Reviews

Ride 2 is a great motorcycle racing game, perhaps the best. With plentiful game modes and bikes, gorgeous graphics, and extremely tight controls, Ride 2 deserves a victory lap.

LEGO City Undercover might not be as good as the best LEGO games, but it's still very enjoyable, has some unique mechanics, and nobody will fault its humor, which might be the best out of any LEGO video game. Aside from that, though, it's hard to suggest one should play LEGO City Undercover over the many other LEGO offerings.

A great send-up of point-and-clicks of the past, Thimbleweed Park takes the mechanics thereof and applies them to a zany, Twin-Peaks-inspired mystery. Full of quirky writing and unorthodox solutions, Thimbleweed Park might not always make sense, but that is part of its charm.

A wonderful (and wonderfully creative) dive into LEGO as its own entitiy. With the best parts of gameplay from previous LEGO titles and plenty of new mechanics and ideas in this smörgåsbord of a game, Lego Worlds is a must-play for family-friendly adventuring.

A new high-point for Call of Duty, and we aren't just talking about the space combat. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has a star-studded, brilliantly-written story, excellent gunplay, and looks phenomenal in all circumstances. It's still Call of Duty, and doesn't reinvent as much as it could, but this is about as good as the series can get.

Persona 5 might not have the same quirky-but-good writing quality as its predecessors, but it still oozes with style and is at least enjoyable to play. A bit unfocused, Persona 5 is still worthwhile for fans of the series, though may not be the strongest entry for newcomers.

Syberia 3 from B.H. Sokal is only a bit beyond a point-and-click adventure in its presentation. While it does boast some pretty graphics, its puzzles and story are somewhat lacking. The atmosphere almost saves this one, but overall, Syberia 3 is a forgettable experience.

One of the best recent puzzle games, The Talos Principle is thought-provoking in more ways than one. Deeply steeping in philosophy, it is fitting that the puzzles in the game also gradually ramp up in challenge to provide a truly brain-bending experience, all within a gorgeously rendered and beautifully scored world. There is much to love about this game.

Even Drawn to Death's one unique aspect, it's art style, works against it. A mediocre game at best, Drawn to Death is ugly, hard to play, floaty, and weakly designed. What little joy there is comes from its sketchbook-esque art style alone. An art style which, ironically, makes the game that much harder to understand and play.

PaRappa the Rapper's only flaw is that there isn't enough of it. A short and sweet title, PaRappa the Rapper still has one of the best soundtracks in gaming, and executes its rhythm-centric extremely well, so long as you can tolerate some minor hiccups.