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What are the best lore-rich games on PS4?

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Bloodborne vs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt vs Hollow Knight

 vs The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim vs NieR: Automata vs Horizon Zero Dawn vs Borderlands: The Handsome Collection vs Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn vs Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition vs Wolfenstein: The New Order vs Final Fantasy IX vs Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain vs Õkami HD vs Deus Ex: Mankind Divided vs Assassin's Creed Origins vs Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus vs Final Fantasy X HD Remaster vs Overwatch vs Yakuza 0 vs DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin vs Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection vs Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition vs Dragon Age: Inquisition vs Diablo III vs Destiny 2 vs Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age vs Jotun: Valhalla Edition vs Steins;Gate 0 vs Dark Souls III vs Final Fantasy XV vs Mass Effect Andromeda vs Fallout 4 vs Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue vs Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster vs Yakuza 6: The Song of Life vs Shadow of the Colossus (2018) vs Bioshock: The Collection vs Yakuza Kiwami vs Dark Souls Remastered vs Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection vs Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

Specs

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4

Co-Op

2 Player Online

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action RPG

Platforms

Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Native resolution

1080p, ~500p on Switch

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Metroidvania

Platforms

Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux

Co-Op

Single Player

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Fantasy Role-Playing

Platforms

Windows, Xbox, PS, Nintendo Switch

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

-

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

1080p

Available on Steam

No

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

MMORPG

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Windows, Mac

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Dungeon Crawler RPG

Platforms

Windows, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One

Co-Op

2 Player Local / Online

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Windows, Android, iOS

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action

Platforms

-

Co-Op

Single Player

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

1080p60

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure

Platforms

-

Co-Op

No

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

Full

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter, Stealth

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-adventure RPG, Stealth

Platforms

Windows, PS4, Xbox One

Co-Op

No

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

Partial

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Nintendo Switch

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Hero-based FPS

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

No

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

Blizzard Entertainment

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure, Action RPG, Beat 'em Up

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

PlayStation 4, Windows

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 3

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Third-Person Shooter, Action-Adventure

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

1080p 60FPS

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

Yes

Genre

Action Role-Playing, Tactical Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

No

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

Yes

Genre

Dungeon Crawler RPG

Platforms

Windows, macOS, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter, Multiplayer

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

No

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Role-Playing

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action, Adventure

Platforms

PC, Mac, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Visual Novel

Platforms

PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 (Japan only), Xbox One (Japan only), Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing, Third-Person Shooter

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows

Co-Op

4 Player Online

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

No

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action RPG

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

Single Player

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure, Action RPG, Beat 'Em Up

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

PlayStation 4

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

PlayStation 4

Multiplayer

-

Genre

First-Person Shooter

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure, Action RPG, Beat 'em Up

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

PlayStation 4

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Switch

Co-Op

3 Player Online

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action-Adventure, Stealth

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

-

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Genre

Action Role-Playing

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows

Co-Op

-

Steam Rating

-

Native resolution

-

Available on Steam

Yes

Native Resolution

-

Controller Support

-

Publisher

-

Platform

-

Multiplayer

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Excellent world design

This game takes place in a Gothic, Victorian era (1800s Europe) inspired city. The buildings are dark and tall, instilling in you a sense of awe and fear. The environments are very detailed, reminding you it was a thriving city before all went wrong. All of these elements fit the Lovecraftian horror theme really well.
Comment

Con
 Incredibly frustrating at times

You'll most likely die a lot, especially while you're still getting used to the game. It can happen on both regular enemies and bosses, with the latter being a lot more frustrating. Dying at a boss means you have to fight your way back to the boss room. If you're too agitated you might even die without reaching that boss again, which adds even more to the frustration. This pattern will repeat many times over the course of the game.
Comment

Pro
 Frantic combat

In the world of Bloodborne you're never safe. Each location is filled with fast and ruthless enemies that will constantly try to kill you. It can be infected humans, werewolves, and even demonic beasts. You'll have to constantly attack and dodge at a very fast pace, and losing focus for even a second means you'll die. It's the type of combat where you'll steadily improve with practice, making it feel rewarding when you get the hang of it.
Comment

Pro
 Great bosses

Bosses in most games nowadays hardly ever give the player any challenge. Bloodborne is an exception, with bosses being a test of focus and skill. You'll have to constantly move around, attack openings, read tells to dodge attacks, and choose proper positioning. Beating one of these beasts after a long and exhausting struggle is extremely satisfying.
Comment

Con
 Framerate pacing issues

The game engine often produces two unique frames followed by two duplicates instead of one after another. This makes it seem like there are frame-rate drops even though the game runs at a stable 30 fps. The gameplay doesn't feel smooth because of it, which can be quite distracting.
Comment

Pro
 Convenient ways to get around the massive world

The world is intimidatingly massive but thankfully there are ways to cut down on travel time. You can ride a horse, use a boat, or just simply fast travel to explored locations. This makes the experience more accessible and enjoyable as a whole.
Comment

Pro
 Attention to detail in almost every facet of the game

The Witcher 3 is how an AAA title should play, sound, and feel like. Its deep combat, beautiful graphics, amazing sound, interesting quests, immersive story, and almost every other aspect of the game has a surprising amount of polish.
Comment

Pro
 Fleshed-out romance options

Playing as Geralt, you have the choice to have one-night stands with ladies at certain taverns, or you can focus on his more involved romantic subplots. By this third game, Geralt has quite a long history with two competent and beautiful sorceresses: Triss Merigold, his love interest from The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, and Yennefer of Vengerberg, his old flame from the series of The Witcher novels that the games are based on. The two women also happen to be best friends, injecting some drama depending on how you go about things. Triss is really sweet, fun, and spontaneous with the way she makes the stoic Geralt smile and open up more as they get up to mischief together. On the other hand, Yennefer is strict, straightforward, and no-nonsense, not wanting to get into feelings all that much, and yet she and Geralt have such a strong bond over several years, making it feel special when Yen does occasionally let her guard down. Both of these romances intertwine well with the main story, with great optional side quests that add even more layers to whichever relationship you decide to pursue. It's also possible to try romancing both of them at the same time, but you might regret it, so choose carefully.
Comment

Pro
 Your choices lead to morally-gray consequences and multiple different endings

There are rarely any right answers when making decisions. The situations that the story puts you in are unique and oftentimes unsettling, sometimes leaving you agonizing over which dialog option to pick during story conversations. During your first playthrough, it's isn't obvious which of your decisions are "important" and will impact plot outcomes, making you think critically about all of your choices. Most surprising are the critical decisions that determine which ending you get -- once you see your ending, you learn how organic everything is, with the game keeping track of your relationships with other characters in subtle ways.
Comment

Con
 The combat can take some time to get used to

The real-time action combat with Geralt's swords and magic doesn't quite feel right. When you first try it, you might find the controls to be imprecise and a bit sluggish. You may need a few hours to get used to the way the swordplay works with parrying and dodging, on top of knowing when to use your defensive and offensive spells to take advantage of enemy weaknesses.
Comment

Con
 Some main story segments drag on for way too long

The story is generally excellent except for certain parts that seem to go on and on for hours with no end in sight. You start off looking into someone who has information on Ciri, only to get the run-around in the worst of ways, chasing down several leads for many different characters all at one time. Just when you think you're done with a series of main quests, you have to go talk to someone else, or kill some other monster, or go to some other place instead. It's really annoying and kills the pacing of the otherwise well-written narrative.
Comment

Pro
 Side quests are as good as the main quests

There are almost no lazy "go get me 12 turtle shells" quests in the Witcher 3 and you get to experience some amazing writing even in the most obscure side quests.
Comment

Pro
 Lots of random side quests

You can just walk around for hours, find abandoned structures, caves, etc and find interesting side quests to do.
Comment

