Providing that the upcoming raid is strong and we see good support and content-rich expansion during Destiny's second year, we could see this MMO-shooter go from a game beloved by a dedicated core of fans to one that excites the mass market for years to come. It got this RPG fanatic invested in a shooter for the first time since Hexen, and it might just hook you, too.
I'd definitely recommend Disney Infinity 3.0 for families with kids who adore Star Wars, as well as for gamers of all ages who love Disney and enjoy creating their own games and levels. If you don't fit into either of those categories, I'm not sure that the game holds its appeal past a few hours of play set fun, and that's a shame considering how much money you need to sink into the game's starter set and any additional characters and play sets you might want to buy. Though I enjoyed my time with the game, I couldn't entirely get past its bugs and quirks. Disney Infinity 3.0 is still leaning on the many possibilities of community-generated content and endless opportunities for customers to empty their wallets for plastic doodads, and not everybody is going to be willing to prop it up.
The Elder Scrolls Online features entertaining quests, dynamic combat, and a whole lot of other people. Sadly, those other people largely feel like an unnecessary addition to the game.
Story of Seasons is a strong entry in this venerable series of sim games. It includes a ton of activities, some nice system upgrades like streamlined farming and complex manufacturing huts, and a much-improved localization over previous titles. It's a bit lacking in the story department and has a few questionable design decisions like the spread-out rental fields and a lack of farming help, but farming fans should be quite pleased with the overall experience. In a world where most simulation games have moved to the mobile marketplace and include obnoxious timers and microtransactions, it's wonderful to see this good old series keep evolving and improving. Farm on, my friends, farm on.
Final Fantasy Type-0 may have started life as a PSP game, but its mysterious world and fast-paced combat are still an exciting mix. Shame about the voice acting and interface, though.
The best part of playing Tipping Stars is finding a devilishly clever community-made level to enjoy, but is that good enough? The basic gameplay in this entry just seems uninspired, especially its main campaign. It feels like Nintendo's famed devotion to fun first is simply missing from the game, which merely ports a too-familiar formula to new devices. It's time to just let these lemmings jump off the cliff.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is charming, lovely to look at, and fun to play—at least by yourself. It's nice to see Nintendo take advantage of the Wii U GamePad for something besides being a very expensive map display, even if that means the game's TV display is somewhat redundant. Kirby fans will be delighted by this series entry, especially if they remember Canvas Curse with fondness. Other gamers should definitely give this one a try. It has that good ol' Nintendo quality and sense of playfulness in spades.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is too slow-paced, too easy, and too childish for teen or adult Sonic fans, and its control and design issues make it difficult to recommend even for its target audience.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal offers some fun platforming and treasure hunting moments, but its tedious mazes and poor story ultimately make it a drag. This one needed more time with a level editor and less time spent forcing players to repeat content.
On one hand, Tales of Hearts R is a paint-by-numbers game that does little to stray outside of the usual series boundaries. On the other hand, the strong character dialogue, dungeon puzzles, and Chase Link combat system inject a lot of energy and entertainment into the title. It's not a video gaming masterpiece, but its fun to play. As long as you're tolerant of the lack of English dub and don't mind the anime style and plot, it's an RPG that's very much worth picking up.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is absolutely a great game. It retains all the action, polish, and fun factor that makes the series wildly popular with a wide range of gamers. However, the game gains little and loses much on the small screen. As much fun as it is to play, it's going to be more fun, more attractive, easier to control, and hopefully more online-capable on the Wii U. I won't say that you shouldn't buy the game on the 3DS, but I will suggest that the Wii U version is probably the game that you really want to play. The excellent roster and various other improvements found on the 3DS only make me more excited for the big-screen version of the game that is to come.
These complaints are rather minor in the grand scheme of things, because Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a fantastic tour of the series' musical history and an entertaining game to boot. It successfully combines the RPG addictions of leveling and customizing characters with the rhythm game addiction of mastering songs. Veterans of the first game and newcomers alike will enjoy its huge catalog of songs and fun features. If you like Final Fantasy and its music, you should absolutely grab a copy of this game.
First Light is an excellent introduction to the inFAMOUS series for new players, and series fans will enjoy this game's story and focused gameplay. Male and female players alike should enjoy playing as Fetch, thanks to her strong characterization and entertaining powers. In addition, the look and sound of this title serve as a good reminder of what the current generation of consoles have to offer. Go ahead... dip your toes into the world of inFAMOUS with this title, and don't be scared to feel the neon. Fetch says it's tasty.
CounterSpy is an excellent addition to the PlayStation Network with enough style and unique gameplay mechanics to make it stand out from the pack of side-scrolling platforming/action titles. Those of us who are old enough to remember the Cold War will particularly appreciate the game's style and humor, but it's an entertaining title for anybody who likes some good old-fashioned stealth action. Its later levels can be a bit frustrating, but its espionage challenges are enough fun that you'll want to keep trying until you reach the final mission.
Thanks to the strongest story since the original Disgaea, a battle system that is easy to pick up but has plenty of complexity, and the crazy amount of fun extra activities that can extend playtime, Disgaea 4 is a must-have turn-based strategy RPG. This Vita version is highly recommended for its portability and extra content. Playing politics in the Netherworld is a dirty and violent game, and genre fans will enjoy every minute of it.
Despite its oddball shortcomings, Risen 3 is a solid open-world RPG packed with entertaining characters and challenging combat scenarios.
Sacred 3 has the skeleton of a fun co-op hack 'n' slash experience, but it's marred by too much repetition, balance issues, and the worst comedy routine this side of Open Mic Night at the Middle of Nowhere Comedy Shack.
For puzzle lovers, you can't do much better than Pushmo World. It's a great deal with tons of challenging puzzles, lots of variety packed into a simple premise, and tons of play value via the World Fair. The best puzzle games are easy to learn but difficult to master, constantly challenge the player to think in new ways, and ensure that players can't be permanently stumped on a single puzzle. Pushmo World does all that and more with style and charm. Go pick it up on the Wii U and get ready for block-pulling bliss.
Entwined is one of the better digital games to be released on the PlayStation 4, although a lack of strong competition weighs into that estimation. It's lovely and challenges gamers in an unusual way, but it is also hampered by an awkward (and possibly painful) control scheme and dropped frames. Still, if you're one of those head-patters and belly-rubbers, it's only $10, so why not give it a try?
If you enjoy MMOs, WildStar is an excellent choice that should have some good legs to it. If you hate everything about MMOs, WildStar is not going to change your mind. It was made for traditional MMO enthusiasts, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you're itchin' for some exploration, questing, player-killing, raiding, house-decorating, and monster-slaying, then saddle up, Cupcake. WildStar is a fun ride.