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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.
At its core, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number doesn't do much different than its predecessor. It's gritty, pulp fiction cranked to eleven.
Most of what made DmC Devil May Cry so enjoyable has been altered; some of it for the better, some for the worse. While the fluid and highly enjoyable combat remain intact, the restructuring of collectibles and scenarios such as the final boss tarnish the experience.
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Judgment is, at least thus far, the best episode Capcom has offered. While Barry's campaign starts off a little mundane, breaking Natalia off to do tedious button mashing tasks, the rest of the episode makes up for it.
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart offers great gameplay with the unfortunate caveat that you’ll need to waste more time than expected waiting on enemies to enjoy it.
There are certain elements to Contemplation that have been improved from the first episode, namely the more open environments and the new enemy types, but there are still apparent flaws to the story and combat scenarios. Claire's campaign once again trails behind Barry's, including a more direct conflict structure with no real puzzle solving elements to be found.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse has its share of flaws, many of which have plagued DBZ games for nearly a decade, but it also fixes nearly all of the problems of its predecessor. The create-a-character feature is a rich pool of choices, filled with expansive combat options and a seamless integration into the story.
Sunless Sea is a little darker and less cheerful than its already morbid sister Fallen London, but it's no less delightful. The Unterzee is awash with clever, well-written stories, and you're sure to find something new every time you set sail – even if actually finding it can take a while.
The Deer God takes a somewhat strange concept and turns it into one of the most enjoyably relaxing games on the market. It combines platforming skills with a touch of action and an unbelievable amount of atmosphere.
Pillar's legacy will define it as an interesting idea, but nothing more. Basing an entire game around Myers-Briggs personality traits is brilliant in theory, but the execution has to match for the end product to be successful.
Wacky is the word which first comes to mind when reading about Roundabout, and it's the lasting impression players will have even after they've stopped spinning. The mechanic of driving a limo which never quits revolving is utter nonsense but is actually a tremendously fun gameplay challenge.
Lumenox states on Aaru's Awakening's Steam Store page that it's "a hand-drawn, fast-paced 2D action platformer." The issue here is that there isn't a whole lot of action to speak of, outside of the occasional enemy elimination through warping, and its trial-and-error nature causes it to be anything but fast paced.
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires has all the entertaining, albeit repetitive combat the series is known for, but lacks the features to back it up. While this is par for the course for an Empires game, it's still hard to recommend as little has changed over Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires outside of some insignificant updates to the highly strategic politics that go on outside of battle.
Much like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a constantly creative adventure that offers players something they won't find anywhere else. Its claymation visuals are astoundingly beautiful, and while brief, Kirby's latest adventure is never anything less than satisfying.
It's always scary to try new things, but what Capcom has done with Penal Colony helps relieve some of the concern fans may have had going in. While it's not the most innovative Resident Evil to hit the market, the new episodic format is a breath of fresh air, especially with Capcom following through with the weekly schedule.
If you're still playing Dead or Alive 5 after three years on the market and have the desire to continue on a new set of consoles, then the price of admission shouldn't mean much to you. Even then, it's difficult to recommend only because of how little Team Ninja has added to the overall experience.
Oblitus has all the right elements of something special, and although some aspects of it fall a little flat in execution, it still doesn't change that Oblitus is an unique and fine looking 2D action platformer that has all the right qualities in its gameplay and design. All the while sporting a haunting and unworldly ambiance that will certainly leave a lasting impression.