The biggest element that feels missing is the incredible character interaction from New Order. There are some memorable people in Old Blood, but no strong attachments, despite the game clearly attempting to toy with our emotions. The pace of the adventure grows too fast to develop the type of relationships we remember from New Order, but when the whole thing is over it's clear that's not the point. This is constructed as a fun trip through the best parts of prior Wolfenstein games, and it mostly succeeds in that mission. We wish it had crazier weapons and more complex personalities but it's still fun.
If you're a fan of Frictional Games, you'll find Soma equally spooky and thought-provoking. At times it was difficult for us to maintain our immersion in this nightmare under the sea.
Fantasia: Music Evolved reminds you why you bother keeping the Xbox camera around. If you and your loved ones enjoy music at all, there are a lot of reasons why this game will make you happy. But compared to a dancing star or a rock god, a melody magician doesn't have the same prestige, and the simplified gameplay is evidence of that. Like everything Disney inspires, it's the colorful and playful energy that will keep you coming back. It's just tough to stay excited about waving your arms around for very long.
Garden Warfare was a surprise when it was announced, and you'll be surprised when you play it what PopCap managed to accomplish. But it can get repetitive when the jokes run dry, and the system designed to combat this is locked behind piles of crumpled tinfoil and stacks of unwanted stickers. If you're starving for more brains, charge in. But don't be afraid to let this plant grow a bit before enlisting.
Destiny has not achieved greatness, yet. It is however, extremely fun to play.
Depending on what you want from Disney Infinity 2.0 Edition you'll either be underwhelmed or overjoyed. Maybe both. You can see exactly where improvements have been made, and where the series still needs to grow. We're disappointed in the lack of diversity from the available Playsets, but there is still a ridiculous amount of stuff to collect, and it's now more accessible, customizable, and fun than ever.
Every Assassin's Creed since II seems to focus on a particular gimmick, from the brotherhood, to the wilderness, to the open seas. Unity is an attempt to get back to the basics of stealth-action, and there are a lot of subtle upgrades that make the formula feel freshly tailored for this new generation. This is an extremely ambitious, beautiful game that you can spend a lot of time with. Unfortunately, system performance may vary substantially, Arno's story is a bit underwhelming, and if you don't have a few patriots to join you in battle the co-op missions won't impress. History has given us better Assassin's Creed games than this, but the Animus can still simulate a captivating adventure.
Any purchase you make in Disney Infinity will reward you in many ways, and between the Toy Boxes you build for yourself, the ones packed into the Hub, and those you download online, there's a crazy amount of levels. Few games today receive this much support throughout the year, and have such a dedicated community of people giving users more and more inventive creations to enjoy. If this year of Infinity is anything like the last two, 3.0 is something that kids of all ages will want to be a part of.
If you need to buy all of Rock Band 4 to get a band going, it's a lot to pick up, but it's a worthy investment if you're in the market for a great party game. If you're fortunate enough to already have compatible gear or pre-purchased music ready to download, there's no reason not to rock again.