The A.V. Club's Reviews
Familiarity breeds disappointment and delight in Dark Souls III
Adr1ft trembles on the line between poetry and tedium
Quantum Break looks to the future by mining the past
The Division might be the glossiest Skinner box ever created
Intentionally or not, the new Hitman is hilarious
A welcoming sportsmanship sets Pokkén Tournament apart
Superhot emulates Hollywood fight scenes by letting you make your own
Layers Of Fear aims for arty horror, but its strength is simple scares
Beasts are the beauty of the frantic, overstuffed Far Cry Primal
In truth, Street Fighter V is a lonely and impersonal game. You can't chat with your opponents, nor can you request a rematch once the initial fight is done. All you can do is take a deep breath and charge back into the endless horde of faceless opponents.
[T]hrough it all, XCOM 2 never loses sight of the basic thrills that made its predecessor such a welcome surprise. The feeling of holding the line against seemingly impossible odds, of pulling a mission from the jaws of death with a timely rescue and a wounded comrade on your back, of watching an experienced squad slice its way through pod after pod of once-formidable foes—they're all still here, as satisfying as ever.
Fire Emblem Fates has all the plot elements you'd expect from an entry in Nintendo's fantasy warfare series. There's a chosen one, a war between two kingdoms that represent the light and dark, magic swords, prophecies, and dragons. But at the core is the profound dilemma of nature versus nurture: Will you define yourself by your biological family or the one that raised you?
Fire Emblem Fates has all the plot elements you'd expect from an entry in Nintendo's fantasy warfare series. There's a chosen one, a war between two kingdoms that represent the light and dark, magic swords, prophecies, and dragons. But at the core is the profound dilemma of nature versus nurture: Will you define yourself by your biological family or the one that raised you?
If Unravel gains strength from its single-mindedness, it also never succeeds at becoming more than what it seems: a modest, melancholic but ultimately heartwarming effort.
Firewatch sees relationships rise from the ashes of loss
Darkest Dungeon is a huge asshole of a game—in a good way. It's punishingly hard, and progress is made in small increments.
[Spoiler Warning] The Witness makes a game of epiphany.
Those clever, dialogue-driven interludes are all the downtime Paper Jam needs. Yet it pads itself out with mindless chores that waste time and momentum.
The Deadly Tower Of Monsters has all the manic glee of a B-movie marathon
Oxenfree tells a great horror story by taking its teenage heroes seriously