Latest Reviews
Injustice: Gods Among Us is an exciting, unique-feeling fighter at the beginner level, and a deeper, more interesting one at the advanced level. Story mode is a pleasant surprise, but the real reason to play is the thrill of harnessing the god-like powers of some of the most overwhelming figures...
Ryse has an entertaining story and sky-high production values. The gameplay that’s there isn’t bad – it just stops in its tracks before it gets anywhere near close to demanding. The multiplayer mode has some neat ideas, like a deadly, shifting Colosseum, but it’s hamstrung by the same combat issues...
It’s best to think of Need for Speed: Rivals as a thrill ride. Get on, scream, plead to go faster, and it will. It has some of the best car chases around, and they’ve never looked so chaotically beautiful as they do on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. And if...
Forza 5 is gorgeous and smooth as butter, and its utterly enchanting handling makes it a joy to drive hard, but this game is more than just a rock solid technical titan for the Xbox One. It’s an essential destination for the automobile obsessed. It may be lighter on girth...
NBA Live 14
NBA Live’s flaccid return is made all the more disappointing because we waited three years for it. After all that time, NBA Live 14 in no way advances the basketball sim genre and, worse, leaves little to be optimistic about for next year. Here’s hoping EA figures something out, otherwise...
Dead Rising 3
Dead Rising 3 doesn’t get by on its looks, but its meaty zombie-slaying combat and nearly endless supply of undead and ridiculous weapons go a long way. Through its lengthy campaign, I was always eager to see what crazy zombie-squishing contraption would come along next. It rarely disappointed, except when...
Crimson Dragon
Crimson Dragon works well enough as a straight arcade shooter, and there’s plenty of challenge in it. There’s some nostalgic value, too, but it’s weak graphics and frustrating free-flight boss fights make it tough to enjoy the stroll down memory lane.
Powerstar Golf manages to successfully marry an old-school arcade golf experience with some decidedly new-school ideas. The lack of proper online multiplayer is a bit of a blow, but the Rivals mode has the potential to provide an ongoing challenge after you’ve scooped up all of the career medals. It’s...
LocoCycle
If nothing else, LocoCycle earns its name. It’s got not one, but two sentient motorcycles, and buckets full of loco. I imagine I’ll have forgotten what LocoCycle played like long before I forget its unapologetically zany live-action bits, and its questionable treatment of Pablo. Its inconsistent gameplay becomes tedious despite...
Stick it to The Man! really is the complete package. Its style feels fully developed, its comedy proves genuinely funny, and its puzzles are actually fun to solve. Everything from the pacing to the cutscenes feels succinct and smartly designed, creating an experience that gets all the details right while...
Contrast
Contrast is a game full of heart, beauty, and at least a few excellent puzzles. It’s at its best when it marries its poignant story to its platforming, and at its weakest when it’s about moving boxes, but it rarely goes very long without showing us something worth playing.
Shadow Fall represents the Killzone series’ coming-out party – out from being a plodding, gray war shooter through hours of bland, linear corridors. Now, it’s something else entirely. Its single-player campaign suffers from some AI issues and dabbling in non-shooter gameplay it’s just not good at, but it’s still an...
