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In all, The Crew can be enjoyable for some casual cross-country joy rides, especially if you have some friends to drive along. However, it comes up entirely short of most of its goals, and makes a wreck of car handling and competition for the sake of lackluster MMO mechanics.
Double Helix made an admirable attempt at re-inventing Strider for the modern era with a new look and other amenities like online leaderboards. In some ways, it successfully re-captures the action of the older games, but too often it misses the mark when it comes to delivering a solid Metroidvania experience. It's a game torn between two personalities, and it shows. The new Strider is at its best when it's delivering arcade-style action moments, but sadly these come too infrequently and too late for its own good.
Hopefully this episode will be nothing more than a misstep in an otherwise excellent season and not a sign of things to come. Plenty of important things happen and there's a lot of action, but none of it carries the weight that it should. Instead, "In Harm's Way" is mostly a bullet point list of zombie-story cliches without many of the excellent character interactions we've come to expect from Telltale. It's certainly troubling when characters get killed and the only thing you feel is indifference.
While there are certainly some things to like about The Sims 4 such as building a custom mansion, or being visited by the Grim Reaper, the entire experience feels like a starter kit for bigger things in the future. If you had The Sims 3 and its multiple expansions, The Sims 4 will feel stripped down. If you have never played a Sims game, it might be a better option to hold off until The Sims 4 flourishes into a more complete package.
There was so much potential for Korra when you consider the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a developer like Platinum to work on the combat, but it seems like the Japanese studio's B-team showed up for this project. The game is certainly better than any of the previous efforts to adapt the Avatar universe, but it falls short of expectations. On its own, it's just an average character action game with a bland story that offers little incentive to come back for seconds. You're better off sticking to watching the show.
It also doesn't feel like you go on much of a journey. There's little variation in the forests and caves, and you'll be done in about three hours. That said, Feist is still worth checking out if you're curious. It establishes an eerie mood, making you feel vulnerable to what lurks in the shadows. It just gets hung up in awkward moments at times.
Fenix Rage isn't for everybody. Some fans of Super Meat Boy, Flappy Bird and other challenging platformers may want to test their mettle in a new arena, but conquering its trials results in a hollow sense of victory.
CounterSpy doesn't really develop beyond its opening concepts. It's fun to play the spy game for a while, but it quickly falls victim to tedium and repetition, with an unrewarding ending that comes off as a smoldering dud.
Fans of zombie survival, open worlds, and first-person shooters will find things to enjoy in Dying Light, but it's a rough ride. The contextual movement and realistic time progression suggest that Techland wants to immerse you in Harran's apocalyptic plight, but the game's realism takes a hit at almost every turn whether it's the graphics, the enemy AI, or the mannequin-like demeanor of the souls you'll attempt to save. Jumping around and smacking zombies is fun, but we're hoping whatever comes next focuses more on realistic living people than realistic dead ones.
The best thing Valley of the Yetis has going for it is the inherent fun that comes from using Far Cry 4's skills, weapons, and vehicles. Everything else feels wasted. The station defense battles are spectacles, but not that challenging. The Yetis are intimidating, but don't stay scary for long. With no legitimate lead into or out of the story, it's hard to take any of it seriously. It's definitely the biggest chunk of extra content to come out of the game, but not the best.
However, the game's main problem is that it's just rather dull overall. Perhaps it's the push to avoid enemy contact or the lackluster sound design or the droning music, but Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China never really comes to life. It's a different take on side-scrolling gameplay, but the added depth doesn't save it from feeling flat.
Transformers Devastation is short, lacks depth, and can be a bit repetitive, but Platinum's tight combat paired with the old-school aesthetics keeps it fun. It may not be the dream Transformers game that some imagined, but it's worth a play, perhaps after it goes on sale.
Episode two puts The Wolf Among Us in an awkward place. Telltale shows enough of its hand to interest players in the rest of the story, but the unevenness of this second episode deflates the enthusiasm that first worked so hard to earn. It's difficult to tell how strong the series will become, but right now, it's tough to accept good when you're used to great.
Abyss Odyssey is the kind of game that initially seems fantastic, but its many issues become increasingly apparent the more time you spend with it. The thought that went into combat prevents the game from falling into mediocrity, but it also never lives up to the potential that's so obviously there.
Ryse is well-suited to make its entrance alongside a new console, as some of its faults can be overlooked for its commendable bravado and convincing demonstration of power. The bloody spectacle of war and gladiatorial combat are thrilling to behold, and Ryse demonstrates competence even if it falls short of mastery. If Rome were to Ryse again, one would imagine it would be greater.
There's a lot of greatness within Sunset Overdrive, but it's obfuscated by a lack of difficulty and an aggravating tone. Ultimately, it's worth dealing with the game's worst moments to enjoy the many things it does get right. When you're darting around the world like a ninja in a denim jacket, there's nothing quite like it. If there is a next time for Sunset City, and hopefully there is, maybe things will come together more smoothly than they have here.
When played in short sessions, Hyrule Warriors is mindless fun that celebrates the rich history of the Zelda series. However, your long term enjoyment of this game boils down to how much you like Dynasty Warriors, or hack-and-slash games in general, and whether or not you care about exuberant amounts of Zelda fan service. It more than delivers on both these points, but if either one of these is a turn off, this likely isn't the experience for you.
In all, Shadowgate is a formidable if sometimes frustrating return to classic adventure gameplay. If you're a fan of the original or undaunted by Shadowgate's unforgiving depths, it's worth grabbing a torch and venturing inside.
Despite these complaints, the character and tone of Broken Age are hard to resist. Act two may not capitalize on the potential of act one, but there are still plenty of moments that can bring a smile to your face or cause you to laugh-out-loud. Even at its worst, the world is a pleasure to be a part of, putting Broken Age in one of the most frustrating positions. There's already a lot of goodness within it, but it's almost impossible not to think of what it could have been.
For such a large RPG, it's the small moments where Risen 3 works best. The game just needs more of them; times when you get swept up in a random quest, stumble upon hidden treasure, or chuckle at a random quip from Bones. It's a game with its heart in the right place and when everything clicks, you won't want to leave.