Evan Narcisse
Mortal Kombat X deftly adds new characters, features and options while maintaining its signature over-the-top appeal.
Hohokum is bizarre yet hypnotic. The urge to make sense of what's going on will keep you playing a lot longer than you'd frist expect.
Second Son provides a great example of how to transition a sereies to a new generation of dedicated hardware with a tangible sense of evolution in almost every aspect.
Killzone Shadowfall might makes eyes happy with its stunning visuals but leaves brains and fingers bored with a package that's too familiar overall.
Need For Speed: Rivals puts you in a gaiant , connected web of high-speed car chases where you can join in on (or spoil) other people's fun.
Pneuma delivers a clever puzzle-solving mechanic inside of a lonely existential mystery.
Sunset puts players in the middle of a war from an entirely unique perspective, trapping players in a beautiful yet tense apartment that they need to clean every day.
Super Time Force takes collective nostalgia for old movies, cartoons and games and wraps them up in a fun, exponentially clever manifestation of current video game technology.
This War of Mine looks at war from a point-of-view rarely explored in video games, that of the civilians who have their lives disrupted by armed conflict.
Bayonetta 2 represents a master class in over-the-top set pieces, filled with dozens of giatn bosses and absurd situations to test your reflexes.
Rise of the Tomb Raider feels like a confident improvement on its predecessor, giving players more tombs, better crafting and increased options for stealth.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime's brand of fast-paced teamwork is the kind of thing that can make complete strangers feel like old war buddies after only a few minutes.
Laserlife is a feast for the eyes, ears and reflexes.
Galak-Z is like a workout for your video game brain: it hurts but the pain will make your skills stronger.
The revival of the old-school fighting game has over-the-top appeal but still feels like a half-strength title, even when you buy everything.
The Evil Within winds up feeling like an inconsistent rehash of ideas previously executed elsewhere. Its great boss fights aren't enough to justify the tedium and frustration the game puts players through.
Lords of Shadow 2 squanders a great premise - playing as the King of Vampires in a modern day city - with mediocre execution.
Street Fighter V delivers strong multiplayer competition but feels much emptier than previous entries in the franchise.
It's often said that, as a medium, video games suck at storytelling. Stories feels like it's trying something rewardingly different, to do more than just ape the linear style of a summer blockbuster movie. It's embracing tried-and-true hallmarks of action game design and weaving them around interactive fiction elements. The result is both familiar and fresh.
This is a game that can broaden an individual person’s horizons and that of the entire medium, as well. It’s definitely worth your time.