Pro
 Choices matter

The Witcher 3 has three completely different endings. The decisions during main quests and side-quests affect how the endings play out, adding up 36 possible outcomes. It feels refreshing to actually impact your character's fate and not just trot along a path to an inevitable conclusion.
Comment

Pro
 Gigantic openworld

The total size of Witcher 3's world is about 52 square miles, which is 3.5 times larger than Skyrim and 1.5 times larger than Grand Theft Auto V. Thanks to the sheer size you feel like you're in a real world and not a constrained box.
Comment

Pro
 Immersive story

Developers have taken great care to make an interesting story, but what really pulls you in is the dialogue and character interactions. They're made great through excellent writing, stellar voice-overs, and great body language. The characters on-screen may feel like real people, so it's very easy to forget you're playing a game and not watching a TV series.
Comment

Con
 Story quests may feel like a chore

If you happen to enjoy doing side quests, you might end up overleveled for the story quests, allowing you to easily power through them. This may remove the challenge and enjoyment, causing it to feel like a chore, especially because the loot also remains low-level.
Comment

Pro
 Fun, challenging boss fights

With a couple exceptions, the boss fights are challenging in a way that does not feel cheap. If you die, it is because you screwed up and not because the game didn't feel like keeping you alive anymore.
Comment

Pro
 Has character

The visuals, music and sound effects are both quirky and charming. You may stay for the gameplay, but you come in for the lovable world.
Comment

Pro
 Has free DLC

Three DLCs have been released, adding additional quests for free.
Comment

Pro
 Large amount of content

Over 30 hours of gameplay.
Comment

Pro
 Amazing story and lore

Comment

Pro
 Amazing art and soundtrack

Has a very dedicated aesthetic that works beautifully.
Comment

Pro
 Rewarding exploration

The game world is enormous, with a massive amount of secret areas that really reward you for sniffing them out.
Comment

Pro
 Forces you to learn attack patterns

You won't get far just going in swinging. Learning enemy behavior is much more important than in any other Metroidvania and that feels very rewarding.
Comment

Pro
 Mysterious story/lore

Makes you wanna explore more to find out whats going on and you may find secrets with NPCs that will tell you more or add to the mystery. This keeps things interesting.
Comment

Pro
 Tight and fluid movement

Every movement in the game makes you feel like you are in control.
Comment

Con
 Choppy on certain hardware

A small percentage of users have issues with choppiness.
Comment

Pro
 Unrestrictive skill-based RPG system

Skyrim has no set character classes or equipment/spell limitations. Instead, it allows you to form your own class based on how you decide to play. For example, sneaking increases your sneaking skill, hitting an enemy with a shortsword increases your one-handed skill, taking damage while wearing leather armor increases your light armor skill, and so forth. You can you play however you want and the resulting character will be a perfect match for your playstyle, giving Skyrim a different feel from other RPGs.
Comment

Pro
 Deep lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of The Elder Scrolls series, which stretches back 20 years. It has numerous stories surrounding the various races (orcs, elves, lizardmen, demons, etc.), mythical beasts, gods, cataclysmic events, parallel worlds, and just about any fantasy trope you could think off. What's even better you can read the lore in books found in-game, allowing you to immerse yourself for countless hours.
Comment

Pro
 Huge variety of mods

Bethesda Softworks has upheld a tradition of releasing their internal content-creation tools to the public since Morrowind (2002). Many modders transition to new Bethesda games as they are released, bringing their experience with them and helping newcomers through forums and wikis. As a result, Skyrim's mod selection is outstanding in both variety and quality.
Comment

Con
 Combat is too simple

Most of the time you can just whack an enemy until it dies and it involves very little strategy or planning to succeed. For example, targeting specific body parts doesn't deal extra damage, nor can you cripple an enemy. There are no vulnerabilities, so you can't set furry forest animals ablaze easier than humans. The enemies also lack any real variation in how they attempt to fight you – they just run at you swinging wildly or attack you from afar. Because of this the combat is very one-dimensional and can start feeling like a chore after a while. Luckily most of the combat issues can be fixed with mods, allowing you to enjoy a more varied and deeper combat experience.
Comment

Con
 Buggy and crash prone

While this game is not as buggy as it was upon release, there are still many people that encounter various bugs and crashes. These can happen in both modded and unmodded games and it's a common occurrence in Bethesda released titles. Fortunately, there are some community mods that try to fix most memory issues, stability issues, and general bugs.
Comment

Con
 Forgetful can NPCs break immersion

After completing certain story quests NPCs get new lines added to their dialogue based on your decisions. Sometimes the NPCs might become forgetful and return to their default dialogue, which can break immersion, especially if they talk about an event that's been long resolved.
Comment

Pro
 Fast-paced and action packed combat

he combat in NieR: Automata is incredible. It has a very hack-and-slash feel to it, with an emphasis on agility and acrobatics. You will have to switch from using small, quick jabs with your weapon, to devastatingly strong attacks. You also have to utilize ranged attacks, as well as the companion that follows you around if you want to have any hope of surviving every encounter. It can be very difficult to win battles sometimes, but it also feels equally rewarding when you finally achieve victory.
Comment

Pro
 Varied genre spanning gameplay elements

Side scrolling platformer one second, top down bullet hell the next. The gameplay never gets stale.
Comment

Pro
 An incredible amount of gameplay

You can easily spend 60 plus hours exploring the world NieR: Automata, and still have much more to do.
Comment

Pro
 It's got a hauntingly beautiful environment

NieR: Automata is set in an apocalyptic time where Earth has been overrun by robots, and the artists really nailed what that would feel like. Abandoned and overgrown cities litter the landscape along with old refineries, graveyards, and eerie forests. When you add the beautiful soundtrack to the experience, it fills you with a bittersweet mix of loneliness and hope.
Comment

Pro
 A unique take on storytelling leads to a very entertaining experience

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is great: in order to get the full experience, you've got to do multiple playthroughs of the game. You unlock more chapters of the story as you complete the previous chapters more times: completing the first chapter twice will unlock the second chapter, then when you complete that you will unlock the third. When you begin, you play as an android known as YoRHA. However, subsequent playthroughs will allow you to choose different characters. This lets you experience the story from a different perspective. It's really interesting and certainly serves to make the game more fun overall.
Comment

Pro
 Fast-paced, action-packed combat

The combat in NieR: Automata is fantastic. It has a hack-and-slash feel to it, with an emphasis on agility and showy acrobatics. With the fluid and responsive controls, you can switch seamlessly from using swift attacks with your weapon to devastatingly strong attacks as you combo them together. You also use customizable ranged missile attacks from your personal robot pod, such as powerful laser beams or a giant hammer attack. It can be difficult to win battles sometimes, especially on the harder gameplay settings, but it's worthwhile to keep at it and watch yourself progress and improve.
Comment

Pro
 Varied genre-spanning gameplay elements

NieR: Automata has different types of gameplay to keep things interesting. From the very start, you're on an on-rails bullet hell section, and then you switch over to the more traditional action RPG style of fast-paced combat. Things change up again not long after with some side-scrolling platforming from a 2D view. Later on in the story, there's a hacking mini-game where you navigate a tiny ship through a short puzzle, with the music changing to a charming retro sound to fit the theme and mood. This is a game that doesn't stay boxed in a single genre.
Comment

Pro
 Gorgeous, ethereal soundtrack with amazing vocals

NieR: Automata's music is out of this world. It's so stunning and elegant in a way that nothing else can really live up to. The soundtrack manages to emotionalize the game through music, from the action-packed tracks with hard-hitting wind instruments and percussion, to the softer, somber songs that encapsulate the hauntingly beautiful environments and story moments you encounter. Vocals in the lore's indescribable language makes the music even more memorable, adding to the ethereal quality of the sound. This soundtrack is definitely one that you can go back to again and again without getting sick of it.
Comment

