ZTGD

There is little to complain about with Spellspire. It’s a jolly little game, with a colorful art style and some nice touches of humor. But this is a word puzzle game; if you’re not great with word games like Boggle or Scrabble, then it may not be the game for you.

Fans of 4X gaming cannot really go wrong here. Endless Space 2 is a well-crafted game, that is expansive in all the right places, precise where it needs to be, complicated in an engaging way and truthfully, wonderful to look at. It’s also, after a bit of a time-investment (the tutorial is well-structured in this regard), pretty welcoming to any curious passers-by.

Tango Fiesta has a few nice touches here and there, but nothing really in the way of originality. It’s not the best twin-stick shooter out there, by a long mile. And it isn’t even the best eighties action film inspired game either.

Injustice 2 is a lot more of what I loved about the first game. The gear really adds to the single player aspect. I find myself grinding characters and decking them out with the latest fashion. It is addictive, and will likely keep me playing for months. It is impossible to argue the value they packed into this game.

I really wanted to like it, but with the glaring issues, it’s hard to recommend without a significant price drop. The platforming and jumping works and is actually very tight. That’s what kept me going. It’s bland in most aspects, but there is something there behind the surface.

The Surge is a nice addition to the genre. The combat feels great even when the story and mechanics start to sputter out. The claustrophobic nature of the level design adds to the tension, and it feels good to have a game in this genre that isn’t chock full of gothic horror themes. It brings new ideas to the familiar mechanics and executes on them well.

Despite having many of the series’ staple complexities stripped away, Shadows of Valentia proves a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. Those who found the Fire Emblem series too intimidating due to its difficulty and overwhelming depth need look no further for their accessible entry point to the franchise.

There’s not much I can say about Narcosis. It was too short of an experience to really gather a lot for it. At the same time, this was made for VR and I’m sure if I had played it in VR it would have had a bigger effect on me. Unfortunately, while this is supposed to be a horror game, I never once jumped or was creeped out. To be honest, I was more slightly confused and annoyed with some of the choices the developers made when it came to both exploration and platforming. If you’re still interested, there are a few redeeming qualities, but not many. I’d still hold off until a price drop.

NBA Playgrounds scratches an itch I didn’t know I had. Growing up in arcades I spent many a quarter on games like NBA Jam. Outside of the failed attempt by EA a few years back to resurrect the franchise, we really haven’t had a good alternative. Playgrounds fills that void nicely, even with its shortcomings. Anyone wondering if it had to be the shoes would do well to check it out.

Ultimately, though, Crusade does what all good expansions should do – it takes a base game and improves upon it in significant ways. There is a great amount of new content here that will give existing players a fresh experience when returning to Galactic Civilizations III. It’s also competitively priced, which should entice newcomers as well. There are a few bugs and the rather large shadow of Stellaris that hang over this game, but all in all this is a really decent strategy title that should appeal to any fan of 4X gaming.