Forbes's Reviews
Character customization, combat, and the weird story and brilliant end-game all make this one of my favorite action-RPG's of all time. Meanwhile, the Dark Arisen changes make the game somewhat more traversable and streamlined, turning a fun but frustrating game into something far more enjoyable. There's nothing really new here, but it's great to finally have the game on PC.
It's a great multiplayer game and well worth playing, but it certainly won't hurt to wait a bit until the price comes down. Better still, if you wait you can go and buy two or three copies with friends and play it the way it's meant to be played: As a team.
There are so few ways that this game could be a better version of itself, or better at what it does. Just Cause 3 is, from any way I care to think about it, a massive success.
If you haven't played Bloodborne yet, this is the perfect time to start. If you've already sliced your way through the bloody streets of Yharnam, The Old Hunters gives you plenty of good reasons to come back for more. I give the expansion a resounding Buy in my Buy/Hold/Sell scale. It's worth every penny and every bloody, grueling minute of your time.
What you get out of Star Wars Battlefront depends entirely on what you expect from it. If you're looking to capture that feeling of playing in a beautifully-realized Star Wars sandbox, albeit one lacking variety and depth, EA DICE nails it. If you're looking for a shooter stacked with substance, engrossing character progression, and endlessly addictive gameplay to sink your teeth into for the months ahead, Star Wars Battlefront misses the mark.
In my mind, Fallout 4's greatest triumph, and its one major point of evolution is in its storytelling, crafting a lengthy, unexpected ending and resolution that I will remember for years to come. It also remains one of the best games in existence for those who simply like to wander and explore and unearth long-buried secrets. But it struggles with archaic gameplay systems and an inflexible engine that anchor the game to the past for all the wrong reasons. Fans may enjoy more Fallout and a brand new map to explore, but this sequel will not be heralded as revolutionary or overly impressive this time around.
The gameplay is the star here. Rise of The Tomb Raider does everything Tomb Raider did and does it better, taking a still-growing heroine into an unfamiliar location and unfolding its lethal mysteries as we grow to meet them. This is still not the game it could be, but it's remarkable how quickly Crystal Dynamics has taken a half-dead franchise and turned into one of the most vital experiences on the market today, true to its essential character while still feeling absolutely new. This is the new standard for third-person shooter/adventure games. I want another.
All told, Halo 5: Guardians is a smashing success. The campaign isn't the strongest of the series, but it's still a fun space opera romp, and its ending transforms the Halo universe completely.
[W]e're back to tightly packed cities and crowds for two years running now, like we've warped all the way back to the Assassin's Creed II trilogy. And no matter how pretty the games get and how tight the mechanics are, it never feels fresh anymore.
FreeStyleGames might have done something smart by redesigning the old Guitar Hero controller, and I like playing with their new version better then my old guitar. But Activision might have done something stupid by requiring consumers to buy new hardware if they want to play.
Overall Minecraft Story Mode is a great start to a new series. Although the child-like visuals will put some Telltale fans off this is to miss the huge investment and achievement so far. If the series continues in this vein it's set to be warmly welcomed by both Minecraft fans and families.
With respect to the excellent Cybertron series from High Moon Studios, this may be a short experience but it's one so densely packed with nostalgia, non-stop action, and attention to detail that I couldn't help but fall in love. It has its minor weaknesses, but they're not enough to override an enthusiastic recommendation if you're a fan who can't enough Transformers in your life.
Rock Band 4 may have lost a few features (some temporarily, some permanently) in its transition to Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but the core gameplay is dramatically improved by allowing us to be more expressive, while preserving the older mechanics for those resistant to change. It's player choice at its finest, and a welcome return to fake plastic rocking
As with any of these toy-video-game cross over products Lego Dimensions is not cheap. However, it's come in with super high production values, loads of content and tens of hours of game-play. In an already crowded it stands out from the crowd by taking the toys-to-life genre another step in the right direction.
Overall, Skylanders Superchargers is a very impressive package. Totting up how much extra content you get makes it very good value. Add to that the full backward compatibility support for all the previous figures, new online and racing modes and high end production value and it's a very tempting package. Superchargers is the moment we really see Skylanders deliver on its potential. It's not the cheapest game to play with your family but it delivers a huge amount of value.
Alongside substantial improvement to the game there has been considerable effort to improve the value here with the lower price starter pack. Disney Infinity 3.0 will be hard to resist for fans of the film and families looking for this year's toy-to-life video-game investment.
I'm sure it won't be for everyone, but if you enjoy horror movies like Scream and want to experience the genre with some agency in the story's outcome, Until Dawn is a great choice. I give the game a resounding Buy on my Buy/Hold/Sell scale. It's like no other game out there.
From exploration to puzzle-solving to the charming story and lovely graphics, King's Quest: A Knight To Remember is a delightful game. It takes some of the Telltale formula, then adds in a lot more action and problem-solving and combines that with a story that isn't grim or terrible, but instead remains fun, funny and engaging. Old fans and new will find something to enjoy here, in a genre that's all but disappeared from gaming. As the saying goes, "The really don't make games like this anymore." But they should. I can't wait for Episode 2.
Firing up Journey on PS4 is a delight. It's so gorgeous and fluid in 1080p and 60 frames-per-second. Even though that's really the only thing different about it, it's a wonderful experience.
I give it a Buy on my Buy/Sell/Hold rating scale, but only because it's pretty cheap already. You certainly won't miss out too much if you wait for a Steam sale or Humble Bundle or some such and save a few dollars.