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Luftrausers is a nice little getaway from the story-focused games that populate the landscape nowadays. It's a great game that is both fun and challenging for those who appreciate simpler experiences. Those not interested in chasing high scores will still get some mileage out of the challenge and unlock system, but the game is really made for those who adore points. The short playtimes for each round ensure that you can sneak in a round or two between other things, but the addictive nature proves alluring enough that hours can fly by before you notice. For anyone who enjoys a fun, solid game, Luftrausers comes highly recommended.
Despite its brevity, SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt is an enjoyable title. The premise may initially seem too simple, but the constant feed of tools and power-ups, coupled with speedy platforming, prevent the player from becoming bored. The mix of exploration and combat is blended well to the point where new additions don't feel out of place, and the only lament is how there's not much else to the game once you've finished it.
Of the three released DLC packs so far, Chaos Rising is the worst of them. The whole campaign and a good chunk of the side missions are composed of fetch quests, and their tedium is highlighted by a mission where you do nothing but wait until a certain amount of time has passed before you can continue with the rest of the game. The boss fights are a nice touch, but with attack patterns reminiscent of some fights in the core game, the novelty quickly wears off. The weapons are nice, and the new vehicle is a blast to ride. As part of the Season Pass, this pack only reinforces one's buyer's remorse. As a stand-alone piece of DLC, Chaos Rising isn't worth the bother.
Unless you already own the HD remakes on the Xbox 360 or PS3, you should try Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition on PC. From the story to the gameplay, the title still resonates today and stands as one of the more harrowing entries in the series. The graphical improvements are welcome, and although they aren't overwhelmingly different, it's very nice to have a frame rate of 60fps. It really is the controls that make the new version worthwhile. Now that Resident Evil 4 has received a proper PC port, let's hope Capcom is willing to bring proper PC versions of the older games in the series.
For players who may never had heard of Shadowrun, Dragonfall is a firm introduction to what the world is all about. In many ways, it finally fulfills the promise of a real sequel. It won't brutalize players who are new to tactical gaming, and it won't stop veterans cold, but Dragonfall does an awesome job of translating Shadowrun's world into a digital battlefield fraught with shady choices.
InFamous: Second Son is good but unmemorable — essentially the diner food of video games. It's well made, enjoyable, safe, and it has a likeable cast of characters. However, it doesn't do anything beyond the expected, it lacks variety and reach, and there are a few problems, such as the lackluster morality system. In the end, it's a very beautiful but extremely textbook sequel.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is an excellent first taste of the gameplay we can expect in the upcoming Phantom Pain. It's well designed, well tuned, and a lot of fun to play, but the general game design and lack of content make it feel like an extended demo rather than a full game. Viewed from that perspective, the $30 price tag is really steep. Die-hard Metal Gear fans and those who've replayed the games over and over to achieve Big Boss rankings will probably get their money's worth. Everyone else would be better off waiting for an inevitable sale. There's just not enough here for the average player to get his $30 worth.
Fallen Angel is certainly the better of the two DLC packs so far, but that isn't saying much. Angel is certainly more interesting, even if they barely give her a backstory, and the story is more interesting once you see it as part of the bigger picture. The side missions make up for the rote main missions, and the additional weapons are nice. The main campaign is painfully short and doesn't give you much of a reason to spend $9.99. There are two more DLC episodes to go, so here's hoping they'll be more exciting.
The ideas behind the design of TitanFall aren't new to the genre, but the resulting combination works well. The pilot gameplay makes incredible use of a map's surfaces and elevations, the Titan gameplay trades vertical gameplay for heavy firepower, and the transition between the two is seamless. The sheer fun and unparalleled mobility that the game provides cannot be overstated. The Xbox One finally has a console-exclusive shooter, and TitanFall is such a damned good one that it's tough to go back and play others.
Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle is sort of just there. The story doesn't offer anything interesting to shed a different light on the main story. The gameplay remains unchanged, and the side missions — even ones that are meant to be revolting — don't feel challenging. It's also rather short, and the omission of co-op is baffling since the main game offers that option. However, the inclusion of new weapons and vehicles is nice, as is the ability to take experience from this DLC and apply it to the main game. As standalone DLC, it isn't worth the rather high cost of $9.99. If you haven't gotten the Season Pass yet for $29.99, it's best to hold off and see if the other DLC packs justify the cost, and you could consider this a bonus mission.
