Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is short. There is absolutely no denying that. The implications of its short length, however, are that within 30 minutes of play, you’ll have traded out Gat for Kinzie, learned how to fly, unlocked the ability to summon imps to fight on your side, collected over 50 soul clusters and persuaded Shakespeare to fight on your side against Satan in your quest to save The Boss and keep him from being forcibly wed to Satan’s daughter Jezebel. READ MORE
Citizens of Earth feels like a tribute to the SNES classic (and tragically underplayed) Earthbound. I am a huge fan of that game for its irreverence, setting and gameplay, and Citizens of Earth takes liberally from its best elements. It’s genuinely funny and strategically deeper than it first appears, while leveraging its characters and setting well. Its attempts to reclaim the magic of its source material are largely successful, but most of all, it’s just a lot of fun to play. READ MORE
The original Blackguards had some problems, but the combat system wasn’t one of them. Blackguards 2 retains the same deep, satisfying hex-based combat as its predecessor, and layered on top of that combat is the story of Cassia of Tenos, a noblewoman betrayed by her husband and wrongfully imprisoned. She needs to escape, raise an army and reclaim her kingdom. READ MORE
Guilty Gear has been one of the premier franchises for developer Arc System Works. Past entries have delivered on being incredibly flashy, having top-notch sprite work and providing players with an awesome heavy metal soundtrack to keep in theme with the setting they deliver. However, it’s been some time since the main one-on-one fighter series has received any sort of proper entry (Accent Core Plus, released in 2012, was the fifth update of 2002’s Guilty Gear X2). While the updates have held us over for sometime, Guilty Gear Xrd –Sign– finally an appearance on consoles, serving as the first huge overhaul the series has seen and introducing the Unreal Engine to its gameplay. Were the overhauled mechanics worth the wait? READ MORE
When playing the The Talos Principle, I simultaneously feel clever and philosophical. Its unique mix of mind-melting puzzles and thought-provoking conversations have caused me to think deeply about both the challenges I’m facing and the true nature of human consciousness. The various puzzle mechanics are easy to learn, hard to master and interesting in their interactions. The true greatness of this game, however, lies in the sheer fact that I wanted to press forward with uncovering the mysteries that surrounded me regardless of the puzzles presented. The Talos Principle is a triumph of game design, and an experience that absolutely shouldn’t be missed. READ MORE
