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One of the Vita's best comes full circle and now also to the PS4. Toukiden Kiwami includes and expands upon Toukiden Age of Demons, making it an even more robust experience, but there is still the repetition to contend with.
What BOXBOY! lacks in visuals and style, it makes up for with complex level design and intricate gameplay that will keep your brain churning for hours. It may not replace any of the bigger puzzle games out there, but HAL Laboratory's little box opus brings some good, easily addictive puzzle entertainment.
Dontnod Entertainment has a knack for keeping the flaws hidden in Life is Strange thanks to an engaging story. Even if pressing buttons in the right order or at the right time isn't your gaming 'thing', the Twin Peaks driven feel of the story will keep you coming back for more.
I'm glad to see the DOA series come to PC, but this port is a bit shaky at launch. The core gameplay is good, but no online play (for about three months when a patch comes out), a mixed graphical presentation, and other oddities make this hard to recommend right now -- might be best to give it some time to simmer.
With aggression as its invitation, Bloodborne invokes a calculated shift in Souls parlance. Its aim isn't necessarily a course correction, but rather a Y-axis slant into an alternative series of objectives. Sacrificed are a few degrees of personal customization, only to be replaced by a renewed sense of distress and wonder. Bloodborne's demanding novelty, even with its unrepentant focus, feels built to last.
Even had Bladestorm: Nightmare came out several years ago on PS3 I don't think I would have enjoyed it much. But, for those who like Dynasty Warrior-esque games and want more unit control and strategy, Bladestorm is worth checking out.
Sniper Elite III is a very good game overall, but this Ultimate Edition is not quite as definitive or complete as it should have been. Some of the DLC is simply not included here, and there are still some annoying, overt bugs which should have been squashed by now. These two main issues temper my ability to highly recommend it, especially to those who have already purchased the original release.
Remastered versions of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are gems on their own that offer deep, fun and different experiences. Having them together in one package for a reasonable price point is something you can't pass up, if you don't own them on PC.
If you like your survival horror experience to have more combat and co-op play, Revelations 2 is a great pick. Played solo, it's not nearly as fun, but regardless it offers a good story, interesting characters, and a good amount of content for the price.
While the gameplay is similar to Hotline Miami, there are some positive differences that help make L.A. Cops interesting. It adds a few unique gameplay elements, such as isometric camera movement, but the game lacks in categories like speed, strong personality and a compelling narrative to drive it above a game like Hotline Miami.
Mario Party 10 is pretty to look at and it has some interesting modes (like the Bowser mode) to play, but the overall amount of content is a tad bit on the shallow side. The way that player management and competition is handled falls short of Mario Party expectations.
Battlefield games have always featured huge maps and plenty of vehicles. Hardline strays from that formula to provide a different experience that is still fun, but it would almost be more impressive if it wasn't a Battlefield game and wasn't held to the same standard. In other words, Hardline is a great game if considered on its own merits, but it's not the best Battlefield game.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number didn't make giant leaps in gameplay improvements, but the essence that made the first game great is intact and alive. Sometimes that is all that matters, especially in a game like this.
The Assignment is an excellent piece of DLC that adds, in a purely positive way, to the base game.
Sid Meier's Starships is a simplistic, strategic and cerebral space version of Civilization, albeit a short one. It's meant to keep your attention for a short amount of time and succeeds in consistently doing so. It does have sprinkles of economic depth like it's Civ brother, but it doesn't demand gamers sit and engulf themselves in the learning process to achieve success. For gamers not wanting to dedicate their entire beings to the Civ games, this might be a worthy substitute.
There's no question DmC is a great game that any action gamer should play, but if you already have the original versions, there might not be quite enough additional content and changes here to warrant a re-purchase right now. However, if you missed out on DmC, then the Definitive Edition is a must have.
Tipping Stars is just about what you'd expect from a modern Mario vs. Donkey Kong title: unique, fun in short bursts, and inexpensive—but nevertheless, nothing terribly exciting. Although it certainly is the product of Nintendo's B-game (in contrast to the blockbuster, irresistibly creative products it's known for churning out elsewhere), it's a nifty $20 distraction that does include a respectably versatile level designer and affiliated online sharing system.
Ori and the Blind Forest imparts a beautiful and intricate framework of the platforming and progression that came to define latter day Castlevania and Metroid titles, but it can't muster the same technical and design prowess to fuel its own ideas. This leaves Ori as an adequate model of its revered genre, just short of the execution and innovation that could have made it exemplary.
Omega Force certainly takes the core gameplay of Dynasty Warriors and boosts it considerably. A wider and deeper landscape for networking, invading and scheming, and sometimes playing as a politician, helps to make this title more than just another hack and slash experience. This depth will overshadow the lack of visual upgrade for current generation hardware.
Peers in seemingly disparate genres have assumed mastery over impulsive tests of skill, the strategic obliteration of unreliable architecture, and a judicious regard for practical engineering, but none have been arranged together as uniform and effective as ScreamRide. For a game so persistently engrossed in outlandish destruction, its accompanying structure is surprisingly sound.