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The many unique twists of Magnetic: Cage Closed do so much to set it apart from the other first person physics puzzlers that have tried to dethrone the genre mainstay. Its carefully constructed puzzles, accompanied by clever world building, make it intriguing and sophisticated, but never to the point of pretention.
2015's largest game to date is its best so far, as the marriage of seemingly endless open-world content and engaging storytelling make The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt a superlative experience. From rounds of the in-game card game Gwent to its robust crafting and alchemy systems, those who are looking for the all of the minutia that comes from a deep western role-playing experience will find it here in droves.
Dontnod created a stroke of genius with the ending of Episode 3: Chaos Theory, leaving an open-ended cliffhanger that is nothing short of the best jaw-dropping conclusion to any episodic title to date. The music, pacing, writing and voice acting surpass all expectations set for the series so far, providing enough substance for Life Is Strange to become a serious contender for GOTY.
The entire world of Sunset is masterfully crafted in every way. The art style is gorgeous, with the apartment bathed in the light of the setting sun every day.
While there is no shortage of choice when it comes to adventure games — especially on Steam — Technobabylon is not just another face in the crowd. Whether you're a fan of exceptional adventure games, science fiction, or even its apparent influences, there is a memorable adventure in Technobabylon backed by a believable setting and driven by a strong narrative.
Toren is very rough-around-the-edges, but there is some charm during the few hours it lasts. The stylized aesthetic and narrative take the best parts from fables and mythology, giving them a poignant sense of presence.
A year later, its still hard to say bad things about this compilation. Final Fantasy X is still one of the best installments in the franchise, and the fresh coat of paint is a delightful treat.
I have to admit that I wasn't easily sold on Not A Hero. It was difficult to figure out how it wanted me to play at first, and even the easiest levels saw a lot of dead BunnyLord minions due to arguing with the combination dash/cover button and forgetting to keep an eye on my ammo count.
Color Guardians blends a variety of fast-paced genres together nicely. It controls perfectly and every set of stages changes things up enough to use the core runner/platformer/rhythm game template and keep it interesting.
Though it's by no means the perfect tactics title, there's something strangely fresh about Klei's combination of turn-based gameplay and stealth. While its artstyle creates a fair amount of clutter and its constant story seems ill-conceived, there's no denying that this brutally challenging title will entertain hardcore fans for numerous hours.
Action Henk is easily one of the best speed-runners in years.
Project Root is one of those rare occasions where the game falters not just through poor execution, but through poor concept. Having a shmup in an open-world is awkward because you need to be able to see all of your surroundings.
JumpJet Rex should be a resounding success. It's got all the elements there but they don't quite fit together right.
Coming in at only $19.99, there's plenty of content and story here to make a return to Wolfenstein worth a purchase.
LOST ORBIT can be fun, even majestic when it hits its stride, but a steady lack of creativity shoots it down from reaching its full potential. The story of Harrison is touching and memorable, presented with such conviction and honesty that you might mistake its dialogue for that of an award-winning sci-fi novel.
Simply put, Project CARS is simulation racing done right. The subtlety of the nearly countless gameplay tweaks, combined with a robust open Career mode, makes for an experience that racing fans should fall in love with.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is an enormous package.
While not exactly a top-tier shooter/RPG hybrid, The Weaponographist is still enjoyable. The humor running throughout its dungeons made it fun to see what the next monster would be, and while it would have been nice to see more than the twenty regular enemy types and eight magical ones, that's because of the inventiveness in their abilities.
As a single-player campaign, Blackrock Mountain isn't quite as well-tuned as Curse of Naxxramas, but it makes up for that shortcoming by somehow being even funnier. It proves that Naxx wasn't a fluke – these adventures aren't just convoluted card-delivery systems, they're legitimately fun experiences in their own right.
In its current state, Shadowrun Chronicles — Boston Lockdown is a perfectly adequate game. It has loads of potential, but needs more time in the oven to feel complete and worthy of your time.