USgamer's Reviews
Essentially the same game as last year's Xbox 360 rendition, Spelunky takes on a new and better life on Vita. Its tragically brief play sessions fit perfectly in a portable format. Just don't throw your system in anger, OK?
I really wanted to like Rayman Legends -- but all the pretty art and good intentions in the world don't make a great game without a touch of restraint. Legends doesn't lack for neat ideas, but it needs more polish to be truly entertaining. And I certainly wouldn't complain if someone dropped the hard disk containing Murfy's stage data onto a bulk eraser.
Square Enix has pulled off the seemingly impossible: rescuing a disastrous flop of an online game without going free-to-play, and creating an incredibly addictive, satisfying experience for both MMO and Final Fantasy veterans in the process. A Realm Reborn is a triumph for Naoki Yoshida and his team.
Ironclad Tactics is a mean old coot beloved by Lady Luck. He fights fair but your hand of cards may disagree. Seemingly allergic to the very idea of tutorials, Ironclad Tactics has an incredibly hands-off approach to player guidance and a no-holds barred attitude when it comes to battles. It will smack you around. Hard.
Despite the nagging feeling that something's missing, Pokémon X and Y make some huge leaps forward for both the competitive and casual crowds. I just wish these games felt as complete as their predecessors.
Battlefield 4's below average campaign is once again disappoints, but the excellent Conquest mode and large-scale combat is enough to carry the series for another year. Pretty much status quo for EA's top multiplayer shooter.
Enemy Within doesn't fundamentally change the XCOM experience, but it does add a number of new challenges and strategies for veterans of Enemy Unknown. This expansion may be a little too much to handle for newcomers, but the XCOM faithful will find a whole new series of important decisions to obsess over.
Practically oozing fan service from every pore, Burial at Sea is both as glorious and as imperfect as Rapture itself. The visuals are sensational, the combat a reasonably healthy marriage between Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. Booker and Elizabeth both take well to their detective noir roles. Yet, like the promise of Rapture itself, Burial at Sea's splendor doesn't last forever. Things go unexplained, shrugged off as the too-short DLC rushes towards its conclusion.
A Link Between Worlds takes some much-needed strides to shake things up. But it does so within a pair of worlds most fans know maybe a little too well, and you know what they say about familiarity. This is a good first step in Nintendo's journey to revitalize Zelda, but the next leg of the trip needs to be considerably bolder.
Resogun may not break any new ground with all the newfangled technology at its command, but it offers a level of entertainment that tends to be in short supply in the early days of a new platform. It comes highly recommended.
You've always got to look out for the attractive ones. Contrast is a bit of a hot mess -- kind of like the bumbling Johnny Fenris in its core. Rife with bugs and prone towards glitching in the worst possible ways, Compulsion Games' pretty little title can and will outrage. If you're willing to overlook the brokenness of its platforming, Contrast is dazzling in almost every other capacity.
Need for Speed: Rivals takes some of the best features from prior franchise entries and combines them with a seamless single-multiplayer mode to create an absolutely terrific, utterly bonkers race-and-chase game that looks and sounds as good as it drives.
Still trying to get someone into the Marvel Universe? If they have an open mind and a PlayStation 4, Traveller's Tales Lego Marvel Superheroes is the perfect introduction. For families or individuals that love Marvel comics, movies, or cartoons, Lego Marvel Superheroes is the perfect pick-up for this holiday. And Vita Remote Play co-op is a great addition to a great game.
The graphics don't provide as much of a next-generation leap as we'd hoped, but the atmosphere and huge number of zombies more than make up for any other visual shortcomings. The weapon and vehicle customization options and the addition of Nightmare Mode give Dead Rising 3 the legs it needs to stay in constant rotation on your Xbox One.
Killer Instinct may seem little light with only six characters at launch, no lobbies for online play, and no Story mode until March, but the fighting mechanics are top notch. You can't argue with how easy the game is to pick up and play, and you'll have a ton of fun in the process. This is easily one of the best Xbox One launch title.
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition is a Game of the Year-style version of the DC Universe fighter released earlier this year. The DLC now included in this release costs nearly $60, so the new release is a great bargain for new players. The PlayStation 4 version kicks the game up to 1080p and improves the graphics a bit, but it's not a big enough change to justify buying a PS4 on its own. The score to the right reflects that version. The PlayStation Vita version is only for diehard fans, because the detailed characters models and levels did not survive the transition to the portable platform. It's still 60 fps, but it's a muddy mess at 60 fps. The Vita controls are workable, but unreliable at times. It's a nice try by Armature, but it only deserves 1.5 out of 5 stars.
About all Knack is good for is inspiring new and creative curses. I certainly spent more time improvising strings of epithets at its substandard gameplay than I did improvising strings of combo attacks. The only thing I actually enjoyed about Knack were the cutscenes. It's the best cartoon that's ever been presented with real-time graphics... broken up by some of the worst action gaming I've seen in years. Let me know when someone's uploaded an edit of Knack's cutscenes to YouTube, because I'd love to revisit the story without all the swearing in between.
A spot-on exploration of what Nintendo really does best: Create varied and surprising twists on concepts and ingredients you thought you knew inside-out. The fact that 3D World remains lively and interesting despite calling back to so many well-loved classics serves as a succinct reminder as to why Mario remains successful after so many years and so many games: At its heart, the series is ultimately just about having simple, unpretentious fun.
Outside of instant replays, Madden NFL 25 won't impress the average player on PlayStation 4, as the game's normal play mode doesn't always show off the next-generation graphics. Improved physics and player AI change how the game is played on a fundamental level, making it more realistic, so veteran players will need a period of adjustment. Unlike previous console launch versions of Madden, Madden NFL 25 on PS4 keeps all the extra modes you've come to expect from the series.
The previous generation's definitive chill-out game gets a lovely visual makeover for the next. And it's still as cool as ever.