Age of Wonders 3 is a challenging power fantasy
Civilization: Beyond Earth successfully injects new life into Sid Meier's long-running strategy series
Attila is a satisfying simulation of a world in chaos
'Dark Room' exhibits the best and worst of what Life is Strange has to offer
Volume has anger to go with its beauty and wit
That Dragon, Cancer is the best of games. It reveals to us what it means to be a fellow human being finding the strength to survive terrible circumstances. It shares through words, pictures, sounds and actions. The actions give us a sense of the pain of others. They show, rather than tell. This story is unique in that it tackles the most dreaded of human experiences in the form of a video game. If you play this game, it may change you.
Firewatch is the video game equivalent of a page-turner
Bound is an imperfect but enchanting reminder of the power of art
Forza 3 Horizon is as beautiful as it is engaging
Virginia is powerful and original
Civ 6 is smarter and more varied, but doesn't show much progress
Orwell grabs the problem of how we balance our own liberty and our safety and turns it into a thrilling adventure. It unfolds complex debate points into a dazzling satire, that neatly presents all the relevant arguments as a series of moral problems, dressed up in a frighteningly convincing world.
This is an exceptional piece of fantasy fiction, a metamorphosis machine, a toy, a game like no other. It's a work of deep imagination, humor and thoughtfulness. Everything held me captive for many hours, and will continue to do so. It's brave, bizarre, compelling and beautiful.
Blackwood Crossing's truth is unforgettable and wrenching.
Dawn of War 3 isn't evolutionary, but it is ferociously competent
Wilson's Heart is an important marker in VR storytelling's path forward
Rakuen is authentic and extraordinary
Old Man's Journey is sweet and undemanding
The Fidelio Incident makes an admirable attempt to approach a difficult subject from a unique angle. But it fails to capture the emotional subtlety or artful storytelling that games like Gone Home, Firewatch and Virginia have demonstrated within the same kind of framework.
I spent the equivalent of a working week playing Aven Colony and it was hard labor. This is a game of relentless concentration and chore-work, with only the briefest flashes of magic and relief, offering almost nothing new to the city building, or resource management genres.