IGN's Reviews
Sundered takes the 2D Metroidvania platforming formula augments it with some successful ideas that all but reward you for dying. Its procedurally generated levels are hit and miss, as the dynamic parts come off as bland in comparison to Sundered's impressive hand-drawn areas and epic boss fights. In addition, its randomly appearing enemy hordes sometimes lead it to devolve into mere button mashing and random deaths, but the knowledge that I'll come back a little stronger each time makes it hurt less.
Hey! Pikmin has its moments. The stages have some neat but simple puzzles, the visuals and music are solid, the inherent cute charm of Pikmin's weird alien worlds is on full display, and discovering treasures based on common household items – and seeing Olimar's confused interpretations of them – is always good for a smile. However, the lax difficulty, slow pace, and repetitive structure drag it down quite a bit. There's not a lot of meat to Hey! Pikmin, which is disappointing when compared to the required skill and replayability of the console Pikmin games. It's good for a playthrough, but this is a voyage I can't see myself taking again.
From the art to the music to the story to the tactical gameplay, and even to how they're all woven together so artfully, Pyre is an adventure that excels in every area of its design other than limiting its multiplayer to local only. It's an epic journey that made me feel thrilled, devastated, and awed, and its tense moments had me tugging my collar both in and out of its fast-paced mystical sports arenas. With an emotionally charged ending that saw so much I'd striven for come to fruition, but was still tinged with tragedy and melancholy even when I did almost everything right, I won't be able to get Pyre out of my head for a long time. This is Supergiant's best work to date, and that's saying something.
There's a lot to love in Nintendo's second iteration of its quirky shooter, especially the way Splatoon 2 emphasizes splatting the ground just as much as it does inking your opponents.
Though Black deserves credit for adding new puzzle mechanics along the way, it could've easily seen its 6-8 hour runtime chopped in half and still gotten its message across. That entire time I found myself wondering if, like Inside, Black would have anything to say. When I finally discovered its message at the end of the campaign, it did inspire me to look up the real-life issue it was drawing attention to and learn more about it. I applaud it for that. Sure, it could've done so with a bit more subtlety – it's a bit heavy-handed at the very end – but at least Black does have a point to make. It's just a shame that it wrapped that in a game that's so shamelessly and distractingly derivative.
Final Fantasy XII's relatable roleplaying adventure has aged remarkably well, and The Zodiac Age remaster improves it further in meaningful ways. The storytelling, visual design, and gameplay feel just as fresh and interesting as they did over a decade ago, and the various new enhancements and adjustments will give new players a chance to experience the magic for the first time and fans of the original something enticing to return for.
Whether you're soaking in the cosmos around you, banking large sums of credits from a well-planned trading haul, or surviving a harrowing encounter with space pirates in dazzling ship-to-ship combat, Elite Dangerous has plenty to keep me excited to come back. And when those long-haul sessions become too much, Arena mode is there to inject some much-needed action at a moment's notice.
When the bones hit the dirt, I'd rank the Necromancer highly in terms of sheer fun factor and uniqueness when compared to Diablo 3's other classes. I do feel like $15 might be a bit much to simply unlock a new class, especially when so much of the new stuff in this patch (like some new areas for adventure mode) is being released for free. If it's within your budget, though, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the new playstyles and crazy strategies Rise of the Necromancer brings to Sanctuary.
The Master Trials doesn't make any epochal changes to the established Breath of the Wild formula, but by packing in one of the game's best quests, some welcome new features, and a hard mode to be reckoned with, it more than paves the way for the starrier story expansion to come.
Stormblood doesn't do much to shake up the general design Final Fantasy XIV has followed since its relaunch, but never before have its familiar elements worked quite so well. You'll find some boring sidequests, yes, but it makes up for that flaw with an unforgettable story filled with moving cutscenes and acting, great new primal fights and dungeons, two wonderful new combat classes, and new lands that reward the explorer in us all.
I didn't want the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy to break what wasn't broken. Thankfully, Vicarious Visions clearly didn't want to either, and the studio's reverence for the original maddening yet rewarding challenges that have stood the test of time is clearly on display. On one hand, that leads to the frustrating limitations of the original Crash Bandicoot persisting 20 years later. But it also results in the incredible visual and aural overhaul and the gameplay tweaks to earlier entries, like time trials and crate counters, that Naughty Dog added later in the series. Those additions make the overall package so much more cohesive while never forgetting what made, and what still makes, so much of Naughty Dog's original trilogy a blast to play.
It's no easy task, but Ever Oasis has managed to make me care as much about preserving my town as I do about saving the world. Despite the few odd design choices, there's a wonderful blend of adventure and town-building where every task you tackle finds multiple ways to reward you.
Valkyria Revolution tells a decent tale of war, but the strength of that story is dulled by overlong, boring, and poorly animated cutscenes. It sacrifices the unique historical setting and art style of the Valkyria Chronicles series proper in favor of generic JRPG elements that fail to leave a strong impression, and its hack-and-slash combat offers little in the way of strategy and ruins its own flow with an poorly matched magic system.
The Crimson Court pumps Darkest Dungeon full of disturbing blood-sucking enemies, a challenging new class, and a marathon-style new area that forces you to think differently about how to sustain your team over a long run. While there's definitely enough new content in The Crimson Court to come back to Darkest Dungeon for, it's more the kind of DLC that mixes things up for a new replay than an essential upgrade you should install from the beginning.
Despite the frustrations its upgrade system often caused me, I had a good time navigating Nex Machina's array of twin-stick shooter challenges. The appealing art, energetic soundtrack, and pixel-perfect gamepad controls made me own every failure and look forward to whatever might come next. Arena mode seems to be where most of the lifespan on this one will come from, and I look forward to seeing people who are better than me at it pull off some crazy runs to climb the rankings. Nex Machina is not for the faint of heart, but a recipe to delight those looking for an attractive, arcadey challenge to overcome.
Arms' clever take on boxing provides a simple premise with a startling amount of depth for those who would seek to master the stretching appendages. Its rapidly evolving lobby system had me sticking around for “just one more match.” There may not be a lot worth unlocking right now, but planned free updates may just give Arms some additional legs.
The Nintendo Switch version provides an authentic Minecraft experience that is hugely benefitted by the ability to play it anywhere with physical controls. The one drawback is the lack of voice chat, which makes online multiplayer less fun than on other platforms, so it's best enjoyed in the same room as your friends.
Minecraft is now available on Switch, and it combines the portability of Pocket with the comfort of a console.
Accessible yet tough and grimy yet gorgeous, Dirt 4 sets a new standard in rally racing – and its well-considered career mode and endless stages inject it with tremendous stamina. Absolutely stonking brilliant.
Morrowind feels like it begs you to come home, and what a welcome it has in store when you get there.