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On the other hand, if you enjoy a good story, with great writing, compelling characters and some deeply emotional moments, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is definitely the best choice among this year’s first person shooters. If only it had a less unremarkable villain, it would have gone down in history as a full-fledged masterpiece. Yet, it’s still awesome, and I personally hope to see a sequel in the future. We never got a Wing Commander VI, but I’d be very glad to play an Infinite Warfare 2.
I like how the game continually adds new challenges and mechanics up through the campaign. Having to retry various parts pads the length of the game, which is actually relatively short. Lumo has some bright moments with interesting puzzles but it doesn’t have much else.
It feels weird to assign a score to Just Dance 2017 — the game doesn’t stray too far from the path, but it’s never been a series that needs to. The game is all out fun and still a world-class party game, but treads the same ground as any other game in the last couple years. If you need to get the latest injection of pop music or haven’t touched the series in years, this game is an easy recommendation. While it isn’t too different from last year’s version (on the one before it), it is still the best Just Dance 2017.
It can be hard for a game to escape the shadow of other entries in their series, whether it be for good or bad reasons. Mario Party Star Rush manages to separates itself form the other Mario Party titles, both on handhelds and consoles, by being individualistic and a good game in its own right. Mario Party Star Rush a very fun entry in the series that introduces a lot of interesting mechanics, most of which end up in its favor. I would recommend all Mario Party fans pick this up — it is the most refreshing entry in the series in a long time.
While Owlboy may have small sections that cause numerous restarts, those portions are buried underneath the overwhelming amount of great moments found within. Nearly everything about Owlboy is well-crafted. From the graphics, the soundwork, the characters and their inter-relationships, the changing state of the world, the gameplay, and the title’s ability to introduce and drop mechanics in a dynamically-paced way, Owlboy is a perfectly executed composition of story and gameplay.
Despite all that it’s lacking, such as an interesting stories and characters, sophisticated or innovative combat mechanics, and compelling game-play outside of the dungeon, Dungeon Rushers can provide an entertaining experience for genre fans. It’s chock full of humor, has a colorful nostalgic visual style and has solid combat mechanics offering a decent challenge.
As someone who has ADD, it's difficult for me to concentrate on a game for even 30 minutes — yet, Small Radios Big Televisions plucked me out of reality and dropped me into its world for two hours. I never once looked away when playing it — something that has only happened to me one other time. It was upon that realization, that I knew Fire Face had created something unique and special in an industry deprived of originality.
This is certainly one of the best FPS games I have played in a long while, and it definitely does not fall short compared to more established franchises. Its biggest weakness certainly isn’t Respawn’s fault, as it’s a tasty hamburger between the Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Buns. If you love first person shooters, good sci-fi or giant robots, I implore you not to ignore this game just because of that sandwich. Titanfall 2 deserves your attention.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition doesn’t set the bar for remakes, but it is the de facto entry point for one of the best games ever made. With mod support, all of the DLC, and noticeable stability and visual upgrades, Skyrim Special Edition is a welcome addition to the current console generation. However, given the inconsistent value of the versions, take a few moments and consider where you want to play it.
More than anything, Episode 3 of Batman: The Telltale Series continues to show that underneath the billionaire, playboy philanthropist archetype that Bruce Wayne has come to be known by for so many decades, there’s an even greater story waiting to be explored.
That said, it’s an absolutely fantastic game. It shows the courage to break the mold of the established FPS settings, by bringing forth a nearly forgotten era, that comes packed with a lot of charm of its own. On top of that, it does so with tight and impactful gameplay that will keep the fans busy for a long time.
While the underlying games hold up as well as they ever did, Batman: Return to Arkham as a remasterwas very disappointing — especially compared to others that masterfully retouch games like Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection or Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Of the two, only Arkham Ayslum’s remaster is worth playing through; with no additional content beyond both games’ previous DLC, I would only recommend Return to Arkham to either die-hard Batman fans or those who don’t have access to an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The $39.99 price tag may bring pause to some gamers, but the length of the main scenario justifies the price. The gorgeous art, choice fan service, enthusiastic voicing and compelling overall story make the game an easy sell for those who like visual novels, although the appeal ultimately won’t be as great as something like Zero Escape or Phoenix Wright.
Overall, World of Final Fantasy is one of the few PlayStation 4 JRPG’s I can recommend across the board. The game is light-playing, but incredibly enjoyable for Final Fantasy buffs while also being a perfect entry into the series. Beyond a few small annoyances – Tama more than anything – the game is easy enough to play for hours on end or in small, nightly sessions. More importantly, World of Final Fantasy is perfectly suited for both PlayStation 4 and Vita – if you need a light JRPG fix before FFXV, I couldn’t recommend this game more highly.
Yomawari: Night Alone has small elements that may be frustrating, with repeated death and wasted time spent wandering, looking for the one thing that will cause some progression. This is mitigated by its short run time and great sense of atmosphere. The reserved score, reliance on player imagination, and world building make it a worthwhile investment for those who aren’t afraid of surrealistic creatures lurking in the dark.
The game is paced well, with mini-games, scenes and boss fights breaking up the basic dungeon progression in neat intervals. It keeps things feeling exciting and dynamic. At $14.99 the game is a fantastic value. Parin and her pals are easy to love and so too is the game itself. The main campaign should take you at least 9 hours and there are various secrets and things to collect for completionists. Fifteen bucks is very little to pay for a title that channels some of gaming’s best known IP in its strongest moments.
Pirate Pop Plus emits Game Boy nostalgia in its purest form. From its simplicity in story and gameplay to its retro graphics and sound, Pirate Pop Plus fits right in with other games on that old system. While the game can get repetitive and does have a few design problems, especially when it comes to sound design and control with the Wii U gamepad, for only $4.99, any Game Boy or Pang fan owes it to themselves to pick up this game.
Shu is a no frills approach to the classic 2D platformer. With a beautiful artstyle, fine-tuned controls, and a brisk difficulty, Shu is a short but sweet experience. However, even with collectibles and time modes, some players will likely be turned off by the simple controls and lack of innovation.
With a cool cast of characters, a suspenseful story, a huge and beautiful world, unique exploration, addictive combat a and main scenario dozens of hours long, Exist Archive has quite a lot to offer the action RPG fan. You can and will spend many fun hour playing this. Despite the issues it’s worth the price of admission, particularly for its fast combat, a wonderfully pleasant contrast to the waves of purely turn-based JRPGs we constantly see.
Despite that pressure, The Coalition have proved with Gears of War 4 that the team is more than capable of providing an experience that falls in line with the titles that came before it by staying reverent and faithful to the original games (sometimes to a fault), but with enough layers of intrigue and new additions to make Gears of War 4 an admirable continuation of the Gears story. Like with the relationship of Marcus and J.D. throughout the game, Gears of War 4 sticks close to the legacy of its predecessors, but along the way is on the way to writing one of its own.