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Slender: The Arrival boasts some genuinely scary moments, but offers little beyond them. Chapters serve as a mini party game with friends, making this point-and-click game more of a horror movie than an actual interactive scare fest. The lack of a real story dampers things further, and if by some weird chance that players suffer the Slenderman hunt a second time, the feeling of that genuine fright will be long gone.
Toukiden: Kiwami is a great entry in the PlayStation 4's catalog, specifically due to the lack of its genre's presence on the machine. It builds off of last year's Vita game in intelligent ways to make it the definitive Toukiden experience.
Story of Seasons is probably the best Harvest Moon game to come along in ten to twelve years, depending on if you believe Magical Melody or Friends of Mineral Town was the last great installment in the series.
Flaws aside, Axiom Verge is a stunning achievement for one man to have developed entirely by himself. It's not as good as Super Metroid, but it's close.
Jaws of Hakkon is an enjoyable but unessential addition to Inquisition, great for players looking to prolong their game or for an excuse to dive back into Thedas. Those hoping for more content that directly influences the main story, or in-depth interactions with companions, however, may be disappointed.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection isn't the greatest remaster ever, nor is it the worst. One could argue that it wasn't necessary, as neither game is old enough to justify a port and nothing substantial has been added to the three-year-old Borderlands 2.
People are going to talk a lot about the big plot points in Life is Strange, and the second episode will give them plenty to dig into.
Helldivers is at first a fresh, rewarding, challenging experience that stands up to any other game in terms of quality. The tangible skill increase that comes from consistent practice is as gratifying as it gets in modern gaming, but sadly that novelty wears off once other flaws start to emerge.
Make no mistake: Bloodborne will put hair on your chest.
Despite its flaws, it's hard not to have fun with Mario Party 10 in small doses. Obnoxious amiibo functionality and an overall lack of variety make it hard to recommend to anyone who's not already a fan of the franchise, but those who enjoy a bit of Mushroom Kingdom chaos with friends might just find reason enough to give it a shot.
Bursting with unpredictability and tactical depth, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is a solid debut for Intelligent Systems' latest spin on turn-based strategy.
The main plot of Dreamfall Chapters has still yet to begin in earnest, but the character writing and world building are more than strong enough to carry us through to the next act. A lot does happen in this second episode — fates are changed, important decisions are made and the events to come are beginning to take shape.
The second episode of Tales from the Borderlands strikes the right balance between setting up for the future and building upon the strengths of Zer0 Sum. It's not the borderline masterpiece that was the debut, but it isn't as far off as one might think.
Bladestorm: Nightmare can appeal to both Warriors fans and those who don't even get into Tecmo Koei's flagship series. Its brilliance exists in those moments of storming enormous strongholds with an army of 100-strong at your back, ready to slice and dice through wave after wave of enemies.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 is an absolute surprise. While the first game was arguably the best spinoff the series has seen, Revelations 2 steps it up by offering a perfectly suited episodic format.
Despite the lopsided breakup between the two campaigns, the conclusion of Revelations 2 will leave players satisfied with the hope of more bite-sized spin-offs in the series' future.
The campaign pulls in some strong performances from its actors and earns points for its open-design. The campaign gameplay, however, leaves much to be desired. Still, it's a step in the right direction for future Battlefield games. Hardline may not revolutionize the Battlefield brand, but it fixes many of its biggest problems.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD contains highly enjoyable combat that's unfortunately limited by its design. The repetitive nature of how the missions are structured damages the overall experience, not to mention it isn't until roughly halfway through the campaign before a meaningful plot is established.
Despite exhibiting cool charm and unique aesthetics, LA Cops is ultimately a bland twin-stick shooter that does the bare minimum in gameplay and design. The execution of the mechanics and the AI is inconsistent and seriously dampens the gameplay.
There's nothing quite as rewarding as a good Metroidvania and Ori and the Blind Forest proves itself to be classified as one. Giant, sprawling landscapes hide tons of goodies just waiting to be collected once you've gained some new skills.