Destructoid

Saints Row IV is, from start to finish, a pleasure. It's a pure pleasure to play. I was cynical, given my feeling let down by The Third, but Volition has worked hard to address almost everything wrong with its last outing, and provide something that delivers over and above expectations. What I love most about IV is how it puts the player first -- absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more convenient to enjoy, and more fun to play.

The campaign itself is fairly middling, and can be blazed through in the usual eight-to-ten hour timeframe, but if you talk to your supporting characters and access the ton of extra mission content, you can double the bang for your buck. With Spies vs. Mercs getting so much attention, you'll want to indulge in some multiplayer too if you really want to get the most out of what's on offer.

PAYDAY 2 is undeniably rough and needs a couple of updates to fill in a few blanks, but the thrill of robbing banks, smashing jewel cases, and cooking meth is too great for the asking price not be returned to the player in spades. If you're willing to work with a team and get involved in some delightfully chaotic situations, the world of poorly made drills and unnecessary amounts of violence is one well worth investing in.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified desperately wants to be liked, but by failing to satisfy in any direction, all it succeeds in being is a disappointment. It wants to be a strategy game without being a strategy game, it wants to be a shooter without being a shooter, and it wants to be XCOM without being XCOM. As such, it is nothing.

All I really wanted was more Dishonored, but what I got was something that surpasses it. Intricate level design, nuanced worldbuilding, and gameplay that demands a thoughtful approach even when resulting in flashy, bloody violence -- The Brigmore Witches is setting the bar very high for future stealth romps.

So long as EA and PopCap don't eventually ruin the game through greedy in-app purchases, the base game at launch is a treat, and worth a download from every iOS owner out there. What you're getting is basically more of that classic Plants vs. Zombie experience, with just enough tweaks to keep it interesting -- and that's more than enough for me.

The beautiful graphics, evocative soundtrack, selective but effective use of voice acting, excellent story, and occasional fart joke make Attack of the Friday Monsters worth keeping in your permanent collection. Titles like Journey and The Walking Dead have shown that games aren't always about what you do -- it's about where you are and who you're with.

The game is also quite long, but doesn't do a lot to assure that your experience will be filled with big surprises or overly-stimulating high notes. Still, the sequel has loads more content and many of the trappings that were missing the first time around. If you're up for tackling a long, sweet, silly retail-sized RPG for a fraction of the price, the Denpa Men are sure to please.

Despite having a virtual d-pad and buttons, Mikey Hooks is a great addition to any platformer fan's portable library. Although I don't think it surpasses Hook Champ as an absolute must-buy, it's a really fun game in its own right, and a perfect example of a serviceable platform game on iOS

Divinity: Dragon Commander is a prime example of a game being bigger than the sum of its parts. The RTS elements are a bit rough, but at least it's possible to control a dragon with a freaking jetpack to blow stuff up, while the boardgame-esque territory map requires players to think of the big picture.