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Transistor is an early contender for one of the most engaging games of the year. It isn't Bastion 2, since it's more of a straight RPG than an action game, and the tone, characters and setting are quite different. It manages to craft an engaging and exciting RPG experience mixed with a simple but curiously enticing story, and its biggest sin is being over too soon. It won't necessarily appeal to all of Bastion's fans, but Transistor shows that Supergiant Games isn't just a one-hit wonder and is capable of crafting an entirely different kind of game experience that is still exciting and delightful.
All in all, I find myself very happy with what Trials Fusion has to offer, and I think this is a fantastic first entry for the new generation of console hardware. It's a great-looking game with active background and foreground elements, fantastic track designs, an interesting future aesthetic, and some strangely appealing narrative pieces provided by the quirky AI announcer. While the general Trials mechanics are largely unchanged, outside of the misstep represented by the tricks system, I've never seen much need for improvement in the series' basic controls and physics. RedLynx certainly hasn't lost any of the ideas that make the Trials series so much fun to play and has escalated the track design in a way that makes this game feel fresh and new, despite being the 13th entry in a decade-old series.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors is a solid 3D platformer. If you can forgive the somewhat weightless feel of Koru, the platforming is exciting to watch, and the combat is smooth enough for what they're trying to accomplish. The balance between fighting, platforming, and puzzles is just right, and the progression toward new powers and abilities is paced well during the eight-hour adventure. The adventure looks and sounds beautiful, and it's just long enough to not overstay its welcome. For younger platforming fans, this is a very solid title on a platform that doesn't have too many 3-D platformers nowadays. The Last Tinker is definitely worth checking out.
Monochroma has the heart of a good dramatic game, but it has neither the soul nor mechanics of one. The presentation and premise are very good, but the lack of payoff hurts. The gameplay seems solid, but there are enough flaws to make it feel like it was put together without much care. The good news is that the developer has been trying to patch the game often, so there is hope that it can ultimately be good, but for now, you have to put up with a lot to enjoy it.
Scram Kitty and His Buddy on Rails is one of the more difficult games on the Wii U system so far. The level designs are devious, and the many restrictions on your spacecraft only increase the challenge. The difficulty curve is rather steep early on, especially given some of the requirements for rescuing cats and the high barriers of entry for each level. Despite this, the basic mechanics are quirky enough to get your attention, and the simplicity is enough to pull you in and tempt you with one more go. Those who frustrate easily should avoid this title unless they really want to risk damaging their GamePads, but for those who love a good challenge, this title is worth checking out.
The Intercept DLC pack may feel like something that should have launched with the base game, but it's a welcome addition. The forces are tough, and you can get all four classes to fairly equal ground. The only precautionary action one may need to take is to ensure that their friends also have this DLC, since the community is waning, but as long as you can get a crew of four together, you'll have fun with the Intercept DLC pack.
From top to bottom, Daylight falls short of being a good horror game. The gameplay is bare bones, and the attempts at scaring you fall into so many clichés that they're boring. It also becomes downright laughable once you discover how you can safely avoid combat with the main villain in a ridiculous manner. The story makes no sense, and it doesn't get any better after multiple playthroughs. Only the presentation can be called decent, and even that is questionable at times. Even if one were to consider this just for the sake of bechmarking their system against Unreal Engine 4, this is a very difficult title to recommend to anyone, horror fan or otherwise.
I really enjoyed my time with Tropico 5. As a total package, it's a great starting point for new players. Gameplay mechanics like diplomacy have been simplified, so it's pretty easy to understand for newcomers. It'll help to have some working knowledge of similar sim titles, but even without that background, the campaign does a great job of easing you into the basic functions of city-building. The simplification isn't always in the best interest of the game, as I found when attempting to stave off exports of much-needed resources. While trade routes are a great addition, not being able to have direct control over which goods I export and import was often problematic. Issues like this are few and far between with Tropico 5, making it an overall positive and very fun experience.
The Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha DLC is a nice addition to a very solid core game. The arcade style gameplay is loads of fun, especially with friends, and the levels lend themselves well to replayability, even if you're just grinding for costume requirements. Nostalgic gamers will enjoy the references to Capcom's history, especially since it ranges from obvious to obscure, and the new presentation makes everything feel fresh. It isn't enough to make you forget about the four disappointing DLC packs that were previously released, but it's enough to get you excited about the series again.
To put it succinctly, Shovel Knight is great. It pulls off the trick of looking and sounding like a classic game (with a few embellishments here and there) and playing like a mash-up of the best game mechanics of the time. It embraces the old-school mentality wholeheartedly but leaves some room to pick up some modern trappings for wider accessibility. Even though it sports the perfect length for a title in this genre, the large number of extras makes it a title with more than enough staying power for all gamers. Unless you absolutely must have your games made of polygons or completely hate the indie movement, you need to have Shovel Knight in your video game library.
