Digital Chumps
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There are times when Saints Row IV feels like the greatest super hero game ever made and there are times when it feels paralyzed by all of its power. Even when Saints Row IV retreats into molds it's perfectly equipped to destroy, it's always operating under the some of the most ridiculous and hilarious context seen in a videogame. Humor sharpens Saints Row IV's experience, though it won't stop you from wondering of what it could have been with a bit more focus.
Wrapping American cultural stereotypes and the feckless disposition of politicians around an effigy of Earthbound is an electrifying thesis, but not one that Citizens of Earth quite sees to its potential or conclusion. The ingenuity of its character-based progression systems is stacked against tedious battle mechanics, suspect level design, and demoralizing performance crashes. Citizens of Earth is ultimately a victory, but not without a few conspicuous bruises.
Resident Evil HD Remaster is almost everything promised. After all these years, it still doesn't miss a step.
By tying humor and outrageous context to its moving parts, Saints Row The Third and Saints Row IV became viable systems in the modern open-world paradigm. Gat out of Hell (mostly) forgets all of this, sheds (mostly) all of its psychotic humor, and bolts on (mostly) dated mechanics. Its intended function may be a stop-gap between major iterations, but its execution feels like a failed audition against its recent past.
Mystery of Mooil Rig continues Sunset Overdrive's maelstrom of colorful and chaotic action. As far as downloadable content goes, Mystery of Mooil Rig is wholly traditional - but when it's applied to a game as whimsically defiant as Sunset Overdrive, it's tough to complain.
Racing games are often iterative in nature. So retreats from the mundane are a welcome change of pace. Storm Island offers a unique perspective on Horizon 2's template without completely retooling what makes the gameplay work so well. The weather patterns are amazing eye candy, but (for better or worse) don't have quite the aggressive effect on handling as one might expect. The new vehicles are the best part of the expansion, and have great showcase races on which to properly display their best traits in a competitive setting. This DLC may not offer 50+ hours of new races, but it does include enough to be a legit extension to Horizon 2's frame, and the fresh landscape affords plenty of new casual drives. If this was at the $15 price point, I'd say go for it with no hesitation whatsoever. For $20, I caution those looking for truckloads of new content to be leery of the abbreviated collection of Championships and Gauntlets. Still, this is a very solid offering for Horizon 2 owners looking for a reason to put the virtual pedal down during the holidays.
If you go into Sportsball with friends ready to play a local multiplayer experience, and ready to screw each other over, then you're going to find a very fun and inexpensive experience on the Wii U. If you're looking for more of a solo game, then this probably isn't the game for you.
I understand the fierce criticism accompanying The Dark Below, but I don't think it merits such animosity. The new content offers more frequent loot drops and there are many options for buying higher-level loot. This expands access to high-level activities for both players who buy and those who don't buy the expansion. Making Destiny more accessible in this way is a welcome addition to a game built around its cooperative environment. This remains a game best enjoyed with friends, so the more people playing, the better.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris has its limitations due to the dungeon crawling style of the game, especially in the presentation department. However, it does a great job with bringing some fun puzzle solving, competent enemies and level design, as well as a strong leveling system that motivates the gamer to keep going.
A good value for a well designed and developed digital tabletop game set in one of gaming's most intriguing universes.
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms provides a great value and a superb action RPG experience.
agic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 doesn't pull any punches with what it is and how it's played. It's a tough game that will challenge you, much like the actual card game, and will force you to think and strategize before jumping into the mix. It's certainly made for a specific audience that enjoys mathematics and forward thinking.
The charm of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker resides in the unique variety of levels built for the game, as well as the competent, yet simplistic gameplay design it delivers. Add a strong replay value to the mix and you have one of the best surprises to hit the Wii U this holiday season.
A strong first outing on the PS4 that's pretty great as is and worth considering for anyone at all interested in motocross. Next year's version should be quite interesting.
If you can overlook the price and potential early learning curve depending on your familiarity with the series, Ardennes Assault offers a very competent and compelling RTS experience.
Far Cry 4 is radiant with opportunities to both seize and indulge in its power. This speaks to its fondness for connected progression systems, an insistence on emblazoning its geography with scores of content, and meaningful improvements to the blueprint laid out by Far Cry 3. It's the latter that gives Far Cry 4 the most trouble, a sense of déjà vu permeates an otherwise honest artifice, but it keeps a straight face amid its more prominent transgressions.
A top notch soccer sim that deserves your attention this holiday.
WWE 2K's first outing on the PS4 and Xbox One is commendable, and gives us much to look forward to for 2K16. But unless you're a passionate fan of the WWE or this series, it's probably safe to rent or skip this year.
A good value for a pair of successful mobile games that come to PlayStation in their most complete form.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is initially the same type of gameplay that you know from the previous LEGO titles, but with a little bit more freedom and flavor added in to separate it. If you loved previous LEGO titles, especially the most recent LEGO Batman titles, then you're going to enjoy this one.