Pro
 An incredible amount of content

Outside of the main story, there's plenty of optional content to dive into. The side quests are the best way to get to know the characters and lore of the world, with some of them giving clever and subtle foreshadowing of the game's most critical events. There are also weapons to collect and upgrade, each of which offer nice little tidbits of lore after you get them to max level. And after reaching a certain point in the story, you get access to Chapter Select that lets you go back and replay whatever you want. You can easily spend 60+ hours exploring the world and still have much more to do.
Comment

Pro
 Unique storytelling with a real emotional impact

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is incredibly special. To get the full experience, you have to run multiple playthroughs of the game, each of which offers a new experience and perspective. Your world view of the story events and characters expands drastically as you complete each playthrough, playing on your expectations to help you develop a deeper emotional bond with the protagonists and become invested in their plight. Things take a real turn on your third playthrough, putting you on an emotional roller coaster all the way to the true ending. The plot twists and knocks on the fourth wall elevate the story to a truly unique place. Getting all the way to the very end can be a religious experience from how much heart and meaning you discover in the symbolism.
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Con
 Random lag spikes

When walking into an abandoned city, or during cutscenes, you'll randomly experience lag from time to time.
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Con
 Buggy

Some players have been complaining about the game crashing, freezing, save files missing, etc.
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Pro
 Each upgrade and skill feels meaningful

Most games nowadays are plagued by needlessly high level caps, useless skills and meaningless upgrades. In Horizon Zero Dawn Each upgrade and new skill unlock actually helps you become a more efficient hunter. There's Silent Strike, which lets you perform silent takedowns on enemies, both robotic and human. Enemies that would've taken a lot of effort to beat previously, can now be taken out in one hit. However, on its own it's mediocre at best, so you have to get other abilities to make it more effective. One such ability is Low Profile, which makes you less visible when you're crouching. This lets you to sneak up on enemies much easier, allowing you to use Silent Strike more often. There's also the upgrades, which can be either a boost to your damage, rate of fire, an increase to your carrying capacity or a unique technology such as the cloaking field. The damage and rate of fire upgrades are very straightforward, allowing you to defeat machines in a shorter amount of time. The carrying capacity upgrade helps you go on longer hunts without having to make a return trip. The cloaking field makes it a lot safer to travel and a lot easier to get the jump on enemies.
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Pro
 Intriguing world

At first glance the world seems simple. Tribes-folk living in beautiful landscapes of snow, sand, and lush green, trying to get by through hunting and gathering. Then you get introduced to the other inhabitants – the machines. It suddenly makes you wonder about their origin, their appearance and their purpose. What lead to their creation and why did civilization regress to pockets of tribal settlements. You'll be interested in exploring the world and finding out for yourself.
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Pro
 Great story

Story based around robots and A.I. is something rare in the sea of fantasy open world games.
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Pro
 Exciting hunting gameplay

The main focus of the game is hunting robotic creatures also known as "machines". They are similar to real animals in both appearance and behavior, so a lot of them move in packs. You have to be careful in how you approach them, because provoking one of them will also provoke the others. You can hide in tall grass and attract them one by one with whistling. This way you can take them out silently with your spear, minimizing the danger. Or you can get into a direct confrontation, which is a lot more intense when there are multiple enemies. You'll have to learn their patterns, so you know when to dodge or attack with your weapon (usually a bow or slingshot). When you finally manage to defeat them, it truly feels like an achievement.
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Con
 The game is difficult

Horizon Zero Dawn is incredibly challenging. Even players that are good at the game still have difficulties facing some enemies.
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Pro
 Really good value for its price

The Handsome Collection contains Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: TPS with all of their DLC included, which gives you more than 100 hours of exciting content. Before this collection was released you'd have to spend more than $100 to get all the DLC for these 2 games.
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Pro
 Great variety of character classes

Both games in the collection have 6 character classes (12 total). Each one has unique abilities that are affected by the skill trees, allowing you to further specialize your character to suit your playstyle. You can choose the support skills to help your teammates, defensive skills if you like being in the middle of the action, or offensive skills to quickly destroy enemies at the cost of increased risk. There's enough variety to keep it fresh across multiple playthroughs of two very similar games.
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Pro
 Exciting loot collection

Every time you kill an enemy or open a chest an item can drop. There are millions of possible combinations, each with their unique appearances and stats, so you never know what you'll get. It can be a really weak but rainbow-colored rifle, or an exceptionally powerful golden shotgun. The potential to find the best loot in the most humble locations makes killing enemies and finding chests incredibly exciting and satisfying.
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Pro
 Awesome co-op experience

Borderlands is a lot more fun when you play it together with your friends. It's not just due to the excitement of going on an adventure together, it's also because the teamwork feels rewarding and meaningful. The various characters and guns have their strengths and weaknesses, so you can cover for each others weaknesses. It creates an experience where you learn to rely on each other and forge a stronger bond as a result.
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Con
 Can get repetitive over long play sessions

The gameplay is very simple at its core - you get a new mission, shoot/beat up everyone, loot items, rinse, and repeat. After doing this multiple times it can start feeling a bit dull, especially at the lower levels when your character doesn't have many abilities unlocked to keep it interesting. It might be better to stick to short play sessions, which could prevent you from burning out.
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Con
 You can't change splitscreen settings in Borderlands: TPS

The screen is split vertically when you play 2 player coop, creating massive blindspots on the sides. This is really inconvenient when playing FPS games since you won't see enemies trying to flank you.
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Pro
 Plenty of side-quests to keep the player busy

For those that would like to level their character without having to d a lot of grinding in dungeons or the main story, There is quite a lot of side-quests on offer in this game. So many in fact that the player could level up through mainly side-quests if they liked. Every area the player reachers will see plenty of NPCs that will offer a new quest to go out on (an even sometimes multiple quests), which not only means a ton of content but an actual story to the game (that is different from the main quest) that can keep the player involved without feeling like they are repeating the same things over and over again.
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Pro
 Play all classes with one character

You don't have to create a different character for every single class. Your one character can be every single class. Each class has a specific weapon (bow for archers, daggers for rogue, axes for marauders, etc.), and you just equip that weapon type and your character switches classes. Each class starts at level, so you have to level each class you want to play, but there are numerous ways to get exp so it feels a little less like a grindy chore.
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Pro
 An absolutely stunning game

Final Fantasy XIV is gorgeous. The developers clearly put a lot of time and energy into creating all types of climates, ranging from harsh, desolate deserts to untamed, icy wastelands. The cities and villages in this game are vibrant and alive, while the cinematics can be dreary and depressing. Apart from the landscapes, the spells and abilities of this game will take you by surprise. Every ability is animated very well, and has gorgeous pixel designs to pull you even further into the game.
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Pro
 The story is incredible

Most MMORPGs don't offer much in the way of a story line, but that is not the case with FFXIV. The story will span the entire world, and is completing it is actually a requirement to get into most of the game's content. However, it doesn't feel like you're being forced into following a story you don't care about, the characters get into your head and you begin to feel like an actual hero. It's very well written, and can be listened to in multiple languages if you prefer that.
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Pro
 Combat is very in-depth

The combat in FFXIV is incredibly polished. It requires quick, real-time decisions and reactions, as well as a plan for how your team is going to take on whatever you're fighting. Like many games, it begins as simply hitting your attack buttons and waiting for your abilities to be ready again. FFXIV, however, has taken it a step further and has implemented complex combos and other interactions. These other interactions often have wildly different end results, so you must decide how best to use them.
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Con
 Pay to play

The game itself has a base price of $19.99, but also has expansion pack prices that could be added on top of that. This is just to get the game, once purchased the player will also need to pay a monthly subscription of $12.99 to continue playing the game, which can add up over time making for a pretty steep investment for some.
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Pro
 Self-deprecating humor allows the game to stay lighthearted despite many serious overtones

