Digimon Survive's uniquely dark take on the standard Digimon storyline is enough to carry a title that's sometimes poorly paced and basic in its approach to gameplay. A visual novel with RPG elements bolted on, it's difficult not to feel as though the creature taming and combat aspects of Survive could have been bigger and better. But ultimately, a mix of endearing characters and eye-opening plot points make this another worthwhile adventure in the digital world.
Planet Zoo is, ironically, a relatively toothless park building game. It doesn't have the delicious chaos of the Jurassic World Evolution games or the thrills of building your own rollercoaster and then hoping it'll stay on the tracks in Planet Coaster. But it's a pleasant and charming game. There's an airy joy in creating a peaceful home for animals to live in, and the earnest conservationist slant of Planet Zoo is hard to fault.
JYDGE is an enjoyable twin-stick shooter that has a fun and destructive core mechanic and a lot of replay value. If you're a huge fan of twin-stick shooters it'd be a crime not to give this one a try and judge it for yourself.
Baja: Edge of Control HD is a remaster that may be head-scratching at first, but once you get your hands on it, there's plenty to enjoy. Outside of some mixed texture work, the game runs and plays silky smooth. Given the game's accessible price tag, off-road racing fans certainly have a lot to enjoy. There's just something blissful about racing out in the open terrain, overlooking the land.
Somehow, EA has managed to refine and hone the modern FIFA formula to an even greater degree with FIFA 18. Last year we questioned what more the developer could possibly do to keep the series from stagnating, and it turns out that making a slew of welcome smaller adjustments across the board can really impact the big picture. Some will roll their eyes, but FIFA 18 is yet another fantastic footie sim -- one that takes the ball from the already great FIFA 17 and runs with it.
SteamWorld Dig 2 is just about as competent a Metroidvania game as you're likely to find in 2017. Its platforming and combat is solid, and its exploration is always a joy. What this fun sequel lacks in ambition, it makes up for in polish and charm.
NASCAR Heat 2 is a well-built racer with honest intentions and intense action. The robust Career mode conveys the toils of a real racing career – sometimes a little too accurately as it can start to drag. Nevertheless, with three disciplines and suite of offline and online modes, this is an entertaining experience – just be aware that it doesn't have anywhere near the budget to rival the various other racing games you can buy.
Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode Two: The Pact is one of the best Telltale episodes in a long time. Going behind enemy lines with some of Gotham's greatest gangsters makes for a brilliantly tense dynamic, as you wrestle with socially awkward situations in order to keep everyone on-side. With so many different plot threads dangling, it was only a matter of time before a certain kitten came out to play – and the return of Catwoman sets up a third episode that we can't wait to experience.
The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game is another good entry in the LEGO series of games. The increased focus on combat pays off with a fleshed out system that makes each character feel unique, while the free-running provides enough safety nets to keep you from getting frustrated. Despite a couple of technical hiccups and a poorly thought out ending, LEGO NINJAGO has so much going for it that the overall experience isn't dampened.
Expand is a great puzzle game. Navigating your square through monochromatic mazes offers a wonderfully relaxing experience that somehow manages to be calming and wrought with tension throughout. While it's a relatively short title, its low price point and high fun factor make it a worthwhile venture. Sure, it may not have been a runaway success on its initial release, but we can only hope this title finds its audience this time around.
What you end up with is a sci-fi exploration title that is, ultimately, dull. There's barely anything going on in Morphite. Once you've beaten the story and upgraded your equipment, there's very little reason to go back to previous locations, and new ones are too similar to offer any meaningful extended play. Myrah's adventure may pique the interest of genre die-hards, but the limited scope of the game makes it difficult to recommend.
The Solus Project is poor survival game that plays far better as a walking simulator. The lack of any guidance in controls and direction will leave you feeling clueless on how to proceed throughout. The environments are bland and barren, and although the weather and day/night cycle offer some positives, they're all ultimately overshadowed by the game's negatives. To top it all off a below par PlayStation VR option and a large number of bugs turn what could have been a good survival title into a disappointing one.
If you're in the market for an effectively twisted dark fantasy roguelike adventure coupled with a functional turn-based tactical strategy combat system, a walk down the Plague Road might be in order. But be warned that despite it's distinctive art style, there isn't much to recommend this against the less sick competitors out there.
If you're already invested in the Zen Pinball games, then Pinball FX3 with its roster of new gameplay options is an essential upgrade. It's a shame that licensing issues mean that some tables have been left behind, but the new progression system adds replayability to every other table that you already own. The user interface is disappointing, but it's feature packed, and depending on the number of tables you've bought, you could quite feasibly spend thousands of hours trying to dominate the leaderboards in this game.
Not all aspects of Final Fantasy IX hold up perfectly in 2017, but the PSone swansong is still a stone cold classic. Although you could argue that the PS4 port should do more to enhance the experience, the adventure's core strengths in world building and storytelling remain, and they're as flawless as ever. When all's said and done, masterpiece is still a word that we'd use to describe Final Fantasy IX.
Blue Reflection has a lot of interesting ideas, from its plot to the core gameplay, so it's unfortunate that these ideas are left to fester in a pool of mediocrity and drowned in an adventure that feels boring and stale before it's even really begun. The opening scenes show a lot of promise, but none of it is built upon as the game develops. Blue Reflection feels like a tutorial for JRPG beginners - one that even the most inexperienced player would get bored with.
