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Fez was one of the most enjoyable and entertaining games I've experienced last year and the same thing applies with the PC version. It's a charming, charismatic adventure that will leave you with a smile across your face for the duration of your play. It's also incredibly cryptic and is far more than skin deep, introducing a deceivingly vague world. I can't decide if Phil Fish and his team are geniuses or completely out of their minds.
The novelty wears thin when you realize that you've actually been playing Tower Offense games for a very long time as "Real Time Strategy" games. Here Anomaly 2 is trying to reinvent its own wheel with little tiny incremental upgrades instead of taking the same drastic approach that gained it such praise in the first place.
Even with all of its glamour and polish, the story of young Jerry Hazelnut is weighed down by disappointing shortcomings. Offering an appealing world resembling that of Alice and Wonderland, it’s not that The Night of the Rabbit is a bad game by any means, but the inconsistent puzzle complexities and dull main character drags this adventure down farther than the rabbit should go. With that said, the visuals are absolutely spectacular and the soundtrack has some of the most memorable orchestrated tracks this year. It breaks my heart to even talk about The Night of the Rabbit in a negative manner because, while it has its issues, it’s still an imaginative experience.
Rogue Legacy is just about as close to perfect as a randomized action platformer could hope to be. The constantly changing challenge, and character to face it with, make every game feel different.
Those who missed out on the XBLA release of Spelunky and want a good tough rogue-like should pick it up from Steam. It's a little more based on reflexes than most rogue-likes, but even if you find out you're not that good at it, it is still a riot to watch friends try to get as far as the can before making the wrong step and getting crushed by a boulder.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ultimate Edition is a solid package for anyone who didn't get to play the game back in 2010, but at this point, it just feels like a stepping stone that allows the sequel to be released on the platform.
Doing the impossible by topping its predecessor, Rayman Legends is one of the best gaming experiences this year. It takes everything fun about classic platforming and puts it in a visually stunning environment.
Saturday Morning RPG has a few issues, but none are glaring. The writing occasionally falls flat, and at several points a glitch caused my view to be obstructed while using a timed button-press attack in combat, but the game remains wholesomely charming and fun throughout. The jokes may not have draw a guffaw, but the pure innocence of the writing and the world does exactly what it intends to: remind you of those great lost Saturday mornings. And at that, Saturday Morning RPG is quite successful.
Gamers come to Battlefield to drive ATVs strapped with C4 into enemy tanks, barrage enemy troops with RPG-fire while parachuting from their buddy's helicopter and more outrageous activities that Battlefield 4 delivers in spades. With improvements and additions to the tried and true formula, the lackluster single-player can't hold the game down — the explosive multiplayer playground simply must be experienced.
Journey of a Roach is a bog-standard adventure game built around a single kind of nifty idea. It attempts to ape the style of games like Machinarium, but fails to emulate any of that title's wonderful charm or design sensibilities.
Pokémon X and Y makes the classic series feel brand new.
Deadfall Adventures isn't actually a terrible game. The dialogue is dumb, AI companions have an unnerving tendency to teleport behind you, it's far glitchier than it should be, but somehow it's also not unlikeable.
If for some reason you don't have a PC or a Wii U, then the PlayStation 4 version is going to be the best you can get. There's a strong variety of unique puzzles, and with the gorgeous world that can be taken-in, Trine 2 ends up being a luscious adventure.
While Shadow Fall may be best representation of the PS4's visuals, Need for Speed Rivals is the best representation of its power. It's blisteringly fast, not batting an eye at speeds over two-hundred miles per hour for a sustained period of time. Cars look realistic, environments are highly-detailed and the dynamic HUDs and interface are the best the series has seen. It's raw, visceral, intense and boasts a ton of replay value thanks to over one hundred events and seamless online multiplayer. Need for Speed Rivals proves how impressive a PS4 racing game can be by offering a fully realized product that blows past conceptions of what a launch title can offer.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is not a perfect game. It has design flaws and the story is lacking, but it's a whole lot of fun and a great showcase for what the PS4 can do.
Baldur's Gate II is not a game to be missed. With an epic story, memorable characters, hundreds of hours of dungeon crawling, questing and adventuring, Baldur's Gate stands tall among the classics.
Resogun is an incredibly fun game, but not much more than that. This is by no means a system seller and isn't a game that screams "next gen" in any area.
Super Motherload is just about long enough for what it is, wrapping up before getting tedious while still providing plenty of gem and mineral harvesting action. There's no real reason for it to be on PS4 versus any other system, of course, but that doesn't prevent it from being a fun bit of digging with an excellent soundtrack.
Knack is a new-age throwback to a time when you could get away with telling stupid, fun stories about mascots beating up goblins in a simple, three-button brawler. It's also a fine showcase for the PS4's horsepower that doesn't paint its world primarily in grey and brown.
Tearaway is the perfect launch title, though it missed the launch by two years.