The writing in the game is often entertaining and humorous as the game does not take itself too seriously. There are quite a few inside jokes to be found for this type of genre game as well as many situations that lighten the mood, such as talking pets that hand out light-hearted quests.
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Pro
 Morality based gameplay that actually impacts the game

You'll be confronted with moral choices during your quests. These choices change how other characters perceive you, affecting the overall story and ending. This makes the story feel more realistic and immersive since actions have consequences.
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Pro
 Highly interactive world

Divinity: Original Sin has a highly interactive world. This ranges from NPC interactions, elemental spells that can affect the environment, to a cornucopia of in-world items and objects that can taken or moved. There are so many things you can do, it's very easy to immerse yourself and have a great time.
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Con
 Building a working party may take several tries

Some party setups work better than others and some don't work at all depending on the difficulty. A bad party can make the game feel like an impossible struggle at times. This may cause you to restart several times until you get the right setup, allowing you to enjoy a much smoother playthrough.
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Con
 Mechanics take some trial and error

There is a basic tutorial, but it doesn't explain some of the finer aspects of the game such as using spells. Most spells can be used in and out of combat, giving you access to locked or hidden areas. For example, if you want to get into a locked door, you can burn it down. If you want to save a burning ship, cast a rain spell over it. While this is an intuitive mechanic, it may take a while to get used to. Until then you might spend some time scratching your head, trying to figure out how to proceed.
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Pro
 Solid gameplay

Even though the gameplay doesn't innovate, it's really solid. The controls are sharp, the guns feel great, and the stealth sections give it a refreshing amount of variation. All of this will keep you wanting to play a little more, providing your hours of entertainment.
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Pro
 Rewarding exploration

In most modern shooters you just rush through very linear set pieces, shooting waves upon waves of enemies. Wolfenstein: The New Order rewards you for taking the time to explore. You can find many collectibles, secrets, and even hidden paths, giving you easier/safer methods of clearing a level.
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Pro
 Well written and acted characters

While the overarching storyline isn't anything noteworthy, the characters in it stand out due to great voice acting and surprisingly well-written lines. You'll actually enjoy listening to the characters talk, cracking jokes, and contemplating moral dilemmas, causing you to want to learn more about them. This is especially the case with the main character. You'll empathize with his situation and motivations, making you feel a deeper connection than with most modern FPS protagonists.
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Con
 Dual wield feels out of place

Using two guns at the same time, while a cool concept does not feel fully fleshed out in this title. It is often cumbersome and does not wield great results in firefights, which asks the question of why it was included.
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Con
 Dynamic resolution might feel distracting

When there's a lot of on-screen action the resolution will get scaled down to keep the gameplay running at 60 frames per second. This doesn't happen too often, but it might feel a little distracting since it feels like your vision is going blurry.
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Pro
 Dozens of hours of gameplay

This game has a bare-minimum of 40 hours of play in it, but that can easily be doubled.
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Pro
 A legitimately breathtaking world

The graphics of this game hold up quite well when compared to most older games. The abilites, characters, and environment are all incredibly well done.
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Pro
 You can customize the way your characters battle with the item-ability system

In most games, characters come with set abilities, gaining them at particular levels, or after defeating enemies, etc. In Final Fantasy IX, your abilities are tied to your items, making it possible to customize your character's skillset. In addition, if you wear some items long enough (meaning you've participated in enough battles), you'll permanently learn the skill and be able to use it regardless of what you've got equipped.
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Pro
 One of the most plot-driven games ever created

While the story is the central focus in every RPG, Final Fantasy IX takes that to the next level. The plot often switches focus between different characters or parties. One particularly exciting sequence on the second disc features two separate parties trying to escape a sticky situation. The game cuts between the two parties and builds an incredible sense of tension. Moreover, changing circumstances force characters to switch from one party to the other, which creates a real sense of dynamic teamwork. These sorts of events are what have driven the masses to calling Final Fantasy IX one of the greatest stories ever told.
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Con
 It can be slow to get started

Despite throwing you into battle within the first few minutes, the game is actually quite slow to start, particularly if you're the type to go around exploring and completing all the immediate sub-quests.
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Pro
 Enemy AI adapts to your playstyle

The enemy will pick up on your habits and react accordingly. For example, if you use tranq darts to knock enemies out, they will try to wake up their comrades at first. Do this for a couple of missions and they'll immediately run to sound the alarm when they spot someone knocked out. This way the game expertly keeps you out of the comfort zone, having the later missions feel as tense as the first.
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Pro
 Reflex system helps you stay unnoticed

Time will slow down for a short time if you're spotted by an enemy. This allows you to take them out before they can sound the alarm or alert other soldiers. This is quite refreshing compared to other stealth games, where messing up means an immediate end to being stealthy.
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Pro
 Large assortment of weapons and tools

MGS V has a lot of weapons, including pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and sniper rifles. There are both lethal and non-lethal variants, allowing you to find something suitable for any playstyle. There are also many tools such as the Fulton device, which allows you to capture enemy soldiers and animals, sending them to your base. It's a ton of fun experimenting with new gadgets.
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Pro
 Freedom in approaching a mission

Metal Gear Solid V gives players multiple choices on how to approach a mission. You can choose to use stealth, taking out enemies only when it's absolutely necessary. You can run in guns blazing, killing everyone on sight. You can get on a high vantage point and take out everyone with a sniper rifle. Or you can call in air support to do all the work for you. The choice is up to you and the game doesn't penalize you for sticking to a single way. This helps keep the gameplay fresh for a long time.
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Pro
 Allows players to create their private military company

Throughout the game, you will be trying to rebuild your private military company. Your base of operations is the "Mother Base", which is a giant structure similar to an oil rig. You can expand it and add new facilities such as Research and Development. You'll also be managing your personnel, allowing you to recruit (capture) enemy soldiers and assign them work in their area of expertise. This can be research, development, various upkeep tasks around the base or earning resources out in the field. All of these things truly make you feel like you're running a PMC.
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Con
 Micro transactions make multiplayer pay-to-win

You can buy bundles of in-game currency, which can be used to gain an advantage in multiplayer. This makes multiplayer not fun for the players who don't intend on spending extra money. It also makes it boring for the ones who spend the money. Both of these things negatively impact the longevity of the multiplayer. Some of the bundles go for $79.99, which is more than the game's price. It's sad seeing Konami milk their fans with microtransactions like this.
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Con
 High learning curve

MGS V can feel really overwhelming at the start. First the controls have various nuances such as different ways of crawling. Then you get a bunch of mechanics thrown at you, such as stealth, base managment, etc. It will take quite a while until you can fully enjoy the game.
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Pro
 A lot of different activities

Apart from the main storyline (curing the Demon-cursed areas by looking for guardian sprouts and letting them bloom), there are ample employment opportunities – characters in this mythological Japan need all kinds of help, so you'll get a lot of missions and sidequests. The paintbrush techniques get a lot of use in these missions as well, for solving riddles and puzzles. You might need to win a race to get a guard's mask back to him, look for a lost bunny, or defeat a bunch of demons so that a drunk guy could keep his name as the best warrior in the land. Or you can just fish or feed cute animals. Some sidequests need to be at least partly done to move the story along, some of them are totally optional. However, every good deed restores your status as a God: if you do good in the game, you get points, which can then be used to increase your health or the amount of ink you can carry, and that keeps the player motivated.
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Pro
 Unique and breathtakingly beautiful art style

The unusual art style takes inspiration from traditional Japanese woodblock paintings, called Ukiyo-e. Crisp black contour lines and explosions of color after successfully bringing back life into the world give a constant impression of being inside a work of art: every tree, every building, and every figure looks like it was painted with ink.
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Pro
 Large, enchanting, and atmospheric world

