There's comfort in falling into a tactical routine with your buddies as you reach the perimeter of every enemy outpost.
This top-down arena shooter runs afoul of fun.
A novel and inventive approach to first-person exploration falls short of its ambitions.
An endearingly designed creature and a captivating world in ruins cannot save this 2D platformer from its punishing gameplay.
Anime's most well known hack-and-slashing mercenary joins gaming's most prolific hack-and-slash series with mixed results.
A reimagining of a cult classic is beset by uninspired level designs and unrefined combat.
Escape Dead Island is a competent yet unremarkable side story with remarkably shallow action.
The now-free downloadable content for Assassin's Creed Unity kicks off with a passable new chapter that is neither a conclusion nor epilogue.
Speaking of being a moving target, one notable issue that holds Siege back from excellence is its less than ideal hit detection. There is an odd and often frustrating discrepancy between the amount of successful hits you think you got versus what the replays claim you got. Assuming Ubisoft has big competitive gaming plans for Siege, this issue needs to be at the top of the fixes list for the next patch.
[W]hen playing something as unrefined as Assassin's Creed Unity, I can't help but wonder how much better the game would have been were it given six more months of polish. What we have instead is a decently functioning Assassin's Creed that wraps the 18th century timeline not with a satisfying and fitting climax, but instead with an unfortunate sense of relief that this period is finally over.
The Order: 1886 is more cohesive than the 15-year story arc of Quantic Dream's last effort, but cohesion doesn't automatically result in a compelling experience. It succeeds so well in playing out like the middle episode of an unmade series that it forgets to delve deeper into the otherwise fascinating Arthurian lore and its 19th century context.
A new version of Gods Eater Burst transitions to PlayStation 4 with mixed results.
Unfortunately, having the camera closer to ground level exposes the sheer blandness of typical Tales environments.
Halo: Spartan Assault transfers adequately from mobile platforms to the Xbox One, with microtransactions in tow.
A detour for a slave-turned-pirate-turned-assassin helps sow the seeds of a rebellion in this well-intentioned but flawed add-on.
Xenoblade Chronicles X excels when it emulates and improves upon the best parts of Xenoblade. X shines when it comes to combat, exploration, and vehicle systems, making this sequel more engrossing than its predecessor. Its richness makes it easier to overlook the shortcomings from both the technical limitations of the Wii U and the inconsistent soundtrack. Even without the multiplayer, there is plenty to do and see in X, but with that as an added component, the game should make a lot of Wii U owners happy well into 2017.
If you're willing to take a chance on Driveclub, it rewards you with its all-business design and impressively brief loading times. From a content perspective, it lands smack dab between "bare bones" and "feature-packed," with just enough content that it can't be classified as a glorified starter pack. It's a racing game with just the essentials plus added social incentives that let you compete at your own pace, as long as you're not the compulsive type who needs to win every challenge.
EA Sports' basketball series returns from a one-year hiatus with new features that outshine its traditional modes.
A new painted world serves as the setting for the first Dark Souls III DLC--with a new host of goals, enemies, and loot, but not much else.
Ghost Recon is a large scale cooperative shooter rich in content but with questionable lasting appeal.