Examiner's Reviews
If you are willing to overlook the long load times, frame drops, and occasional graphic pop-in, you will find a highly enjoyable game. Just Cause 3 has its problems, but it's so damn fun you may not even care.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon takes time to grow on you and many will give it up before it truly attaches itself to you. But if given a chance, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon can be and is a solid RPG will plenty of depth in terms of story and fun.
The Crew Wild Run saves a bit of face for the game, introducing some cool modes, mods, and new ways to dart around the map with motorcycles. Weather effects and a few visual enhancements make the game look incredible, and while it can't save the ho-hum affair that was The Crew, Wild Run as its own product is a good time, with some real play value to it.
There really isn't anything truly bad about LEGO Dimensions unless the initial cost scares you off – rest assured that the amount of gameplay paired with the good characters out of the box aren't a bad value at all. There's great acting, great action, and great everything, as it transports the older player to a younger age, and inspires younger players imaginations to the possibilities of LEGO.
Star Wars Battlefront paints an incredible digital picture of the Star Wars universe. With authentic visuals and sounds, the most details and beautiful realization of the universe ever, and familiar settings and sound that pull the player in to their childhood fantasies, it does a lot right. The inability to squad up, motivation drying up after a few hours, and no true cooperation rewards barring the cooperative game modes, the game feels like some serious decisions were made in the wrong direction. Battlefront should be about playing and coordinating with others for galactic supremacy, but comes off feeling more like a big deathmatch that while still pretty, doesn't string the player along and motivate return.
Games of Thrones Episode Six The Ice Dragon is an awesome narrative of a family that does everything in its power to keep it. Thanks to a variety of choices and characters you care about, it's an emotional ending to a wild first season.
Despite these shortcomings, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash does offer a well-made tennis game. Mixing up your shot types, using the new jump, and balancing your use of Chance Shots to catch your opponent off-guard are essential for victory. Local and online multiplayer is competitive, fun, and the true appeal of the game. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash has all the tools be an elite tennis game, but doesn't offer enough content to achieve that goal.
It's not a perfect puzzle game and the difficulty sometimes hampers that platform experience, but combining both in "Typoman" is a recipe for success.
If you are the type of player that skips a couple years or only focuses on Treyarch's installments of the game, this would be the one to pick up. The customization aspect is a very nice addition, and the campaign feels long enough and worth the time investment.
Fallout 4 is what we all thought it could be, and so much more. While it might have easily fallen in multiple areas, and the scrutinizing eye will find a blurry texture here and there, the game delivers so thoroughly in so many other areas that will keep players busy for so very long, it truly outshines the rest of the pack. Between the main quest, side quests, settlements, weapons, armor, and just pure exploration the game will remain fresh for years to come, and the end product of four years of work shines as a glowing example of what the team at Bethesda is truly capable of. Fallout 4 less throws its hat in the ring for game of the year, and stomps its powersuit boot down demanding serious deliberation.
Over the course of my 14.5 hour playthrough of the game's story and the many, many more completing side content, it's very easy to see why Microsoft made the investment they did. Say what you want but Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best games released in 2015. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the best Xbox One exclusive in 2015. Fans on other platforms will absolutely love this game when it arrives elsewhere next year. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the type of journey you will want to visit a lot more than just one time.
"Yo-Kai Watch" is an immersive, hard to put down RPG with tons to do that will more than fill up the time until the next real Pokemon game. Although the fetch quest-filled gameplay and mediocre map take away some of the fun, it's still a tough game to put down and the best new Nintendo 3DS series in North America of 2015. In the end, "Yo-Kai Watch" is not "Pokemon," but it's just as cool, in its own unique way.
The new Need for Speed does a good bit of justice towards the original Underground games, it falls a bit short on the new aspects it tried to incorporate. The open city aspects and the way you start races might feel familiar to Burnout Paradise players. It honestly seems to share the same setup, which isn't a bad thing. The cars are certainly the focus, as they should be, but the tacked on story and constant interruptions hinder the experience. Add to this the A.I. uses rubber band aspects. The racing is solid enough, and it is pretty cool to see other people on your server completing challenges across the bay, live.
Sometimes, a remaster doesn't always have to be filled with bells and whistles. If the fun from the original game is preserved, than it's a job well done.
Anno 2205 certainly offers enough to keep your time consumed. If you are looking for quick battles, you might want to pass on this. There is a ton of growth and micromanaging in the game as upgrading units, factories, and trading is only half of the game. There are no quick combats to jump into, as the combats are incorporated with the progression of your colonies. The game is slow paced as building a sustainable economy is the key to spreading out to other colonies and doing the exact same thing again, just with different environments and resources involved. The more structures that become available to build, you will need resources from different areas for these to thrive. People will also leave your areas and abandon their homes if you cannot please them. This game offers a bit of everything from the real time strategy universe. If you have the time on your hands, Anno 2205 is worth the investment if you are a strategy fan.
Although there isn't much in terms of brand-new innovation, the fine tuning in the pin system, chargeable counters, working holds and submission mechanics have made "WWE 2K16" a well-rounded grappling experience that relies heavily on timing and skill and not button-mashing. Add in a wonderful Showcase mode and more content than ever before and this is the best wrestling game in years and a bold new step in the right direction for 2K Sports.
It's a fun, classic RPG that offers a lot of content to immerse yourself with. If you missed the original PC release, then consider picking the Enhanced Edition up.
It's always hard for fans when a new studio takes over an existing, legendary series like Halo, but 343 Industries has done a masterful job of living up to what Halo has been, while progressing it further in their own vision. Halo 5 Guardians is a beautiful, challenging and entertaining step forward for the series both on the multiplayer and campaign front, even despite the decreased role of Master Chief. Trust in 343 Industries, Halo fans.
Tales of Zestiria holds the series back in light of its upcoming 20th Anniversary in December. It's an uneven adventure filled with half-baked ideas. The fun, enigmatic cast and stylistic combat help Zesteria from completely falling off the RPG radar though. It's a good, but not great entry in the Tales franchise.
TellTales' take on "The Borderlands" is now complete and boy was it a ride. Full of nonstop excitement and hilarity, "The Vault of the Traveler" is more than a fitting conclusion, it may be the best episode of the series to date.