Stealth Inc 2 is a remarkably well-crafted and well-paced platformer, and one of the most welcome surprises to arrive on the Wii U this year.
It is actually a little sad to play Okami HD again after so many years. Well, playing Okami HD is a joyous experience, but it is sad to see that after six years it is still one of the best examples of its genre. Okami HD is fantastic, and hopefully this re-release will inspire a new generation of game designers to play, enjoy and then scoff, "Ha, I bet I could do better".
What this first episode sets up though, holds tremendous potential for the season ahead. And while banking on potential can be dangerous for an episodic game, if Telltale can maintain the precedent it's setting here for narrative risks and twists then the payoff will be all the better for it in the end.
Like any good vacation, you'll return home at the end of it with lasting fond memories. But unlike most vacations, with Hohokum you always have the opportunity to revisit them whenever the mood strikes.
Despite its often infuriating difficulty, Road Not Taken is a fascinating journey where how you play it makes all the difference.
It becomes difficult to tear yourself away from Rogue Legacy, as the repetitive flow is brilliantly augmented by randomly generated traits and dungeon layouts. Before you know it, three hours and 20 generations of heroes have passed, and you finally realize that your cheeks are where you feel the strain the most from smiling the entire time.
While many games will borrow elements from the classics in an attempt to become a spiritual successor to some popular title, MouseCraft manages to pay homage to its inspirations while retaining an identity all its own.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a superbly titled game. It is a valiant effort at a sincere depiction of war by developers whose hearts were clearly in the right place, telling a gripping story that is still respectful of its source.
It isn't a bad story, with plenty of intrigue from its setting and characters. The issue comes in when it tries to take a leap into the realm of allegory, where it never ties itself together thematically in a satisfying way. In that way, Transistor is like a virtual croissant. It is layered and delicious, but there is a lingering airy emptiness to it that makes it hard to fill up on just one.
It is a blending of genre and style that is an unexpected treat, and already one of the year's role-playing game highlights.
The brilliant design used throughout Octodad: Dadliest Catch brings out the absolute best from a bizarre concept that simply needs to be played to be believed.
The track designs are excellent, holding up even under that close level of scrutiny while riding at low speeds to explore, allowing you to appreciate the craft that went into every ramp, gap and bump in the road. And with that closer appreciation, maybe it will inspire you and other players to add your own ideas through the level editor, constantly building a better game.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die may just be the beginning, but it is easily one of the most delightfully bizarre trips of the year. It won't always make sense, but there is a consistent earnestness to its oddity that somehow makes it all work in harmony of '80s saxophone riffs and overly-affected Boston accents.
It keeps you on edge just enough to pique your curiosity for what the next mystery will bring, and marries that mystery with an eerily beautiful world worth being curious about.
Debates still go on as to whether video games have had their Citizen Kane moment, but with Jazzpunk we can at least rest easy knowing that games have had their Naked Gun moment.
If the first act truly is half of the game, there is some reasonable concern that Act 2 might need to be considerably longer to resolve everything without resorting to an overly-expository info dump.
This War of Mine creates an oppressively bleak landscape, but with just enough humanity shining through that you want to keep digging to find and hold onto that source of light. That earnest human touch keeps This War of Mine compelling even when you mess up and the rubble all comes tumbling down around you, leaving you just enough hope for the next attempt that you'll dive back in and endure it all again.
Roundabout is simply overflowing with personality, offering the best bad acting around and clever missions that even make the aggravating city exploration worth plodding through.
Yes, Hatoful Boyfriend is a dating game with a bird gimmick, and that alone will be enough to keep many players at arm's length. But to pigeonhole your time at the St. Pigeonation's Institute as a mere gimmick would be a grave misjudgment of a game that is far more delightful and unexpected than even its bizarre premise would suggest.
Fez is ultimately a game about games much in the same way Hugo is a film about films. Fez can be very demanding to get the most out of it, but without ever actually asking anything of you. Do not play Fez to beat it, but play to explore and get lost in its puzzles and pixilated world.