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High Moon Studios has proved that a good Transformers game is very much within grasp, something that makes Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark's flaws harder to accept. The storytelling is sloppy, the set-pieces are repetitive - and in some cases stolen from past games - while the visuals are dated. It's redeemed only by enjoyable third-person shooter action, which comes alive in co-op multiplayer when there's no story holding players back.
While many games will borrow elements from the classics in an attempt to become a spiritual successor to some popular title, MouseCraft manages to pay homage to its inspirations while retaining an identity all its own.
[F]or now, WildStar is a multiplayer multiplayer online game done right, blending the traditional with forward-thinking combat, high production values and an engaging world that begs exploration.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a superbly titled game. It is a valiant effort at a sincere depiction of war by developers whose hearts were clearly in the right place, telling a gripping story that is still respectful of its source.
Sniper Elite 3 treads that fine line between realism and fun, but it comes together well, providing cheap kicks for those who enjoy over-the-top sniper kills, and a modicum of tactical depth for players looking for something more substantial.
EA Sports UFC is one for the MMA diehards, and while its learning curve feels like an endurance test at times, the game rewards perseverance with some very satisfying fights.
Pullblox World is an enjoyable and laid back puzzle game that's easy to grasp but tricky to master. It's a little on the plain side and lacking in variety, but the addition of new puzzle types combined with the promise of user-generated content, should pull players back for more.
A bonkers life-sim with bags of personality and lots of charm, the entertaining Tomodachi Life is let down only by its limitations as a gaming experience.
Murdered: Soul Suspect is a game full of missed opportunities. The concept is great and some of the ideas are clever, but it doesn't use them in an interesting or satisfying way.
Worms Battlegrounds continues to impress in multiplayer, offering more of the same team-based battles and outrageous weapons. But i's not the most unique or exciting Worms release, and you'd be hard pressed to pick it out of a lineup.
Although we would have liked greater rewards and penalties, the technology powering multiplayer is impressive, and there's lots to do, from hacking rivals and hunting fixers, to searching for files and escaping a tablet-controlled police force. After an opening act bogged down by tutorials and dodgily scripted story sequences, Watch Dogs removes the shackles, takes some chances and begins to live up to its own hype. Despite its pacing issues, Watch Dogs manages to tell a worthwhile story that's backed up by some novel new ideas in both single and multiplayer.
Amazing Spider-Man 2 does little to dispel the negative reputation that licensed video games have garnered over the years, coming across like a project that was kicked out of the studio doors to coincide with the movie's release. Swinging freely around New York feels liberating, but without engaging combat and missions to back this up, the game feels like little more than another half-baked cash-in.
Wolfenstein: The New Order is not the most sophisticated of games and it's certainly not perfect, but it wears its silly plot and over-the-top action like a badge of honor, and for that we applaud it.
It isn't a bad story, with plenty of intrigue from its setting and characters. The issue comes in when it tries to take a leap into the realm of allegory, where it never ties itself together thematically in a satisfying way. In that way, Transistor is like a virtual croissant. It is layered and delicious, but there is a lingering airy emptiness to it that makes it hard to fill up on just one.
Mario Kart 8 is a conservative update, choosing to polish and refine rather than reinvent, but it's still as alluring a racer as it ever has been.
It's a blast, no matter how easy. Kirby Triple Deluxe, like its namesake, has the fine-tuned ability to suck you right in, no matter who you are.
It is a blending of genre and style that is an unexpected treat, and already one of the year's role-playing game highlights.
That's the nature of golf, then, but with the magic of Mario lining the seams, it feels like this game doesn't know quite where it wants to land.
The track designs are excellent, holding up even under that close level of scrutiny while riding at low speeds to explore, allowing you to appreciate the craft that went into every ramp, gap and bump in the road. And with that closer appreciation, maybe it will inspire you and other players to add your own ideas through the level editor, constantly building a better game.
To be clear, Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut is still not an easy game. It is a better-paced and better balanced game, allowing even relative newcomers to zero-gravity dogfights to be able to build up the skills to become ace pilots.