Arthur Gies
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Writing For
PolygonLatest Reviews
At around six hours long, Song of the Deep doesn't have enough time to become a disaster, and there are redeeming aspects of it. The character, the voiceover, the presentation are all a change of pace from the video game status quo, and the sense of discovery the first half offers is welcome. But it's hard to shake the feeling of a game with potential that never quite figures out how to deliver on it.
(Ed’s note: score updated on May 10, 2016 to reflect additional impressions of the game in progress.)
The Talos Principle joins an unlikely pair of creative forces in a way that succeeds far beyond my expectations. It's a smart game that doesn't punish you for it, a puzzle game that allows a sense of creativity. And while it isn't the most upbeat thing out there, there's a vein of hope that runs through it — and ties it all together neatly at the end.
The Master Chief Collection’s campaign element appears to be fully functional, so players aren’t totally locked out of the experience the game is offering. But until 343 manages to make it multiplayer functional, our recommendation of the MCC has become considerably more qualified.
But it might be too much to ask for that to change too. For whatever minor missteps Advanced Warfare makes with its story, it more than compensates with vision and remarkable execution. The latter has never really been Call of Duty's problem — Ghosts notwithstanding — but Advanced Warfare adds enough and moves far enough forward with its new abilities to feel like a risk. Turns out, that's just what the series needed.
I won't guess why the blatant over-sexualization is still there, often more intensely than before. But it causes an otherwise great game to require a much bigger mental compromise to enjoy.
Titanfall is the rare game that feels like it came out on top of the few compromises Respawn has had to make. Sliding the spectacle and holy shit moments of an epic campaign among bold, fast multiplayer that steals unlikely elements, Respawn has made them shine like they belonged there all along. Titanfall may not mark the same kind of sea change that Modern Warfare started but the pieces are all there in a game that delivers on its potential as the next big thing.
There are elements of a better game in Thief — maybe even a great one. I enjoyed Garrett's adventure when it was about stealing, when it was about getting into a structure creatively and sneaking away, about accumulating and spending loot. But I wanted much more of that breaking and entering than it was willing to give me. Thief never quite pulls it together. Instead, too often, I felt like a mouse in a narrow hallway filled with cats.
The spirit of Killer Instinct remains sometimes painfully true to its roots, but Double Helix has competently filled the gaps in the original's foundation. They've also laid new groundwork to teach players how fighting games actually work. For now, Killer Instinct feels like a beta — but next year, it could be something much more.
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.