ZTGD

Wasteland 2 is a sequel to Wasteland which I never played and that fact didn’t sour or ruin my experience whatsoever. The world crafted here is excellent and the vast amount of characters, story, and side content is enough to keep players busy for hours on end. It’s not the most user-friendly game at the start, especially for those having never played the genre before, but if given the time, will grow on players immensely.

I feel so torn with The Legend of Legacy. I really liked the combat mechanics and the way it handled exploration, but with the difficulty spikes with the boss fights and slightly clunky leveling mechanic, it made it a chore to actually grind for fights. That, on top of poor communication when it can to navigation and where to actually go next left me wandering around until my next boss fight.

Samurai Warriors 4-II is a weird step in the series. It isn’t a typical remake or sequel, and it would almost benefit if it didn’t carry the numbered moniker, even if it does share a lot in common with the previous game. Still, it is yet another solid entry in the series. Omega Force has become a machine at crafting these, and for those not yet tired of the setting, there is still a copious amount of fun to be had here.

The Taken King easily eclipses both previous Destiny expansions in quantity and quality of content, and goes a long way towards making Destiny the game what so many of us have wanted. It was 2+ weeks after release before I even touched a second character, which speaks volumes about how much there is to do here.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is easily the biggest disappointment of the year for me. Not because I expected it to be great; but because I expected it to at least be enjoyable on some levels. Sadly it fails on almost every attempt. The core skating feels good, but never satisfying, and everything surrounding it just feels flat. I wanted this to the be the resurgence of the series, but it feels more like a budget game wrapped in a AAA game price.

FIFA 16 has a few nice additions, but failure to fix some of the franchise’s ongoing problems, along with a massive focus on FUT leaves it feeling stale; especially seeing as PES seems to be scoring highly in reviews. My only fear is that with Konami allegedly moving away from console games, EA may continue the franchise without feeling the need to innovate and improve.

Talos Principle is a meaty, long puzzle game. Depending on the ability of the player to solve the puzzles and progress the story really determines how long it will take most to complete the game. Even after it’s over the additional expansion pack included here adds even more time and difficulty into the mix.

It’s moody, dark, creative, and an adventure game that just left me feeling dreadful. It’s not the most original sci-fi horror experience, but it’s one that absolutely nails what the setting is about, and that’s most important. If you had told me a few years ago that two of the best sci-fi horror games ever created would be from smaller indie development teams, I’d raise an eyebrow.

Blood Bowl II’s concept was like it was tailor-made for me. American football mixed with a fantasy setting using D&D dice rolls for actions? That sounds like a geek dream come true for me, but unfortunately, implementation mixed with probability that may have my advantages in mind, but untimely work out to my disadvantage makes for a game that is both frustrating and unfortunate for me.

While Cross of the Dutchman doesn’t offer much innovation in terms of gameplay, Triangle Studios still manages to infuse a great deal of originality and heart into their small but feisty game which, while short, is packed with life.