EGM's Reviews
Sony San Diego's hardball sim only sees incremental changes this year, but several of them—particularly directional hitting—are welcome. The core game remains solid and even spectacular in places, but online continues to be a total joke.
Etrian Mystery Dungeon provides a refreshing change of pace for Etrian Odyssey fans by infusing the dungeon-crawler with challenging elements from Spike Chunsoft's venerable Mystery Dungeon franchise. Unfortunately, some clunky controls and curious design decisions prevent this roguelike from reaching the greatest heights of the genre.
HAL Laboratory fails to innovate at all within the puzzle genre and throws many of the same obstacles at you over and over again—to the point where BoxBoy! is as plain a platformer as its monochromatic motif.
A wonderful throwback to a bygone era, Axiom Verge's focus on classic gameplay provides a welcome change of pace, even if it could've benefitted from a hint of modern design.
While the New 3DS can't always do justice to what Monolith Soft originally created for their beloved Wii RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D retains almost everything that made the game's original release great—while also making it far more accessible to a wider group of players.
Final Fantasy Type-0 is a welcome release in the West, as we finally get the chance to experience one of the more experimental and enjoyable additions to the Final Fantasy franchise in years. It's just a shame that some of the game's concepts feel outdated or underdeveloped compared to its other parts—and that Type-0's journey from the PSP to the new systems hasn't done its visuals or environments a lot of favors.
Though built on the same core as the Souls games, Bloodborne marks the largest departure from the status quo to date. The numerous changes, many in service of a faster and more aggressive playstyle, might not be for everyone, but if you embrace that shift, you might well have a new favorite in the From Software canon.
A lack of content and a failure to properly execute on some of the new ideas had me longing for the days when Mario Party games would result in brawls in my living room.
While not as fresh and daring as its previous chapter, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is still a fantastic new addition to Capcom's seminal survival-horror series, one that mixes some welcome gameplay polish with a great selection of monsters and a superb leading cast.
Hardline might not reinvent the wheel the series rolls on, but it certainly makes it spin a whole lot smoother. Speeded up gameplay, an opened-up single-player, and a robust suite of new multiplayer modes lends itself to the best Battlefield to date—though that's not saying much, a decade later.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number still sits atop the same solid, brutally violent core that made the first game a success, but it inherits all of its predecessor's flaws as well, and buries them within a bloated, altogether less satisfying experience. While the sequel isn't without its occasional charms, there's no doubt Hotline Miami would be destined for a greater legacy had it called it quits after the first spree.
Like Minis on the Move, Tipping Stars won't draw the kind of crowd Mario's other extracurricular activities (kart racing, tennis, golf) might, but it's no less a quality way to kill time while on the go.
Like all Intelligent Systems games, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is absolutely worth it for strategy fans—but this one's got a few more warts than usual.
A terrific blend of story, gameplay, and graphics, Ori and the Blind Forest is an unforgettable debut for indie developer Moon Studios.
Helldivers' metagame campaign and variety of gameplay are more than enough to keep you entertained, but only players with a tight-knit group of co-op buddies will be able to get the most from the experience.
The Order: 1886 is a paper-thin PS4 launch title delivered 15 months behind schedule. It's nowhere near as profound or innovative as it thinks it is—the epitome of all style and no substance.
Bright, colorful worlds brought to life by a unique art style, coupled with challenging, diverse gameplay highlights yet another successful Kirby spin-off that is as good or better in many ways than its predecessor.
There's an ambitious and wonderfully tense multiplayer game hidden somewhere deep inside of Evolve, and on the rare occasions you can coax it out with perfectly balanced teams and a little luck, you'll understand exactly what Turtle Rock was aiming for. More often than not, however, you'll find yourself stuck in another dull and lengthy traipse through the jungle with an unsatisfying and lopsided payoff, made all the worse by a lack of substance or long-term appeal.
While it often feels constrained by the platforms it currently calls home, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a fantastic adventure that provides a rich amount of depth and challenge for both solo and team players alike.
Some aspects of Majora's Mask haven't aged quite that well, and one boss fight has been changed dramatically for the worse, but on the whole, Nintendo has done a stellar job updating the quirkiest and most thematically rich Zelda game for newcomers and old fans alike.