USgamer's Reviews
Despite an uneven final episode, the bond between Chloe and Rachel cements the surprising prequel, sometimes even soaring above the heights of the original game. It still has all the faults of Life Is Strange as a series, but its domestic focus helps it resonate even greater than its successor. If Rachel Amber is the Laura Palmer of Life Is Strange, then Before the Storm is her much-deserved Fire Walk With Me.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 applies an energetic signature and wax seal to a wonderful year for the Nintendo Switch, and for JRPGs in general. Between the amount of time it takes to get used to the game and getting through everything it has to offer, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a worthy investment for series fans and newcomers.
At the end of the day, you're buying both of these for the same reason that everyone is buying Switch ports: the ability to play the games at home or on the go. For that, Revelations 1 and 2 are both decent ports.
Battle Chef Brigade is a hard game to explain, coming across as a gumbo-style mix of Match 3 puzzle gaming, action combat, and anime storytelling. Surprisingly, everything comes together to make a fun and unique title, where players will hunt monsters and cook fabulous meals for judges in grand stadiums. The game falters in areas outside of its core gameplay, but that core is pretty deep and satisfying.
If you liked L.A. Noire before and want to revisit the series, this is a fine way to do it.
When I ask myself what I'm willing give up to play this on a portable, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim on Nintendo Switch allows me to answer "I don't have to give up much of anything."
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 feels like the solid end of TT Games' exploration of the Marvel Universe. There's more characters here and this mashup of worlds provides a good deal of variety. There are problems: the X-Men and Fantastic Four don't return from the first game, the voice cast drains characters of some of their charm, and with this many characters, things can get a little confusing. The Lego game formula might need a rebuild in the future, but Lego Marvel 2 is good victory lap for the series.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer games of 2017, especially if you like Star Wars. It's also more flawed than it should be. Battlefront 2 doesn't deserve to be wholly defined by loot boxes, but it's inescapable given the impact they have on some of the core modes. This is why you don't tie gameplay to microtransactions.
Need for Speed returns with another flawed entry. There's the core of a great racing game here and when you're just driving around the open world, it's wonderful. The progression system encourages grinding and the basic story is delivered with B-movie seriousness, taking away from the racing pleasure. There's a better game inside of Payback, but you have to go through everything else to get to it.
The Frozen Wilds stands next to the base game, it doesn't surpass it. If that sounds like something you want, I'd recommend it. If not, this won't make the game any better for you. For me, I enjoy Horizon: Zero Dawn, so a little bit more is right up my alley.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus builds on the first game, making for another superb linear first-person shooter campaign. It's an empowering journey that BJ goes on—rising from his near death experience from The New Order to be stronger than ever, befriending others who are just as tough and ready to take back what the Nazis stole from them: their country.
Super Mario Odyssey honors much of what makes other 3D Mario games great, plus it adds plenty of its own flavor to the Mario stew thanks to its capture mechanic. Mario Odyssey can keep you busy for hours and hours if you want it to, and you probably will. Outside of a few instances where the camera took on a mind of its own, I can't think of a moment when I wasn't enjoying myself while journeying with Mario and Cappy.
Assassin's Creed returns with an entry that moves the series forward, but also goes back to the beginning of the Brotherhood. This new entry is a bit more of an action RPG, telling the story of how Bayek of Siwa becomes the first Assassin alongside a number of intriguing side quests. Combat is overhauled, but it's still a bit muddy when fighting multiple enemies. What absolutely does work is the world itself; Egypt is beautiful and the diversity in the environments is impressive. I'm unsure if Assassin's Creed Origins will convert anyone who isn't already a fan of the series, but it does what it does well enough to join the top of the franchise.
Many aspects of this new-generation Gran Turismo are fantastic. It looks absolutely stunning, sounds great, drives superbly, and delivers an excellent online racing experience. However, GT Sport is a little lacking when it comes to its content. Its car roster packs some very desirable motors, but feels somewhat padded out with single-model variants, and the track selection is decent, but not outstanding. Most disappointing, though, is that this game has largely replaced the series' traditionally comprehensive PvE racing campaign with a set of tests and lessons designed to teach you how to race. It certainly does that effectively, but it does mean that those who've always enjoyed Gran Turismo's single-player component are left distinctly wanting. The game's always-online requirement may also be a problem for some. Ultimately, GT Sport is a truly brilliant driving game—it's just that it lacks the scope, scale, and depth of previous iterations of the series.
Like Stick of Truth before it, South Park: The Fractured but Whole plays like an episode of the show. One of the good episodes, mind you, that's more about the kids interacting with each other than politics. Though it drags at times, The Fractured but Whole carries a sweet, twisted charm that makes it hard to resist if you're similarly twisted. It's still not recommended for anyone who never found the show funny to begin with, though.
From what I've played so far though, The Evil Within 2 is everything I wanted from the first game. Every major complaint I had about the first game is at least addressed in some manner, though the tweaks aren't always perfect. It's a unique psychological horror title with Resident Evil 4's action combat.
Shadow of War is much bigger than its predecessor, offering more orcs, more gear, more to conquer, and your very own orc army. It's a massive game with so much to do that it can feel like a bit of a grind later in the game. Likewise, the loot box mechanic interfaces with army upkeep in a way that feels less than satisfying. Shadow of War is still a great game, but there's a linger corruption that keeps it from perfection.
Forza Motorsport 7 is another great racing game from Turn 10 Studios. More than 700 vehicles across 30 divisions can race on 32 different tracks. Dynamic weather has improved and overall Forza Motorsport 7 is still a stunner. Turn 10 muddies the progression this time around with loot box-style Prize Creates, but they don't completely kneecap the rest of the amazing experience.
Heat Signature looks like Hotline Miami to the untrained eye, but this is a game that rewards planning more than violence at a breakneck pace. Sneak your way onto procedural-generated ships and use a wide variety of gear to maim, steal, swap, teleport, decrypt, and simply break your targets. Heat Signature provides some amazing watercooler moments, but eventually players will hit a pretty high difficulty wall and the game punishes failure hard. Until then, there's a unique stealth action title to be found here.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is simply the pinnacle of the CRPG genre. It offers a campaign with memorable characters, interesting role-playing options, and excellent systemic combat. The environments are beautiful and the soundtrack is solid. That alone would put it at the top of the heap, but then Larian added offline and online coop, a PVP arena mode, and Game Master mode, the greatest throwback to the Dungeons & Dragons pen-and-paper games that underpin the entire genre. I might have small issues here and there, but Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best in a strong year for gaming.