Õkami, though not an open-world game, still has a vast map, consisting of seven regions and numerous subregions. You have an opportunity to explore all of Japan and experience everything the country has to offer, going from tall dense forests, over the picturesque coasts, to frosty mountains. Along the way, you’ll find history, rooted in Japanese mythology, and you'll meet a lot of imaginative characters. Some of them might only keep you company for a few missions, but you still get invested in their stories and development.
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Pro
 Unusual and one-of-a-kind combat methods

Throughout the game, you can use three types of melee weapons: mirrors, rosaries, and swords. Each one can be used to weave combos in tandem with your character's acrobatic movements, smashing or slashing the demons you encounter. The real highlight of Õkami, however, are the paintbrush techniques, which can be used for attacking enemies or manipulating the environment. You simply select your paintbrush, which slows the game's speed to a crawl, allowing you to draw anywhere on the screen. For example, drawing a single line over a demon or object will slash it, drawing a circle in the sky will cause the sun to rise, and drawing a path from a body of water will create a waterspout. You don’t need to draw the lines perfectly, it is enough to roughly match the required drawing. It's a really fun and creative way of fighting normally not seen in games.
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Con
 Long unskippable cutscene at the start

Right at the start, there is a ~18-minute long, slow cutscene that you can't skip. Later there are some more cutscenes, but these can be fast-forwarded through.
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Con
 Indiscernible dialogue voice-over can be grating

The voice-over was done by actors actually saying the text that's shown in the dialogue box, but then the recording was speeded up and resulted in a cartoon-like gibberish. These high-pitched voices can become quite annoying over the 40-60 hours of gameplay, luckily, the voice-over can be turned off in the settings.
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Pro
 Great espionage-based gameplay

The game really shines when the players find themselves needing to infiltrate somewhere to complete a mission. There's a myriad of ways to approach each situation and multiple outcomes depending on the approach. Hacking terminals, crawling through vents, and stealthily taking out enemies is what this game is all about. There is a tangible tension to every move because if the player is caught by one of the enemies, the mission may come to an unexpected halt.
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Pro
 Engaging side quests

The side quests in Mankind Divided are almost as engaging as the main storyline. This is also helped by the fact that the NPCs who give these quests deliver their speeches in such a passionate way that makes you want to engage in their stories. Coupled with the fact that this game has a constantly-grey morality and it truly feels like the player has the fates of these people in their hands.
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Pro
 Convincing atmosphere

The dystopian setting with permanent police presence and derogatory comments from average citizens creates a depressing atmosphere.
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Con
 Side missions are hard to find

For people who want to complete every single side mission it can be hard to find them. They are given by NPCs which are differentiated from other, non-quest-giving NPCs by their name. Most are defined as "citizen", while those who have a quest to give have an actual name. However, the only way to find these quest givers is by running up to every person in the game which is very time consuming.
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Con
 Storyline feels hurried

While the first chapter of the game is quite slow and intriguing, it starts to become clumsier and unnatural as the player goes through the missions. After heading out of Prague, the story starts to feel hurried. Characters are introduced and fall into the sidelines, only to return out of nowhere in crucial moments of the story with very little to no justification.
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Con
 Relatively short

Mankind Divided is not as long as it should be. It can be completed in about 20 hours, and this is including most of the side quests. Doing just the main story would take even less than that.
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Pro
 Interesting stories make questing fun

Like in most RPGs, the quests in AC Origins can feel a little grindy, but this time you might not even notice it until you're deep into the game. Each quest is layered and wrapped in a different story, which adds to the overall lore of the game and hides the fact that it's still your basic "go kill the bad guy" or "get me this amount of that thing". A quite straightforward-looking quest might turn out to be anything but.
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Pro
 Challenging combat mechanics

The combat mechanics in this game require much more thinking-through than in the previous AC games. There's almost no chance to easily defeat multiple enemies at once, you need to block, parry, and know when to change your weapon. You have the ability to either deal a huge one-hit blow or supercharge your weapon by maxing out an adrenaline bar.
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Pro
 A vibrant and enticing world

AC Origins story unfolds in a pretty rare setting of Ancient Egypt under the rule of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The world feels alive and atmospheric with its diverse scenery and it just begs to be explored. You can run through bustling monumental cities, traverse the vast sandy deserts on the back of a camel or a horse, get some rest in a lush green palm tree-lined oasis, float down the Nile in a little dinghy - all this moving around rewards you with breathtaking and sometimes unexpected views, be it a golden pyramid or a rampaging horde of hippos. The map is massive, but it doesn't feel overwhelming because the movement is fast-paced, so much so that you can easily choose to avoid fast-travel. The setting, especially in the cities with their marble palaces, hieroglyph-covered obelisks, and sandstone monuments, lends itself well to the usual for Assassin's Creed climbing and free running.
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Pro
 Choose from a variety of stealth tricks

While sneaking around in AC Origins is mostly simple crouching in the bushes and hiding behind the trees or buildings, the stealthy killing and distraction part is really varied and fun. For instance, you can get the Predator Bow that lets you remotely steer your arrows after firing them, even get them to turn around a corner. The natural day/night cycle encourages you to use the darkness to hide your approach and take on the guards when there are likely less of them awake. You can also use sleep and poison darts, or open the enclosures of the animals so that they create distractions and even attack your enemies. You can even take control of your pet eagle and scout an area beforehand, allowing you to mark enemies. When control returns to your character, you'll be able to see the marks even through walls.
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Con
 Unreliable features may get in the way of combat

The fast-paced battles can be even harder due to some features not working reliably. For example, you can lock on a specific target in a group, and that works well for sneaky bow attacks, but in close combat there's an issue with switching between the targets.
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Pro
 A well polished singleplayer experience

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus doesn't have a multiplayer, so the entirety of the development resources went into creating a great single player experience. As a result, the graphics, the sound, the level design, the gameplay, and even the story is really well done, making your death-spreading voyage through a world ruled by Nazis really enjoyable.
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Pro
 Great story

Wolfenstein II is a story-driven experience unlike most FPS games. The setting, the main plot, and the various subplots are interesting. It has a relatable main character, likable side-characters, and even a fearsome villain. The dialogue is interesting, quirky, and sometimes funny, striking a perfect balance between being serious and humorous. As a result, Wolfenstein II keeps you interested with more than just excellent gameplay, which is a nice change of pace.
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Pro
 Tons of collectibles

For those wanting to do something extra on top of creating a long trail of dead bodies, there are a multitude of collectibles hidden in each level. This includes gold treasures, concept art, and even newspapers that provide additional backstory on the ongoing events. These small side goals make exploring Nazi bases much more enjoyable.
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Pro
 Excellent gameplay that supports any playstyle

Wolfenstein II is simply fun to play because any approach works for beating a level. You can go in with guns blazing while dual wielding shotguns, shredding Nazis with a cloud of bullets. You can also move from cover to cover while picking off enemies with headshots using an assault rifle. You can even be stealthy and sneak past guards, taking out just the commanding officer. Whichever approach you choose, it will feel like the right way to play the game, making killing Nazis that much more satisfying.
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Con
 No real boss fights

There are the regular Nazis and Nazi robots, and slightly stronger versions of them. There are no epic showdown with especially fearsome baddies with amazing abilities or gigantic guns, so it can feel quite disappointing to players expecting difficult hurdles along the way.
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Con
 You might need to play the prequel to fully appreciate the story

Even though Wolfenstein II tries to fill you in on what happened in the prequel, it does it very poorly. You might feel like you've missed a key story element because characters will keep referencing events and characters you have absolutely no recollection of. This can create a sense of disconnection, potentially ruining your immersion.
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Pro
 Thoughtful and grounded story

