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Payday 2: Crimewave Edition isn't broken to the point of being unplayable, but it has just enough issues to make it annoying. While the dynamic, exciting gameplay that Payday fans have come to expect is certainly here, this port would have wound up better with a bit more polish and testing.
Kholat quite likely captures what it would be like to be lost in the snowy mountains, but games are meant to be enjoyed, not merely 'survived.' With such an interesting story and a great narrator, Kholat truly dropped the ball in what could have been a great narrative, instead delivering nonsense dialogue and an incomprehensible plot.
With tons of references and entertaining gameplay, Portal Portal is a great new table. It's a little thin on content and will require the purchase of either Zen Pinball 2 or Pinball FX2 to play it, however, so it's an investment that those coming only for the Portal aspect might need to rationalize.
Adventures of Pip is a delightful little platformer full of charm, challenge and impeccable level design. While still a little rough around the edges, its mechanics are unquestionably solid, and it's clearly been crafted with the love and talent of a team determined to realize their vision.
Swords & Soldiers II has something to offer RTS veterans as well as those with zero experience with the genre. It's accessible without sacrificing depth, and varied without being needlessly intricate.
Massive Chalice is the best turn-based strategy title of 2015 so far, and its unique simulation aspects make it especially intriguing. This isn't going to be thought of as a title that can contend with XCOM on the back of its combat alone, but managing each hero's genetic traits adds another level of depth to an already deep genre.
Splatoon is all about staying fresh, and despite its lack of content somehow manages to remain just as appealing after twenty hours as it was in its first. Its core gameplay is so unwaveringly solid that it's bound to only become better as more maps, weapons and modes are released in the months after launch, but even now Splatoon might just be Wii U's long-awaited killer app.
Telltale's Game of Thrones series, now over halfway through its first season, has been a huge disappointment so far, but it's been improving steadily, and Episode Four – Sons of Winter proves there's real potential in the concept, even if Telltale might not have been the right candidate for the job. There are the occasional flashes of brilliance here that make you wish the series as a whole could match the same level of quality, but they're appreciated anyway.
Much like its predecessor, Magicka 2 is a flawed game whose faults generally contribute to its charm. There's something wonderfully engaging about a game that knows exactly what it is, doesn't try to be anything more, and succeeds on nearly all fronts.
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.