Examiner's Reviews
Overall, The Order: 1886 is an exceptional game that can be mistaken for a film as much as it can be for a game. Ready At Dawn achieved their mission of showing how a game can be great even when priorities lie in the visual, sound and plot departments.
While the game is most fun when played with friends or a team with communication in the strength column, it's just as enjoyable to get into a solo match and hunt, be it a monster, or hunters.
Is the game challenging? Hell yes! Will it make you want to rage and throw your 3DS across the room? Quite possibly! Why is it so popular in Japan and you either love it or hate it here in the states? The game's appeal falls in getting past the learning curve. Learning it is half the battle, the other half takes place on the field.
Despite its minuscule length, "Game of Thrones: Episode Two: The Lost Lords" continues the awesome story in stellar Telltale fashion. With great storytelling and an awesome cast of characters, it's a game you'll buzz through, hungry for the next episode.
Overall, Life is Strange Episode 1: Chrysalis is an outstandingly charming, albeit brief beginning to this beautiful, new world. DONTNOD Entertainment has laid out what is to come in stellar fashion and I can't wait for Episode 2 to arrive, though waiting until sometime in March is still a decision I seriously question.
Anyone who is able to look past the game's faults however will find it a rewardable zombie adventure that isn't perfect, but has plenty to do.
Everything fans loved about the original Resident Evil: Remake on Gamecube has literally been duplicated and brought over to the HD Remaster. Fans will appreciate this as mainly a new coat of paint was added to the visuals. Anyone that has had interest in stepping into the series might appreciate the alternate control scheme and vary levels of difficulty to choose from. Bringing this title to the modern, high definition age was an excellent idea as Capcom has succeeded in bring a classic back to life from its library.
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright was an excellent experiment that captures both series rather well. The puzzle vs court case gameplay tie together seamlessly while not stepping too far outside their box. Again, the story may take some giant leaps and drags on a bit too long, but it’s still a game worth visiting for fans of each series. From this gentleman, there are no objections here.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris proves a great downloadable title for your collection. It's not only a great Tomb Raider game, but a great isometric in the vein of Gauntlet that keeps your interest, and easily pushes you along without dragging.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.