IGN's Reviews
BattleTech provides exciting strategic decisions and a compelling story, plus the slow-paced and meticulous fun of building up and customizing a mercenary company but suffers from the frustrating unpredictability of its weapons and procedural missions, and losing a favorite mechwarrior to a random head hit feels like it somewhat undermines the choices I've made along the way. Those frustrating moments didn't ruin my many hours with BattleTech by any means, but they did mean I wasn't rushing back for more after I beat the campaign.
The War Machine is an uneven DLC with a great new multiplayer map and Zombies chapter but unfortunate issues elsewhere.
God of War's outstanding characters, world, and combat come together to form an unforgettable adventure.
Clumsy, superficial, and in many ways fundamentally broken, Crisis On the Planet of the Apes is an often infuriating VR game that plays like a bad arcade rail shooter from the early ‘90s. Far from reaching the artistic heights of the rebooted film series in whose world it takes place, it takes a silly, action-heavy approach to the material that doesn't respect your intelligence. It's perhaps the worst thing to happen to the Apes franchise since Mark Wahlberg saw the monkeyfied Lincoln Memorial.
Extinction is a sword-slinging, monster-decapitating action game that does a decent job of getting the blood pumping and reflexes twitching. The eye-catching, anime-inspired art will even give you some nice scenery to do it all in. It just never rises to be much more than that, and all the while it's inviting comparisons to other games that do. Extinction lands in that awkward position where, yeah, it's usually fun - but you're not really missing anything incredible by giving it a pass.
Far Cry 5 is another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus: loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions.
The strength of the MLB The Show series has always been its authentic gameplay, which traditionally does a fantastic job capturing the essence of baseball. The 2018 version of The Show continues that trend, creating the most realistic baseball game to date. However, the nuanced gameplay and visual changes don't quite make up for the lack of innovation – or removal – of MLB The Show's core modes.
Thanks to the freedom of its outstanding building mechanic, Fortnite Battle Royale isn't just a great battle royale game – it's one of the best multiplayer games in recent history.
If you go into A Way Out thinking its mandatory two-player co-op is a gimmick, you'll likely come out of it realizing that it couldn't have been done any other way. Vincent and Leo's journey will have you and a friend performing tasks together both mundane and dramatic, and the result is a memorable, variety-packed cinematic adventure that feels like what Telltale's games might've evolved into if they'd leaned into game mechanics instead of phasing them out.
Detective Pikachu offers a bold take on the iconic Pokemon, which succeeds thanks to Pika Prompts that build Pikachu beyond detective stereotypes. Even though I figured out cases far before their end, each one utilized the world of Pokemon to its fullest, and ultimately offered a unique Pokemon experience that I hope we see done again soon.
It's hard to find as fun and fresh a package as this one in the free-to-play MOBA genre. I think it'll pay to stick around, because I'm never quite sure what they'll cook up next.
Gravel is a game displaced. It's a competent and occasionally pretty pick-up-and-play arcade racing game at its core, but it has the whiff of a game released in the wrong era – a scent it just can't shake. A 2018 rendition of '90s ambition. Gravel certainly channels the spirit and straightforward simplicity of Milestone's own 1997 arcade off-roader Screamer Rally but it has no unique hook for today's audience; no over-the-top arcade pizazz that folks will still be discussing 10 or 15 years down the track. It's functional and fun enough in small bursts, but arcade racers have come a long way over the past two decades and Gravel doesn't bring any new ideas to the paddock.
Rogue felt like a throwback when it was originally released alongside the next-gen Assassin's Creed Unity. This same feeling accompanies this remastered version. After the significant advancements made to the series by last year's Origins, Rogue second outing feels equally dated and mistimed. Ironically for the series, Rogue Remastered proves that going back in time isn't always fun.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom distinguishes itself from its predecessor by layering fast-paced, real-time combat and an engaging kingdom building system atop more traditional RPG systems and quests. It's a shame it delivers so few truly memorable characters and restricts so much of its storytelling to text on screen, but by the end of Ni No Kuni 2 the broader themes certainly resonate and the 40+ hour journey has been well worth it.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 is a beautifully dark game, and I'm in love with its hard-hitting, meaty melee weapons. It's a gorgeous game with tons of fun play styles and customization options to uncover, even if most of the loot you earn for your efforts is a letdown. But thankfully you don't need to pay much attention to it to simply enjoy the hack-n-slash, Left 4 Dead-inspired co-op fun of bashing hordes of rats and zombies to a pulp.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life presents the most detailed virtual chunk of Japan the series has managed to date, and its story provides a satisfying end to the Kizama Kiryu saga. However, as far as gameplay goes, Yakuza 6 doesn't make enough of an effort to break new ground, making it weaker overall than last year's Yakuza Zero.
Attack on Titan 2 has a lot of great things going for it: Exciting aerial battles that are true to the anime and manga, several quality-of-life improvements over the original game, and both competitive and cooperative online game modes.
The name Kirby Star Allies isn't just for show. Whether you're adventuring through Dream Land with up to three friends or playing with competent AI teammates, Kirby's ever-rotating group of uniquely powered pals are the real stars of the show here. The creative ways you can combine abilities never gets old, which means there's great potential for replayability especially with friends. I just wish the final boss battle hadn't come just as the puzzles were starting to give me a challenge.
The Curse of the Pharaohs is a big step outside of what we're used to seeing from Assassin's Creed Origins, and it pulls its whimsically mystical journey off well. Combat continues to be fun and challenging, and this time your biggest foes are fleshed out and varied enough to turn what could've easily been a monotonous series of fights into a highlight. Along with the side activities of hunting down stolen relics and exploring desecrated tombs, this surreal DLC goes above and beyond expectations.
H1Z1 checks all of the boxes needed to be a competent battle royale game, but in its main mode it lacks a distinctive sense of character. Without the realistic depth and modular weaponry of PUBG or the wacky base-building antics of Fortnite, its streamlined design rushes toward straightforward, fast-paced action instead and ends up being dull as often as it is exciting. The more interesting thing about H1Z1 is its innovative Auto Royale mode, which translates battle royale mechanics to vehicular combat in a way we haven't seen done better elsewhere.