Digital Chumps
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Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is varied enough to keep every skill-level of player engaged throughout its 30+ worlds but isn't as polished as one would hope. There's a quirkiness here that's come to be expected of the series – of the more "off-beat" Nintendo efforts, this is the closest thing to a Mario game that exists in the same space as, say, Tomodachi Life — but the oddities feel incongruous with the game at large, as if the previous game's environmental and "do-good" themes were just pasted on instead of weaved meaningfully into the experience. That said, it's still a slightly above-average platformer that'll eat up time for on-the-go gamers looking to satiate their appetite.
Armikrog is a missed opportunity, but despite its design flaws and technical issues, it's worth playing even if just for the unique visual experience.
One of the best games I've played this year and my favorite from Frictional to date.
If you can tolerate the rough patches in presentation and gameplay, you can find a bit of quirky, arcade style fun in Live 16.
Overall, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer is a welcome spinoff that helps diversify the Animal Crossing brand and cements it as one of Nintendo's cornerstone franchises (if it wasn't already). The Big N has shown an increased willingness on putting fresh spins on older series and this is a case where it works naturally. It makes perfect sense for an interior design game to exist in this universe, not just because of its town-building mythos but also because of its folksy charm.
FIFA 16 delivers another deeply satisfying game of soccer replete with beloved franchise staples such as Ultimate Team, Co-op Online Seasons, etc. The core game is largely the same. But key additions in the Women's International Tournament and the new Ultimate Team Draft add depth to a game already full of immersive play options. With the addition of Ultimate Team Draft, EA could honestly put out Ultimate Team as a stand alone release.
Superchargers is another impressive evolution in the Skylanders brand that series fans and newcomers alike should not miss.
Albino Lullaby creates horror not out of open defiance of genre norms, but from a place of genuine inspiration. "Scary" exists elsewhere, and it great supply. Albino Lullaby prefers to linger in a frightening sense of curiosity.
Year Walk is a two-hour, seven-dollar experience that far transcends both its duration and price tag. It's a can't miss for anyone who appreciates dark, nightmarish, and heady storytelling with a (relatively) historically-accurate mythical slant.
An almost equal number of significant pros and cons make Mad Max an interesting and polarizing title. Ultimately, it's a game I would recommend, but with some due caution as described in the article.
The dopey AI does not mar the entire experience. But it crops up frequently enough to keep me from being able to comfortably enjoy a two goal lead.
The Taken King resets Destiny for the better. It brings a lot more fun to the table while taming all the things people complained about up to this point in the game, well almost all.
Stasis has its quirks and shortcomings, but its atmosphere and compelling descent into deeper and deeper levels of a proverbial Hell make it worth sticking through.
A creative, well designed, and well-executed local co-op game, Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is fun and worth your attention.
With many series with more than a few sequels, keeping the interest of anyone outside the core supporters becomes tough, particularly with those that have an annual or biannual release schedule. Some have been able to stave off obscurity and keep their profits high, like Call of Duty, but these are the rarer case studies. Relevance becomes an even bigger issue with genres that depict experiences with an abundance of monotony, like sports titles. "Simulation" tuned racing games are of a similar conundrum. One one hand, the need to stay fresh and increase creativity to warrant a new AAA purchase price is side-by-side with the obligation to car enthusiasts that expect a good amount of realism. Off-the-wall driving antics and resplendent gameplay garnish that work for the likes of Need for Speed and Burnout don't have a place among Gran Turismo and Project CARS. Forza Motorsport has traditionally been closer to the latter contemporaries. The Horizon subset is afforded a little more slapdash, but such "arcade" caveats don't have a place in Forza proper. With this the 6th entry to the main thread, it wouldn't be a surprise if the proceedings felt dated and rehashed. Fortunately, the series avoided that fate this holiday. Game modes display a good amount of variety and offer diversions when the Career grind gets too tiresome. Jumping into a Showcase Event or online tilt after a tough series of single player contests is a great way to stay engaged for hours and hours. Changes made to rain and night races are the shining jewels of this iteration and are "must play" experiences for hardcore racing gamers. And the graphics package corrects the little oddities from Forza 5, creating some of the most pleasing visuals I've yet seen on the Xbox One. With one of the most anticipated software holiday seasons in recent memory upon us, making "$60 a pop" purchasing decisions will be very tough. Deciding if a vanilla racing game is worth one of those tokens is ultimately up to the consumer. What I can say is within that relatively narrow definition, Forza 6 does about everything necessary to fulfill the niche to a high degree.
A great 2D platforming party game best played locally, Runbow is a good buy for your multiplayer playlist.
If you're looking for a grand strategy game that has an incredible amount of depth and breadth for your PS4, this is it.
A solid RTS game right now, and with a bright future ahead, Act of Aggression is a strong and welcomed release.
Leo's Fortune assumes an identity behind the blasé eyes of its protagonist. Leo's the kind of dude who's seen it all before, a sentiment sure to be shared by any seasoned platformer enthusiast. Still, it's an inoffensive way to kill a couple hours on a Saturday, assuming ambition doesn't get the better of you first.
An instant classic in the point and click genre that plays great on the PS4 and goes highly recommended.