Vanguard Games gives Halo fans something to cheer about in 'Halo: Spartan Assault,' distilling the essence of the first-person series into fun top-down shooter play.
Gone Home is a game that can be played by anyone, and should be played by everyone.
Harebrained Schemes and Shadowrun co-creator Jordan Weisman serve their faithful Kickstarter audience well with the launch of 'Shadowrun Returns' for PC/Mac.
'Splinter Cell: Blacklist' succeeds more than it fails, with an uneven story the only sore spot in an otherwise impressive and content-rich game.
VectorCell's 2.5D take on the PC classic Flashback amounts to a good remake, but not a great one.
Battlefield Hardline is a two-pronged success, with a killer cops-and-robbers story backed by a speedy take on competitive play.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a weird and beautiful game, but it's an odd fit for the Wii U.
The Order: 1886 is a dull, plodding experience that's beautiful to behold but spends too little time giving players a reason to stick around.
The Dark Below is all about adding more stuff to Destiny. If you've reached the endgame and you're still enjoying yourself, consider this essential.
Lego Batman 3 is dumb fun, just like every other Lego game released in the last 10 years, but fans should be expecting more by now.
Far Cry 4 is at its best when you ignore the story and focus on the open world's beautiful, living take on unhinged chaos.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is an incredible game -- one that's almost too big for its own good.
Packed with content and freshly remastered, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is the definitive celebration of a series and its fans.
Sledgehammer Games finds freshness in familiar territory, delivering the best Call of Duty game in years.
Sunset Overdrive is the uncontested Xbox One system-seller in Microsoft's fall 2014 lineup.
Borderlands is a game of deadly math, but the numbers don't quite add up in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor nears perfection, but the demands of a scripted narrative work against its freeform structure.
Forza Horizon 2 is light on challenge, heavy on fun, delivering one of the most exciting and enjoyable racing games in years.
The Sims 4 killed my girlfriend with fire. It's the same quirky, oddball good time it's always been.
Lichdom: Battlemage is a fun magic-driven shooter with a deep crafting system, but repetition creeps in across its 20-plus-hour playing time.