Examiner's Reviews
Sisters is incredibly short, lasting only a few minutes, but it is a great demonstration of how the horror genre can make use of the VR to create genuinely terrifying situations. When partnered with strong sound design, horror games will haunt and frighten people like never before thanks to VR.
Despite its few shortcomings, Shadow Complex: Remastered is an extremely fun game to play. The upgraded visuals look great and the controls are on point. Enemies and backtracking to become a bit redundant, but the platforming elements and exploration make up for it. There is a reason the original broke sales records on Xbox Live Arcade. If you have already purchased the game, the upgraded visuals might make it worth your while. However, since this review is based on the PlayStation 4 version, people who have not played it should certainly give it a shot.
Fantastic gameplay can take you to wild places and whoever was skeptical of this game before playing it will quickly be converted. Funny, fun and frenetic, “Pocket Card Jockey” is a charmer that never lets up. Combining elements of “Pokemon,” “Monster Rancher” and Solitaire, it’s a game that will steal you away from your next generation console.
Naughty Dog has crafted a brilliant game that can stand alone as the best game on PlayStation 4. Uncharted was once referred to as a Tomb Raider clone, but it wound up being a Tomb Raider killer. Naughty Dog has elevated the video game industry as Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is pure brilliance.
If reviews of Battleborn were conducted maybe six months from now, this experience might be more fleshed out, particularly on the competitive multiplayer side of things, and I hope it is. However, as this game stands now, Battleborn is a brief game that largely stumbles at the hands of a thin competitive multiplayer and grindy progression systems.
The strength of VR is the immersion it delivers. Simple design philosophies can give way to powerful experiences, and Land’s End is an example of this. Land’s End is an influential VR experience that showcases the strengths of VR.
Taking a step back and looking at the entire experience of Sapienza and Episode 2, this location is absolutely brilliant and beautiful. From the level design to the amount of depth found in each section of Sapienza, Hitman has yet another fine episode, even despite its once again thin narrative.
Star Fox Zero is a classic Star Fox game that stays true to the formula set by its predecessors. With a focus on replayability, unlockable content, discovering alternate paths, and pushing for higher scores, fans of the SNES original and Star Fox 64 will find that the game has everything they love about the franchise and plenty more. In the current gaming era, it is rare to see an on-rail arcade shooter like this release, and that makes Star Fox Zero a treat for Wii U owners. It plays and feels like a successor to Star Fox 64, and fans of the franchise shouldn't miss out.
The Banner Saga 2 absolutely deserves the time of gamers looking for a narrative experience with challenging gameplay, and true gravity behind decisions made during nearly every moment of playing.
While Stories: The Path of Destinies certainly has some unique elements and beautiful levels for people to enjoy, unfortunately it turns out to be a mediocre RPG that truly struggles to provide any meat. This is a hard game to recommend, though if the price is right or is on PS Plus, it's worth a look.
If you’ve got the Season Pass it’s worth firing up to see what’s new and maybe spruce up Sanctuary Hills, but is also completely skippable for those looking for anything more than a few new items and a somewhat neat new arena mechanic.
Adr1ft is an absolutely stunning visual experience. It looks amazing and feels great to be in nearly at all times. That is until you progress to the point when you realize you're doing the exact same thing in a new sector of the ship, not even with different objectives or quick time moments to try to mask the fact that you're hitting enter to make yet another core and plug it in. The whole experience is relatively short, and while it's something to behold visually and feels good while in it, it might not be something for everyone.
Taking a step back and looking at the entire Ratchet & Clank picture, it's easy to see how missed this franchise has been from the gaming industry. The combination of wondrous gadgets and galaxies with its unique narrative and engaging characters, Ratchet & Clank on the PS4 has been way overdue, and this initial installment on the platform is simply incredible. I highly recommend it to any longtime fan of the series as well as newcomers who have yet to experience the awesomeness that is Ratchet & Clank.
Dark Souls 3 should serve as an example of a game that not only serves existing fans extremely well, but isn't so obtuse in its approach that it can't be picked up by a newbie and enjoyed, just as much as I did.
If you are more interested in Quantum Break for its gameplay, you may want to hold off until a sale or rental fits your budget, but if you are looking for something that takes a daring step forward with how a video game can be made, Quantum Break is perfect for you.
For what it is, a throwback baseball game, "RBI Baseball 16" is playable and can be, with the right people, enjoyable. But with a lack of overt sexiness and bells and whistles, hardcore baseball fans will obviously look to The Show for a complete next-gen offering.
Fallout 4’s first DLC Automatron sets a good precedent for content coming out of Bethesda to support the game. There’s plenty here to not only explore once, but also to build multiple robots to take on adventures through the wasteland. If you’ve done literally everything else on the map, it might not keep you going for long, but for everyone else you’ve got a fleshed out and thorough reason to jump back in.
The Thieves Guild DLC for Elder Scrolls Online is unlike any other add-on content you’ve played on the series and as a result, it’s going to cause some disconnect among hardcore fans. Regardless, it’s an interesting side street on the series that’ll give you hours of new content and reward you with plenty of cool new items and abilities if you have the patience to muster through it.
With its friendly pick up and play design, Hyrule Warriors Legends is an excellent fit for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is highly entertaining, offers endless replayability, and has enough new content to warrant a double-dip from Wii U owners. If you have a New Nintendo 3DS, Hyrule Warriors Legends is a must-own thanks to its highly entertaining gameplay.
MLB The Show 16 could've been a disappointment, just another entry with an updated roster. Fortunately Sony San Diego brought improvements, innovations, and some (potentially) fun experiments to the table. The Show remains the only real player in the baseball simulation realm, and while unfortunate for Xbox owners, and the only choice for PS4 players, it would fare well against any competition that were out there.