Despite numerous reasons to support Driveclub purely on concept alone, it takes a turn for the worse when scrutinized under the spotlight. It's unfortunate luck that the game had to release just a few weeks after Forza Horizon 2 which does nearly everything Driveclub does that much better. It may be an unfair comparison considering that this is its inaugural entry, but Driveclub was delayed multiple times and the standard for the hybrid racing genre is high with Burnout, DiRT, and Need for Speed. There's plenty to admire here, though, if you take Driveclub at face value and don't take things too seriously.
If you're a Borderlands fan who's looking to scratch that itch for loot-based four-player firefights, then this will serve your needs well until the next core installment in the franchise. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for the inevitable Game of the Year package. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel fails to reach the stars, but at least it maintains orbit.
Despite a few pre-existing flaws carried over from Civilization V, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth evolves the franchise and has the potential to become an outstanding spin-off of its own.
WWE 2K15 is a smaller but shiner box when compared to its predecessor and well ahead of its current-gen brother.
Far Cry 4's lavish environment and solid shooting mechanics are stifled by a mediocre story-world that's a hair too serious and an iterative design that's a bit too obvious.
Ambition is both The Crew's greatest asset and greatest downfall. Somewhere buried in The Crew, beneath the bloated content and the MMO shenanigans, is a competent racer featuring the perfect road trip. But for a game whose primary strength is freedom, there should have been more objectives and more incentives to explore its world with friends, instead of copy-and-pasted skill challenges and missions tangled in a confounding plot that's hard to forget for all the wrong reasons.
This video game adaptation of Game of Thrones is solid enough to be mandatory for fans of the series, but should be considered carefully by fans of the adventure genre.
Despite a few issues with the camera and the absence of a customizable mode, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions proves that the multidirectional twitch-based shooter is still a blast.
Grim Fandango Remastered is a welcome chance to play a visionary game that everyone, in the name of creativity, should rightfully experience at least once.
Life Is Strange offers a fresh take on video game storytelling, presenting the typically loaded concept of time travel in a more naturalistic light and exploring the labyrinthine choices of an unlikely everyday hero.
But as a game, we have yet to see whether the series will be forced to coil around a strict plotline where your decisions matters little. Lost Lords carries the torch from Iron from Ice—no more, no less.
From the graphical detail of each piece of equipment, to the dialogue of The Dealer which rarely repeats itself, Hand of Fate pays attention to every last nook and cranny, carving out a niche all its own and bringing Defiant Development into the much-deserved spotlight. This is one conceptual experiment that thoroughly works and anyone who clamors for innovation in gaming needs to sit down at the table and play a hand.
If Dynasty Warriors is your guilty pleasure, then Empires would be your guilt trip.
Screamride may not revolutionize the genre in a deep compelling way and it doesn't have strong multiplayer options, but it's pure entertainment and packs in as much content as a world-class amusement park. If you've been wanting a game that makes you scream "WHOO!", Screamride has just the ticket.
Though it can be completed in a single night and doesn't give much incentive for a replay, it's worth the price of admission. Still, if it weren't for a few stumbles near the end, Ori and the Blind Forest would have finished in a brilliant flash of light.
Sid Meier's Starships is a short and sweet companion game to Civilization: Beyond Earth that doesn't overstay its welcome. Without many options for game setup and a multiplayer mode, Starships is limited in scope, but its ship-focused combat and breezy progression has a broad appeal that fits well for both PC and iOS platforms.
Rampaging through the French countryside is entertaining enough for a quick rental. Otherwise, it doesn't have much else going for it and squanders its fantastical setup with a lackluster plot, limited online options, restricted strategic choices, and neutered dragons.
Bloodborne may feel like a shapeshifted offshoot of the Souls series, but it remains a beast which carries that elite badge of honor for those who can slay it.
Given that I awarded Borderlands 2 4.5 stars and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel 3.5 stars, the score below shouldn't be a surprise, but both games are worth playing through once more in The Handsome Collection, especially if you have three friends (and the extra controllers) to experience four-player couch co-op.
The Sword in the Darkness stays the course for Telltale's Game of Thrones series, though it still feels like the story is waiting around for something to finally happen