Final Fantasy X tells the story of the main character Tidus who one day finds himself in a faraway place 1,000 years in the future in a world full of death and suffering. A cleric-like summoner named Yuna embarks on a pilgrimage with Tidus and their other companions to destroy Sin: a gigantic whale-like monster that terrorizes the populace and causes countless, senseless deaths. As Tidus grows to care about Yuna, he questions the sacrifices that she has to make on her pilgrimage in order to defeat Sin, compelling him to take a stand against the status quo. It's a wonderful story that shows how far someone can go to protect the person that they care about most.
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Pro
 Incredible music that fits the game's mood and tone

Final Fantasy X has an amazing soundtrack with a range of iconic tracks that are still beloved to this day, fitting well in each scene and situation they play in. "To Zanarkand" is a moving piano song that plays in the opening cutscene and again later on in the story, matching the game's overall thoughtfulness and retrospection. "Servants of the Mountain" is a really melodic and memorable song that plays in the game's snowy mountain level, with hard-hitting violins that mimic how tough and challenging it is to traverse the mountain itself. "Challenge" is a great boss theme that initially plays when you fight against one of the hardest bosses in the game, changing things up with some cool guitar riffs and fantastic-sounding drums that help pump you up for the fight's difficulty. There's a variety of sounds here that all come together as a cohesive whole, staying true to the game's atmosphere all the way through.
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Pro
 Addictive underwater sports mini-game called Blitzball

Blizball is an addictive mini-game in Final Fantasy X that's great to play as a respite from the main game. It's like a mix of soccer and rugby played underwater, where you pass a ball around the sphere-like field, trying to score goals while the opposing team tackles and kicks to try and stop you. Playing matches can be quite intense as you navigate your players across the field with the ball, surviving the onslaught of tackles and kicks from the other team long enough to get close to the goal and score. If you're inspired to go back to Blizball on your own after the mandatory games in the story, you can get addicted to it, since it's so well-developed and fleshed out with lots of strategies and different team members that you can recruit.
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Pro
 Strategic and proactive turn-based combat

Turn-based battles in Final Fantasy X give you great ways to plan out how to approach each fight instead of leaving you to mostly react in battle. On the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see a long column including the icons of each character in your main party and how many turns the boss or enemies will have. When you see that a boss is about to have three or more consecutive turns to attack, you can cast spells ahead of time to protect your party members. It's a neat mechanic that lets you see into the future to plan ahead proactively. You can also use the right-hand column to plan out how your party members can handle enemy weaknesses. When you see that a strong armored enemy is up to attack next, bringing in one of your heavy hitters like Auron with his huge, armor-piercing sword is pretty efficient. Or if there's another monster that's resistant to physical attacks, you can bring in Lulu instead with her powerful black magic spells. Learning everyone's strengths and weaknesses in battle will help you breeze through normal battles and better prepare you for the game's more difficult boss encounters.
Comment

Con
 Severe difficulty spike partway through the game

As you go through the game, you'll probably feel comfortable with the difficulty up until a certain point. There's one boss in particular that's notorious for how hard it is to beat compared to the previous ones. You'll more than likely have to spend hours grinding enemies in the area right before the boss to train. And even when you do defeat the boss, the ones after it are also quite challenging. It can be really confusing for newcomers if you aren't prepared.
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Con
 Extremely linear environments

The locations in Final Fantasy X are beautiful and detailed, and yet there are lots of invisible walls blocking you off from exploring those locations. More often than not there's only a single path in any given environment to follow. It's a lot like running down a single corridor from the start of the world to the end. The good news is that you'll rarely get lost, but you won't be able to run around outside of the incredibly limited boundaries in each level.
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Con
 Airship travel is limited to picking points on the world map

It's really disheartening to unlock the airship in Final Fantasy X later in the game, only to discover that all you can do is pick a location and go to it automatically. You can't maneuver it through the skies like in older Final Fantasy games. It would have been nice to have the freedom to explore and see the world of Spira from high up.
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Con
 Lacking in story

Even though Overwatch has a very detailed world and distinct characters, it doesn't ever delve into the history of the world or overarching story of each character. All you ever get are vague hints in voiceover lines and writings found in the environment.
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Pro
 Unique FPS gameplay

Overwatch combines traditional team-based FPS elements and MOBA-esqe characters with unique abilities and weapons. You'll still be shooting and bashing your way to victory, but instead of picking different weapons, you'll be often switching between one of the many characters. Each character has its own strengths, weaknesses, and unique playstyle. For example, there's Tracer that dual wields handguns, is pretty quick on her feet, and can rewind time when in a tough spot, which makes her well suited to hit-and-run tactics. However, she has poor aim and low health, so you have to be a lot more careful when playing as her. Another example would be the very durable Reinhardt who has high health and armor. He's able to protect his allies and himself with a projected energy shield while moving at a slower rate. Unfortunately, his only real means of attacking is a giant hammer, so fast characters or characters with a long range can easily outmaneuver him. As a result, Overwatch not only rewards accurate shooting, but also quick decision making and clever use of your abilities, creating gameplay that feels different from most competitive FPS games.
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Pro
 Tons of unlockables to keep you playing

Each playable character in the game can have more than 90 different unlocks such character skins, color schemes, emotes, and victory poses. While these don't affect gameplay, they allow you to create a personalized character you can feel more attached to. This gives additional goals for both regular players and completionists, keeping the game interesting for a long time.
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Pro
 Simple to learn and play

While Overwatch has MOBA elements, it's very simple at its core, you just shoot the enemy and take objectives. It may take a couple matches to get the basic down, but from then on it's gonna be a blast. This makes it a lot more accessible than most MOBA-esque titles that take a really long time to learn and master.
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Pro
 Variety of maps to keep gameplay interesting

Overwatch currently has 16 maps, which includes a Moon colony, an encampment in Antarctica, and various futuristic cityscapes. The distinct themes, color palettes, and layouts make each of the maps feel and play differently, keeping the gameplay fresh for a long time.
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Pro
 Beautiful graphics

Highly detailed character models, weapons, and environments, smooth animations, distinct particle effects, a vivid color palette, great lighting, and intricate shadow mapping make Overwatch a joy to experience.
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Con
 No content creation tools

You can't create custom maps or game modes, which considerably limits how much the community can contribute for keeping the game fresh and exciting. This is a step back when you look at the Warcraft 3 map editor, which helped the game stay popular a decade after its release even without regular updates from Blizzard.
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Con
 Not for solo players

Overwatch is all about team compositions, cooperation, and communication. If you prefer a more solo-oriented playstyle, this game might not be as fun for you since it's very hard to win a match with your abilities alone.
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Pro
 Immersive world

Most open world games tend to have large empty locations, making you feel like they're there just to make you travel longer. The Yakuza series tries to solves this by making smaller, but more densely packed areas. The environments are very detailed. There's loads of pedestrians everywhere. The streets are filled with food stalls and neon signs. Most of the locations are memorable enough that you'll soon be using landmarks for navigation instead of the minimap. All of this makes the world feel alive and fun to be in.
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Pro
 Very addictive mini-games

In most titles the mini-games are poorly done, but Yakuza's developers put a lot more effort in them. As a result, they're a great way to spend time. There's dancing, fishing, baseball, playing arcade games, slot car racing, and many more. Going to the karaoke is especially awesome. It starts out with your character just trying to sing and turns into something similar to a music video.
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Pro
 Exciting street brawls

Even though combat in Yakuza 0 is quite simple it's also a lot of fun. It usually starts with punks looking for trouble and you stepping up to teach them a lesson. You'll be throwing punches, kicks and various objects near you such as bikes or trash cans. Each move you land has a great impact behind it, making it all the more satisfying.
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Con
 Minor graphical issues

You'll occasionally notice screen tearing and texture pop-ins when running around the town. This doesn't affect the gameplay in any way, but can be annoying.
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Pro
 Branching gameplay with plenty of choices

