John Jacques
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Truly, Cuphead is a game which will give victorious gamers a sense of satisfaction that few modern games manage to accomplish. The nostalgic visual prowess supplied by the game's hand-drawn animations are second to none, and its period-appropriate soundtrack will force its way into gamers' heads. Precision gameplay is key here, and the mechanics behind it – aside of an improvable control scheme – deliver a delightfully challenging title that doesn't hold your hand through the process. It'll send gamers all over the emotional spectrum and leave an impression that, much like the game's artistic inspirations, will truly stand the test of time.
Planet Coaster knows its strengths. It's an absolute blast to build attractions and customize each park's look from the ground up, and the game consistently keeps things fun and light. It's hard to shake a feeling of utter satisfaction when one grabs a first-person seat and rides through a freshly built coaster, or watches as a series of triggers make a giant leviathan pop out of a lake every time guests walk near it. The game gives players the ability to create just about anything, giving everyone a significantly deep and highly replayable sandbox experience. Planet Coaster is the theme park simulator fans of the genre have been waiting for, and while it may not offer any big surprises in regards to the gameplay formula itself, it can still entertain for countless hours - this is one ride simulation fans won't want to get off of.
In the end, Titanfall 2 has succeeded in surpassing the original title in every way. It delivers an emotional, action-packed single player experience that will leave fans new and old feeling satisfied, and the fluid combat mechanic both in and out of one's titan packs plenty of punches and doesn't hold back when it comes to the visceral brutality of pilot warfare. There's a fine balance between fluid movement and packing a satisfying punch, and Titanfall 2 has struck a fine chord here – the end result is that Titanfall 2 has far exceeded its expectations and delivered one of the best gaming experiences of the year, and likely deserves much more fanfare than it will get.
At its heart, Necropolis is a dungeon crawler with plenty of potential. The premise of a procedurally generated rogue-like experience sounds fun, and it certainly starts off that way - but once things start to get repetitive and the game slows down to a familiar grind, the brittle bones of Necropolis are exposed. Despite a delightfully sarcastic narrator and a promising idea, Necropolis needed more unique content to prevent its dungeons from growing too similar, which ultimately makes the end game fizzle out. That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable experience, but it could have been much more.
While we ran into a few sporadic graphical and gameplay glitches, the game is a very polished title that should entertain fans new and old. At the end of the day, XCOM 2 is the poster boy of the modern turn-based strategy game. The game can feel unfair at times, but Firaxis has crafted a dynamic experience with virtually limitless replay value and a constant level of challenge. Fans of the series will find plenty of enjoyment watching the XCOM troops struggle to protect mankind once again, and Firaxis can pat themselves on the back for making one of the most addictive and rewarding strategy games of all time.
Darkest Dungeon is one of the best roguelike games to be had, and anyone who enjoys a challenging dungeon crawler will find themselves playing adventure after adventure with rotating rosters of forlorn heroes. At its heart, Darkest Dungeon is Lovecraftian horror of the finest caliber - it's unforgiving, brutal, and filled with misfortune. Players will feel like they've truly earned each successful boss fight or adventure, and we found ourselves constantly wanting to come back for more punishment.
SOMA is a survival horror game that is undoubtedly one of the best of the genre, and its setting and plot are shining examples of how to engage an audience. Frictional Games has done a great job in sustaining their horror game reputation through narrative alone, by way of a game that's filled with probing questions of the soul and helped along by an engrossing plot. While the monster encounters feel forced and are certainly a weak point of the game, it does little to lessen the experience.
In short, Cities: Skylines achieves everything we wanted in SimCity with ease. Coming in with the affordable price of $29.99, this is one game we fully recommend to any gamer looking to enjoy a city building game that not only allows them to generate gigantic metropolises, but design each element from the buildings themselves to the ground they're built on. There's currently no better game on the market when it comes to delivering the ultimate city building experience, and developer Colossal Order now seems aptly named, as their next game will have some big shoes to fill.
Zoo Tycoon is a great casual game with plenty of enjoyable animal moments, but the experience is marred by an over-emphasis on simplicity and a terrible menu interface. The graphics are certainly a strong point on the Xbox One, but other limitations take away from what truly could have been a next-generation experience. Despite this, it's an enjoyable ride for those looking to relax and have a little fun, and most gamers will find it hard to say no to the adorable roster of animals if given the chance to see them.
Relic Entertainment supported the original Company of Heroes for several years after its release, creating plenty of content for fans, and the sequel is looking to emulate that experience for the foreseeable future. Company of Heroes 2 deftly manages to provide both slow- and fast-paced levels of real-time strategy in an efficient manner, and the result is fantastic experience from start to finish. Those looking for a new strategy title with plenty of combat should look no further -- this game delivers plenty of adrenaline in each game mode it has available.