Destructoid

Online play felt somewhat smoother in limited goes, but I'm on a different internet connection this year, too. Others have reported the same old problems. ...MLB 15 The Show is still good by virtue of the systems laid down over the last decade, but it has no ambition. Produced on third base thinking it hit a triple, it wouldn't even bother running in a sac fly.

It's fairly shallow but very fun in spurts, and the best part is that players can truly enjoy the game for more than a few minutes at a time without feeling like they aren't getting anywhere. I may have burnt out on the simplistic formula after roughly a week of play, but I still have a desire to return to the game on a casual basis.

The more I played Etrian Mystery Dungeon the more I fell in love with it. While the learning curve is pretty steep and the rewards are fairly low-end early on, you really do get as much as you put in. It gives existing Mystery fans a lot to stick around for, and serves as a nice entry point for newcomers, so long as you are willing to learn.

Dyscourse set out to be an adventure game in which player choice has significant effects on where the narrative goes. To that end, it succeeds. As a relatively short experience, it encourages players to replay, learning new information with each new choice. ...Despite being so full of death and despair, it lacks the expected emotional weight, partly because of the cartoon presentation but mostly because there's always the option to try again and see what can be done differently.

Affordable Space Adventures is a game that can only work on the Wii U. Its two-screen experience is exactly what the system was designed for and the result is a unique breath of fresh air that might actually force player to hold that breath in certain situations. The multiplayer doesn't pan out too well and there were some physics glitches, but this is a game that Wii U owners need to get their hands on.

As a bullet hell game there will be lots of projectiles on the screen at once, all carefully crafted as manageable curtain fire. The ship's hitbox is also plainly stated on-screen as a pulsating core, so there's no guesswork involved. ...Crimzon Clover may not be the most fully-featured or best-looking shoot-'em-up around, but the commitment to excellence for both the player's ship mechanics and the enemy bullet designs is impressive.

Story of Seasons looks fantastic, feels great, and offers an overabundance of things to do and places to see. It’s a farmer’s paradise, though its almost excruciatingly slow tutorial and internship will take a large amount of patience to get through if you’re to see all the game has to offer, and there is a lot. Expect to clear your calendar for this excellent portable farming sim, as you’ll be spending several hours turning a profit to impress the townsfolk of Oak Tree Town....

Paperbound isn't all that exciting even for hardcore arena veterans, but the foundation is there for a fast-paced frag-fest. The developers employed a half-measure when it comes to aesthetics and content, but there's plenty of fun to be had once you start flipping out and making gravity your bitch.

The #synergy between the two franchises is obvious, so the tie-in makes sense on a base level. ...This game falls flat in that sense, because those are heights this never had a chance to soar to. ...That's it. This is fun because Forza Horizon is fun and it is nice that it's free, glorified demo that it is, but it makes me yearn for an actual Fast & Furious game with a "Press F to drink a Corona" prompt and a Han lives retcon.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare doesn't really have a killer Season Pass so far, but if you're still into zombies, it's worth the investment -- mostly because you can't even access the mode without buying some form of DLC. There are a few flashes of brilliance in the maps delivered in Havoc and Ascendance, but I'm hoping that John Malkovich and the crew won't have to carry so heavy a load for the next two add-ons.