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The word "escape" gets thrown around in conversations about why video games are so appealing and never before has there been a title that is this worthy of that term. Fallout 4 contains what should go down as the best open world in the history of this medium considering the sheer wealth of meaningful content packed into it. Some people flock to sandbox games in hopes of checking off boxes, collecting garbage and simply passing time, and Fallout 4 feels like the strongest middle finger to this contingent in years.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is exactly what we needed. While there has been an influx of open world games over the last few years, Crystal Dynamics have been able to find a perfect balance of cinematic action and strong adventure elements. There are far more tombs to raid this time around, not to mention an open world filled with challenges, artifacts, documents and expansive story elements. Speaking of the story, while it's not particularly deep, it does contain a strong antagonist duo and an even more compelling heroine. While Lara's drive becomes a bit obsessive at first, she has grown up to be a capable woman, looking death in the face rather than fearing it.
Anno 2205 succeeds where many in the genre have failed in creating an interesting looking world that the player can care about. Experienced players of the city sim and strategy genres won't find anything new here, though, instead finding one of the most rudimentary offerings in terms of mechanics on the market today.
A surprising amount of controversy has surrounded the release of The Devil on G-String on Steam, likely because it has such a devoted fan following. People feel so intensely about this title for a reason — it features an intriguing storyline that you'll want to see through to its conclusion. Sure, the CGs are cropped, the Japanese voice acting is an expensive addition and there are no 18+ sequences in this version, but the most important aspects still shine through. Those looking for an engaging story to keep them reading for hours on end will want to pick up The Devil on G-String.
A faithfully promising concept with an ultimately (at the very least) questionable execution.
Dontnod Entertainment's first effort at cracking the choice-driven episodic format in a video game almost results in a near-perfect experience, which is shocking when you consider how well they've grasped the concept, created a solid structure for each episode, distributed a variety of subplots across five episodes and executed the series at the same — or even higher — level that a veteran developer like Telltale Games has done for many, many years.
Yoshi's Woolly World won't suit everyone, but if you find yourself drawn towards its plush, adorable aesthetic, it might be one of the most emotionally pleasant experiences you have all year.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III was created in a three-year development cycle and it shows. This is basically five standalone games wrapped into one deep package. While it will have DLC released for it, there's enough content out of the box to keep players busy until the next Call of Duty and probably some time after that. The campaign is perfectly paced and entertaining throughout, the multiplayer is rich with customization and Zombies is refreshingly challenging. The only real black mark is a story teetering on the on the brink of pretension, but the existentialism of it is undeniably fascinating. Jam-packed with meaningful content, Black Ops III is the Call of Duty you've been waiting for.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 2: Assembly Required doesn't meet the bar that the previous episode set, but that doesn't rule it out as awful. The fact that it relies on environments to cover the fact that there's really nothing to do/talk about gives reason as to why forked paths are rarely done in games. There are no new innovations and because of that, the story should be a little stronger, but instead stumbles. Hopefully, with the potential that the series holds, the following episode will focus more on Jessie and give players a much wider variety of things to do, decide and explore.
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.