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There's actually not that much more to the game; as I mentioned, it's really quite simple in execution. But it is tightly balanced, elegant, and nearly perfect in execution. I would rather have this on iPad, 3DS or Vita, as I do believe it's the perfect way to get through a real train trip, but regardless, it is a brilliant example of minimalist design.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is an interesting title, because its intuitive combat is an easy way for newcomers to experience the game. At the same time, it has a story and history that really is geared towards those who are already familiar with the series and the prior video game entry. Those two items are somewhat at odds with one another, but if you can get past that and the middling story, I found the actual characters and humour engaging.
Game of Thrones: Episode Six - The Ice Dragon is a fitting end to the first season, but is anything but a proper conclusion. The decisions are hard, the consequences are gut-wrenching and the stakes are incredibly high. So now you get to sit back and look forward to the next season, knowing that you've been suckered right into committing to it before it has even been announced.
Anno 2205 is a stellar city-building experience that rewards and demands precision in planning. It makes the compromises that real city management requires central to its mechanics, and the strong environmental theme helps to make it contextually relevant today.
Kromaia Omega's technical shortcomings are kinks that can be ironed out. That I'm lavishing a game that physically ails me with so much praise is a testament to its glorious, grand vision. If other companies are bold enough to follow in Kraken Empire's footsteps with similarly intricate shooters, this game could be the launch pad for a whole new subgenre and that's exciting stuff indeed.
Poncho is that kind of indie game you have saved as an .exe file somewhere in the depths of your computer. It's something you stumble upon and unravel at your leisure, but you keep finding out that it gets deeper as you go. It manages to be a puzzle platformer which transcends figuring out patterns and jumping on things, and while the basics need polish it's definitely a title which deserves your attention.
Stella Glow is influenced by traditional tactics games through and through, but Imageepoch's distinctive contributions to the genre and glossy finish prove that it's stellar on its own terms. It's as if the company wrapped up its love for the industry in its masterwork and issued an open challenge to top it.
The story serves as more of a backdrop, never really becoming a focal point in your actions, but the overall combat and sense of exploration provide exactly what fans of the dungeon crawling genre look for. With mod and map editing support, there are options to expand upon the base game, which is always nice to see for those looking for more beyond the core game. The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians offers up familiarity while still managing to work in some new wrinkles for the genre and is a welcome addition to the genre, despite some of its other shortcomings.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III tries to do several things, and does so with differing degrees of success. It all boils down to what you look for in the series. I put most of my eggs in the multiplayer basket and it delivers, but your mileage may vary.
Rise of the Tomb Raider represented a great opportunity for the Xbox One to get a meaningful AAA exclusive that was not a first-person shooter or racing game. The action is fluid and the open world begs the player to experiment and explore. It's a sure fire sign that the people behind this new direction for Lara Croft really do know what they are doing, and the franchise is in good hands moving forwards.
Darksiders 2 for the PlayStation 4 is a great re-release of the second entry into the series, but that's only because the core game is so good. Technical issues that really should have been resolved by now, and a weak concluding act inhibit it, but nonetheless there are few games that have been so effective in aping the Zelda formula than this one.
Fallout 4 still has its issues, especially around glitches. Bethesda will probably never learn there (and, given sales and hype behind the game, Bethesda knows it doesn't actually need to learn). However, the game itself works by building a closer connection between player and narrative, and a settlement system that gives players a genuine excuse simply to live within a world.
A point and click adventure game, Masochisia is played from a first-person perspective. But unlike games of similar ilk, you can only move sideways and your interactive options are severely limited, making Masochisia an extremely linear game. The narrative of Masochisia is terribly fascinating. It tackles issues that are definitely not for minors, and the heavy use of graphic and unsettling imagery are not for the easily offended. In fact, there's very little about this game that makes it recommendable, seeing it is easily one of the most upsetting and visually distressing video games in existence. Most of the horror in other games comes from specially-created monsters and storylines that are unique to that environment. Here in Masochisia the catalyst to nightmares boils to these five words: "based on a true story".
What Need for Speed has done spectacularly is put the focus on the car. In every opportunity possible the game showcases these machines, almost fetishising them. And that's great, but in achieving this, Need for Speed has left behind what makes players stay for these games. Not matter how great my car is, if I'm not driving down interesting streets, or being able to compete in diverse challenges, then slowly the thrill of the car will fade.
While Episode 2: Assembly Required does build on some of the building blocks (ha) from the first episode, it is mostly a step down in terms of quality as well as quantity. I worry that the speed at which the episode was pushed out resulted in some graphical glitches that are not what you expect from a Telltale Games title. It was a solid effort, but mostly just a waste of time.
Last year, Divinity: Original Sin was one of my favourite video games when it released. The new Enhanced Edition reminds me why, but it it not content to simply sit back on prior success. Meaningful changes were made in thousands of large and subtle ways, and the result is one of the best RPG experiences that can be found on either PC or console.
WWE 2K16 is a return to form for the series, and it is great to see that the development team has managed to right the ship. With such a huge roster and numerous, deep gameplay options, there is easily enough content in here to hold over wrestling fans this year. The actual action in the ring is much improved, but there are some edges that could be smoothed out in next year's iteration.
Tales From The Borderlands: Episode 5 is a fitting end to this series. The storytelling did change slightly over the span of five chapters, but it continually took forward steps. Telltale Games has outdone itself with this series, delivering their most consistent effort from one chapter to the next. The end result is the best overall series to date.
Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations is eventually a Sherlock Holmes game with an Adventure Time skin and dialect (Algabraic!"), but that is quite okay by me. The finnicky issues that arose did little to take away from how whimsical the game is. The story? Great. The graphics? Great? The sound? Mathematical!
Just Dance 2016 is by no means a poor game and the game delivers on everything it promises to. It has however reached the point that the Guitar Hero had several years ago, with regular releases and spin-off releases that oversaturated the market. Fans of the series looking for new songs to dance to will no doubt enjoy what is still a technically solid and fun game, but with so little new to offer other than modes that basically dress up the same core content in new modes, I worry that fan reception may begin to dry up. However, if you have been looking for a reason to use your Kinect and move around the living room to some new songs, this is a perfect reason to do so.