ActionTrip
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When you zoom in on the true core purpose of Rainbow Six Siege, as an exclusively online tactical multiplayer shooter, the game makes a hell of a first impression. Though its features are fairly limited, what the developers chose to focus their efforts on, is exceptionally well put together.
Even with the long load times, annoying pop up messages from the ranking server login, having to play challenges to level up or even wondering why I am trying to free a country that from all appearances does not need to be freed, Just Cause 3 keeps compelling me to log in and play. Maybe it's the ability grapple onto enemy vehicles, toss the driver out like a wet dishrag and then drive it into a fuel depot.
Professional gaming aside, StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void offers a pretty solid amount. While I'm still not entirely behind the idea of splitting Terran, Zerg and Protoss campaigns into three separate releases, I must admit that Legacy of the Void won me over. It has everything I expected it to have: addictive gameplay, solid plot, great characters, Blizzard's trademark kick-ass cinematics, exciting campaign missions and a rich multiplayer package.
Yes, so this is an obvious money grab. But at times, you just can't help it. Humming all-too-familiar John Williams' themes and flying an X-Wing and blasting TIE Fighters out of the sky is as fun as ever. You are probably going to buy this game even if I warned you to think twice, because, like me, you're probably too much of a fan to give a shit what anybody else thinks. And believe me, there is some Star Wars magic here and I absolutely loved the top-notch design and art direction that stays true to the movies. It can also be hilariously fun, especially when you are Luke Skywalker or Palpatine and you chop down or electrocute waves of players. I think that even if you're not a Star Wars fan, this game can be an awesome ride, but the question is: for how long? Judging by how much content is on offer, probably not for long. It's sad really, but that's how it is.
If they tried to give us something fresh and if it weren't for such a ruthlessly steep learning curve in the game's competitive multiplayer, I'd actually see this as Game of the Year material. Disregarding these drawbacks, Treyarch's shooter is still a product that offers quite a lot for the standard price tag. It's a solid and well-polished shooter.
Even if the game did not quite meet my personal expectations as an adventure game, that doesn't mean you won't have a good time. If nothing else, the awesome humor, interesting characters and the always welcomed insanity of Borderlands will surely hold your attention.
There appears to be enough going on in the great Boston commonwealth to keep players questing and exploring for quite a while to come.
The nit-picking aside, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a front runner for action game of the year, if not Game of the Year for 2015. The traversing in a platform adventure is the most fluid and seamless I've ever experienced, and the story gave me chills the more I unraveled, especially with the collectibles I found. It's a downright shame that Rise of the Tomb Raider releases the same day as Fallout 4, as this gem will unfortunately get mostly lost in the shuffle.
If you are looking for a bit more dudebro dipshittery in your life, then look no further. Broforce is a heaping helping of nostalgic happiness in concentrated game form. Aside from a rather repetitive set of mission goals and overly complicated level designer, this is the kind of game that is worth sitting down with four friends in the living room and having at it. This is a perfect reminder of what makes couch play coop so much fun. So party up and buckle in, because this is a ride down memory lane that is sure to have some amusing collateral damage.
Even though there is currently a high learning curve and players need to do a little research on their own to get the most out of this galactic sandbox, Frontier Developments has so far demonstrated that they deliver on their promises. Compare that to the 'other' space sim Kickstarter that everyone has been talking about and I think the choice for your next space sim is an easy one to make I would strongly suggest if you are looking for a bit of challenge and want to get sucked into a deep, rewarding game that promises to only get bigger, pick up your Xbox One controller and give Elite: Dangerous a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
While deliciously unpredictable most of the time Bedlam is still brutally difficult, thus sadly obliterating your chances of a potentially great turn-based tactical experience.
Everything looks and plays spectacularly in Halo 5: Guardians, and it was so close to having the complete package for a first-person shooter. Unfortunately, the hype oversold and underdelivered when it came to story, and the non-shooting missions should have been scrapped until the team figured out a more creative way to entice player exploration in the middle of a shooter. All that said though, Halo 5: Guardians is an absolute blast to play, which, when all is said and done, is the most important facet of any video game.
Those who have played the series from the beginning most likely saw that there was only one evitable ending to the whole thing, but it doesn't make the big reveal any less heartbreaking. DONTNOD may be a newcomer to the choice-based adventure genre, but they have made their presence known and they can give any other adventure game a run for its money. Polarized has solidified Life is Strange's spot as a frontrunner for best adventure game of the year.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate does incredibly well most of what they set out to do, and Ubisoft has redeemed the series quite a bit with this new offering. It's sadly still not as polished as it could be, which is most likely due to the annualization of this series. Regardless, Syndicate will provide several dozens of hours of entertainment for even mild AC fans, as, to be honest, it never gets old stabbing random Blighters in the street when they bite their thumbs at me.
Playing the iterations consecutively feels good and you can actually witness how Naughty Dog progressed as a story-teller. Every title absolutely holds up and can take its rightful place among current-gen releases.
The over-arching theme of Rock Band 4 has been fan service. It seems like every aspect of the game from its' backwards compatibility for both instruments and DLC, to its playable music platform approach, ultimately has every Harmonix fan at heart. This culminates in a very welcome return to form for the series, and a very worthy first entry to the new console generation.
Much to our chagrin, EA Sports has once again proven that they can't make a quality basketball game. Like the Toronto Raptors, it is hard not to speculate how much more of a beating NBA Live can take before they just throw in the towel permanently. Hopefully the answer to that question is never, but they still have a seemingly insurmountable amount of ground to make up in order to even be competitive.
It's not devastating, just disappointing for what it appeared to be and what it could have been.
To say that FIFA 16 is a return to form may very well be one of the biggest understatements of the year.
LEGO Dimensions is a great first start for TT Games with the toys-to-life genre, but since their game is the most expensive of all of them, it makes it a hard recommendation, especially for parents. Once they find a nice balance between promoting other packs and their paywall to unlock other areas, it will be the best of the toys-to-life game out there.