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It's easy to recommend Q*Bert: Rebooted to both returning fans and new ones alike. The PlayStation release allows for choice of play either in its classic mode or the more modern version for those who want something a little easier on the eyes. The additional challenges in the Rebooted mode do provide some extra game time, but if you're looking for something a little deeper this isn't quite it. Q*Bert: Rebooted may be a simple game from another era, but its pick-up and play nature can certainly still be relevant today.
The Order: 1886 flaunts its interactive cinematic presentation, and it plays that card well. Despite this, it will continue to incite debate about overall length, being story heavy, and not allowing much freedom for the player. If these are things that bother you, then The Order was not developed for you. The decision will need to be where each player places value in their video games. This is an immersive game for people who want to sit back — or on the edge of their seat — and let themselves become engrossed in the story of a Knight in turmoil fighting against a supernatural force. Give The Order a go yourself, and perhaps you'll find yourself diving back into it as much as I've rewatched Jurassic Park over the last twenty years. It may not be perfect, but The Order: 1886 is an immersive cinematic experience and a damned good ride worth going back to.
Fortunately the missteps in the combat do little to impact my overall enjoyment of the Hand of Fate, and my spats of bad luck did little to deter me from playing further. I was hard pressed not to immediately start up a new session right after I would die, just to see. Just to check what the deck might have in store for me. Some sessions would last less than ten minutes before my health was drained. Some would nearly see the hour mark before a stupid decision sent me cavorting to my death. And sometimes, just sometimes, I would successfully make my way through to the boss and defeat it, each victory feeling like a true triumph and another chapter closed on a tale that I was creating for myself, all with a mysterious man in a mask and a deck of cards. Hand of Fate may not be that game that is shoving the visuals and story down your throat, but Defiant Development is allowing my imagination to be a part of their development team in order to help craft my own tales of failure, success, and luck, and that right there is a fantastic hand to me.
Overall, The Lost Lords is a bit of an improvement over the first Game of Thrones episode. Although the character transitions are a bit confusing and making decisions doesn't seem as impactful as it should, Episode Two is by far more political and more interactive, giving players a chance to both think critically and have some QTE fun. As with the end of the first episode, I left this one wishing I could jump into the next episode right away, but unfortunately, players will have to wait another month or so for that to happen.
We're still in the early days of Evolve. There are still free characters, weapons and abilities to unlock for most of us. While the lack of a real story mode may upset some, most people who purchase this game are doing so for the multiplayer, plain and simple. On that front, Evolve impresses when things go as planned. Get a group together, work as a cohesive unit, and have fun blasting those ugly aliens to hell and back. Or play as a Monster, alone but oh so badass. Evolve has a hint of greatness, but a lack of content at launch and a jarring amount of premium launch and planned DLC hold it back. What we have here is an evolution of the Left 4 Dead formula, not a revolution.
There is a lot to like about Minutes and its most egregious flaw is that it ends so soon. Thankfully, due to daily challenges and multiple goals in each level, Minutes has a lot of replay value that helps the game justify its price-point. Red Phantom Games has managed to put an interesting spin on a genre that has fallen in popularity. While it may not be the title to bring bullet hell shooters back to prominence, it has delivered enough interesting ideas to be worth the time to anyone looking for a pick-up and play title.
Like watching a classic old movie, Grim Fandango Remastered feels like a hearkening back to the golden days of gaming, when PC adventure games ruled and games didn't have difficulty settings so easy that it seems like the game is playing itself. This is as much a history lesson as it is entertainment, lest we forget the roots of great gaming. Sure, the backgrounds and cutscenes are untouched, but remember the fit everyone threw when they edited the original Star Wars trilogy too much (Han shot first…)? Grim Fandango Remastered has been put together with care as a passion project from Tim Schafer, and is sure to delight both players new to the game and long time players of Grim Fandango and the LucasArts graphic puzzle adventure genre. Perhaps most important to this release will be the potential effects that bringing this game back into the limelight will have on the future development of adventure titles, and the thought of a merging of great classics and new technology really excites me.
Overall, my time with Dying Light has been incredibly exhilarating and entertaining. The ability to play with friends, but still improve my character without having to worry about losing out on any progress I have earned keeps me coming back for more and more. Tying this into a wonderfully designed climbing system, combat system and crafting system, Dying Light is easily going to be one of my favorite games of 2015.
In the end, the only thing I can truly say is that Life is Strange is a must-buy. With its artsy graphics and music, relatable and realistic characters, and numerous mysteries and choices, the episodic adventure easily sucked me in and had me wishing I could dive directly into Episode 2. If the future episodes are anything like this first one, then I think Life is Strange is set to be one of the best games of the year, if not the best one.
