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The occasional design issue aside, restoring Hob's ramshackle world is satisfying, with its cel-shaded art style and tech-infused nature concealing a complex network of pulleys, valves and hidden paths.
There is an overdose of top-notch cRPG content to be found within Divinity: Original Sin 2, with a deep, dense, slightly verbose adventure that almost completely fixes the failings of its predecessor, and has some great features like online and local co-op for the entire game.
The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game will provide some fun for fans of the film and the characters, but its high asking price and relative lack of content may underwhelm those who enjoy the typically better LEGO titles.
Over-the-top and frequently overwhelming, Ruiner might be the first cyberpunk game to give an inkling of what it'd be like to have a deluge of sensory stimuli downloaded directly into your head. A guilty pleasure, and a damn good twin-stick shooter to boot.
While still a solid basketball simulation, it's getting harder each year to recommend this series and NBA 2K18 feels like a continuation of that trend. Some technical issues plague many aspects of the game and at this point, myGM is the only saving grace aside from some visual and gameplay improvements.
SteamWorld Dig 2 feels a bit like the beginner's guide to sandbox games with its relative simplicity, but it maintains a sense of grandiosity and proves nonetheless entertaining with its Metroidvania-style adventuring and its marriage of both linear and nonlinear gameplay elements.
Project Cars 2 has the potential to be one of the best racing simulators, thanks to the wonderful tracks, variety, and awesome vehicles, but AI flaws and a plethora of strange technical issues prevent it from being a consistently great experience.
PES 2018 still plays a solid game of soccer, but is unable to carry on the momentum built up with last year's good outing. A few gameplay stumbles let down what is otherwise a largely unchanged experience.
Destiny 2 is a really solid game from a studio that feels like it's far more confident in what they have created for the sequel. While not always fun solo, it boasts well-crafted multiplayer gameplay with an addictive shoot-and-loot core loop. The end result is much closer to the original vision that the first Destiny was unable to grasp.
Planet of the Eyes is a thoroughly average platformer that needed more in order to stand out. The mood of the game crafted by Cococucumber is solid, but the gameplay just doesn't measure up to even the most basic platformers out there. There's just not enough here to make the game worth recommending.
Greedy Guns is a relatively humdrum and uninspired - if perfectly functional - Metroidvania-style adventure that makes an admirable effort to spruce itself up with light shoot 'em up elements.
For $1, I cannot be too harsh on Puzzle Dating. It doesn't offer a lot of content and it mostly exists as a joke, but it's fun and cute enough to get by on charm alone.
Not all of NHL 18's additions are equally successful, with the expanded depth of Franchise Mode overshadowing the flashy but unrewarding NHL Threes. The series continues to offer a good hockey simulation, and while the hardcore and those who play online will be satisfied, there's probably not enough here to make it worth the upgrade for casual fans of last year's edition.
Yakuza Kiwami presents the strongest mechanics in the franchise's history, as well as refined side missions and lots of fun distractions that create a fantastic reimagining of a great game.
The concept behind Absolver is intriguing, but its execution and lack of staying power make it a very tough recommendation. If you're willing to put up with tedium, maybe joining a guild and learning new moves will be for you. For others, I'd say give this a pass.
You'll want to steer clear of Dead Alliance, especially at its ridiculous $40 price tag. There is a decent game buried here, but digging through the bugs, shallow gameplay and underwhelming mechanics is just not worth it. If you simply love FPS and are quite fond of the idea of weaponized zombies, at least wait until a big price reduction, a number of major patches, or give it a rental.
Darkwood does so much with its simple top-down perspective that it matches some of the best horror games released this year. It is easy to appreciate the finer details when you methodically explore a captivating wooded area, gather resources, and fend off deadly creatures before the terrifying night arrives.
Beat The Game does not feel like a complete game. You scour a tiny area and collect a bunch of unusual sounds for limited mixing purposes. A few well animated cutscenes are not enough reason to experience this extremely brief adventure. Aspiring DJs may be able to create something pleasing to the ear, but others will prefer the sounds of silence.
With a rigorous control scheme and tweaked level design, Balthazar's Dream could have offered a quite adorable puzzle-platformer to complete in a few hours. Yet its attempt to give each mechanic its own doggy bent results in a toilsome, repetitive experience that feels disappointing against its charming concept.
Knack 2 offers a decently enjoyable campaign, with expanded combat options and streamlined gameplay mechanics. It's a fairly typical and accessible modern action/adventure with no big highs or lows, as it makes some improvements over its predecessor. And for some fans, that may just be enough to return for another adventure.