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Plain and simple, Black Ops III's Awakening delivers and is worth your 15 bucks if you're looking for some fresh maps with solid architecture and an additional Zombies offering for you twisted freaks that love the heart-pounding scary stuff. Dive in with full force and you won't regret it.
If you enjoyed the original Dying Light, The Following keeps its base gameplay but adds a fresh perspective with the wide-open rural setting, mysterious story, and the dune buggy. There's plenty to see and do here, though you'll have to look off the beaten path to find the most interesting bits. If I had some good fun as a dyed-in-the-wool zombie game naysayer, I'm sure you z-fans will appreciate it quite a bit. Techland definitely put in a ton of time and effort to give the popular Dying Light the kind of expansion it deserves.
If you're a huge Marvel fan or a huge Lego fan – and especially if you're both – it's a no-brainer: get this game. You're going to love everything about it. I tend to fall on the casual side of the spectrum in my Marvel and Lego fandom, but I am a fan of great games. I'd say that for people like me, this is a really good game, but it's not as great as I hoped it'd be. I was absolutely delighted by the trademark TT Games humor and playfulness, and I absolutely intend to spend many hours in the game's free mode playing with my favorite superheroes and looking for Stan Lee in every single stage (he makes several priceless cameos). Several obtuse, tedious, or otherwise frustrating objectives and some level flow issues keep me from giving this an unreserved recommendation, but like the movies on which it's based, Lego Marvel's Avengers is a wild ride that many will come to cherish and want to revisit again and again.
Thankfully, one hallmark of Square Enix games remains praiseworthy here, and that is the music. Apart from the battle victory fanfare, the score is completely original, though everything immediately fits into the Final Fantasy musical compendium. Heavy on synthesized strings and woodwind instruments, it mixes beautifully with the environments and distress of each situation. Voices are limited to grunts and sighs, but at least the sound effects are as varied as the abilities and weapon strikes they are paired with. Monster Hunter is a unique action-RPG series that has benefited by not having many comparable games encroach on its turf. Final Fantasy Explorers is a blatant attempt to seize some of that territory by tapping into the extensive lore of its franchise. It certainly succeeds in providing a forum for building personalized heroes to show off in cooperative missions, and has enough content to supply hundreds of hours to those interested. It doesn't, however, have the strategic girth, the environmental depth and detail, nor the quirky and engaging story and characters that Capcom has perfected with its series.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam has personality. There's a little bit of extraneous filler here, in the form of papercraft battles and optional amiibo cards, but people who chose to focus on the delightful story, fantastic battle system, and assortment of mini-games will be more than happy to join Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario on their adventure.
All in all, Resident Evil Zero doesn't even come close to being called a remastered version because it offers nothing but minor visual upgrades. Resident Evil nostalgia nerds will go nuts for this one but the average gamer will most certainly have a difficult time forking over the cash for a meager GameCube port. Needless to say, Capcom dropped the ball on this one. The attempted resurrection of an old favorite should have at least included a few extra features to justify a third release. Unless you really want to live in Resident Evil's past, you'd be wise to avoid this one like it's a zombie infected with the t-virus.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is the ultimate game about exploring and conquering a hostile alien planet. Its design hitches, though occasionally annoying, simply cannot take away from the triumph that is the planet Mira and its fantastic creatures. There are literally hundreds of hours of potential gameplay here, but even if you don't tackle everything, getting to know Mira is exciting, full of breathtaking surprises, and downright fun. If you find the patience to get over its learning curve, Xenoblade Chronicles X will reward that patience with a wealth of memorable experiences.
When things fall into place, and you do find yourself lost in the moment, Siege will frighten you and challenge you. Stakes and tensions run high whether playing solo or in a group, but the game truly shines when you're working with a coherent team, so pick this game up and find one. When you're on a squad with tactical, patient teammates, Rainbow Six Siege offers a multiplayer experience unlike anything you've played - the kind of experience that you think and dream about long after you've put the controller down.
