Latest Reviews
Seeing an island paradise brutally corrupted is unsettling; seeing our lead character’s mind fall to pieces, even more so. While Escape Dead Island’s workmanlike combat and ho-hum zombies fail to fully capitalize on this unoriginal but respectably executed premise, it does manage to punctuate its enjoyable filler with some genuinely...
Rogue has the most interesting story of any recent Assassin’s Creed game. It’s fascinated by its own history, and introduces a level of ambiguity which changes how we look at the formerly simple conflict between Assassins and Templars. So it's all the more disappointing there's so little to do while...
After an extensive rebuilding process, PES 2015 is a series back to its best. It embraces its PS2-era roots while offering almost everything you could want from a modern football simulation. The marketing blurb isn’t just braggadocio on Konami’s part; the pitch really is theirs.
Far Cry 4
Diversity is one of Far Cry 4’s strongest assets, and it overwhelms the mostly disappointing story with countless opportunities for free-form adventure and fun. Visual variety, tons of distinct side-quests, and a dense world with plenty of options always gave me something I wanted to do, and its satisfying economy...
Warlords of Draenor demonstrates that World of Warcraft remains perched on top of the MMO heap for a reason. An emphasis on fun pervades every detail of the experience, whether it's in the prevalent rare enemies dotting the countryside, the chance of upgradable loot, or bonus areas that encourage exploration....
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of its pixels: no individual element of Dungeon of the Endless is especially complicated, but together they form a fiendish and unforgiving challenge. If you’re willing to take that on then it makes it more than worthwhile, borrowing from several genres to create something...
When I’d finally slain my first dragon in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I felt a little sad at the thought that I was probably beginning to exhaust its seemingly endless stream of content. But then I saw the quest ticker: “Dragons Slayed - 1 out of 10.” In all my hours,...
Assassin’s Creed Unity leverages the new-generation consoles to add spectacular new sights and successful co-op multiplayer, but in doing so, it’s created some substantial new problems instead of solving the series’ most persistent ones. The scope is stunning, the customization is satisfying, and the multiplayer touches upon some really ambitious...
Everything that makes the Football Manager series so damned addictive remains completely intact and has been expanded upon in FM2015, but intelligent changes made to navigation and the way data is displayed makes for a much friendlier experience and speeds up seasons considerably. The improved attention to detail on match-day,...
Simply throwing a robot suit onto Call of Duty could have been a lazy path to making Advanced Warfare seem different from what we’ve played before, but the way Sledgehammer has integrated its enhanced abilities and choices into every aspect of how we fight went above and beyond. By designing...
NBA Live 15
Although NBA Live 15 looks significantly better than NBA Live 14 at a glance, it still suffers from clumsy controls and stiff animations. A few nice changes and additional game modes can’t make up for poor gameplay, but there are some great ideas here that just don’t get a chance...
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse succeeds by building a funny, gorgeous world around its tried and true Metroidvania gameplay. In the brief moments when the combat becomes exhausting, it’s the writing, in all its self-referential and juvenile glory, and its visual splendor that keep the pace going. Though it’s an...
