Destiny 2 has been trudging along, kept alive by the weekly log ins of its most faithful Guardians. Forsaken makes Destiny 2 fun again, giving more meaning to those log ins. The Tangled Shore and Dreaming City are visual treats and the Barons make for deserving recipients of those new Supers, but it may be the hefty collection of smaller changes that accompany Forsaken that make it feel all the better. The weapon slot revisions, return of random perk rolls, and other back-end modifications bring Destiny 2 closer in line with what it was expected to be from the start.
All in all, Insurgency: Sandstorm is a competent, exhilarating tactical shooter. Even after countless hours of capturing objectives and eliminating aggressive AI, each battle maintains its high level of tension. The weapon behavior and audio work beautifully in tandem to provide an offering that is difficult to find elsewhere currently. The small flaws that crop up occasionally do little to detract from the overall experience, although they don’t go completely unnoticed. New World Interactive has crafted a quality FPS that builds emergent war stories in every battle. Here’s hoping they someday release the cancelled single player/co-op story mode. One could only imagine what their advanced grasp of sound design could do in a structured, nail-biting narrative.
Diablo II: Resurrected is a revitalizing experience that blends old and new together, simultaneously showing us where we have been and how far we have come.
The Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is a packed compilation of a long-sidelined spin-off teeming with value and nostalgia.
ZeniMax has largely adhered to their tried and true recipe for The Elder Scrolls Online story content. And while there is much success to be found, there is much that could be improved upon as we wrap up the year-long Shadow of Morrowind storyline bookending the Necrom chapter release. Looking ahead, it’s exciting to theorize what will come next. But for now, looking at Necrom as-is, we still have an amusing if by-the-books expansion drenched in the allure of the arcane arts and a truly stunning setting brought forth with Apocrypha. Whether you are a new player or someone looking to create their nth alt character, Necrom is sure to offer up hours of content to get lost in.
Far Cry 6 is a familiar yet fun outing for the franchise. What Ubisoft has crafted generally fits within the confines of the blueprint first put into place in 2012’s Far Cry 3.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War plays to the strength of its predecessor by doubling down on the Nemesis System. In a lot of ways, this works in the game’s favor. Creating rivalries and forced companionship out of the wildly eccentric hordes under Sauron is an absolute joy. Whether Talion is attacking strongholds or defending his own, these personalities punctuate the action. The height of this achievement quickly reveals the areas of Shadow of War that have fallen short, such as the narrative that dips into a monotonous grind and the overly cluttered systems present in the menus. Still, Shadow of War‘s attention builds itself around the Nemesis backbone and it succeeds more than it fails by doing so for the majority of this adventure.
Hob is Runic Games’ first, and only, departure from Torchlight. And by most accounts it is a success. Hob packs so much personality into its world despite never uttering a word, letting every carefully placed object and interaction speak for itself. The game loses itself in moments where its camera works against its own goals and the ease with which a player can become lost before grasping the layout. However, the competent combat and engaging puzzle solving save Hob and make it a notable platformer to lose yourself in.
Crossing Souls is teeming with personality, even if it all isn’t originally its own. It expertly weaves the nostalgic tones of 80s media, covering its lesser parts to an extent. The crew may not be as lively as the environments they find themselves in, but utilizing them for general platforming and combat is enjoyable enough. Crossing Souls will no doubt pique the interest of those currently enveloped in this re-emerging stylized culture.
Battlefield V is very much a work in progress. The core experience is thrilling and comes together beautifully with the right players. It’s a multiplayer offering that DICE could no doubt expand upon in the coming months with meaningful updates to put it more in line with community expectations. Once the balancing issues and technical problems become a thing of the past, Battlefield V will stand as one of the most engaging multiplayer experiences on the market.
Metro Exodus emerges from the underground to explore a world far more colorful than the Moscow railways. Exodus does a fine job of injecting larger spaces with familiar gameplay, even if the two don’t always compliment each other. The refocused survival aspects are welcome additions and add to the hopelessness of the post-apocalyptic setting. The game goes off the rails a bit due to abundant technical issues and restrictive movement that reveal the lack of AAA polish. Even with its lesser parts, Metro Exodus takes the franchise forward with an experience worth seeing through to the end.
