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Pokkén Tournament is more than meets the eye, and it would be foolish to judge it just based on the Pokémon name alone. Bandai Namco has crafted a deep brawler that deserves to be up there with a lot of the competition, but some logistical issues specific to the Wii U hold the game back a bit more than I'd like.
I had fun with Senran Kagura Estival Versus. The beat-em-up combo system is just as enjoyable today as it was in the first game, and there is something quite rewarding about studying the move sets of the new characters and also throwing them into a sexy diorama to "study" something else about them. I wouldn't say its the best entry in the series with the excessive use of the break mechanic and the story does the game no favors, but the combination of flashy action and fan-service kept me satisfied throughout.
If you're looking for a reason to jump back into Just Cause 3, the biggest draw with the Sky Fortress DLC is easily the addition of the jet pack. It's great to fly around in, but it never reaches the same excitement as the old-fashioned wingsuit. The missions don't do anything interesting and the straightforward story is told with static images, making Sky Fortress the definition of mediocre.
The Division is more fun with friends, but lets face it, what game isn't? After my group logged off and I was left alone in the world, the veneer started to wear off, and I was left facing the blemishes all on my own. The long term plan is to pump out more content. I'm unsure of its efficacy but for now there's more than enough there, especially with the organic PVP.
It's difficult to be disappointed by a great studio taking solid mechanics and narrative beats from one of the best studios around, especially when the result is something as well-crafted as Salt and Sanctuary. While I do wish Ska Studio's latest had more of its own identity, I can't deny that I enjoyed every minute of it. I already spent about 25 hours with it, and I'm salivating, eager to go through New Game +. Now be proud that I didn't make a "salty" joke like every other outlet will in their review.
After finishing the too-long campaign, there's an Ironbro mode (where each Bro only has one life) and a level editor to tinker with. It seems robust, but I didn't spend much time with it. This all adds up to a decent amount of bro-time if you really want it, but I'm fairly certain whoever you play this with will end up being a not-bro for a little while. Broforce could have been a fun "Hoo-rah 'Murica" romp, but it comes with artificial difficulty and bugs that aren't worth dealing with. You're better off watching First Blood again and pretending Satan is going to show up at the end.
I like A Bastard’s Tale, I just wish that some more care and attention went into the gameplay. It tries to go for the Souls-y tough-but-fair difficulty, but its problems means it ultimately falls flat. Despite that, it’s still a short, campy, and very pretty experience that has a lot of heart to it, and for what it costs it’s definitely worth checking out.
Stealing a staff uniform from the locker room, dropping your gun into a wastebasket so you can let a guard frisk you before he lets you into the room of a Sheik, then knocking the Shiek out, stealing his clothes, and infiltrating a high-society sale of state secrets so you can tamper with an outdoor heater and let a woman blow herself up when she goes to grab a smoke. That's Hitman's highs.
Deathsmiles on PC is an odd port of a classic shooter, and even though it may not measure up to some of its Cave-bred ilk, it's still worth playing if you haven't experienced it yet.
Currently, Bloody Alloy: Reborn feels more like an Early Access title or proof-of-concept than a finalized product, so it is hard to recommend unless you love beating your own high scores and are starving for a fast Strider-like experience.
Stardew Valley is a game that keeps on giving. There is so much I haven't even explored yet that has my giddy for the future. The core mechanics and relaxing aesthetic merge so well together that players will sink in to the experience and never want to leave.
In trailers and screenshots, Sadame certainly looks the part of a long-lost SNES classic. It's not. The yearning desire of my inner child to relive those glorious golden years of gaming is in no way satiated by this repetitive adventure. Instead, the radiance of that era is dimmed just a touch as it reminds of the humdrum games from my youth that are usually invisible in the rose-tinted rearview mirror of the mind. And just as I came to forget about those games, so too shall I soon forget about Sadame.
Yet, those who are looking for one last fix of Assassin's Creed before heading into the break should find some solace in The Last Maharaja's comforting ways. It's enjoyable enough on its gameplay merits to warrant spending time with it; it's also inconsequential enough that you couldn't be blamed for skipping it. It really just depends on how badly you want to play more Assassin's Creed.
Little quality-of-life additions like GamePad item management go a long way with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. They manage to hide some of the game's less flattering blemishes, and let you focus on what it does best. While I still wouldn't put it near the top of the Zelda pile, it's still head and shoulders above most modern adventure games.
If you're willing to dig in, and I mean truly dig in, the two styles of play benefit Return to PoPoLoCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale. The core story is roughly 30 hours or so, but you can mess around with all of the side content and the farming aspect for far beyond that, which is a perfect excuse to spend weeks on end with a portable.
The plot is banal, the writing is tone deaf, and the acting is wooden. Those who can ignore the dressing and focus on the puzzles alone can find some good head-scratching moments and interesting logical interactions. Taken as a whole, Attractio is bipolar; its highs are high and its lows are low. Averaging that out makes it mediocre.
Saying "You should play this game, but don't expect to enjoy it" makes it sound like homework. It's homework of the human spirit that I think will enrich your life and broaden your horizons, but still homework. It's up to you if that seems like something you want to take on.
Gurgamoth is closer to Starwhal, another novelty-based, colorful competitive game, but at least the latter had a sense of humor and janky-controls that are part of the fun. Put another way, Gurgamoth really is just bumper cars: a fleeting, mild amusement best remembered as a sliver of an otherwise warm, fuzzy day.
Overall, Soul Axiom is a painful experience.
The slow-motion combat might not be for everyone, but I found it to be just as exciting as any twitch-based shooter. Being in control of the situation at all times is exhilarating, especially when one wrong step could mean certain death. But don't worry, there's plenty of time to choose each step wisely.