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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.
The Bright Lord is a bunch of frustrating fun, but it pays off at the end with new missions, upgrades and quick gameplay.
In any event, I do think Turtle Rock is on to something. And although I don't think the game's balance is tuned where it should be, they are rather close.
While not incredibly complex on the surface, Minutes offers up a challenging style of gameplay that requires you to constantly think on the fly, while having a blast. It might be closer to a causal gaming experience than a console experience, but it's nonetheless fun at the end of the day.
Sunless Sea stresses a fondness for resource management, vaguely turn-based combat, roguelike principles of calculated disposability, and basic role-playing. All of this builds to a confident level of intimidation – it can require an exceptional amount of time to procure the particular nature of Sunless Sea's identity and intentions – but not without a certain indelible magnetism. Making sense of Sunless Sea's complexity just seems to be one of its underlying challenges.
Creative Assembly's passion and dedication to their Total War machine is evident with ATTILA. It's not for everyone, but for those that enjoy the series, this has all the makings of a superb entry.
Majora's Mask 3D is a bit of a contradiction. It is perhaps the most modern Zelda title; but this makes it at times feel nothing like a Zelda game at all. MM3D subverts the franchise's core values (exploration, purity of heart, temperance) in a way that teeters on modernity, reaching toward innovation but not quite breaking free of convention. MM3D both suffers from its allegiance to the Zelda ethos while also etching out a unique position within the franchise's context. Ultimately, although its attempts at innovation have mixed success, the core Zelda gameplay is still fun, endearing, and challenging.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate feels right at home on the 3DS. The segmented environments are perfect for gaming on the go and the game's addictive item creation is perfect for bringing wherever your travels take you. The number of unique creatures to hunt, expansive number of items to collect and craft, and strong multiplayer experience make for a must-play experience on the 3DS.
The impartial reality of childhood promises tragedy is treated with same innocence as prosperity. We're better equipped to learn from mistakes than act on advice, a phase of humanity Gravity Ghost both indulges and exposes to its own limitations. Expressed as a product, Gravity Ghost is an inventive platformer with a precarious and affecting narrative. Absorbed as an experience, Gravity Ghost makes a better case for the union of interactivity and storytelling.
Dying Light presents a dynamic and frustrating parallel; it's quick to dazzle its audience with heaping stacks of energetic (if not wholly borrowed) content, but equally capable of coming apart under the burgeoning stress of weaving it all together. A reticence to acknowledge its own pratfalls leaves the responsibility of proper assembly to the player. If you're up to that particular challenge, Dying Light's one of the more impressive games of the modern generation.
Life is Strange has simplicity to it that is driven by a strong and intriguing storyline. It's one of those titles that demands your attention, but doesn't ask too much from your gaming skills. Gamers may not like the lack of control and variety of gameplay, but the freedom to dictate the character and story might be enough to warrant a go.
#IDARB shoots high. It seeks to shake up the familiar co-op sports game with simplistic controls and unstoppable energy and creates an ultra-competitive gameplay that's easy to play or watch. And while the game shines at 2v2, it falls victim to its own frenzy with any additional players. Online matchmaking could be much improved, but #IDARB remains an immensely technical game that rewards skill and luck when everything falls into place.
The Remastered version brings this masterpiece to a new generation, and does nothing to compromise the genius of the original.