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Although the occasional technical issue and odd mechanic put a damper on things, Aragami has its heart in the right place. It's strict adherence to stealth with no ifs, ands, or buts will turn some people off, but it'll speak to a lot of old-school fans who are sick of experiences that allow you to blast your way out of everything.
I can't help but wonder what Demon Truck might be like with a more traditional control scheme, one where the player controls the movement. I frequently felt like I could have done a better job of driving than the demon behind the wheel, and I don't think that's a good sign. Despite the flaws, however, I enjoyed my time with it. From Click to Truck to Truck is Over, it's a fun time waster, and there are definitely worse ways to spend five bucks.
Even with its failings, I still love Yo-KaiWatch 2. It may not be as tight of a package or have enough variety in its quests, but the additional multiplayer components and new Yokai make this worth picking up.
It's a shame I almost missed out on Gotta Protectors because I absolutely fell in love with it. I love its simplicity, I love its music, and I love how well it accomplishes what it set out to do. This feels like a long-lost early NES title, right down to having to blow into a cartridge to start it up. With the map editor, I hope this becomes the type of game fans continue to support for years to come.
Clustertruck just about gets everything right. The high price kind of puts me off, but the game makes up for it with creativity and the ability to share user content. Sadly, the campaign ends on such a downer that I was more frustrated than anything. At least the game was hilariously fun for 90% of it's duration.
There's a lot to like about Star Trek Online, even for players who aren't hardcore Star Trek fans or crazy people like me, but it does ask to be put up with to a certain extent. As for the console versions, it's also not all there yet, almost literally. At the same time, it's hard to name a more overtly generous free-to-play title on the current market, and it's worth a shot, for both Trek devotees and the merely Warp-curious.
I think the most understated element of the new King's Quest though is that we get to see Graham grow up before our eyes -- from a young runt to a wise kingly figure on his death bed. It's a scope that we really don't see that often, contrasted with adventure games that typically take place across the span of a few days or weeks. King's Quest: Snow Place Like Home might be influenced too greatly by modern titles that are essentially interactive novels, but I'm more than willing to see this through until the end.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2's levels play things a little close to the chest, but the sheer breadth of tactics opened up by the inclusion of Copen make it even easier to recommend than its predecessor. It's a jolly old platforming time, and I hope it reaches the level of success it was destined to hit.
If you never got the chance to strap on a mask and make some dirty money, The Big Score might still be worth checking out. If you're a seasoned criminal wondering if it's time to get back into the life, you won't find much to pull you back in.
Aside from from the local-only consideration and some inconsistencies with the scoring criteria and stage layouts, man, what a game. Overcooked is the best co-op experience I've had in recent memory, and despite going back through to fully clear every level, I wish there were more. Don't overlook it.
I hope Yo-Kai Watch catches on to the point where we get to see everything else make it westward. The second game doubles down on the idea of celebrating Japan when a lot of developers are shying away from it, and for that and more, it has my support.
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice isn't the worst Sonic game I've ever played. It isn't terrible. The platforming and sense of speed are here, though just not as fun as you might remember them. The whole affair is rather ugly -- which can't only be blamed on the 3DS, though it doesn't help -- and the game isn't exactly long at a few hours to complete, if that. Hardcore fans of the series will probably get some enjoyment out of this, but for the full price of $40, it is hard to recommend to anyone else. If you're desperate for another Sonic game, you could do worse.
In a way, even with their flaws, all of the maps so far have felt like they've added something to the overall package of Hitman outside of Colorado. I hope Japan is better, but Hitman even does filler right.
In short, there are highs and lows to Death Star. With a few expansions down and only one left to go, I was expecting something greater. If not more from the headliner, Battle Station, than at least more mode compatibility with the new maps. There's no excuse. I came in thinking it'd be an easy sell -- and it probably still will be for some given its inherent nostalgia -- but I'm coming out of it feeling let down. Taken with the rest of the season pass, Death Star helps round out the wider experience, but I would have a hard time recommending it as a standalone purchase. At this point, I'd go all or nothing.
Although Tokyo Rumble plays great and I had lots of fun with it, the gameplay on display has been done better, and recently. Both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Double Dragon Neon have online and local co-op play in addition to considerably better graphics and sound. That said, neither of those games ever made it to the 3DS, so if you want to smack up some street scum on the go, it's easy to recommend River City: Tokyo Rumble. There's lots to unlock, it never stops being fun to whale on the other gangs, and despite the simple graphics, those classic character sprites show off more personality than a lot of more modern games' protagonists. If you're on the fence, I'd recommend trying the original River City Ransom on the Wii or Wii U virtual console, since this is a greatly enhanced version of the same thing. If you already have nostalgia for the series, feel free to add a couple of points to the score.
Destiny: Rise of Iron is a weird cookie. Bungie clearly put its live team in charge on this one, as there's nowhere near the amount of completely new-feeling stuff packed in as there was in Taken King -- and with so many people getting winded, a step that big was really needed. Yet, if I assess Destiny right now as a total package, with four expansions under its belt and hundreds of [good] tweaks and patches, it's easier to recommend.
This mild sense of disappointment at Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness' production values can't obscure the fact that its most important component, its writing, succeeds, and largely captures what made the anime feel special. It may not exceed or even meet its source material's heights, but it does it justice, which is, considering Psycho-Pass' world, more than can be said for most cases.
As a game, it might bring all this goodwill down a peg, but it never once feels like you’ve wasted your time. At worst, it's like you’ve watched a great horror/thriller with a faulty remote by your side. And if you get over that, you’ll enjoy The Bunker. Well, as enjoyable as a post-nuclear holocaust story allows, anyway.
Virginia is, at its best, a gaming mechanism that provides slightly more immersion than watching a movie -- and at its worst, a failed walking simulator with a convoluted ending. Because it is a scripted experience light on interaction and choice, I'm not entirely sure I can recommend it as a game. There may be an inkling of promise in its budding story, but for many I imagine it will be hard to read between the lines and even harder to consider it a worthy experience.
As the last game Two Tribes will ever make, the few remaining employees there can hold their heads high with what they created. It's not the best game in its catalog, and the difficulty will be a turn-off for many, but Rive leaves its mark as one of the more challenging games of this generation. Gluttons for punishment will have no trouble eating it up, but others should satiate their appetite elsewhere.