Kyle Orland
More of the same is just fine when it's more of this compelling superhero formula. Buy it.
As the game continues, there's just enough enemy variety to keep this routine from becoming too boring. A particularly tough enemy might require you to throw tough Rock Pikmin to break through, for instance. Or you might need to clog up the blowhole of an elephant-trunked enemy to stun it and expose its armored weak point.
Doesn't quite hit the heights of its predecessor, but it's still a worthy sequel with some strong moments. Buy it.
Try it if you're looking for a break from the punishing difficulty you might be finding in other games these days.
I can appreciate that Elden Ring doesn't want to hold a player's hand and gently guide them to the next point of interest, as so many other games do. But that lack of guidance often seems to slip into a willingness to let a player wander aimlessly if they're not careful. Players who use guides or rely on the in-game hints from other players may not feel this issue so acutely, but aimlessness has been a major feature of my time with the game so far.
Bowser’s Fury works just fine as an added bonus packaged with an under-appreciated platforming gem from the Wii U era. If you’ve never played 3D World before, this is a great chance to catch up on a fresh take on 3D Mario design. If you’re mainly interested in Bowser’s Fury, though, maybe wait until the strong ideas get expanded into a full, standalone game.
Buy it if you want an "expansion pack" sequel with an interesting story and solid, familiar gameplay.
In the end, the London of Watch Dogs: Legion feels a mile wide but only a few feet deep. What promises to be endless variety in character choice and hack-driven gameplay options quickly boils down to the repetition of the same old gameplay and plot tropes.
Buy it if you missed out on any of these classic games the first time around or if you want to relive them again in a more convenient form.
I don’t regret the time I spent back in the world of The Last of Us. But a big part of me was left wondering if its creators just should have left well enough alone.
Doom Eternal is a thrilling return to form and a high-water mark for fast-paced twitch shooting. Buy it.
A beautiful, difficult, and masterful swan song for 2D platforming on the Xbox One. Buy it if you have any interest in the genre.
Death Stranding is definitely a game that stands out from the crowd, but on balance, I’m not sure it stands out for good reasons.
Course creators can look forward to an amazing game-making tool set whose depth is matched by its accessibility, while players have a functionally endless set of Mario courses to dig through over the course of years.
There are better ways to get your superhero action fix, but there are worse ones, too. Crackdown 3 is at least worth a try.
Try it if you're looking for a novel take on a time-tested 2D gaming formula.
Buy it if you're looking for deep, twitchy multiplayer action. Try it if you'll be sticking to single player.
Try it if you really want to see how hard it is to make branching narrative work on this scale. Otherwise, just catch up on Westworld.
If you have a Switch, get this game. If you don't have a Switch, get one, then get this game.
Those with a high tolerance for repeating difficult 2D shooting challenges should buy it. Everyone else should try it in Simple mode or just by watching on YouTube.