The branching gameplay within Dark Souls II makes for not only a great way to tailor each adventure to each player keeping everyones experiences unique, but also a reprieve from many difficult points in the game. If one area has become to tough or something has the payer stuck from advancing further, an alternate path in the game can be taken to wholly different areas. This allows for a multitude of options on how to level up as well as well as many different options in finding and equipping that found gear.
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Pro
 Expansive fantasy settings

Dark Souls II offers a wide variety of locales to explore, all within a fantasy setting. The amount of differing locations does give a feeling of lack of cohesion though but does have the benefit of locations that are wildly different from each other, which can be refreshing at times.
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Pro
 Excellent boss battles

There are many iconic boss battles throughout the game that make for some of the most difficult moments to be played. But once finally defeating a boss the feeling of accomplishment is well worth it.
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Pro
 Slow and deliberate fighting with reward/risk mechanics

Each enemy encounter needs to be calculated and precisely timed, as any mistake will most likely mean death. An added level of complexity to this equation is enemies that can be ignored but will then gang up on the player once a boss is beaten. This creates a risk/reward scenario that the player needs to weigh with a lot of thought.
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Pro
 New lighting system

Before the original Dark Souls II was released the developer had shown off a lighting system where areas were pitch black and a torch was necessary to see. This was eventually removed before the release. Now with the release of the DX11 version, DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin is able to actually have this lighting system working on par with what was shown of years ago pre-release. Many areas will now be completely dark and in order to traverse them the player will need to use a torch to see and light static torches throughout the level to keep it lit. This will then allow the player to go through the level without the aid of the torch in order to battle all enemies that lay within. this overhauled lighting system creates a whole new play mechanic that will force players to tackle levels in a completely different manner than the original game.
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Con
 Difficulty that requires a lot of time and patience

To be honest, difficult is a nice way of putting it, this game can destroy ones will to live. It is not even worth counting how many times one dies, as it will be in the hundreds if not thousands. Only through patience and sure determination will many reach the ending of the game. So much time is needed in order to replay many areas and bosses over and over in order to learn the exact timing and what moves to use that not many people can spare it. This is not a game for casual players, that is for sure.
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Pro
 Really good value for its price

With four playable games and two cutscene-only titles bundled into a single collection, this is a steal. Each of the games are full-length RPGs that will easily take you dozens of hours to complete, and the cutscenes-only ones are long enough to fill an entire movie on their own. Having everything on one disc for a single system is also convenient, since a lot of these titles used to be spread out across different consoles and handhelds. Along with inevitable price drops over time, you end up getting a lot of value for your money while getting caught up to speed on many of the Kingdom Hearts games.
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Pro
 Interesting premise of combining Disney and Final Fantasy characters in one universe

The idea of putting Disney and Final Fantasy together seems like it would never work, but it actually does here. While each of the settings are in many of the Disney worlds, the characters you meet along the way are from both Disney and Final Fantasy. Seeing Donald and Goofy interacting with Cid, Cloud, and Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII, for example, is entertaining because of how novel it is. Even villains like Maleficent have screen time with other Disney characters they'd normally never speak to in the canon lore, like Pete or Jafar. The whole experience is surreal in a good way, with plenty of possibilities for cameos from both franchises.
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Pro
 Tons of Disney worlds to play in

There are many authentic Disney levels in the games. They look like they were pulled straight out from the movies in how recognizable they are, too. Places like Agrabah from Aladdin, the Deep Jungle from Tarzan, the Olympus Coliseum from Hercules, the Pride Lands from The Lion King, and Beast's Castle from Beauty and the Beast are all fully-playable. Playing around with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and everyone else from the 100 Acre Wood of Winnie the Pooh, for example, is a great storybook adventure that feels like you're part of the cartoon itself. Experiencing these authentic worlds with their characters is great and feels true-to-life.
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Pro
 Fun real-time action combat with keyblade swords

The combat in the games is a lot of fun with the unique keyblade weapons: swords that are shaped like keys. Attacking enemies with your keyblade feels swift and smooth, with plenty of abilities to help you dash quicker, jump higher, and more. Elemental magic spells are snappy and pretty to look at; leveling up unlocks cooler and more powerful spells, with giant flare explosions, thunderstorms, and blizzards with detailed particle effects. You also get rewarded for using certain magic spells, letting you chain faster, flashier keyblade attacks where you're practically invincible until the effect wears off. Combat is really enjoyable, especially as you unlock new skills over time.
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Pro
 Wonderful soundtracks

The soundtracks in the Kingdom Hearts games are incredible. Across all of the games, the music goes above and beyond to convey any given tone or theme wherever they play. Battle and boss themes are catchy even in their classical influences, with epic final boss songs that tell a story about the main villain through music. Songs for Disney worlds stay true to their original material and are sure to make longtime fans nostalgic for their favorite movies and characters. Even the song that plays on the title screen, "Dearly Beloved", is a quiet but emotional song that stays in your heart. The composer Yoko Shimomura does a fantastic job with the music across the series, putting her background in classical music to use here in the best ways possible.
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Pro
 Heartfelt stories about the bonds of friendship

The story in all of the Kingdom Hearts games are strong because of how well they feature the characters. The main protagonist, a young boy named Sora, initially goes on a quest to find his friends, Riku and Kairi, while meeting Donald and Goofy along the way, who are looking for King Mickey. Throughout Sora's journeys with Donald and Goofy, the three of them meet more friends who either stick with them and aid their quest, or turn against them in unexpected ways. Each of the characters' reasons for their choices and actions all revolve around friendship, usually with losing friends to the darkness in their hearts that they must somehow overcome. All of the stories across the series are touching narratives that know how to pull on your heartstrings.
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Con
 Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories changes up the gameplay too much

In Chain of Memories, you fight with decks of cards instead of your keyblade. While this sounds interesting, it's not that great in execution. The cards determine how strong your attacks are and which spells you get to cast, and sadly a lot of it comes down to random luck. Even worse, you sometimes need certain cards to get into rooms to progress the story, which feels way too unfair if you don't have the right cards. It's unfortunately more frustrating than fun.
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Con
 Some annoying JRPG tropes get in the way of the story

There are some JRPG tropes that bog down the storytelling. The most prominent one is the idea of the characters coming together to defeat gods with the power of friendship. There are a few other ones that will only get on your nerves depending on how much you either tolerate or enjoy the tropes.
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Con
 The first Kingdom Hearts hasn't aged well

There are a few things in the first Kingdom Hearts game that feel outdated. It's hard to keep track of specific quests or even know where you're supposed to go most of the time. Your journal only gives you a broad overview of why you're in any given world at a time. Attacking enemies and jumping around feels a bit sluggish at times, with a strange delay between your button press and Sora actually doing what you want. The worlds also seem too small and empty without much detail. Luckily, these problems are improved on in future games, so it goes to show that the developers learned a lot from this first entry.
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Con
 All of the lore and mythos can be hard to keep track of

It's clear that the writers didn't plan on the whole series from the start, making things hard to follow or remember over time. Plotlines get introduced out of nowhere in sequels and characters get retconned left and right. Despite how well-executed the storylines are on their own, as a whole, everything is a jumbled mess and would take a long time to explain. If you're thinking of jumping into the Kingdom Hearts series, be prepared to be confused.
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Pro
 Great cinematic cutscenes

Beyond Lara's personal story, the overall presentation of the plot is gripping in how cinematic it is. Some of the set pieces are wild, like Lara falling from impossible heights into the sea at the start of the game and managing to survive. The way she thinks herself out of tough situations is also impressive, such as with the way the camera follows her with closeups as she wriggles her way out of traps or takes down enemies who seemingly have the upper hand over her. The direction and acting are similar to those in action movies, telling a grand and intense story.
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Pro
 Stealth sections shine