Far Cry New Dawn hardly reinvents its core formula, for better or worse. The expected bits are all there, peppered with a few low-impact RPG elements. This isn’t an evolution of the franchise, but rather a more favorable pairing of gameplay and setting than past releases. New Dawn sure feels familiar, but it definitely knows how to have a good time.
Vertigo Games has a strong zombie slaying VR title on their hands with Arizona Sunshine 2. It doesn't elevate the genre in any notable ways, reminding us that the initial entry led the charge in a much different VR landscape than we are looking at today, but it still manages to keep the fun factor intact. It may not be a massive evolution over its 2016 predecessor, but it still maintains an alluring experience (one that is improved by Buddy's presence).
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a surprising tie-in, masterfully building a world that's as exciting to view as it is to briskly navigate. Ubisoft Massive has painstakingly brought the Western Frontiers of Pandora to life, ensuring both casual and die-hard movie fans will appreciate the views. And while the game is able to match the awe of the movies at times, its success is partially stripped back by the all-too-familiar Ubisoft formula peeking out from underneath its beautiful exterior.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance strips away the fantasy from RPG and replaces it with something infinitely more dirty and relatable. This is one role-playing experience that is spilling over with ambition at every turn, even if it gets in its own way from time to time. The hardcore, survivalist, tactical players out there will likely have a field day with everything on offer in spite of the flaws present, while the rest may find themselves turned away by the cumbersome systems connecting it all.
Wulverblade is a solid beat ’em up arcade title that is beautifully wrapped in pleasing aesthetics. It covers a well-trodden path seen in numerous games before, but it manages to deliver an experience that is still its own. The combat is satisfying, especially in terms of sound, but it is held back from being a more rewarding experience due to limiting control factors. Furthermore, the entertaining cooperative play completely forgoes online connectivity, meaning two people will have to play on one machine. Still, hindrances and all, there’s something enjoyable about Wulverblade’s loop that helps carry it through the somewhat short campaign.
Rage 2 contains some of the best shooting of any game in 2019. Taking numerous cues from Doom, the familiar gunplay is loosed upon a more open environment. Shredding bandits and mutants never gets old, regardless of if you have a campaign-only focus or you are pushing past the 20th hour on a completionist run. The achievement set by the gunplay reveals how far below it other areas sit. The open world isn’t utilized to its fullest potential, characters (including Walker) are as forgettable as the story, and driving leaves much to be desired. Rage 2 may be considered a one-trick pony, but that single aspect is so gratifying that it carries the lesser parts on its back to the finish line.
Tormented Souls is a love letter to the earlier years of the horror genre. The fixed camera angles, heavy reliance on puzzle solving, and claustrophobic mansion-style environments all combine to form a package heavily reminiscent of the titles spanning the fifth and sixth console generations.
Owlcat Games took special care of their endeavor in creating a beautifully grim setting within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Nearly everywhere you look, Rogue Trader nails its digital realization of the source material. The grittiness of the surroundings is reflected in the brutality of battle, but ground combat far exceeds the tedium of the space-bound dogfights. There's truly a great Warhammer 40,000 game here, both for newcomers and longtime fans, but its edges remain rougher than desired due to a litany of bugs and inconsistent difficulty problems. A great game exists on the other side of focused patches, but right now it's only "mostly" good.
ELEX II builds upon its predecessor, offering up an enticing return to Magalan, a setting that is as enjoyable as ever. As with all Piranha Bytes games, there is a level of unrefined gameplay to be found. Audio and animations can be a mixed bag. But beyond the rigidness, there’s a game full of sprawling, deep systems that give the player the freedom to tackle this medieval/sci-fi mash-up their own way. It’s unfortunate that the design of a bygone era comes under fire from resolvable technical problems that make it harder to overlook the rougher edges. After a few patches, ELEX II may be able to shine brighter, but as it currently stands it has one too many jagged edges overshadowing its greater parts.