When all is said and done, the overall direction of Just Cause 3 is certainly a positive one. Avalanche Studios set out to build an enjoyable title that gamers can truly experiment with. I have to admit, I sunk more of my time into jumping out of airplanes and blowing stuff up than I did with the actual missions. Rico's character perfectly complements that fun and creative atmosphere as he feels like an action hero that breezes through the Mediterranean with an arsenal of weapons and a bulletproof chin. The game does have its glaring flaws in the atrocious shooting mechanics, repetitive main missions, and turtle-like loading screens. However, the title definitely shines where it needs to, and Just Cause 3 might very well be the most underrated title of 2015 - this is one wild, testosterone-infused adventure you'll want to check out for yourself.
Think of Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon as a title where the endgame is the reward for enduring a plot where the dialogue is repetitive and lackluster, characters take way too long walking you through every little thing, and you have to spend about 20 hours earning your right to do whatever you want. Once you do get over that hurdle, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon can be one of the best entries in this series, but you really have to earn your freedom.
If you're looking for a casual tennis game to play with friends, Wii Sports Club Tennis is still where it's at. You can grab it for your Wii U on the eShop for under $15. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will do ya if you're big on using buttons instead of swinging Wii Remotes or if you absolutely must perform fancy shots. Just know that this is a full-priced game that says, "Here, play some tennis," and not much else.
So what's the verdict? Is Wild Run good enough to bring back estranged early-adopters and entice a new audience? It's all up to you guys. Wild Run isn't lipstick on a pig, it's a frog become a prince. It's proof that for almost a year now Ivory Tower and Ubisoft have been listening to fans and incorporating their feedback into an expansion that finally gives The Crew an identity of its own. Without your own crew, though, the streets of America feel barren and lifeless. If you're willing to make the effort to reach out to a group of like-minded players with whom you can travel and compete, I can recommend The Crew: Wild Run without hesitation.
[T]he force is weak with Star Wars: Battlefront.
Although the series is beginning to feel dated and will likely need to be revamped for its next release, StarCraft II does well in catering to its niche audience while accommodating newcomers in a way that allows everyone a gaming experience that, overall, is very enjoyable.
The open-world/sandbox RPG genre that Bethesda helped create has moved on and done some amazing things. It's even spread into and influenced other genres like action-adventure and MMORPG-shooter. My hype to see how Bethesda would interpret all these innovations and incorporate them into the Fallout setting turned to disappointment when I stumbled through a game that features the same poorly-implemented combat and all the same old Gamebryo engine annoyances and glitches we've been dealing with for years. Fallout 4 will provide some good old-fashioned fun for players who are looking for a prettier Fallout 3 (now with Minecraft!), but it could have and should have been much, much better than that.
Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers everything you would expect from an archaeological action-adventure game, and deserves plenty of cinematic praise. The story pulls you forward with only a few pauses to wander off the trail, but even on the scripted path, there are always several options to overcome each obstacle before you. It's a grand journey for our budding heroine, whose skills grow with each relic found and enemy defeated. You'll enjoy the quality of the endeavor, but likely feel uninspired by its somewhat banal story.
All in all, for as much flack as the Call of Duty series has rightfully received over the recent years, Black Ops 3 completely destroys every preconceived notion - it's far from a recycled version of the previous installments. From top to bottom the game is excellently crafted with a series of new features to complement a robust campaign plot with all types of crazy twists and turns.
So if you're looking for a fast-paced, fuel-injected bit of fun with no strings attached, there's really no good reason not to at least rent Need for Speed 2015. In my opinion, it easily beats out juggernauts like Forza for the top spot of racer of the year.
WWE 2K16 does so many things right that a little forgiveness is in order. Everyone involved seems to recognize that mistakes were made with WWE 2K15 and went out of their way to send the series in the complete opposite direction. The disconnect between character's appearances and occasional stiffness speaks more to a lack of polish than effort, and the result is a generally positive experience that helps renew faith in yearly WWE installments. In fact, WWE 2K16 is so comprehensive, I imagine people will have trouble finding reasons to upgrade to WWE 2K17 next year.
Overall, Halo 5 delivers well on everything it does. From the groundbreaking graphics to the adrenaline pumping campaign and the online component, this game is a must-own for any shooter fan that is looking to see what the 'true' next-gen gaming experience should be like. If you have an Xbox One (with Xbox Live) and love competitive shooters, Halo 5: Guardians is a must-own.