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Nuka-World is big and impressive and flashy, but just like any theme park, it’s all a facade. Peek behind the curtain and you can see the struts and wires that animate the mascots. In Nuka-World’s case, that’s a scaffolding made of bones and spent magazines. It’s up to you if that’s a park you feel like visiting.
Overall, The Final Station is a contemplative slice of sci-fi horror. It might not be utterly original - spot the shades of Snowpiercer, Evangelion, and That Insidious Beast if you get the chance - and it can be ever so slight, but it rattles along at steady pace, taking you on a reflective journey, all the way to a gut-punching end.
With that said, hopefully the game grows over time. I know Evolution Studios turned Driveclub into an enjoyable experience after a failed launch. Maybe Kunos Simulazioni can do the same for Assetto Corsa.
Hue is a well-crafted, enjoyable experience. I don't usually like physics-based platformers, but the controls are simple and responsive enough that I never felt like a death was anyone's fault but my own. Its visuals are sparse but clean, and the puzzles gave my brain a workout. It's a little brief, clocking in at four to six hours, but that just means it doesn't overstay its welcome, and it left me wanting more.
Keep in mind that even though you're not battling "one million troops" at once, Attack on Titan still sticks to tried-and-true Omega Force sensibilities. It has light RPG elements, but it's still a hack-and-slash, and those of you who aren't down with Warriors games will probably get bored after several hours.
While this iteration fixes many of the annoyances of the previous titles, it added a few of its own, though not enough to sour the experience. This is hands-down the best music and rhythm game of the current generation of home consoles, though it isn't exactly a competitive genre these days. I'd rank Project Diva X in my top ten favorite music games ever, but no one has yet to topple the king; PaRappa the Rapper is still the funky flowing top dog of the genre.
It’s a special thing when a game gifts you a superior experience without traditional or prescribed story mechanics, and from that perspective Obduction prevails completely. Some of the puzzles and paths can become overused and tiring after a while, but on the whole it stretches the mind in the right ways. For what it sets out to do, it does it pretty perfectly, and I think both fans and newcomers alike will appreciate its ingenuity.
I'll gladly be replaying this to see the different conversation trees. It's really cool how no two people will have the exact same playthrough, yet the game will still cover the same themes and motifs. This should provide for a lot of conversation in the coming months.
King of Fighters XIV falls somewhere between XII and XIII. It's not exactly bare-bones and the roster is mighty, but the gaudy presentation and by-the-book story is distracting, and takes away a lot of the uniqueness of the series.
There really isn't a whole lot more to say about Worms W.M.D. If you've skipped over the last few Worms games but pine for the nostalgic feeling of ripping apart cute little critters across a gigantic map with precision bank shots, you'll be able to relive those memories here. Especially so if you love Armageddon, which this one is trying hard to emulate.
Let's be real: unless Nintendo and DeNA take this series to mobile, this is probably the last Style Savvy game we're going to get. If Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is the franchise's last hurrah, it certainly doesn't go out on a low note as it has the best fashion and is filled to the brim with stuff to do. But readjusting to a real time clock means changing the way I enjoy this series, and without the addictive draw of a short day and night cycle, I don't see this game taking dozens of hours of my time as past entries have done.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided doesn't succeed in making me care about the plight of humans and augs, but it still pulled me into its compelling cloak-and-dagger world where people in capes can turn invisible and shoot balls of lightning out of their arm. Oh, and your aug doctor looks just like Prince, so it's in the running for GOTY.
As much as I enjoy the tone of Okhlos and its silly but well-informed take on Greek mythology, its repetitive format and simplistic gameplay hook aren't an engaging combination. I'd like to see every little goofy reference it has to offer, but the motivation to push through the grind just isn't there.
I was holding out hope for Metroid Prime: Federation Force, but at this point, there are so many other dungeon crawlers that are worth your time. Just like Hunters on the original DS, the main questline of Federation will probably fade out of the limelight over time and become a whisper in hardcore Metroid crowds -- though I can see Blast Ball having longer legs.
Those are the issues that are easy to pin down. But really, Grow Up suffers from all the downsides of not giving the player structure. It just feels like less of a problem here because the developer is wholly transparent about that fact. Grow Up is as Ubisoft as a Ubisoft game can get. It may be a lot of bloat, but at least the game's comfortable enough to carry it proudly.
Here's a box quote for you: Uno is a shining example of misleading marketing and a great argument for Xbox Live to adopt Steam's refund practices.
It's tough to describe how amazing Inversus feels on paper, but once you pick it up for the first time you'll understand. The economy of bullets, sneaky homegrown tactics, a slight concession for solo players, and a robust multiplayer component with an array of maps? It's a no-brainer.
If I paid money for Hitman with just two packs to go (USA and Japan), I wouldn't feel slighted even if Bangkok and Marrakesh are weaker than the others. Diced up or whole, this can of blood-soaked tomatoes serves up so many experiences that aren't offered just about anywhere else outside of the original entries.
For all my complaints, Bound is an interesting beast. The way it incorporates its animation style has been rarely, if ever done so well. It's well worth experiencing in some fashion, just maybe not at full price.
Though I wouldn't consider it the best entry in the series, I absolutely enjoyed my time with Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate. It's a beautiful, challenging quest with a pleasing soundtrack I wouldn't mind having in my iTunes. With all the love I have for it in mind, I don’t know if I can recommend the game to anyone who isn’t already familiar with the series. Even if you’ve played the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon spin-offs, this is another beast entirely. It’s a game you can play for 20 hours and feel like you didn’t make any progress at all. That’s a type of punishment some gamers just can’t handle. For me, it’s a type of punishment I can’t get enough of.