ZTGD

The game offers different perspectives. Its game play is predicated on cause and effect. In short, there are a lot of moving parts that take time to master. The fast-paced nature of the campaign leaves little room to take a breath when in the middle of a mission. While this is a little overwhelming for new players, it certainly offers an awful lot of excitement and replay value.

Anyone who enjoyed the gameplay of the last several iterations will find a lot to enjoy here, particularly on the once again excellent Naval Missions. If you didn’t like Black Flag though there is nothing here that will change your mind.

Grand Theft Auto V is certainly more than worth your time, but the question is, do you want to spend another 30-50 hours in Los Santos, if you already made the trip last year? For me it is a resounding yes, as the new additions really drew me back into the world, and I had forgotten how much fun I had just exploring, planning heists and even hopping online with friends to cause havoc.

Rollers of the Realm oversells its limited RPG element quite a bit in advertisement, and perhaps that was smart, because it managed to pique my interest enough to give it a try. While it’s not nearly enough to turn around someone like me who actively dislikes the genre, but it’s an admirable attempt at combining two wildly different genres.

The production value and game play are really well done, and very enjoyable. It may be slightly difficult, but it is still a fun ride, and seeing all my favorite characters from P3 and P4 together again was a great reunion. RPG fans will have a great time with Persona Q. It really feels like a new game, and not just some quick cash in game. I highly recommend it.

LEGO Batman 3 is a solid entry in the series. The fan service alone is worth it for DC fans like myself, but I still feel the series needs to really take a step back and work on improving the formula. The love poured into these games is obvious, but I can’t shake the nagging feeling of the copy/paste mentality each iteration delivers. It also doesn’t help that they shove out three of them a year.

Randal’s Monday is a mostly functional point and click adventure that buries itself under a mountain of flat, meaningless dialog. It doesn’t help matters that the game is structured to imply a higher caliber of writing. Removing the main character it would be a bland, forgettable experience. As it is it’s only memorable for how poor of an attempt it is to cash in on a franchise.

Escape Dead Island was a surprise for me. For a budget title and a spinoff of the series, it’s way better than it should be. Combat was satisfying, exploration was fun, the insanity effects were a trip and the story reaches a point that literally had me questioning not only what was happening, but why Cliff himself was slowly breaking down mentally.

Bayonetta 2 is more than just a good action game, it is a fantastic addition to the already stellar Wii U lineup, and yet another reason to own the console. The fluidity of the combat and the unique visuals really help this title stand out among other action games, and I am extremely happy it got the chance to be made. Sure I would love to see a third game down the line, but for now this package will satisfy fans for months to come. A definite must own.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn’t going to make people who hate the series suddenly take notice, but for those that have felt the franchise has been falling flat lately, it definitely re-energizes it. This is the Call of Duty game fans have been clamoring for, and I feel sorry for the team that has to try and top it next year.