As a whole, Munin is fun. The gimmick of world manipulation is done well, and each level uses the mechanic to its full potential with some clever puzzles. The game length is nice, since it gives players plenty of levels to solve, and the different themes ensure that it's never long before a new mechanic is introduced to test the players. The presentation could be a little better, especially since it squanders the interesting setup it has, and like most games of this ilk, some of the puzzles can be maddeningly difficult, potentially scaring away casual puzzle fans. If you don't mind a high level of challenge, Munin is an enjoyable game.
Gods Will Be Watching is a divisive game. The bleak story and equally dark scenarios are interesting, even if they seem to go one for far too long. The sense of adventure is overwhelmed by the blatantly apparent resource mechanics and lack of character development for everyone, except for Jack and Burden. The random nature of the game mixed in with the lack of checkpoints and high probability of failure due to forces outside of your control would be more frustrating if it weren't for the game's (newly added) multiple difficulty levels. The lack of control over events can lead many to give up on the title far too quickly. The premise is solid, but the game relies too much on chance and trial and error, so it's hard to recommend this title to anyone but masochists and those who are hell-bent on experiencing the story — no matter what.
Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is easily one of the best buys you can make as an RPG fan on the Vita. It's a well-designed, deep and fun game that is brimming with content. The new content is an improvement over the original PS3 version. The storyline is a tad silly and simplistic, but it doesn't get in the way of the boatloads of gameplay. Die-hards may spend hundreds of hours perfecting their characters, but even casual players who just want to experience the story will get their money's worth from Disgaea 4.
In the end, So Many Me is a puzzle platformer that works on so many levels. It has a charming cast of characters that are bolstered by a beautiful presentation and some funny dialogue. The range of puzzles rides a fine balance between elementary and impossible, and the wide variety of goals ensures that players of all skill levels can complete this title. As long as you accept the fact that failure will come often, you'll enjoy this great puzzle platformer.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition isn't going to redefine your Diablo experience. It's bigger, shinier and has some nice new content, but in the end, it's the same game. It's a fun mix of killing monsters and collecting loot that has stood the test of time, despite some initial missteps. Ultimate Evil Edition is a strong contender for the best version of the game, with any losses from the PC version bolstered by the console-exclusive features and the enjoyable gamepad-based control scheme. Those who have already played the PS3 version might want to wait for a price drop, but PS4 newcomers will find Diablo III to be well worth the wait.
EA Sports UFC is like EA Sports MMA in that they represent good starts to a franchise but need lots of work in their current state. If you can get past the new submission system, the overall fighting is very solid and satisfying once you learn all of the nuances. Online matches perform well for the most part, and the presentation is great despite a few issues here and there. Career mode can drag on at times, and the character creation system could benefit from some improvements. More importantly, the lack of modes when compared to older titles hurts the game, especially if you prefer to have a few offline solo modes to accompany the online fighting. UFC fans who live and breathe online or local multiplayer will easily have a ton of fun with this game, but those who'd rather play solo are best served by renting the title first or picking it up if it gets cheaper later on.
Velocity 2X is a solid and well-made blend of shoot-'em-up and platforming action. It doesn't quite touch the best of either genre, but the mix of the two styles and the teleport-themed puzzles help give the title its own identity. The improvements over the original Velocity are noticeable, and the game is fun to play. It keeps up a fast pace, although it gets somewhat repetitive toward the end. A few nagging flaws and problems hold it back, but they're nothing more than slight blemishes on a very enjoyable game.
Taken as a whole, Concursion is an interesting and fun title. The mixing of mechanics and genres provides some nice and varied gameplay to stand out in a positive way from the rest of the crowd. When the title throws the various genres and mechanics at you at an accelerated pace, it can be a fun romp. You just have to contend with the fact that the game looks bad when compared to more recent releases. The mechanics, while serviceable, could use some tweaking and improvement. Unless you're an absolute stickler for these sorts of things, Concursion is worth checking out if you're up for a title that dares to play against the platforming norm.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is pretty much the best Dynasty Warriors game on the market. It has flaws and weaknesses, but it makes up for it in polish and amount of content. With over 100 distinct and interesting characters, multiple game modes, and a surprisingly fun story mode, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate has enough to keep players busy for ages. It's not going to win over anyone who's sick of the Warriors formula, but it should be more than enough to keep fans happy. The biggest flaw it has is that it doesn't take advantage of the PlayStation 4's increased power, although it still is a step up from the other versions of the game. If you're a Dynasty Warriors fan or looking to get in the franchise, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is the best choice.
It speaks volumes about the core mechanics when Dance Central Spotlight can still be considered a good game despite its issues. The demand for some accuracy in your moves makes it a challenge that can be brought into a party environment without alienating players of any skill type. While the new model gives you fewer tracks up front, it allows for deeper soundtrack customization, and it does so in a way that's cheaper than it was on the Xbox 360. However, the grinding needed to unlock some of the more interesting routines can get tiresome, especially for veterans of the series, and the crashes in the multiplayer portion are unacceptable when you consider how easy they are to trigger. If that portion is fixed, then feel free to add a full point to the score, but for solo players who don't mind performing the same songs multiple times to unlock the exciting content for parties, Dance Central Spotlight is a fairly solid purchase for $10.