ZTGD

Solar Shifter EX has some cool ideas and poor execution. I wanted to love it, I tried to love it, but in the end I simply left every session disappointed that it never really delivered on any of its ambitions. There are better shooters out there, heck, there are better shooters everywhere. Regardless of any love for the genre, I simply cannot recommend this game to anyone.

Trails of Cold Steel II delivers in every front that truly matters. The deep, enjoyable combat engine of the original is further improved with the inclusion of new mechanics and a larger roster of playable characters. The overarching storyline and characters grabbed my attention from the very beginning and hasn’t let go even now, long after the credits have rolled.

At the end of the day, it’s Resident Evil 4. Everyone knows of it, most have played it, and it all really boils down to if you really want it yet again. To be fair, this is pretty much the same game that was released back in 2011 on the 360 and PS3. If you own that version of the game, you own this one, just not on the PS4 or Xbox One.

Although F1 2016 won’t be for everyone, it is a testament to Codemasters’ love of the genre and their commitment to their fans. Taking lessons learned from previous games and applying their expertise, Codemasters has created an almost perfect simulation of the greatest racing competition on earth.

I have to give it to Fiddlesticks Games. They have made a tight playing platformer with some pretty good puzzles using one simple mechanic. While most puzzles never had me stuck, they most certainly had me scratching my head a few times. Even when the color platforming was a bit much, I had a really great time with Hue and I think a lot of people will too, especially at the nice $15 price tag.

Visually it’s very basic and has an ok hand drawn look, with the people looking like they were pictures and drawn over with animated style. The soundtrack has some weird and downright obscure choices of music selection as well, which gave it a unique feel, but it’s not enough to save the experience for me. I turned the game off with a One Way Trip to the delete key. I appreciate what they were going for here, but it wasn’t for me in the slightest.

Grow Up is a lot more of the same and with little fanfare I feel most have already forgotten the original, let alone know the sequel even exist. Still, for $10 it is hard not to recommend this charming adventure for those that can deal with its frustrations. There is a sense of completionism involved in the way the game tracks progress, and let’s face it, B.U.D. is an extremely lovable character.

Attack on Titan was a shock for me. It isn’t going to revolutionize any genre, but there truly is little else like it out there. Fans of the anime are sure to enjoy the attention to detail in almost everything, and like most Warriors games there is enough of an RPG element to keep battles from becoming too much of the same thing over and over.

Worms W.M.D. is great re-entry point for people like me who have sort of fallen off the wagon with the series over time. It keeps what I remember, and refines what I had issues with. The hilarity is still there, the solid game play shines above the rest, and it feels good to be back.

Madden NFL 17 feels like the largest jump in the franchise since Madden NFL 10. A lot of the issues I had with past games has been addressed, and I can easily see myself sinking another 60 hours into franchise mode as I take my Raiders to their back-to-back Super Bowls. Fans that may have fallen off in recent years will find plenty to come back to with this iteration.