ZTGD

Lasting only around two and a half hours, Short Peace is not really much of a game. The game itself being maybe an hour and a half and the collection of movies lasting an hour, this entire thing can be seen in an evening’s time. The game is strange and slightly boring in its execution, but the movies are the highlight of the package.

Instead, it’s a lot more of the same coupled with one of the biggest rosters in fighting game history, with a few small twists to mix things up a little. This is by no means a bad thing for those who enjoy this solid, albeit tired formula, but I can’t help but ponder when the true revolution for this series will take place.

Jumping online is where the game gets hectic, but way more fun, and the tongue-in-cheek nature of the dialog and story offer up a few laughs at times. I would say pick it up, but if you do, try to at least convince one or two friends to pick it up with you. You’ll all have a more enjoyable time together.

Driveclub has the looks and the style of a great racing game. It even plays like a great racing game. The challenges and club mechanics can offer up a ton of content, and the extensive tour mode will keep players busy well into the 20 hour mark. It really is a great game; it just feels a bit unfinished in the car selection and customization fields. Racing fans should really check it out. I just hope you like European cars.

Whether this is their way of trying to make the avid fans of the series who imported the JPN version of the game double dip in order to play with their friends or just a minor bug is unclear, but it’s a shame nonetheless. Still, even with the issue of compatibility of different region copies of the game, P4U2 sets a high standard for how to do a sequel to a fighting game right.

I’ll admit to being mystified by the pricing scheme – the Xbox One and PS4 versions being $10 more than the 360/PS3 versions is not shocking, but the PC version is a real steal for $40, especially given it’s my preferred platform for the series. It’s a must play for series fans, and a great choice for anyone looking for a deeper take on the genre.

Natural Doctrine will frustrate you. It will pound you into the ground and then beat you again for hitting the ground too fast. There is an audience for it. The hardcore strategy players will find more than a challenge here, and patience is a must if you plan to play this game. I would even warn regular strategy players about going into Natural Doctrine.

CastleStorm has a ton of things to handle while playing, and while it’s never a bad game, it feels like I was having to juggle too much at one time and ended up fumbling with the controller more times than not. Multiplayer is the standout of the entire package, and even then, it is a frantic melee that can result in the same confusing session I had with the single player.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the first game on these new consoles that screams next generation game play. Even those not so sweet on the source material need to check this game out. I am not a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and I still found the story both well-told, and genuinely interesting. The rest is one of the most innovative and interesting titles to drop so far, and it sets a nice stage for the current crop of consoles.

Forza Horizon 2 is a fantastic racing game, probably the best released so far in this short-lived generation of consoles. Xbox One owners should definitely check it out. The amount of content is impressive, but even more impressive is that most of it is really fun to play. Horizon 2 starts off a laundry list of exclusive titles for MS, we can only hope the rest are as excellent as Playground’s latest racer.