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RAGE 2 held plenty of potential, but even considering how great the combat is, falls well short of that goal. The sequel is hampered by the same issues that cropped up in the original. The campaign is a non-factor and the open-world needed more life in it. Third time's the charm?
Having a high-concept idea is all well and good, but it doesn't matter what kind of story you tell, or the world you create, if the act of playing the game is so unpleasant. While occasionally putting the pieces together, often Observation left me bored and frustrated.
Diverse movie scenes, twisted dynamic levels, and a handful of good scares help make Layers of Fear 2 a fine piece of horror gaming. Better story pacing and a clearer start might have seen it outperform the competition.
Alt-Frequencies has a unique hook in its gameplay and story, with plenty of potential, but it skews towards being an all-too-brief mobile game rather than a full fledged adventure puzzle.
Koral's ambition to bring awareness to the problems faced by marine life largely falls flat. While it looks nice, the formulaic and repetitive gameplay means this title fails to stand out in a sea of similar indie releases.
Imperator: Rome has some rough edges and it's not quite up to par with the excellent games Paradox usually churns out, but at the same time, it is still a challenging and rewarding experience that's bound to keep you engaged for long stretches.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is legitimately captivating in its atmospheric depiction of the plague-stricken and war-torn France of the Middle Ages. The mechanics rarely shine and the plot has a fair share of contrivances, but there are plenty of outstanding sequences that put this unique setting to excellent use.
SpellKeeper feels a bit like the fidget spinner equivalent of a puzzler. It's an almost calming experience to distract your mind with, and while it verges on overly-simplistic at times, it still somehow manages to feel satisfying and rewarding.
Mordhau's incredibly satisfying melee combat and slapstick ultra-violence make for a riotously good time on the medieval battlefield, though a lack of maps for the best mode and lingering technical issues are cracks in the armor of this otherwise thrilling multiplayer slasher.
Simple puzzles and bland chases prevent Close to the Sun from living up to its numerous inspirations. While the game has a decent retro style and an intriguing horror narrative, it never makes the player a true participant.
Fade to Silence is an unremarkable and slow slog for survival through a wintry post-apocalypse. Technical problems, underdeveloped gameplay systems, and a confused tone erode away most of the enjoyment in a setting that showed potential.
Anno 1800 offers up a compelling blend of city building and strategy in the industrial era, with a smooth learning curve and fantastically flexible and replayable sandbox mode that will have you starting and re-starting your trading empire as the hours sail by.
Outside of the excellent co-op play, World War Z is a mixed bag of issues. With no story to get invested in, the progression system is a total drag and there's little here you haven't seen done better before. However, as long as you have friends willing to join in, this shooter can be an intensely enjoyable time.
Days Gone is a fairly typical open world post apocalyptic survival title that offers a few memorable mechanics and story beats, but is eventually consumed by genre clichés. Poor technical performance further hinders its chances of survival, but perhaps with time that wound will heal.
At first it seems that Heaven's Vault is an absolute treasure and you can just marvel at the creative ideas that Inkle Studio came up with. But in between all those moments when I loved the game, some of the gameplay mechanics made my eyes glaze over and the experience would lose its luster.
Katana ZERO proves that the Hotline Miami formula still works as a side-scroller, but mechanical missteps and narrative blunders hamper the game's otherwise excellent combat and enticing story.
Tropico 6 sees the long running strategy game series continue its leisurely Caribbean life and embodies the definition of not rocking the cruise boat. Newcomers should enjoy their visit to the sunny archipelago, while returning fans will be appeased by the various tweaks to the formula.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun proves ambitious for an indie project, and one that offers a wealth of satisfying content for the asking price. Its methodical, sluggish nature may not be for everyone, but those who accept it as a rough-around-the-edges retro dungeon crawler, should get a kick out of it.
Weedcraft Inc is a fairly typical management game at its core, but one that feels limited in scope and yet with too many busywork mechanics. It also offers little insight on the real world issues.
MLB The Show 19 isn't a standout, but it does offer another strong outing from the baseball franchise. If you bought last year's game, this isn't an essential pick-up, but if you've skipped a year or two, or are a newcomer to the series, it's a good pick-up.