Rocket Chainsaw
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At its core Star Fox Zero is a good game. The on-rail levels are frantic and engaging, dogfights in space are always intense, there are inspiring boss fights and it's fun to discover all the hidden paths and secrets the game has to offer. Unfortunately the gimmicky controls and lackluster addition to vehicles really bring down the experience. This is not the Star Fox games fans have been waiting for and will be remembered as a low point for the series.
As it stands, Season Three is currently weaker than Season Two. For me, at least. I prefer total original content over gimmick guests, even if said guests play well.
There aren't many games that I have enjoyed as much as Ori and the Blind Forest in the past, and the changes made in Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition work to enhance the experience and remove some of the failings of the original release.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End really does feel like the culmination of Naughty Dog's experiences, from Crash to Uncharted to certain influences from The Last of Us.
In that respect Battleborn sometimes feels a bit unfocused and unfinished. Undercooked, maybe, to use tired terminology. I think Gearbox would have benefited from really focusing on their cast and progression system instead of superfluous co-op story content.
Hitman Episode 2: Sapienza is a great addition to the game. It features an expansive town to explore, is genuinely challenging, and has a lot of unique kill opportunities and secrets to discover. It is a wonderful playground for Hitman fans.
While Insomniac Games have largely gone the safe route with the rebooted Ratchet and Clank, it's still a fun game that will appeal to both old and new fans alike. The visuals are gorgeous, the gameplay retains the tried and true formula of past entries, the story has been fleshed out and levels have been rebuilt from the ground up. It's a testament to the fine talent at Insomniac Games and is a love letter to the series as a whole.
Huge, dark, haunting, beautiful, challenging, insanely fun – I could keep throwing adjectives at Dark Souls III but I probably still wouldn't do it justice.
The best thing about Dirt Rally, really, is that it strips away all the unnecessary hipness and attitude from the previous titles, and steps out from the shadow of the Colin McRae games that it evolved from.
Massive truly have learned from their time on the sidelines, making sure to avoid many mistakes made by Bungie during the 1.5 years of Destiny and building what is a great experience. With the promise of much content to come, and the great experience that it already provides, Tom Clancy's The Division is easy to recommend to people looking for their next co-op shooter.
Enter the Gungeon is unrelentingly tough. This wouldn't be so bad if it had a nice difficulty curve to ease players in, but it's all over the place
Quantum Break is one of the best produced videogames of late, comfortably sitting among Remedy's catalogue of hit titles.
EA’s UFC 2 is a good follow up to the original and continues to give a good representation of an actual UFC bout
Day of the Tentacle Remastered is a great presentation of a solid LucasArts adventure title.
Hitman succeeds in providing an engaging experience that stays true to the sandbox formula established in previous games in the series. It encourages multiple playthroughs to complete secondary challenges and discover unique kill opportunities, and there's also community made missions to keep you occupied. Just keep in mind the offline experience is bare bones, the frame rate is inconsistent and there are some occasional bugs.
I honestly enjoyed my time with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. I was able to train a team of my favourite Digimon from my childhood in order to save the world, which is exactly what I want to do in a Digimon game. Hardcore Digimon fans or JRPG fanatics will have a great time with this game and be able to ignore many of the issues I raised. However, if you don't fall in to one of those two niches, I don't think you will be able to look past many of the game's flaws or cumbersome design choices.
Overall, my journey in Firewatch was engaging and fun, with wonderful scenery and some of the best written and most believable conversations I've ever heard in a game. It was a special journey, however, the ending felt rushed and the feelings that were invoked during the game were brushed under the carpet. Additionally, the controls were frustrating and the technical issues are inexcusable.
Despite some shortcomings, Gravity Rush still holds up well and is a great experience overall. The gravity manipulation mechanics are engaging, it's fun to explore every nook and cranny throughout Hekseville and the visuals have been enhanced to take full advantage of the PS4 hardware. If you haven't played Gravity Rush yet, now is the time to do so.
Ultimately, Project X Zone 2 boils down to a healthy heaping of fan service for weebs, or anyone who's familiar with the franchises included. While the story can be slow and plodding, it also has some decent gags and a lot of self-awareness that helps drive each crossover encounter.
On the surface, Unravel appears to be a simple puzzle-platform game that offers a moderate challenge, but has little in the way of impediments to progression. Scratch a little deeper, however, and it becomes clear that communicating the sense of place and atmosphere, as well as telling what is a very touching story is really the goal here.