Furi
Furi becomes essential by identifying and removing what it declares expendable.
Inside
Inside's quiet confidence is a maneuver invented to not only disarm the player, but also destabilize assumptions that seem inseparable from an entire class of games.
Prison Architect
Creating a candid simulation of a correctional facility is Prison Architect's purpose. Its power is allowing the player to decide if moral indifference—their own or Prison Architect's—is either a strength or weakness.
Trials of the Blood Dragon
Trials' latest evolution is a fusion with Blood Dragon.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
When allowed composure, Mirror's Edge Catalyst becomes the colossal free running daydream that never seemed tenable. When pushed into conflict, either with its own systems or the demand of "content" in 2016, Mirror's Edge feels anxious and frenzied.
Dead Island Definitive Collection
Dead Island Definitive Collection is a case of projection clashing against reality, almost a meta-level statement on Dead Island's inability to step up and perform on key. Unfortunately, the only rendition that sticks is one of deteriorating enthusiasm.
Back in 1995
Distorted textures and hulking polygons may not feel as chic or romantic as pixel art, but Back in 1995's paean to the 32-bit era extends beyond aesthetic cognizance.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
In 2008, Sega's Valkyria Chronicles had presence of a seminal classic. Its latest remaster on PlayStation 4 fosters it through a modern generation and, hopefully, a wider embrace.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a performance of power.
The Park
Exploring the destructive psychosis of a plaintive individual is a noble, if not precarious, responsibility. The question is if The Park's manic behavior is either a means of identifying with its troubled protagonist or a symptom of its own decent into chaos.
Severed
Clever Cleaving & Dungeon Creeping
Dark Souls III
Dark Souls' tenacious pursuit of gaming idealism, even at three (or five) entries deep, remains a virtuous enterprise. It's also a show that, no matter how well executed, loses potency with each consecutive performance.