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While there are issues that should have been addressed before the game shipped, when you compare them against how well the game is executed overall, they are minor blips on the radar. Star Wars fans have been clamoring for a decent RPG, and Bioware has certainly exceeded expectations. "Baldur's Gate" has been the RPG that I measure RPG's against, and KOTOR will unseat it from the throne. The writing and voice acting are the best I've seen. No other Star Wars game, including Star Wars Galaxies, has done a better job of completely immersing you in the Star Wars universe. It's impossible to finish the game without somehow feeling like your actions have made a difference. It's not a short game, clocking in at about 60 hours if you do all the side quests. With the multiple paths through the game, you'll want to play it more than once which really gives you a lot of bang for your buck.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords is the best RPG to come out since its illustrious prequel, a worthy follow-up to a grand title that has true replay value, gorgeous presentation, and depth that most other games wouldn’t dream of attempting. Buy it, play it, love it.
Bastion is a solid action-RPG that is put over the edge by its unique and entrancing concept. It's a fun game, but it would've had trouble standing apart from the crowd, even with its unique features. When you add in the awesome use of narration, the game becomes much more than the sum of its parts. Bastion manages to be engrossing from beginning to end. It's well paced, well executed and fun to play, and it's hard not to get more curious about what comes next. The lack of replay value, even with a NewGame+ and multiple endings, may hurt it a little, but if you're a fan of atmospheric and unique action-RPGs, then Bastion is well worth the 1,200 Microsoft points ($15).
Given the amount of development time and the public nature of the game, Fez no longer seems like a revolutionary title. The puzzle mechanics has been used in several different ways in other games (that were released earlier), and the move away from realism and into a more whimsical, older look has also been done by other titles. The graphics and sound are still charming, even if it falters in a few places. More importantly, the game does a great job of throwing in a number of obtuse and brain-melting puzzles, and the sense of elation when you finally solve them is second to none. Those who love a good challenge will have some fun with this well-made puzzle platformer.
Torchlight II eagerly empowers the player with many of the things that made classic ARPGs great, and then it builds even more into the formula. It's perfect for an hour of your time or an online weekend binge with friends.
In short, why haven't you already purchased Okami HD? At $20, Okami HD is one of the greatest gaming values of 2012, representing the greatest and largest Zelda-like adventure to not come from Nintendo. It's been updated beautifully and features strong, complementary use of the Move technology. Even at six years of age, the game is better than many modern contemporaries. Hopefully, the HD update finally brings Capcom the success that the game has long deserved.
As a D&D and Neverwinter Nights fan, I wanted to see what an MMO version offered, and I came away feeling that it accomplished its goals, if only for a month or so. It's like a single-player sandbox dungeon; when I reached what felt to be the proverbial end, it was time to move on.
Dusty Revenge has lots of potential and looks very eye-catching. The combat system is satisfying enough despite some cheap enemy tactics, and the boss fights are quite good. However, the camera/HUD issues and the limited use of sound is disappointing, and collision issues and bugs pop up often. The varying quality on the controls can infuriate, especially during the platforming segments in the latter half of the game. For $10, the experience is still worth it but only if you've already played the better titles in the genre.
Unfortunately, it all adds up to be a less-than-stellar experience for Battlefield 4. There is little doubt that the game will see patches to address some or all of these issues, but as it stands, it has an underwhelming single-player campaign and an unstable multiplayer mode that severely hampers enjoyment. The launch of a game used to mean that something close to a polished product was made available. In that regard, the Battlefield 4 launch can only be seen as an embarrassment. Hopefully, the game will be better after some patches, but in its current state, it shouldn't have been released in the first place.
Knack is easily the low point of the PS4's launch. The game squanders its potential at every opportunity. What could have been an interesting mascot character for the PlayStation is instead the very definition of mediocrity. Boring combat, unimaginative platforming, and some flawed design decisions bring down Knack. Even with the extremely limited selection of launch titles, there's no reason to choose Knack over anything else. Those looking for a kid-friendly game would be much better off shelling out the extra money for Skylanders or Lego Marvel. There's nothing to recommend Knack, and it's destined to join the ever-growing pile of low-budget launch titles that nobody remembers.
