Polygon
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Latest Reviews
Peggle 2
None of those bits are enough to derail Peggle 2. And on next-gen consoles that lean most heavily toward more serious fare, it couldn't be more welcome. It's a ridiculous, excessive, joyful game that will devour all of the time you're willing to give it.
Powerstar Golf
It’s two steps forward, two steps back — simultaneously a look at the promising future of the next generation of consoles and its likely frustrations. Powerstar Golf made me feel like I was competing with my friends without having to actually coordinate with them and get them into a match....
LocoCycle
Without the dull, ill-considered cutscenes and deeply problematic content, LocoCycle would be a shallow, light distraction. With well-worn mechanics that mostly work (save for some sloppy melee and rail shooting) it’s a competent genre mash-up. But the story and writing are abysmal, with cutscenes full of racist, unfunny crap. Twisted...
Need for Speed: Rivals
It’s not the most stable racer, but Need for Speed Rivals puts spectacular ideas to great use
Crimson Dragon
But I could forgive all of these missteps, the weird microtransactions, the underwhelming graphics, the off-kilter systems, if, on a very basic level, it was fun. It’s not. Crimson Dragon manages to take riding on a sweet flying dragon and make it a bland, frustrating slog. In my book, that’s...
Dead Rising 3
Dead Rising 3 gets a lot of things right. It presents a massive open world filled with possibilities and features the first truly impressive use of scale in a game based on a zombie outbreak. But the game’s difficulty spikes — due to its control and inventory issues — and...
Contrast
Many of Contrast’s individuals parts are beautiful, special, funny and even a little profound. Viewed as a whole though, with a little distance, the end result is confusing and difficult to look at. Contrast is rushed, messy, and, just like that, it’€™s done.
Killzone: Shadow Fall
That absence of meaningful evolution might be Killzone: Shadow Fall's biggest sin. For all the next-gen bluster of its visuals and the repeated blunt-force attempts to ram a message home, Guerrilla's first shot on the PS4 retreads shooter cliches, and poorly. In a launch lineup crowded with shooters, Killzone: Shadow...
Knack
Knack has too little going on over its 12 hour length. The core concepts are strong - it’s fun to watch Knack grow bigger and smash things. The incredible imagination promised by the dawn of new hardware is on display in Knack. But the moments of payoff come too infrequently...
The return trip to Rapture is welcome, but Burial At Sea’s first episode is confusing
XCOM: Enemy Within
Enemy Within forced me outside of my comfort zone, but provided enough reward for doing so that it became a continuing source of enjoyment. On the whole, Enemy Within plays like someone, somewhere kept a list of every minor thing they imagined, while playing Enemy Unknown, would make that game...
Call of Duty: Ghosts
For a multiplayer shooter, framerate consistency is paramount. Given its relative visual parity with the PS4 release, Call of Duty: Ghosts is a more playable, slightly superior (albeit disappointing) game on Xbox One.