Hardcore Gamer
HomepageHardcore Gamer's Reviews
Online is buggy, but amusingly so. It's hard to recommend MotoGP 14 to anybody but fans of the series curious to see how it shapes up on newer hardware.
BlazeRush is recommended for anyone who grew up loving isometric action racers.
Freedom Planet is a love letter to SEGA fans, and newcomers are in store for a special gaming experience that they won't experience elsewhere in this modern age.
Tales of Hearts R is a straightforward RPG with a heart of gold.
Ancient Space is worth a look for those who enjoy linear real time tactical games, but isn't going to be remembered with the same fondness as the games it has been compared to. While the levels look great up close, there's few other redeeming or original qualities.
Randal's Monday might not be the next great adventure game, but by focusing on the same humor and style as Clerks, it has a charm to it. The animation and voice acting is superb, channeling the spirit of Sunday night animated shows without being edgy for edgy's sake.
Rarely does a game deliver everything its players could ever ask for, but Halo: The Master Chief Collection does just that. Everything is here that should be here: the campaigns, the multiplayer engines, the maps and the visuals.
On the whole the team at Red Thread Games has done an incredible job updating The Longest Journey for the modern era. With graphical fidelity to match any AAA game and a strong aesthetic sense informing its visual direction, Dreamfall Chapters is one of the few games this year that I'd call beautiful. But underneath those modern trappings lies the same foundation of smart, profound storytelling that made the series so great in the first place. Unfortunately, this first episode ends a little prematurely, and it feels like we've yet to reach the real meat of the experience.
The first Call of Duty built for the current console generation, Advanced Warfare is a leap in the right direction for the series. The exoskeleton power doesn't change "everything," but it creates a fresh experience.
Cosmophony blends the runner and shooter genres together just about perfectly. When it comes to finding actual fault with the game, its small level count is the only issue.
Race the Sun was a load of good arcade-style fun on PC and the PS4 version is a near-perfect port. The heart of the game made it intact and, while it's a shame to be missing the player creations, the daily challenge is always worth returning to.
Some parts of Lords of the Fallen are surprisingly enjoyable, but many weigh it down.
Pix the Cat continues PastaGames' reputation for making incredible bite-sized gaming experiences. There's even a surprising amount of depth here thanks to its multiplier and variety of game modes.
Just Dance is a series that's hard to hate as it genuinely wants players to have a good time, but 2015 is a misstep. Hardly anything has changed and practically nothing has for those who don't partake in the online functionality, some features are missing and the interface has become too basic.
There are few games like Sunset Overdrive. It's a comical, highly diverse shooter that has a strong focus on being fun rather than realistic.
Even though Shadow Warrior has minor technical imperfections and runs about two hours too long, it's nothing short of a blast. Those seeking a break from deeply emotional narratives and overly serious gameplay should find a nice pallate-cleanser here.
Samurai Warriors 4 is the best entry into the franchise, and is the one most mechanically sound Warriors title available, but there are still some drawbacks. Even with the diverse cast, the level-specific combo system is something that may turn people off at first as it requires a grind of thirty minutes for each character before the experience gets any better.
Despite a poor use of its license, The Legend of Korra still provides some fun for its price. It might not live up to Platinum Games' sky-high pedigree, and you might be compelled to call it their first misstep, but The Legend of Korra is a good starting point if you want to see what Platinum Games are all about.
It must be an interesting challenge for developers of a series so focused on history to tackle questions of humanity's future. Obviously both subjects tap into many of the same sources, but where most Civilization games explore who we are, Beyond Earth systemizes who we could be.
The magical combination of two creative powerhouses in Disney and Harmonix has produced one of the best Kinect rhythm games to date. Like no other to come before it, Fantasia: Music Evolved combines the required accuracy of the best of the genre with wholly enjoyable remixing tools that allow players to create new compositions on the fly merely with their hands.