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This title is a blast. The whole "festival" thing just works. It sets a fun vibe without coming off as silly or childish. The racing is serious business, but there are plenty of ways to play that aren't so ardently competitive. The simple act of choosing a car from the garage and aimlessly driving in no particular direction is one of the more enjoyable things I've done on my new Xbox so far. A dizzyingly long list of events to complete seems is counterbalanced with the truncated Road Trip campaign. Online Freeroam offers plenty of stuff to do, and can be a great time with the right cast of characters. And the audiovisual package is a stunning piece of work that can take you by surprise with its majesty every now and again. Horizon 2 is a very good racing game with strong principles, entertaining modes, a ton of events, and an envious catalog of vehicles.
Overall this game does what it set out to do, and it does it well, giving both veterans of the series and new players a chance to experience some of the original magic of Total Annihilation, while keeping it fresh and extensive enough to create new battles and new war stories on a galactic scale to tell around the Real-Time Strategy campfire.
Slight changes to the visuals and overall presentation paired with slightly frustrating teammate AI yield roughly the same experience as FIFA 14. Of the new features, none are significantly impactful on the core gameplay experience. If you are a diehard FIFA fanatic, you will not be disappointed. And if you are new to the series, FIFA 15 is not a bad entry point.
Hyrule Warriors delivers a wonderful Legend of Zelda action game with a large cast of familiar characters, identifiable worlds, a great upgrade/leveling system and endless amounts of action. It's far from a perfect game, especially in regards to controls and repetitiveness, but it's much better than expected. It has certainly raised the bar for the Dynasty Warriors series in regards to design.
Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm Curtain Call is a fun little game that tries to mix in some pseudo-RPG elements into a rhythm game, which sort of works and sort of doesn't. Some of the design decisions, such as having to unlock the settings or the ability to unlock DLC, as well as what seems to be every button in the game seem a bit counter-intuitive, though that may give you a sense of progression in a weird way. Fans of the Final Fantasy games (especially the soundtracks) will enjoy this game, fans of Rhythm games can enjoy this game, and fans of both may thoroughly enjoy this game, especially longtime fans who have played many of the games and have a fondness towards the soundtracks.
Destiny isn't a perfect game, but it's a perfect gaming experience. The girth of the planets, the endless exploration, a fun co-op element and a strong PvP structure has this series on the right track. I can't wait to see what else the future expansions have in store for the overall body of work.
NHL 15 may not be as feature rich as its last generation predecessor. But what it does offer is the most visually striking hockey experience available. The strong core gameplay for which the series has been lauded returns with slight tweaks to the physics. Everything looks great, plays well and feels like the NHL hockey I love. Even the tricky teammate AI can be addressed via settings tweaks. Where NHL 15 disappoints, however, is in the trimmed features and modes. NHL 14's fully featured practice mode is now just a single skater on ice who gets to practice his shootout skills only. And that kind of change just seems silly. I mean, we're talking about practice, man. Practice. Not a game. Practice. Ultimately, I prefer a solid core gameplay experience to a wealth of modes built around dodgy game mechanics. And with EA's announced content update schedule, fans can expect to find more reasons to return to the title in the coming months.
Dead Rising 3's inability to operate without consistently crashing wasn't a simple technical shortcoming, but rather a comprehensive failure that came to damage and define every aspect of its experience. Looking back on my time with Dead Rising 3, I'm not thinking of open-world mayhem under the stress of a cataclysmic time crunch, but rather the ugly and sudden halt of everything I found enjoyable in the intended game.
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a combination of two wholly unique franchises which takes place fairly smoothly primarily thanks to the already-fantastical nature of the story. Of course it’s ridiculous, but the story is actually quite fun, and it’s compelling and unpredictable enough to captivate those with a bit of patience and willingness to accept it for what it is. Best of all, the gameplay from both series is represented well, set against the backdrop of a truly great presentation. Whether you choose to label it a cash-in or a shameless celebration, it’s collaborative love from Level-5 and Capcom that you probably won’t want to miss.
Crown of the Old Iron King is a showcase of Dark Souls II's aggressive enemy encounter design. It folds a few other cards in favor of its ace, but such is the endearing nature and defining risk of inspired post-game content. Applied to Dark Souls II, Iron King stands as a thoughtful one-off that fits neatly alongside Sunken King.
One of the best gaming purchases you will make all year.
EA Tiburon did a fantastic job with making the right adjustments for this year's Madden title. Improved defense and a more balanced offense makes for a fun football experience. Connected Franchise, Skills Trainer and Ultimate Team are just icing on a nearly perfect cake. The Gauntlet is the ice cream with the cake – take it or leave it.
CounterSpy revels in the consistency of its chaos. When its directed assemblage of menacing systems are behaving with candid sincerity, CounterSpy is an exciting model of action and reaction. When its pieces collude together in a remorseless coincidence, CounterSpy feels like it's coming apart at the seams. Drawing inspiration from a satirical appreciation of the Cold War, it's fair for CounterSpy to teeter on the edge of principled oblivion. Finding value in its eccentricity, however, controls whether you can hang on or fall off.
The Last Tinker's worldly charm belongs with the colorful and carefree platformers it longs to emulate. Most everything else, on the other hand, feels less poised to be a big time contender and more like a flyweight absently swinging at everything in the way. A heart of gold surrounded by endless color makes it all easier to swallow, but you're left wondering what could have been had The Last Tinker's gameplay come on as strong as its presentation.
Firefall has potential, but it's not quite there just yet. A little bit more restructuring and beefing up in some areas will help Firefall evolve, if Red 5 Studios can give more time and money to the project. Hopefully it keeps developing the title, as it does have potential.
The most complete and best version of a great game, the Ultimate Evil Edition is an excellent addition to any growing PS4 collection, especially if you enjoy dungeon crawling with friends.
Surgeon Simulator Anniversary Edition is still giant dripping bucket of stupid fun - and most of the new content is great - but absent is the howling laughter and pure novelty from its debut. Playing it all again, it's more of a tedious game and less of a pristine collection of interactive nonsense. If it's your first time, however, managing Surgeon Simulator's commitment to inane detail alongside its savage construction is a great ride.
Genuine art is meant to evoke a response from its audience, and Hohokum's diverse assortment of imaginative endeavors makes it easy to get lost inside its world. It's effective union of art, activity and music, managing a progression of open personal responses without the weight of a direct narrative or dissonant mechanics. If you're out there looking for the holy grail of emotive game design, Hohokum's declarative statement to the power of amusement is worthy of consideration.
The Last of Us finds a very appropriate home on the PS4.
Perhaps "Ninja Gaiden" is too easy a comparison to make because it, like "Wooden Sen'Sey", stars a ninja character. Goro's got spunk, though, which translates through his comedic willingness to press onward despite repeated slaughterings by my under-practiced hands. Like the famous NES title, "Wooden Sen'Sey" packs a punch in the difficulty department (though nowhere near as distressing) that might unsettle some players. And, at times, there's a sense that the developers are trying to toy with the player rather than reward them for skill mastery. Still, "Wooden Sen'Sey" is cheap, good-spirited and chuckle-inducing. It's a charming addition to the Wii U eShop that lays the groundwork for an even more ground-breaking sequel (please?)