Examiner's Reviews
Those who were huge fans of Sleeping Dogs when it first came out and didn't bother with post-launch content might be pleasantly surprised at what United Front did after release. Neither expansion is particularly wowing, but the bevy of additional content packs sure makes roaming the streets of Hong Kong a heck of a lot of fun. For those of you who missed the original and are reading this article we only have one question. Why have you not picked this up yet?
Project Spark is an inspiration. A wide open toolbox that quite honestly isn't getting the marketing it deserves. A brilliant execution of a tough to perform idea, Team Dakota deserves to be proud of what they've done. While creation isn't everyone's thing, the ability to pick up and play other players creations or the premade campaigns while progressing characters is fantastic.
"Styx: Master of Shadows" has something special inside it, but with muddy, ugly character models, control hindrances and A.I. issues, a lot of the fun will be lost on casual gamers. Those who love stealth action games will find it an immense challenge however and will be able to look past most of the game's issues to, at the very least, have it steal about a dozen hours of their time.
When Microsoft first launched Kinect for the Xbox 360, there was only one true must-have game: Harmonix's Dance Central. From 2010 to 2012, the Dance Central franchise was the premiere Kinect series, and now Harmonix is looking to repeat their success on the Xbox One with Dance Central Spotlight. This new entry returns to the series' origins with an emphasis on dancing, learning new routines, and having a genuine blast - be it with a group of friends or on your own. It's time to bust-a-move and Dance Central Spotlight is shining its light on you.
Music Evolved has the opportunity to be the ultimate party game, as its creative depth, functionality, and fun-factor go unmatched in comparison to any other music game.
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a short, but fun adventure that knocks a lot of AAA console games out of the park. The animation, gameplay, music, and style far outweigh any problems. Yes it’s repetitive, fairly easy except for a few weird puzzles, and the story and dialogue is hit or miss. Complaints aside, it’s a must play for sure.
Sunset Overdrive is not the best game I've played on Xbox One, it's the best game I've played all year. From start to as finished as an open world game can get, the game keeps you engaged, dangles carrots enough to keep you motivated, and injects such a fulfillment of power fantasy that the game sticks with you. Sunset Overdrive energizes, and proves that giving an extremely talented studio like Insomniac the trust and funds to do what they creatively envision on a new IP is a huge bet, but one that Microsoft saw value in. This bet pays off in the best way imaginable.
[W]e're left feeling like there's greatness to come. Beyond Earth is a wonderful experience but we can't shake the feeling that the past holds much more than the future, at least for now.
There's a lot of beauty in Halo 2: Anniversary, and even more if you consider the fact that all four titles are playable in a row. For new fans and old, the Master Chief Collection stands as a can't miss. And we haven't even considered the multiplayer yet.
If, for some reason, you're not a "NBA 2K" guy or have an undying love for anything EA Sports, "NBA Live 15" can and will provide hours of fun. It's just so hard to recommend when the competition does everything better. At the same time, with a slew of innovative elements on offense, "NBA Live 15" is the little engine that could. Last year's game was pure D-League, but this year, they've earned their spot on the floor.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare represents a return to form for the franchise. While the campaign likely won't win story of the year, we don't expect it to. A solid campaign that teaches the basics, and tells a competent story are all we ask, and exactly what we got. Multiplayer is of course a big deal, and Sledgehammer proves they are not only up to the task, but in to innovate the space, as the Exo additions, supply drops, and operator customization will keep this Call of Duty on your hard drive for a while.
Overall Assassin's Creed Unity is by far my favorite total experience in the series. While not without flaws, the story, acting, and content packed into the disc is pretty incredible, and will keep you busy for quite some time. While yes, it's a bit disappointing to see microtransactions show up, they're entirely optional, and the technical hiccups are there but easy to look past. Unity stands as move forward, and proves that even without awesome ship combat, we can get a great game about the order of Assassins.
It's far from perfect, but at its best, it's uber playable, a wrestling game that thrives on recreating the entrances and moves of your favorite WWE Superstars and Divas. Just don't go into MyCareer and expect to be blown away.
The game has a steep learning curve for newbies, but long-time fans will appreciate the look and feel of the game along with the tons of modes available to play.
Far Cry 4 deserves your time. While I don't want to say run out and spend hard earned money on it, that's your choice, but it serves as one of the best games I've played on the new generation of hardware. I look forward to organizing some incredible and random co-op hilarity, and will easily dump hours upon hours in to this game. If you're a fan of shooters, good story, and overall immersive experiences, Far Cry 4 is on a Golden Path of it's own.
While Assassin's Creed Rogue isn't the technical mess Unity seems to be, it's an uninspired title that seems to check the box of "get a last gen title out the door". There are some good elements here, but nothing that actually innovates or pushes forward. The game is a decent Creed game, and another great pirate game, but it's ultimately just more of the same.
As I've said a number of times, this is Pokemon. You are more than likely getting what you expect from the game. With that said, the lack of the Battle Frontier and the removal of customization has left many fans scratching their heads. Game Freak has been notorious for adding great features one game and then removing them in the next. It was no different in ORAS, and as a result I docked the games a couple of points.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is an excellent fighting game and the best Smash Bros. game. With smooth online play, crisp graphics, diverse roster of characters, and imaginative stages, this game is the reason people play games. It's fun for the entire family but is challenging enough to push you to achieve greater heights. Play it. Love it.
Much like the mega-hit HBO drama, "Game of Thrones: Episode One: Iron From Ice" is bloody, smart and addictive. Thanks for in part to an awesome script, beautiful backgrounds and the success of original characters, "Game of Thrones: Episode One: Iron From Ice" is anything but a joke.
There are some genuinely great things about the racing action, the beautiful environments, and the vehicles are incredible looking, but overall the physics bugs and frustrations outweigh the adrenaline and elation of winning.