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I almost wrote off The Last Tinker within the first couple hours of the game, mostly due to the bug that forced an additional two hours to the beginning of the game. There are redeemable concepts in The Last Tinker, but the entire experience is married by mediocre combat and disappointing audio.
Diablo III was designed with multiplayer in mind, and whether you join a game with random players or make your way through hundreds of demons with a friend, the game is significantly better experienced with others. With the exclusive content and Remote Play option, the PlayStation 4 is arguable the best way to experience Diablo.
NHL 15 proves how little EA Sports respects the intelligence of gamers, charging full retail price for a game that can't compare to last years offering. Even if this is the only hockey game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it is not worth your time or money.
Bungie and Activision has opted to partner with Sony to release exclusive in-game content that you'll only find in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. An additional 3-person Strike mission that takes place on Mars is missing in the Xbox versions of the game, as well as an additional competitive Crucible map taking place on the Moon. Along with the maps, two exotic weapons and a unique armor set for each class round out the exclusive content. There are also three unique ships, but those are cosmetic only and don't have any bearing on the game
If you are looking for a new multiplayer game to play on your PlayStation 4, Anomaly 2 may not fit the bill, unless the population increases. The narrative missions provide a challenging experience, even for veterans of the traditional tower defense genre and Anomaly series.
First Light gives people new to Infamous an affordable way to see what the game is about as well as expanding the story and characters for veterans of the franchise. While limited to just neon powers, I enjoyed the backstory of Fetch and revisiting the beautiful rendering of Seattle.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is an enjoyable collection of different cases putting you once again in the shoes of the one man that can solve them all. The synapse style deduction board is a giant leap forward for the series, allowing you to finish cases with inaccurate information. I did end up sentencing an innocent man to death, but the game does allow you to go back and adjust your conclusions before proceeding to the next case.
Costume Quest 2 makes key changes to the way battles unfold, removing the unique play style of each costume. The streamlined mechanics work to the game's advantage, especially when you are trying to focus on bonus attacks, as well as blocking and countering. The dialogue is well-written, but the last hour or so of the game falls short of expectations. Parts of the narrative aren't explained as well as they should be, and the last battle in the game occurs rather abruptly.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a fantastic game. My only true complaints are the short length and lack of replayability, but I can easily stomach that after enjoying it so much. I'd love to see more games in this vein from The Astronauts since the story really grabs the players and pushes them to continue. It is definitely worth playing for those that enjoy a bit of suspense in the middle of supernatural mystery.
Skylanders has always focused on collecting various figures and even more apparent in Trap Team. You'll still come across in-game videos that show off new special moves and Skylanders you haven't encountered. As the villains are the best part of the game, you'll want to purchase traps for each element type. Each trap can only hold one villain at a time, so you'll have to switch them out between levels.
Regardless of game mode, Fluster Cluck is a shallow experience with barely enough there to keep you playing more than a single match. The music and sound effects repeat often, forcing me to turn the volume down after a dozen matches. LOOT has already stated they will be looking into Share Play for taking the local multiplayer online, so it is encouraging to see a studio support their product post launch.
Styx: Master of Shadows is fun. It falls somewhere between enjoyable and infuriating on a scale, as for every shining moment there is one of constant resetting. I feel players will quickly acclimate themselves to the gameplay and be able to move about quickly as the game is very intuitive and pulls from the likes of Metal Gearand Thief. Topping it off, it has a decent story to boot that works its way into Cyanide's previous title, tying both together.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an absolute blast to play. The gameplay builds off of the successes of Batman and Assassin's Creed and weaves a story through the world of LotR that connects very well within the framework of the overall universe. It's a title that I definitely recommend picking up since you'll certainly enjoy it if you do.
The Legend of Korra may be the smallest title Platinum Games has worked on, but the inclusion of newly animated cutscenes, the original voice actors and a mostly enjoyable combat system should please fans of the series. In other areas, the game falls on the lighter side with horrendous level design and a sheer lack of content.
The first episode marks the beginning of what may be an epic adventure, but falls flat. Most of the time is spent reacquainting ourselves with the characters and narrative, which isn't inherently a bad thing after eight long years.
The game offers so much for players interested in a deep experience guaranteed to take hours to complete. I think it shines more in the free roam aspect where you can set your own path, but there's so much to do.
Civilization: Beyond Earth shakes up the turn-based strategy formula, taking the series to new heights and new locations. The past experiences of the team at Firaxis with Alpha Centuri shine through, blending both styles of games into one of the best strategy games of the year.
Randal's Monday is a great gem of a game. While the puzzles can be extremely challenging and misleading (who thought drinking rat poison was a good idea?), they're fun to try and mess around with. Thankfully Randal will point out directly how dumb some requests are, keeping you from feeling too confident in yourself about your puzzle solving skills. Combining that with the pop culture and humor and it's a great adventure game.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the revitalization the Call of Duty series has needed for years. While previous games have attempted to freshen up the series with baby steps, Advanced Warfare takes a massive leap forward in every aspect. The exo suit gives players more options than running through the maps, adding untapped vertical potential to multiplayer.
Assassin's Creed: Rogue is certainly my favorite of the last generation of Assassin's Creed games and arguably the best of them all. It brings so many new things to the table, relying wholeheartedly on the mainstays of previous titles. It's got the best aspects of everything, a larger world to explore, and you still get to be a pirate. What's not to love?