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The old Civ mantra of “one more turn” is stronger than ever. The additions make for a much deeper strategy game and the inclusion of most of the features from previous entries makes for a remarkably well-rounded launch. It will be interesting to see where Civ VI goes, but I have a feeling there won’t be nearly as dramatic a change as Civ V saw.
King's Quest: The Good Knight is a satisfying narrative conclusion to Graham's saga and is a unique approach to storytelling that we don't see often. It's not a return to the first chapter's exploratory focus, which many of you have been pining for since last July, but if you enjoy the narrative stylings of the previous two tales, you'll be sure to crack a smile (or shed a tear) in turn.
From beginning to end I was completely entranced by these kids' quest to escape the horrors of Heavenly Host. Corpse Party has a timeless story built around solid characters and a genuinely creepy setting that is able to buoy its sometimes outdated gameplay.
I didn't see myself playing through (and enjoying) Battlefield 1's campaign even just weeks prior to this assessment, but here we are. It somehow manages to be a good amalgam of the staple formula DICE has relied on for years, with a bit of anime (flashes of Metal Gear Solid V and flowing shonen capes) sprinkled in for good measure. I'm really not looking forward to spending $50 on the DLC to get more maps, but for now, I'll be coasting along in Operations for the next few months.
WWE 2K17 is a poor simulation of the WWE product, often because it seems ashamed of pro wrestling.
Even with a few uninspired stages, Skylanders Imaginators manages to nail the childlike whimsy of the beat-'em-up genre so many of us grew up with. It's still a blast with friends, and even more-so now that you can share your creations and tweak them together. The series has shown signs of slowing down in recent years here and there, but it's not done yet.
You don't really need Ashes of Ariandel unless you've squeezed every ounce out of Dark Souls III already or thrive on PVP. I think the concept of splitting up their resources took away from the sum of both parts, but there's still plenty of challenges and surprises to warrant another bloody good time. Or a future Game of the Year version bookended romp.
While I would argue that Rigs: Mechanized Combat League is by far the superior online multiplayer game for PlayStation VR, if its frantic in-mech motion is too much to handle or you're otherwise more interested in an engaging cooperative experience, this fits the bill nicely. There are some glaring balance issues for Rebellion to work out, and Battlezone is far less advisable as a solo game, but damn if it isn't thrilling when everything comes together and your team perseveres against all odds.
There really isn't anything positive I can say about this game, outside of a few choice spots of interesting art direction. The level design is dull, the platforming is simplistic, the graphics look a few generations old, the RPG elements are basic, the music is forgettable, the enemies are pushovers, the difficulty is turned all the way to easy – I'm honestly at a loss for words. I would like to think I have this amazing vocabulary to intelligently convey just how abominable Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is, but the best I can come up with is just calling it bad. This is a bad, bad game.
In fact, that's my biggest issue with the game: it is, at best, just fine. There isn't a slick presentation or wildly compelling puzzle designs to pick up the slack and keep you hooked. I can appreciate that Supermassive has figured out the fundamentals with Tumble VR and come in at such a budget-friendly price, but I also can't deny the times when I grew bored of playing. Don't rush through this one.
Pirate Pop Plus feels more like something you'd have found near the release of the Game Boy than something that should be asking for money in 2016 considering there are full-length Game Boy games with a plethora of content available on the eShop for less money, and tons of even cheaper mobile games that put this to shame. If you don't care about unlocking all the customizations, achievements, high scores, or the few characters that hardly change the gameplay, then you'll probably get bored of this within 20 minutes. Even at a lower price, I wouldn't recommend it. Pop your money elsewhere.
If you're looking for your next favorite roguelike platformer, look no further.
Like the era it paints, Mafia III feels like a relic. It's dated, has obvious flaws, and doesn't hold up particularly well when compared to a lot of modern works. Most damning, it's rarely in tune with itself, often contradicting itself in big ways. It's tough to not feel like Lincoln Clay deserved better than this.
While Job Simulator may not be my personal favorite virtual reality game, it is one of the easier titles to recommend given its intuitive design, effective comedy stylings, and broad appeal. It's just a shame it has to end so soon. As such, I wouldn't suggest picking it up as your first or second VR purchase, but do know that you absolutely shouldn't skip it. Especially if you have a Vive.
I still get chills thinking about my time with Yomawari: Night Alone. Whether it's a particularly scary moment that pops into my head or one of the many weird visuals that I just can't get out of my mind, this is a game that's going to stick with me for a while. I just wish there was more of it for me to remember.
Overall, even without the talent involved or a love of their previous work elsewhere, Chase is a muted experience for those willing to support it. What should be a confident return to form feels more like treading water. As a two-hour-long downloadable adventure, it's a solid if unremarkable adventure. Long-time fans will find a warm familiarity in its cast and dialogue, but for anybody else, they might see it as nothing more than a breezy cop show experience.
Although it's easy to fault Flight for having so little to do, I actually admire that Ubisoft had a little restraint here. It could have easily made this a shameless plodding tie-in to its next open-world project, and have the player fly from watchtower to watchtower, picking up tons of powerups and collectibles along the way. Instead it kept things simple, and has a nice little proof of concept that is past the "tech demo" stage.
A year's worth of incremental updates have molded this into a game that has more to offer and is easier to navigate. Anyone who has waited this long to follow Rock Band to new consoles should know that this is the optimal time to get in now that the growing pains seem to be behind Harmonix. However, those people should also know that Rivals probably isn't going to be the part of Rock Band that they care about.
I feel bad about panning a game that I adore in principle -- it’s scrappy and unabashedly enthusiastic, which historically has been my jam -- so let me close by saying I appreciate where No Goblin is coming from. 100ft Robot Golf the idea is commendable, but 100ft Robot Golf the video game is a lot harder to appreciate.
For as frustrating as failure can be, though, I still greatly enjoy this game and what it's going for. I want to stick it out. Headmaster seems to be flying under the radar as a launch-window PlayStation VR title, but it's one of the most novel experiences out there and decidedly worth trying. You must meet Robert.