ActionTrip

Sorry guys, you really nailed the atmosphere, but at the end of the day you left us with an overload of tanks, repetitive missions, and a story that's okay, but just felt it could've been so much more. We would've preferred a deeper and more complex story and characters, and a bit less strafing in the upgraded Batmobile (as cool as it may be). Yes, there are certainly a lot of characters, but when you think about it, we really knew how most of them would end up. It's all fairly expected. For instance, certain things happen with Poison Ivy that weren't hard to predict. Okay, in addition to that, to put it as simply as possible, I expected Batman to do Batman stuff and driving around in a Batmobile/transformers/tank is a not exactly what I had in mind (as fun as it may be for the first 20 hours).  

As it is good and not great, Adventures of Pip is good enough to play through once, but most likely never again.

The Witcher 3 is an engaging, overwhelmingly lengthy gaming experience with a staggering amount of characters to meet and places to explore. With solid quest structure, great voice acting and a killer soundtrack, there's really not much we can say or add that could further sugar-coat our sentiment, which is as follows: "this is the game to buy right now, like, NOW!"

DONTNOD has not announced when the fourth episode, Dark Room, will release, but I cannot wait to see what happens next with Max, her powers, Blackwell Academy, Chloe, and the mystery of Rachel Amber. This is one of the most fascinating mysteries I have experienced in years. It may have been a little slow with episode 2, but it's picked up full steam now and there is nowhere for it to go but barreling ahead. Those who like mysteries and point-and-click adventures do not want to miss what Life is Strange has to offer.

If you're looking for a Wolfenstein experience that has stark differences from The New Order, you're going to be heavily disappointed. But just look at the cover art that both Bethesda and Machine Games have designed for The Old Blood and you'll see exactly what you should expect.

Simply put, this first Chronicle alone is must-buy for any fan of the Assassin's Creed series.

Broken Age sadly suffers from a case of too much. The watercolor art style, humorous dialogue, and clever writing are unfortunately buried under too much backtracking, too much obscurity, and therefore, too much frustration. On the one hand, you can't help but get that Portal-esque "A-ha!" feeling when you solve a puzzle. But when you stumble upon a solution after frantically combining objects at random and presenting them to every NPC under the sun that makes you tap into your inner John McEnroe and say, "You cannot be serious," you can literally feel the joy sucking out of the room. I want to see a return of the point-and-click genre, but not at the expense of my sanity.

So, Grand Theft Auto V finally is available for the PC and thankfully Rockstar took the time to do it right. Taking the additional time to ensure that the game runs smoothly, beautiful and fast should make players accept the large amount of time it took for it to be released.

Mortal Kombat X does a lot brilliantly, and the game has brought back in more non-fighting fans to the fold and forsaken MK fans than really any other MK game or fighting game before it. It's really too bad that a few poorly-put together ideas keep it from being a flawless victory.

Honestly, it may be demanding, although it is possible to beat those bosses. It will take a shitload of patience and practice. You just have to learn not to quit. To our lasting regret, the majority of the public won't see this as entertainment, because entertainment is usually something you can relax with. Titan Souls will not relax you after a hard day's work. It will make you work harder and harder, until you pull that one arrow out of the grayish carcass of that annoying boss who made you scream and swear like never before.

Solo developer Thomas Happ definitely achieved what he set out to do, create a retro, Metroid-inspired game that would emphasize exploration above most else. I can't say that his Axiom Verge game has made me rethink my stance on retro/retro-inspired games or platformers, but I had more fun than I thought was possible with this type of game. I can only imagine the enthusiasm a platforming fan (or really, anyone with slightly warmer feelings than I toward the genre) would have running through Sudra.

Killing a boss is more rewarding than in other games out there, because you know how much practice went into that effort. I enjoyed Bloodborne as much as I have enjoyed the Dark Souls games. That means it kicks ass. Get it, play it, be punished by it and say you're a hardcore gamer. Nobody will argue with you.

Out of Time may not be as captivating as the first episode, but it leaves plenty to look forward to and answers just enough questions to ask a few more. Coupled with the painting art style, DONTNOD has created a rather lovely and intriguing picture. It's going to be hard to wait for May for the third episode.

Pillars of Eternity is a welcome return to the CRPGs of old, and it's a definite must-play for any CRPG fan or RPG fan, period. It has so many moving parts that work so incredibly well together with an unbelievably rich history and mythology. Pillars of Eternity will gladly eat up several hours of your time, and you will gladly give them.

The platform-esque nature of Ori and the Blind Forest might hold off gamers who feel that the genre isn't really their cup of tea. So, overall, I don't think there's much room for casual gamers here. This saddens me in a way, considering how much effort went into Ori's captivating animation, stunning backdrops and delightful tunes. However, even if I could persuade everyone to try Ori, chances are a majority of them won't play much of the game beyond the first several segments, because then the game shifts towards hardcore platforming. You seriously have to sweat and pant your way to your goal. Even those who are keen on platformers will have a hard time overcoming the challenges Ori has in store.

I enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, but this is most certainly not a FF game suitable for newcomers to the Final Fantasy universe.

Cities: Skylines definitely scratches that city-building itch that has been left in a void for too long. If you decide that being a mayor of a city is the path for you, be prepared to have the hours zing by as you delve into a deep experience that will reward you for your efforts. If SimCity 2013 disappointed you, look into Cities: Skylines for that band-aid.

I can appreciate what Ubisoft Reflections was trying to attempt with Grow Home, but perhaps it should have been left as an experiment or a demo instead of as a game. Its appearance is intriguing, I'll give it that, but appearance doesn't make it any less tedious or frustrating. I noticed on Metacritic that several people have loved it, but for me, it was absolute torture.

Yes, Turtle Rock has a proven track record with Left 4 Dead, and I do enjoy a good player vs. player game every so often, what I can't quite decide on is if Evolve is going to live up to its heritage and grow on people enough to still be relevant in a few months or if it will succumb to the Titanfall effect: Hot out of the gate, but assuming room temperature not long afterwards. My head hurts.

The end result is something good, with zero glitches, texture pops, or mechanical problems with gameplay, but nothing about it is great.