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In some ways, Forza Horizon 2 doesn't feel that different from the original, but its proficiencies are expressed in new ways as you joyfully tumble across wide stretches of terrain. It gets open-world gameplay right by continually encouraging you to explore, and you may climb a hill just to look out over the scenic landscape and watch the clouds roll in.
Outside of the repetitious boss, there's very little to complain about with Crown of the Old Iron King. As you descend deeper in Brume Tower, there's much to uncover and you're often given multiple paths to explore. Regardless of how you progress, that familiar sense of dread will plague every step. Crown of the Old Iron King only gets more insidious as it goes on and we wouldn't have it any other way.
The Broken Age will win you over in minutes, and what it lacks in length or difficulty it makes up for in pure personality. From talking Spoons to a guru who makes people remove vowels from their names in order to attain true lighten-ness, it's a weird world, and you'll feel part of it in way we haven't seen since the lost age of adventure games.
Still, "In Sheep's Clothing" nails it where it counts. Not since episode one have we felt so fascinated with The Wolf Among Us. It ties the ongoing story threads in such a way that they become more significant, making us eager to see how it all wraps up. These characters may originate from simple bedtime stories, but Telltale has made them far more real than they've ever been before.
Madden continues to improve upon its solid foundation with worthwhile additions like Draft Champions. Most importantly the offensive changes bring more strategy and depth to the core gameplay that makes this one of the more engaging Maddens in recent years.
Advanced Warfare is Call of Duty's true starting point for a new generation. The tech enhancements are an important evolution for the franchise, giving the online proceedings a necessary shot in the arm. The campaign is predictable but thrilling with enough exclusive tech tricks and set-pieces to make it a must-play. The co-op can sustain you for multiple hours, and it's hard to imagine playing Call of Duty multiplayer without an Exo-suit ever again. Sledgehammer has found fun in the future, and we can't wait to go back to it.
NBA 2K15 has an awe-inspiring amount of customization that makes the game accessible for new players, and finely tuned for veterans. Each mode has addressed and improved upon criticisms from previous years and despite a slight misstep on defense, offense has never felt better.
If you're fond of Tolkien, you should enjoy this side story without being too offended by the updates to popular lore. If you've enjoyed Assassin's Creed, you may appreciate the visceral change of pace the game brings to the genre of open-world stealth. The world feels alive and treacherous, the combat gives you lots of gruesome options, and the enemy army is always evolving. It might not offer the challenge you crave, but if you enjoy killing orcs, there are two maps filled with the savage monsters and they're all looking for a fight.
It's hard not recommending episode two for anyone that remotely cares about Bioshock. While we won't spoil the surprises here, the sheer scope of the episode and what it accomplishes with the story makes it feel essential. Even more importantly, episode two is the best kind of DLC by being both distinct and deeply connected with its associated game. If you're willing to invest in the struggling first episode, episode two considerably strengthens this interesting extension of Bioshock's world.
In order to make room for next-gen growth, Forza Motorsport 5 comes in riding lighter than past entries in the series, but despite these big cuts, there's still a hefty driving game with lots to do. Despite infuriating DLC practices Forza remains a fantastic drive, and with some improvements, Drivatars could set a new path for competitive AI.
It's easy to look at Beyond Earth and see it as nothing more than an elaborate reskin of Civilization V. In many ways, it shares a similar interface and borrows many components. Yet as soon as you get to the end of your first game, you're acutely aware of how different it feels. At this point, it's cliche to say how time consuming Civilization can be, but Beyond Earth only lends further credence to the phrase "one more turn."
It would be hard to recommend a player try the expansion without playing the original first, but fortunately running the game on Steam requires ownership of Enemy Unknown and the console release will include both old and new versions. Enemy Within isn't the definitive version of XCOM, but it's a smart and satisfying extension of a game ideal for enticing players back for a second, third, or fourth playthrough.
It's evident Bungie has been listening to fan feedback this last year and has worked hard to reinvent Destiny. The story is presented better than ever, the new subclasses offer different playstyles and draw players together, and the grind is alleviated thanks to a plethora of post-game missions and the Dreadnaught patrol zone.
There are some incredible moments waiting for you. You just have to dig a little to find them.
The Live in Guitar Hero Live means a lot of things. In one mode, you're pretending to actually rock out in front of a packed arena, and in the other you're constantly competing against the rest of the world online. Your band mates overact sometimes, and you don't always get to pick the song you want to play in GHTV, but there's always a ton of music to play. So much is new, from the stage perspective, to the streaming service, to the updated guitar, that it feels like a worthy revival.
Evolve may not be as fleshed out as other multiplayer shooters, but it's still one of those rare games that chases after something different and actually succeeds. It's built for incredible, player-driven stories; when you just barely triumph over a level three monster, or when you wipe out a group of hunters within a few minutes. Our biggest fear going into Evolve is that it would only be fun in short bursts, but every time we play the session lasts for hours. Even now, there are still so many things we want to get better at and experiment with. Needless to say, we're going to be hunting on Shear for the foreseeable future.
Far Cry 4 will enchant you with its lush forests, scenic vistas, and hostile wildlife but it's the mission and combat variety that will keep you exploring. You're bound to have a few gameplay oddities manifest themselves as Kyrat is a complex, open-world with many moving parts, but load times are rather pleasant and the textures and lighting are impressive. It doesn't take a lot of risks with the Far Cry formula, but once we enlisted we couldn't rest until the people of Kyrat were free of tyranny, and all the icons on the map were checked off.
However, while it's not as broad in scope as some of its contemporaries, we aren't finding ourselves getting bored of Driveclub. On the contrary, the more time we invest, the more we just want to keep playing. Driveclub is a focused, thrilling racer for players looking to push themselves and compete in all new territory, working up a sweat as its captivating sights and sounds fill your senses.
Madden 15's new additions to defense and attention to detail make it a must have for existing fans, and a great entry point for newcomers. If you have never touched a football game before, it's a fitting time to begin, with this fresh start from an old franchise.