Out of the Park 15 is not only a great baseball simulator, but approaches all-time great sports game, period status. It is the only sports simulator on the market that tries to capture the nuances of both on the field gameplay and off-the-field life and decision making. It goes far beyond trying and succeeds masterfully in both accounts. With its dedication to pristine simulation now joined with a step into 3D visualization, a deepening of real world leagues, and improvements across the board, Out of the Park 15 absolutely knocks it out of cliche park. If the promises of 3D game display comes to fruition, it will be the last step in the game's ascension to the top. This gem of a game is absolutely worth anyone's time who loves the sport of baseball, sport itself, or has even ever played a baseball game, digital or otherwise.
The Crew is a game filled with missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. The promises hammered upon during development fell short in almost every way, with the exception of the car creation. On top of that, the story found within The Crew is embarrassing and provides more laughs than it does drama. Ubisoft took a huge swing and missed by a car length, it is time for them to put The Crew back in the garage for an overhaul.
While certainly not a terrible release, Sisters Generation doesn't stray far enough outside the box it lampoons to be considered a good game either. This game is only for dedicated fans of the series, or RPG gamers starving for a new game to fill in the gaps.
Out of the Park Baseball 16 is the gold standard of sports simulator games, and can provide gamers with infinite hours of fun and deep gameplay.
Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark makes you feel young again, with a rather loyal modernization of the classic platforming game. While the game can drag after long periods of play, the overall fun and innovation of the game makes the effort a success.
Zenzizenzic is rapid, colorful, simple, and just about as much fun as you can have playing a video game. The game presents a complete and fully operational game in its standard mode, and then extends the worth with an open-world "macro" mode. With the non-stop, full screen, and full tilt destruction of battle waiting, there is not a reason in the world you shouldn't be navigating the little square ship to victory.
Xeodrifter is a good game for fans of classic 8-bit platformers and adventure style games alike, providing a fun and challenging gaming experience that rewards smart playing and creative tactics. While the game suffers from a handful of glitches, the overall design and outcome of Xeodrifter is well worth a look for anyone in the market for an old-school experience in a brand new package.
Rack N Ruin redeems itself with a second showing on PC, but only if you abandon your controller for the ol' fashioned keyboard and mouse. The black comedic story of a demon set to enslave the earth pops with colorful backgrounds and challenging, fast-paced gameplay and finds redemption in its PC release.
The game is so deep that no review can capture all you will see and do in Prison Architect, but rarely does a simulation game hit on all levels from building down to micromanagement so well. Prison Architect overcomes a few minor glitches to earn extraordinary status, and is a must-play for anyone looking to kill some time punishing crime.
Pinball is pinball, but Zen Pinball 2 always tries their best to make an interesting product and has succeeded again with the Balls of Glory pack. While strapped with the same functional issues that all video game pinball titles share, the Balls of Glory table set packs four great Fox Animation programs into a fun, dynamic, and replayable pinball experience that can provide hours of casual fun to the young and old alike. If you ask me, that's pretty freakin' sweet.
Saint Seiya Soldier's Soul is a quaint fighting game that has its small playability value robbed by a unique fatal flaw in the restart option that drags the action and frustrates the player. While the game has some interesting features, it mostly just drags through monotonous gameplay and a confusing story. Too many features are hard to understand, and while unlocking features, items, and stages reminds me of old school fighting games, the problems of Saint Seiya Soldier's Soul makes the work to unlock them simply not worth the time and effort.
Driveclub Bikes is a nice departure for the Driveclub franchise. This is an expansion that actually expands the game from a relatively competent title, in my opinion, to nearly a must own for racing fans. Others may feel they are adding a whipped cream dollop to their already delicious Driveclub pie. The gameplay mechanics and competitive A.I. make for the most interesting and challenging player vs. CPU racing that I've experienced in a long time. Driveclub Bikes is a highly recommended pickup, particularly for PlayStation Plus members.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Orsinium is a pretty land with a dull set of tasks waiting for you to come and grind with. Large, stone-forged, and overloaded with simplicity, Orsinium does a great job of expanding a game for dedicated players while doing absolutely nothing to coax ex-players or new players into the fold. More than medi-orc-re, but less than spectacular, Orsinium seems more like a holdover expansion than an overall addition to the ESO experience.
Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2016 isn't a beautiful game, but like a desk calculator sitting idly on a business desk in 1978, it just works. The game gives players an ability to run simulations of teams with high levels of accuracy. American football is an underserved sport in the simulation gaming genre, and Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2016 has a shot to become a "division leader" in the sports sim world.
Attractio is a puzzle platformer that has a slight portal reminiscence and provides a bleak outlook for both humankind and Earth, but a pretty sweet vision of bloodsport entertainment casting off all ironic shackles. Fun, quick paced, but a little clumsy, Attractio is passable and provides a fun and unique alternative to a shooter.
Franchise Hockey Manager 2 is a wonderful entry for hockey into the world of sports simulation, and is of the highest quality in terms of design, layout, navigation, and accuracy. Nothing particularly special to look at when compared to other "action" sports titles, Franchise Hockey Manager is for hardcore hockey fans who are more interested in Euroleague transfer rules than on-the-ice action.
Megadimension Neptunia VII is a story about a girl in a very strange world, but that world happens to be a apocalyptic bizarro dimension inside of a video game console. The game manages to be fun with only a limited amount of improvement. Continuing with its signature game within a game concept, Megadimension Neptunia VII is going to please fans and not do much to change the minds of detractors. Very similar to the past titles in the series, this game is tried and true because Neptune never changes.
Dying Light: The Following takes a gaming great and gives you the ability to drive a buggy over zombie piles on top of it all. A true expansion, The Following provides players with an all new area of Harran to explore, new game features and items, and the ability to drive a vehicle and level your skills as a driver and a runner. Even with a fairly high number of issues and drawbacks, the quality is far and above anything negative the expansion carries with it. A drastic departure from the original that manages to maintain all of the charm and character that makes Dying Light a flickering flame worth protecting, The Following is a must own for all.
Wow. I haven’t enjoyed a game as much as I am enjoying Tales of Hearts R in a long, long time. It has all of the classic elements of RPG gaming that the genre’s fans love, and an incredible battle system that stands high as a possible industry standard. The story is more than passable and the world is a large one, rife with discovery and exploration. There is nothing to not like about Tales of Hearts R, so I didn’t want to complicate the matter by rating it “appropriately” due to its being like so many games from before. This game is absolutely great, and everyone who loves RPG games should play it, without hesitancy. I hope that young gamers find this game at their local retailer and take a chance on it. Everyone should have the pleasure of enjoying this game. Without a doubt, this game deserves to be recognized for what it is: an absolute masterpiece.
Senran Kagura Estival Versus is the softcore contents of a hidden folder on a 13 year old boy's computer sprung to action, the results being a competent hack and slash bout of violence starring inappropriate, large-breasted women. The game is a total mess at its best, and is just cringeworthy at its typical worst. The Vita version of Senran Kagura Estival Versus is a competent game that has a very similar feel to the PlayStation 4 version, and the game itself is fun despite the immature themes. A portable version of this game seems unnecessary, and overall the game is not worth even a moment's time even from the most dedicated a hack-and-slash player.