom afforded by Rodea's affinity for the open air. There are moments of bliss that shine through the mess, but the pure celebration of flight that Prope set out to deliver on Wii has lost many of its most important features during the transition to Wii U, and in the end, Rodea the Sky Soldier fails to live up to its lofty ambitions.
The sheer volume of content is fantastic, making it as easy to replay a mode over and over again for practice as it is to bounce from one game type to another for the shooter version of Short Attention Span Theater. Mushihimesama is a phenomenal arcade game and an indispensable addition to any shooter fan's library.
Wrestling fans have been waiting for a truly great game for their sport of choice for years, if not decades. All that waiting has mostly paid off as WWE 2K16 is a strong game that can stand well with the genre's heavy-hitters without looking too out of place. WWE 2K16 isn't without its flaws, but it's the most feature-rich wrestling game to come along in a while, with a right massive roster, a good deal of likable modes and well-fleshed out main attractions in the domains of 2K Showcase and MyCareer.
There are so many glaring flaws right up front; the framerate bottoms out, the story characters forced upon the players are atrocious and the always online requirement simply eats up bandwidth while adding nothing to the experience. When it hits that perfect line, however, this manages to be a satisfying and beautiful experience.
Thanks to the combination of smart button-mapping, fully-voiced non-player characters and a core game that is deserving of its universal praise, this is one title that the most hardcore of console gamers absolutely have to have.
Trying to dictate if Lord Puggington Games tried too hard or not hard enough with its gameplay is a fool's errand. This doesn't feel like something that was just slapped together; there is no malice intended in this review. This is a port of a mobile game that came to fruition via crowdfunding; one with a Google Play page that is loaded with accolades.
Tri Force Heroes is not the Zelda we've come to expect and certainly not the experience we're all so agonizingly, painstakingly looking forward to seeing more of (whatever platform it'll be built for).
It's tough for an outsider to look at the praise Tales from the Borderlands is receiving without thinking it's a bit hyperbolic and overblown. Rest assured, Telltale's best game shows us exactly what it means for a game to be fun, as its wonderful writing seems to play on just about every emotion you have. If you thought that this studio would never top the first season of The Walking Dead, you're sorely mistaken, as the title the world thought would be mediocre highlighted the shear wealth of talent over at Telltale.
Halo 5: Guardians is a fine tuned machine. It has a robust and highly addictive competitive multiplayer component, a large variety of aesthetically pleasing customizations and some of the tightest controls to ever grace a Halo title. Unfortunately, the campaign leaves much to be desired. ... If you go into Halo 5: Guardians with the intent of primarily playing multiplayer, then this won't disappoint.
For folks who want an action/RPG on a budget, try Torchlight or The Adventures of Van Helsing. For people who want to be evil, try voting for Ben Carson. Finally, for fans of the Overlord series, go back and play the original two again. If those have been played to death, check out Dungeon Keeper on Good Old Games
Life Is Strange deserves every ounce of recognition it receives; it offers a compelling story that's heartwarming, poignant and powerful, but some people may also look back on it and remember it as the sleeper hit of 2015. Memorable characters, fantastic acting, unique visuals and a well-executed story are among the few things that have solidified Life Is Strange as not only one of the best titles of 2015, but also one of the video games that everyone must experience for themselves.
Playing through this title feels like the result of some talented friends sitting around, talking about their dream game. While this could have resulted in a confusing gaggle of goofiness, Eternal Step is a worthy experience.
By no means is Tales of Zestiria bottom of the pile, yet as far as all around quality goes — by which the many cogs keep this latest entry circulating; moving with swift, relevant engagement — Zestiria is perhaps the point wherein Bandai Namco really do have a franchise on one hell of a tipping point.
With every release, the same issues that Ubisoft has been rolling over year over year seem to have compounded themselves to a point where the entire package winds up suffering. Sure, this isn't the broken mess that Assassin's Creed Unity was, but in some ways it's more of a blemish than its predecessor. After all, this is a functional game that simply isn't all that fun to play, which is far more damning than any technical glitch could ever be.
While not a complex top-down, turn-based strategy RPG, Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch – Enhanced Edition does a nice job of laying a solid groundwork from the beginning in tactical options, challenge and character progression. Even if this groundwork never truly changes or improves, it doesn't stop the title from delivering an enjoyable strategy game for the most part. While strategy game veterans may find the variety of challenge and options lackluster and have trouble keeping engaged, it does well for those wanting to hop in for a couple missions of light strategy every once in awhile and is quick to reward them for doing so.
Downwell is a fantastic arcade game from the '80s transplanted into a modern-day computer. The pixely art style and minimal color palette reinforce its influences but the animation and number of different moving parts on screen at once are nothing 80s hardware would have been able to keep up with. The interlocking gameplay elements are far smarter than they look at first glance, teaching you how to play and get better while also not being shy about killing you dead.
While there's still trepidation due the fact that much of its appeal rests on unproven promises and its currency system is needlessly complicated, the idea of new songs being added on a weekly basis could render Guitar Hero Live into a persistent experience for rhythm and music lovers alike. Time will ultimately tell how Guitar Hero Live shapes up, but it's alluring enough to once again raise your plastic axe to the sky and rejoin the virtual rock god army.
The combat and overall gameplay mechanics can prove a bit shallow at times, never offering the depth or tactical veracity of Pillars of Eternity, but as a hybrid of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, Sword Coast Legends is a game that mostly excels in all that it tries to do. Post-release will be an interesting time, though, as the limited and sometimes restrictive options are opened up and iterated on by N-Space. Until that time comes, however, it's a good game with the capacity to be great.
Prison Architect is a genuinely fun game that makes you think in unexpected ways. Apart from some slight campaign fatigue and an Escape Mode with plenty of potential but poor execution, it's hard to put it down. A surprising depth of character draws you in and a depth of gameplay that keeps you there. If you love the Tycoon style of game then this is definitely for you. If that's not your thing, then give Prison Architect a go anyway, you will be pleasantly surprised. Until you realize that it's 3:23 am and you have work tomorrow, at least.