At the end of the day, the game was fairly average when it released on the PlayStation 3 and here we are on the PlayStation Vita and the game is still just average. The changes brought about with the Remake System does add value to the game and the combat is still fun. The game also scores points for going mobile, as it allows you to play a bit more at your leisure, hitting up a few missions and then putting the Vita down. The sad thing with this series and game, is that there is a great concept here that is hidden under layers of lame puns, bad jokes, and annoying characters. If you can get passed the story and added fluff that drags you down, there is enough here to keep you entertained for awhile.
There's a lot to like in Ironclad Tactics, but many of its positive aspects are weighed down by some design issues. You have to prepare a deck carefully, but unfortunately it's a blind preparation the first time through any campaign mission. There's a large variety of cards, but without memorizing what each card does you'll barely have enough time to play them properly before the computer attacks. I truly believe this game could have benefited immensely by including an option for real-time battles. Suddenly, a frantic button-mashing battle would become more akin to a chess game, each piece carefully selected and positioned as the player plans their next four moves before actually executing on them. Unfortunately, with the game as it exists right now, only those who can commit to learning the quirks of the turn system and limited deck size will find the game rewarding.
Be warned, you can find the same game on other platforms for a vastly cheaper price. The same experience moves on mobile for $2.99 and on Steam for $9.99.
If you've already played Saints Row IV, Deep Silver was clever in their release, and are offering a bundle with Gat Out of Hell. Unfortunately, this review isn't for the full combo with Gat, and by itself, Saints Row IV Re-Elected doesn't fully justify its campaigning for another term. If it's your first time in office, however, then this is a great opportunity to jump in and take part in what is a pretty awesome open world super-powered (anti)hero game.
So, if Saints Row's meta humor can get you through collecting your hundredth orb or doing the same type of mission on repeat, you may want to check out GOH. But, if not, I'd recommend staying away from this one, as it burns itself out a bit too quick.
If you want some good, classic scares, then pick up this great Resident Evil remaster as soon as you can. $20 might sound like a lot for what is really an old game with shiny new "packaging," but with multiple endings, the best visuals possible, and that iconic mansion setting, you're always going to want to come back for more. Whether you want to relive the nightmares of your youth or experience a classic for the first time, this version of Resident Evil is an easy recommendation to real survival horror fans.
Loadout isn't some new breed of free-to-play, but it does a very entertaining job of balancing what you can play with when you can pay. Being a low level isn't painfully boring, and gaining experience or good weapons doesn't require real money. The fun level increases if you pay, but isn't decreased by not paying. All in all, despite the free-to-play model that may make some players look away, Loadout is an obnoxious and discourteous third person shooter worth playing, even if it's not a 'must-play' title, and you might even find yourself willing to fork over a few bucks to get that offensive t-shirt or kick-ass weapon mod just a little faster.
Is it worth it? That's hard to say. For the ultimate Destiny experience, yes, you will need The Dark Below. You may find more of the same content, with some palette swapped enemies and similar bounties to what we traditionally had access to, but the new content allows Destiny to continue to surprise us. I put a ton of time into Destiny, and The Dark Below is just extending that clock even more for me, though I can see how it will bring on a ton of complaints from many players for at least some of its facets. The divide between those that love Destiny and those that hate it is growing with the release of The Dark Below, but I personally can't wait to see how these additions allow the game to continue to evolve and expand until the next expansion release.
It's simple – if you enjoy Diablo-esque action mixed with a hefty dose of ruin spelunking, then this is the game for you. What's more, The Tower of Osiris provides for much more fun when you're in a group. While the puzzles aren't particularly challenging, the inclusion of adaptive levels based on the number of players is much appreciated.
Never Alone is one of those games I want everyone I know to be able to play. It's a really great example of the good that video games can do in the world, and of the artform they really are. Anyone can play it, everyone would find something to enjoy about it, you can play it with a friend, and non-gamers would even enjoy watching you play due to the intermittent documentary clips and the beautiful art style. The future of gaming looks even more exciting due to Never Alone's existence. If this is an indication of more to come, I can't wait to participate in other cultures and stories from around the world in an interactive art form.
The setting, art style, sound design, and balanced characters in a unique gameplay style make this game a really great game to own. I love when games seem to walk into my life and satisfy some gaming desire I didn't know I had. Secret Ponchos is a refined, intricate twin-stick shooter rooted in the Old West that, for those who enjoy simple, yet tactical, online battles, will stand on its own for a time to come.