Despite some setbacks, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is a fun game. The map count may be low, but you absolutely have the urge to play just one more match, an aspect that's always important in multiplayer titles. Getting into servers is easy, and the servers are well populated no matter which mode you choose. The aesthetics are clean and very family friendly, and the promise of more maps and modes for free could take the sting out of the random nature of unlocking new character parts and variants. For those tired of the military themes used in shooters and those not quite sold on Titanfall just yet, Garden Warfare is a great alternative for multiplayer shooter fans.
Longtime fans might find the new take on Garrett hard to swallow. Thief's thin story doesn't explain much in the end when it tops things off, but I enjoyed the time spent in the City. I wouldn't mind revisiting for another go in Garrett's shoes, but I hope that by then, some of the training wheels will have been removed.
In the end, Doki-Doki Universe is a fun and unusual romp. It feels like a children's title that also appeals to older gamers thanks to the art style and strange method of conveying its morals to the audience. The game feels like it should only be played in short bursts, due to the monotony that sets in after long sessions of performing the same tasks over and over. The technical glitches on all platforms can be annoying, especially when you play on the presumably weaker hardware. While it isn't for everyone, Doki-Doki Universe is worth checking out if you want something different from the norm.
As long as your expectations are tempered, Halo: Spartan Assault is a serviceable game. It works as a top-down shooter, but you'll miss the enemy intelligence of the older games. The bite-sized missions can be good, but unfortunately, that means the whole game amazingly short. The presence of co-op is nice, but when you see how limited it is and how little online community engaged there is, the mode might as well be invisible. Most of all, the presence of microtransactions that are not only highly disposable but also pricey is hurtful when you consider that this is the most expensive version of the game. If you already have the game on a Windows 8 device, then it isn't a bad idea to get the Xbox One version if you're a fan or just want to share progress back and forth. Otherwise, wait for a sale or wait for another first-person Halo.
In the end, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a fine game for puzzle platforming fans. The length is just about right, the presentation is great, and the amount of hidden collectibles gives the title some considerable replayability. Though the freedom to construct your own solutions is sorely missed, the puzzles are well thought-out and certainly make up for the few puzzles that are ruined due to misbehaving camera angles and other issues. Fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy The Curse of Brotherhood.
Bravely Default: Where The Fairy Flies comes remarkably close to being one of the best JRPGs I've ever played. The combat system is exciting, difficult, and highly customizable. The early design is wonderful, and the level of freedom with the game's difficulty makes it easy for anyone to play. Unfortunately, the game design falls so heavily in the last chapters that it becomes a chore to finish. That's still 25 hours of great gameplay before 5-10 hours of tedium, but it's enough to drag down the experience. If you're a JRPG fan, you must play Bravely Default. It comes so close to greatness that it's possible to overlook its glaring flaws. Just be warned that it'll be a slog to get to the end.
While LocoCycle is far from the worst game of the Xbox One launch, it certainly isn't the best. The humor isn't very funny, and the game can feel like a drag, especially the boss fights. If you can stand the cheesy dialogue, the voice work is good and the music is excellent, but the rest of the presentation doesn't hold up. If taken in short bursts, the gameplay is fine, and the title is short in completion time and the time it takes to nab Achievements. It's difficult to recommend at the original $20 asking price, but at its current $10 price point, it might be worthwhile if you have nothing else to play on the shiny new console.
Knytt Underground is for gamers who value exploration over combat. It is for those who enjoy small bouts of platforming and platforming puzzles that don't involve too many switches. It isn't for those who enjoy profound messages or meaning in their games. Unless you need to take out your aggression on digital foes while conquering seemingly impossible platforming obstacles, I'd recommend Knytt Underground.
All in all, Deadfall Adventures doesn't have a lot of positives. I can appreciate that The Farm 51 made some effort to evolve this beyond a standard FPS experience with the exploration and puzzle-solving elements, but it feels like they spread themselves too thin concept-wise, and the entire game suffers for it. The best thing I can say about Deadfall Adventures is the environments look absolutely fantastic, despite not offering a great deal of variety. At the same time, the level of quality in the stages triggers your imagination in way that the game never fully manages to engage, and that makes the disappointing aspects of the gameplay stand out even more. I certainly can't recommend Deadfall Adventures; there are far better experiences available to PC gamers than this.
The Night of the Rabbit is certainly one of Daedelic's better games. The gameplay is faithful to the point-and-click adventure genre blueprint, but only with a few obtuse puzzles. The presentation isn't perfect, but it's rather beautiful and boasts some great visuals and set pieces. It's the story, though, that really carries the title by capturing the attention of the player with the film-like pacing and tonal shifts. For adventure game fans, this title is well worth your time.