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Like many of the games in the same league, it's hard to recommend 1001 Spikes to those who aren't patient enough to learn its deadly and intricate ways, or to those who are prone to smashing their controller through their TV screen in frustration. But to those who live off buzz words like "rage-inducing" and "old-school hard", look no further.
But in a way Valiant Hearts is a challenge to everyone in the industry; it's a challenge to the publishers churning out the same old "war games," and it's a challenge to all the players that continue to buy into these games without really thinking about what they are playing. War isn't fun, and it has a real impact on the people that are involved in it. It's games like this one that, critically, remind us that there is a human side to war.
It's games like this that keep me interested in gaming; creative developers working on creative concepts and telling simple, effective stories in a manner that is only possible through an interactive medium.
So, Distant Worlds: Universe is a corker. But make no mistake: while it's not as forbidding as some Grand Strategy games, patience and a degree of head-scratching will be required. But it's worth the effort. It's enormous, complex and – above all – fun. Despite a high price-tag and a few minor problems, it's a strong candidate for Strategy Game of the Year. Just don't tell Matt.
Marvel Heroes 2015 has made notable improvements over the last year. It is free-to-play, so if an action oriented MMO appeals to you, it should be worth your time to check this title out. If you, like me, tried Marvel Heroes out a year ago but were somewhat disappointed, it is worth coming back and giving this updated version a go as well. Just like Final Fantasy XIV found new life through listening to its fans, Marvel Heroes 2015 has done the same.
The character depth and story detail might feel somewhat lacking compared to newer JRPG titles, but there is an expansive world here that begs for exploration as you grow your characters for future challenges. The overall package is an easy one to recommend.
Overall Anomaly Defenders is a solid tower defence experience that really does raise the bar for the tower defence genre. It might still be the simplest example of strategy gaming out there, but at least this one has merit for long term play.
All in all, Worms Battlegrounds is a solid if unspectacular addition to the series that knows its strengths and generally plays to them effectively. There is an occasional awkwardness to movement that can make the single player story a bit of chore at times, but it does a nice job teaching the basics and serving as an almost extended tutorial for the good stuff - multiplayer mayhem. Mileage may vary since having friends to play with locally is where one gets the most out of the Worms Battlegrounds experience.
It's still a great looking game, and the core narrative is a fun, if underdone and derivative one. It's simply disappointing that this game had a reasonably large budget, and in the process it lost some of its identity and seems to be shoehorned into some very unnecessary and destructive mechanics. This game would have been far better off being made for a fraction of the budget by a small team willing to take real risks.
Mario Kart 8 is another decent, if unspectacular effort from Nintendo. The series needs better balancing if skill is to ever become a factor again and the single player mode may be a total slog, but Mario Kart is still a hit where it always mattered: with friends.
After a while these more awkward moments fall into the background, and Devolver Digital's broader vision and tale of humanity is one that truly works. This is a game that will make you care about what's going on, and I've got high hopes that this team will continue to refine this style with future games.
Sparkle 2 may certainly be a game that has been played a hundred times before, but as it is on the PlayStation 4, it is truly a treat. The pick up and play aspect shines and the difficulty curve is spot on. It does get repetitive though, so short bursts are recommended. And I just can't get over how disappointing the lack of multiplayer is.
The Game Bakers, the developer of Squids Odyssey, has created a game that largely misses everything that makes the RPG genre great. As such, it quickly becomes tedious, and while I do think it would work as a free iOS game as a time waster, it doesn't work as a sit down experience on a home console.
There's a lot to this game and I cannot recommend it to anyone new to the genre as tutorial does almost nothing to help you learn the game. For hardcore RTS fans out there, I suspect that this game will be right up your ally. It's a fun game and there is a lot of content to it, and it offers some features unusual to the genre, but if you played the original there may not be much for you here. The game supports Steam Workshop, though, and the developer, Digitalmindsoft has guaranteed that it will release free game updates including new features, so hopefully this resolves that critical problem over time.
In a day and age when Internet and personal privacy appear to be very liquid ideas, Watch Dogs resonates with just a little more impact as you guide Aiden on his quest for revenge. The overall package is a good one, with a lot of care and features that make Watch Dogs feel like a more sophisticated Grand Theft Auto. It is not quite the revolutionary title people were hoping for, but Watch Dogs is still an excellent game in its own right.
Machine Games has taken an aged franchise and brought it into the current world of gaming, yet they've done so without compromising the core tenets that are at the heart of Wolfenstein's identity. As competent as it is a shooter, The New Order elevates itself from your standard run-and-gun action game by crafting a world that is actually worth caring about, and it's done so with a level of confidence that is worthy of commendation.
There's a certain master stroke of genius to Transistor. It's in the way that the city is elaborately dappled to life with dark colours at the onset, yet fades away into a white emptiness. It's an almost Shakespearean-styled tragedy that slowly conjures up catharsis out of the hearts and emotions of its players, and collides with an intertwining of Ayn Rand's ideas around objectivism. Many call Supergiant Games a video game developer, but not me. I call it an artist and Transistor is its work of art. It starts with a oil painting still, filled with beauty, intrigue and mystery. What would happen if you could step inside?
And that is maybe the one issue that stands out the most with Tesla Effect; it's a game that is very clearly made for the fans, mainly those who have played the previous games. The puzzles, the writing, the acting, and the humor is all ripped straight from the 90's, and if you're fixated on modern gaming sensibilities, you probably won't last ten minutes in Tex's world. But for those who have been waiting for the return of the world's greatest PI, look no further. Tesla Effect is a love letter to a genre that is all but gone.
BattleBlock Theater feels like it was designed for the child that still lives inside me. It's juvenile, colourful, and silly. But more importantly, it achieves everything it set out to do, with a near masterful level of execution. The addictive multiplayer and excellent level creation tools are just the icing on the cake.
Stick it to the Man! is a game anyone can enjoy. With an accessible framework and fantastic writing throughout the whole experience, it is certainly a unique title that most people should not miss. The Wii U version of Stick it to the Man! comes highly recommended over all other versions due to the added GamePad mechanics that make the game feel like a definitive version.