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It is disappointing to exert such caution when recommending This War of Mine:The Little Ones, especially to people who may not have a worthwhile gaming PC (low spec requirements notwithstanding), but the limitations of the port's controls compel me to do so. For what it's worth, this is still a good game, and the exclusive addition of the children survivors makes it a more compelling experience at that. But really, if you can play the PC edition instead, it's easy to sacrifice all those kids for a much smoother experience.
Overall, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel doesn't do anything wrong; it just meets the bare minimum. It's like eating a saltine cracker. Bland, but not bad. Without their source materials readily available, few will be able to appreciate the level of fan service present, though I'm sure everyone can appreciate cat attacks. Cat-tacks. (Okay, I'll stop.)
Overall, Rise of the Tomb Raider's first real DLC is quite a trip. The final confrontation with the Baba Yaga takes place in a large vertical spire that's harder to complete than many of the main campaign's boss stages. As expected, players will need to shoot, jump, climb, all of it, with only seconds to consider the best approach. It's an exhilarating finale that's made even better in the smaller moments that highlight how Lara Croft continues to grow as a character. Bring on the next DLC!
XCOM 2 more or less maintains the XCOM series as one of the best strategy titles today. The very nature of concealment and fast-and-loose guerrilla tactics lends itself to an almost obsessive amount of trial and error, but that doesn't mean you won't want to try over and over again until you pass unscathed. I've sunk hours into XCOM 2, and there's no doubt that you will too. With an unnerving sense of persistent tension and procedurally-generated maps that extend the value of every map, XCOM 2 survives the hype train with just a graze.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is an odd game, a semi-successful title that achieves a lot of success in its different elements but fails to come together as a cohesive title. Where gameplay is good, it's got subtle strengths and intense engagement. Where it's bad it borders on game-breaking design, likesome of those Toad-capturing sections, and RPG-lite mediocrity. Hopefully, the game is representative of growing pains for the series.
However, what the developers are doing with a remaster is not simply to squeeze more money out of the consumer; Gravity Rush: Remastered is giving people the opportunity to experience what is genuinely an interesting and entertaining game, one that they might have missed because of the platform on which it was released. Now, with a shiny new entry on the PlayStation 4, Gravity Rush can reach a wider audience, and if Gravity Rush 2 improves at all upon the first, that's ultimately more of a benefit to the gamer, rather than the developer.
These flaws are representative of where Eclipse Games went wrong with Tachyon Project—mostly every new twist they've made to the Geometry Wars formula they have aped is poorly executed. Considering you can buy Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved on PS4 and that the stellar alternative Super Stardust Ultra is also available on the platform, there's no real reason to opt to play this inferior take on the twin-stick shmup genre if you're already acquainted with its more successful predecessors. While it's passable in terms of quality, it's wholly derivative of its source of inspiration, and the attempts made by Eclipse Games to carve out its own identity mostly fall flat.
Thus, I highly recommend The Witness. Although I really liked Blow's previous game, I just loved this. I became so absorbed in it, and its beauty complements the way it challenges my mind. I like how simply it begins and how complicated it is at the end but that there's a logical line from those two points. There's just a lot contained within, and I'm still finding more. I want that for others, too.
In a lot of ways, OxenFree is the first game in quite awhile that focuses on the art of audio and video to engage the player. Limbo comes to mind, a title that might be more expressionistic than this, but nonetheless both get under the skin. Also, like Limbo, OxenFree begs to be replayed beyond just the reward of multiple endings. What resonates most is that feeling of something that has passed by. Whether that's one's own nostalgia or solely heroine Alex, OxenFree won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Overall, Zero HD is a pleasant surprise after the underwhelming Resident Evil HD Remastered last year. There are still issues inherent in the original game, but Zero is still fun to play. And hey, it's way better than Resident Evil 6.
That Dragon, Cancer is a game that you will lose. You will not beat it. You don't win. Even This War of Mine has "winning" conditions. It is so fitting that this is a game, not a movie. From the jilting scene transitions to selective interactions, the dioramic games within the game to the increased level of abstraction and perspective changes, the mode of storytelling works. But it mostly excels at being a lesson that as much as you can "game-ify" elements of life, you will be confronted with perma-death—real death.
I'm sure the punishing difficulty and numerous unfair dice rolls will turn many gamers against Tharsis, and that's perfectly understandable. However, the reward of actually beating the game truly elevates my spirit. I can only hope that the developers will continue the story with another punishing round that occurs on the red planet itself.
Not to ruin anything, but the ending of God's Acre will leave you in absolute shock. No, more than the last one. I'm just going to be racked with anxiety until I play it.
Overall, Episode 4 is a strong outing for Minecraft: Story Mode. By the end of the two hours, I was ready to begin the final chapter. And yet, as good as this next-to-last episode is, including an emotional goodbye to one of the best characters, the bulk of the cast still don't leave much of an impression, which has been my main complaint in past reviews.
Amplitude is a solid remix of the original that should win over longtime fans as well as new players who want to explore a fresh version of a game that brought Harmonix into prominence. The track list could have been fuller in terms of quantity and genre variety, but the gameplay remains challenging, crisp, and energetic. Put on a pair of quality headphones, and Amplitude is worth every note.
Aviary Attorney may not make any new fans in the legal investigation genre, but those who already like that sort of game should be well pleased with Sketchy Logic's debut.
I find it ironic that the PS Vita version of Guns Up! was canceled because that's the ideal platform for this military title. It's a fun game for short bursts, but there's nothing here that will make anyone long to play it, or even think of it for that matter, when they're not home. Hopefully, the developers will add more content to increase the variety and keep it interesting.
For better and worse, Get Together revolves almost entirely on its group feature, a function that will ultimately make you wonder how you ever lived without it. It allows you to do far, far more with what The Sims 4 already has. That said, the expansion doesn't have much supporting content in terms of useful skills or additional professions; in fact, bringing in the dancer and DJ as professions would have boosted the value of the expansion without being outside of the box. Still, Get Together is an expansion worth tagging along.
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition is a fantastic example of developers going out of their way to ensure that a PC game is specifically tailored to work on consoles. It's also a great way to introduce console players to a challenging style of game they might not normally play. Perhaps the only real sin pertaining to this game is the sin of sloth, because there's so much content that hardcore players will likely sit on their couch and play until they're dragged outside.
That's the lingering problem with Story Mode in general. There's only a "fun enough" feel to most of it. So while Episode 3 really nails the tension and thrills of coming face-to-face with the Minecraft-staple Enderman, I'm still not convinced this adventure adds up to much more than a mild diversion.