Polygon

The combination of gameplay, character building, strategy, and narrative highlights the power games have in telling stories, and that experience is uniquely Banner Saga — even if I have to wait until the third installment to see if anything pays off.

It's a game destined to become a memorable party hit, leaving you with a big, dumb smile on your face. At its best, it's a table-setter for fun; a laugh-out-loud, yelling-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-over-every-victory-and-defeat kind of experience — with the right group of people. Push Me Pull You makes that an easy goal to obtain.

There is nothing cheap about how Naughty Dog has decided to retire this franchise — no door is left open for a crass surprise sequel — and there's nothing ambiguous about its resolution. Every other Uncharted game has, to varying degrees, posed a question — "can a thief be good?" — and summarily moved on without wagering a guess. In finding an answer, Uncharted 4's story soars, and presents a moving, fulfilling finale.

The promise of the Vita was console-quality experiences on the go, but Severed isn't that. Rather, it's the sort of expertly executed cocktail of mechanics that would work as well on a comparatively diminutive smartphone screen. So while Severed may be something of a swan song for the Vita, it's also a reminder that great games are bigger and more lasting than the platforms that contain them.

There are parallels and outright repetition in everything from the game's core systems to the narrative structuring of its story, and all those components still function just fine. Taken on their own, they don't detract from the experience. But considering all the clever mechanical twists and innovations seeded in its predecessor, it's disappointing to see Bravely Second following in its footsteps with so little deviation

I'd stop short of saying that the new Ratchet & Clank is exactly what every fan of the series wants. It's a bit less sprawling in terms of hard numbers — fewer planets, fewer weapons and so on — but the sheer variety and polish prevents this excellent reboot from being dragged down too far. There's enough here to make longtime fans happy, but perhaps more importantly for Insomniac and the franchise's future, it should win over plenty of new fans as well.

Subtle pacing changes make its predecessors seem laborious, and despite ShowTime's inconsistent debut, this version of Road to the Show is still more intriguing and playable than last year's. MLB 16 has the luxury of taking a few risks in the parts of its game that already are strong. The result may not be the equivalent of a dramatic home run, but it's still a solid hit.

I can't think of a world in games that has ever been built this intricately out of pure abstraction, without the crucial foundation of explicit exposition beneath it. It replaces traditional narrative structures with moods, but punctuates those contemplative, quiet moments with constant scenes of breakneck, pitch-perfect action. Getting those two elements to not only coexist but thrive together is a needle that Hyper Light Drifter confidently threads.

At this point, most Souls players know what they're looking for in a new entry. Your personal expectations for the series will play a key part in your enjoyment of Dark Souls 3. If you play these games for the intense, controller-clenching combat and the excitement of invading other players' worlds, then there's a lot here to keep you busy and happy. But in so many important ways — its world design, its pacing, the technology powering it — Dark Souls 3 falls short of the mark.

A real transmedia experiment — I know how it sounds — that succeeds in ways that other games don't even try. There's some wonky shooting and a few cringe-worthy story cliches present. But ineffective cover systems and narrative fridges notwithstanding, Quantum Break feels like the first action game taking real lessons from the Netflix binge-watch era, and in that respect, it's a surprising success.