Destructoid

Level-5 is more than capable of dumping out healthy portions of its secret sauce on top of its games, but the combat of Ni no Kuni II and its attempt to do so many different things can hold it back. From the first hour I was mesmerized and captivated, willing to see its tale through until the end. While it does fall into some genre trappings and doesn't feel quite as epic in scale compared to the first, Level-5 has the uncanny ability to keep the memory and magic of the JRPG alive.

This is Assassin's Creed finally catching the dragon that it has been chasing for a decade. At long last, it has nailed the balance between outlandish and plausible. Because of the period's close ties to mythology, it makes sense for Bayek to travel to the ethereal. It's thematically consistent with the setting, and it's a sincere reason to explore something new.

In the lead-up to its release, there was some to-do about Super Seducer being sexist or sleazy. Its image wasn’t exactly helped by having the lead actress put out a statement where she says “I do firmly believe the game puts women in a powerful role,” because, having played through it, I know that’s complete bullshit. In reality, Super Seducer: How to Talk to Women is too stupid to be sexist.

Vermintide 2 is an improvement over its predecessor with more beautifully designed sprawling levels, more varied enemy types, an addictive loot system, and a whole lot of character skills to try out. The sequel is at its best when it's creating tense moments, even if it can quickly get a little bit overwhelming. I also apologize to all of those I left to die in matchmaking.

Burnout Paradise Remastered isn't really worth grabbing if you already have the original. Hell, said original is even backward compatible on the Xbox One right now. Without any prior experience though I would absolutely give Paradise City a spin -- even with its faults, it's still one of the most memorable and mild open worlds in existence.

My gripes aside, Surviving Mars might be the most fun I've had with a city-building game since SimCity 2000, and Haemimont has accomplished this feat by drilling down into the details, and zooming in on the kinds of small-scale community-building that I'd always felt the that city-builders with a grander scope lacked. The promise of robust modding support from launch could also ensure that the game has legs, or even that some of my complaints could be addressed by fans soon after they get their hands on the toolkit.

I could nit-pick a lot of problems I had with Yakuza 6 until I end up despising the game, but putting aside the shortcomings and just going along for the ride makes for some damn fine gaming. This may not be the series firing on all cylinders like Yakuza 0, but Yakuza 6 is a worthy conclusion to the legacy of Kiryu that wonderfully sets the stage for what is to come next.

I don't think HAL is very interested in drastically altering the Kirby formula at this point, and that's perfectly fine. Not every creation is going to be a masterpiece, but for the most part, all of the console iterations have a special degree of love and care that shine through. Kirby Star Allies is cute, gorgeous in its own special way, and fun to play. It's par for the course.

This isn’t a horror game in the purest sense of the word. There aren’t any jump scares, yet there is a very real sense of dread as you chip your way through the story. It never fully lets up and, instead, allows itself to build until you’re almost used to the oppressive paranoia. It's held back by some dated design philosophies and a short playtime, but Detention still packs one hell of a punch.

Some easier puzzles aside, it's still as satisfying as ever to conquer the larger puzzle rooms and Q.U.B.E. 2 is still a puzzle game I can easily recommend, as much of my nitpicking doesn't detract too much from the overall package. A package which includes a gorgeous aesthetic and lonely atmosphere with a haunting soundtrack and overall sound design to match. Throw all this in with enough alien weirdness, science fiction elements, some unique puzzle concepts, and it still kept my attention to the very end.