Skylanders: Swap Force is the best kid-friendly game available on the PS4. It's incredibly accessible, easy to play, and full of content. It is a solid and well-crafted game from start to finish. The only potential downside is that it could become a serious drain on a parent's wallet as their kids run into roadblocks that require specific toys to continue. If you don't mind dishing out a few extra dollars, or if your kids already have a healthy collection of Skylander toys, there's no better choice for a new PS4 owner looking for something for the younger crowd.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is one of the most fun Zelda titles on the market, and it's easily the best handheld Zelda game since Link's Awakening. It's well crafted, fun to play, charming and interesting, and it mixes up the Zelda formula in some exciting ways while maintaining a healthy dose of nostalgia. It isn't the longest game, but it's fun from beginning to end. The highest praise I can give A Link Between Worlds is that it's a worthy sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Zelda fans should absolutely add this game to their libraries, and newcomers to the franchise should find it to be a fun and accessible title.
Ryse: Son of Rome is a solid game and arguably has the best graphics of any console game to date. The combat is engaging, and the multiplayer extension feels like the Shadows of Rome multiplayer that never was. Although the title does come across as a one-trick pony, a fair amount of care was put into that element. Ultimately, I found the game to be the most enjoyable of all Xbox One launch titles, and putting this much emphasis on a new IP is always commendable. If you want the best-looking game on the new Xbox One console, Ryse is the easy choice to make, and the combat is enough to keep your interest until the end.
If anything, NBA Live 14 helps prove that the NBA 2K series will be the reigning king of video game basketball simulations for years to come. Some decent game mechanics are ruined by very poor AI that has little to no idea of what to do most of the time. The audio is poorly put together, and the visuals are decent for the middle of the current generation, not at the beginning of a new one. The ESPN license feels largely wasted in the bare-bones presentation. A few modes are too tedious to be fun. There are some good ideas and modes here, but with so many issues plaguing it and few players online in the first few weeks, the whole effort seems pointless. With any luck, the plan for EA is to learn from this and deliver a worthy product next year. Unless you need every game on your chosen platform, just pick up NBA 2K14 for your hoops fix this year, and don't look back.
If you're a fighting game fan, it's hard to pass up Killer Instinct's opening price tag of $0. It's a reasonable $19.99 to unlock all the characters from the first season. Either way you look at it, there shouldn't be an Xbox One out there that doesn't have the game installed. By no means is it going to topple some of the more prominent fighting titles, but it is definitely an interesting and pretty game that can be enjoyed by casual and hardcore players alike.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is one of the most solid entries in the LEGO franchise to date. It has a huge cast of characters, a fun world to explore, and tons of content. It doesn't break the mold in any way, but it offers a good experience, so it's possible to overlook the lack of major upgrades. It isn't the most impressive debut for the LEGO franchise as a next-gen title, but it's acceptable, even if it makes limited use of the power of the PS4. Traveller's Tales has made yet another excellent game that is accessible to players of all ages. If you or your kids like LEGO titles, you'll certainly enjoy this trip into the Marvel universe.
Madden NFL 25 is still a good football game. All of the modes from the Xbox 360/PS3 release are still here, the gameplay is practically the same, and there are a few improvements in some areas. However, those improvements are negated by a few new issues, and what you have is a game that doesn't have enough to convince many to move on to the next console generation just yet. If you're an early adopter of the new consoles, you'll be fine with this version. Otherwise, waiting for next year's iteration is a good idea.
Take away the pretty looks, and Forza Motorsport 5 is a sterile mess of gaping holes where features from previous games once were. Forza has never had a serious career mode, but an overhaul to the established formula seems overdue. Other than the new graphics and the Drivatar system, there isn't much that differentiates it from the prior release. Its saving grace is that the racing is so refined that once you are in a race, a lot of its shortcomings seem to no longer matter. Forza 5 will do as a holdover racing game for now, but for all the bombast that next-gen brings, the game is awfully stagnant, and its lack of competition has never been more apparent.
Basically, if you own a Vita, you should own Tearaway. For me, it's the best piece of software the handheld has seen to date, and it's the best Sony release since The Last of Us. It's a remarkably interesting, charming and emotional platformer from Media Molecule, and it shows that this studio is capable of more than just Little Big Planet. While this is certainly one of the busiest video game seasons in recent years, you should take a little time out of your next-gen schedule to experience a modern-day classic.
Very little is enticing about Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! outside of the license being used, and even that isn't applied properly here. Cut the game length by half, cut the price even further, stick this in a digital shop, and you have an OK time-waster that doesn't overstay its welcome. Even then, I think most would see through the shoddy, repetitive structure that makes up the meat of this game. "Adventure Time" fans deserve far better than this.