Instead of going in guns blazing during combat, you can take a strategic, stealthy approach. You have plenty of opportunities to quietly take out bad guys if that's what you'd rather do. You can either rack up carefully-aimed headshots with your bow and arrow, or sneak up behind enemies and choke them out one at a time. Silently traversing tight quarters all while taking everyone out unseen is quite enjoyable.
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Pro
 Exciting third-person shooting combat

The combat in Tomb Raider works really well and feels great, challenging you to stay active. You start off with only a bow and arrow, gradually working your way up to guns and bigger weapons like rocket launchers. Shooting with guns or arrows feels satisfying with plenty of feedback, especially the hard kick from the game's many different shotguns. The enemy AI is aggressive without feeling cheap, keeping you moving from place to place as you take down everyone in your path. When an enemy gets too close, you can use whatever Lara's holding in her hand, like her gun or an arrow for a bloody, cinematic finishing move. Combat is fast-paced and fun, constantly keeping you on your toes.
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Pro
 Lara Croft's origin story feels authentic

This reboot of Tomb Raider tells a thoughtful, personal story of how Lara Croft became a seasoned explorer. She's wide-eyed and curious at the beginning of the game, growing into a more confident character as the plot progresses. Once she is left to fend for herself on the island she's stranded on, you see her fear and vulnerability over the unknown, and in how she struggles to learn how to hunt and survive. Each of her accomplishments are memorable because of how hard she fights to reach her goals. By the end, you have a full story of how and why Lara transforms into the iconic character many know her as from the previous games.
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Con
 No dedicated servers for multiplayer

The multiplayer is peer-to-peer where your connection depends on the quality of one of the people in the lobby, who is the host. This means that you have to deal with lag, rubberbanding, and frequent disconnects when the host's connection is bad. Having dedicated servers could have drastically reduced this problem.
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Con
 Excessive violence and gore

There are times when the violence is way too over-the-top. During cutscenes when Lara gets injured such as by falling and getting brutally impaled, the blood and gore can be extremely uncomfortable. To make it all worse, Lara's screams of pain are bloodcurdling and visceral, really making you feel for her. Even if you're used to violence in games, some of the scenes in Tomb Raider might be difficult to watch.
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Con
 Generic and predictable finale

The way that the story concludes is disappointing because you can see it coming from a mile away. Throughout the game, you learn a lot about the cool history of the island you're stranded on as you fight for a way to escape and get back to civilization. You might think that the ending lives up to all the historical intrigue in a creative way. Sadly, the finale goes about the way you'd expect it without doing anything new. It's boring and cliche, feeling a lot like a lost opportunity to do something different and unique.
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Con
 Not enough tombs to explore

It's odd that this is a reboot of Tomb Raider without the tombs. There are a handful of tombs here and there, but you won't find the amount that you may expect, especially if you're a fan of the series. The game mostly focuses on the combat and parkour segments without giving you the chance to go raid tombs for unique treasure. More tombs with puzzles to solve would have been nice as a side activity to break up the regular gameplay from story missions.
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Pro
 You get to feel like a commander in combat and in the story

As the Inquisitor, you're the focal point of a huge movement to wage an army against the main villain. You're in charge of a ton of things: fortifying your base of operations, scouting for intel and resources, crafting gear, managing your companions in battle, picking which story decisions are most beneficial to your cause, and more. Besides controlling your own character during the real-time combat, you can control any of your team members, which gives you access to their diverse range of skills and tools to deal with any situation. If your Inquisitor can't heal, for example, then you can switch to a character like Solas who can take care of your party's wounds on your orders. You can also pause the action by bringing up the tactical radial menu, where you take your time to assign where you want your characters to go and which enemies to focus on. Story missions revolve around picking sides during conflicts that benefit your army the most, such as siding with the templars against the mages in order to have them with you for the final battle, at the cost of possibly angering your teammates who disagree with your choices . It's up to you to decide the best course of action and deal with any possible consequences. There is a lot to keep track of, but these decisions give you plenty of agency, helping you feel like your decisions and directions matter.
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Pro
 The areas you discover are huge

The areas in Dragon Age: Inquisition are simply monstrous. The world is divided into separate maps that are each gigantic worlds on their own. From the sprawling hills and valleys in the Hinterlands to the expansive snowy ruins of Emprise du Lion, every level has tons of outposts, environmental challenges to solve such as leaks of hazardous gas or broken bridges, side quests to discover, and people to talk to in order to learn more about the world and the lore. All of this is amazing for people that enjoy exploring and making new discoveries.
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Pro
 Building relationships with companions is enjoyable

There are a few neat ways you can build relationships with your party members and non-playable war advisers. These aren't limited to just romance options -- you can spend time with characters to become better friends with them, too. Improving your approval rating with characters comes down to picking certain dialog options, either to flirt with them or agree with their worldview. Doing unique side quests to help with a character's personal matters unrelated to the main story also goes a long way toward showing that you care about them, letting you see more of a character's intricate backstory and motivations. After building up enough approval, you get a special scene with your romance option or friend, and afterward you can return whenever you want to spend more time with them. It's a really good system that lets you feel like the characters are your actual comrades, helping you grow more attached to them throughout the game's long story.
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Pro
 Tons of content

There's lots of content in Dragon Age: Inquisition that can keep you playing for a long time. The game offers a very long main story, with even more side quests and hidden areas that can take many hours to complete. The main story has plenty of branching decisions that affect how your playthrough turns out, encouraging you to play the game twice or more to see the different outcomes. Exploring the open world for the epic dragon slaying side quests is a great challenge with cool-looking fights and amazing loot. For those looking for a game to sink 60+ hours into, this is a good choice.
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Pro
 Lots of interesting characters and lore

The characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition are great, with intriguing backstories that delve into the game's lore. Early on, you meet a couple of once-high-ranking members of the Templar Order, like Cullen, who isn't a playable character, but serves as your military adviser instead. He previously fought back against the corruption in the templar ranks, and now wants to help you on your journey to unite an army against evil forces. Another interesting character is the elf named Solas, a playable mage who knows a lot of information about the world. He acts as your guide, providing you with intriguing lore about the places you visit, like the Fade, a mystical realm filled with spirits and demons. Even though he seems one-note in his role as a dispenser of information, has some hidden depth to him that may end up surprising you. All of the characters have layered personalities that fit with the lore surrounding them.
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Con
 Overwhelming amount to do at start of game

After the prologue, you arrive to the Hinterlands: a massive level with way too much to explore. Even though it's great that the open world is so big, you pretty much get dropped off in the Hinterlands without enough direction or guidance. The game just tells you to look around and find the next story quest, which can be overwhelming in the first few hours. It would have been better if you had the chance to get eased into the expansive feel of the maps first.
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Con
 Slow combat animations

The combat animations can often be really slow. This causes problems, like when an attack's animation takes too long to finish, and you're left second guessing whether or not the attack will go off at all. You have to wait for the animations to play out, which can be troublesome if your aim is off or the enemy moves. This takes away from the combat's strategic play, leaving you open to attack while you wait for the animations to sort themselves out.
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Con
 Forgettable multiplayer riddled with awful microtransactions

It's easy to forget that the multiplayer in this game exists. The developers basically tacked it on, taking the same single-player combat and changing it to horde mode for a multiplayer environment. It's the same type of combat over and over again with no meaningful progression. The microtransactions are abhorrent, some of them costing an arm and a leg just to get you ahead in a multiplayer that hardly anyone plays or cares about. This mode is such a blatant cash grab that you're likely better off avoiding.
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Con
 Stiff and repetitive character animations during cutscenes

Character animations are incredibly stiff in ways that look robotic. During cutscenes, you'll see the same types of movements over and over, like a character shifting their waist back and bobbing their head to seem important or defiant, or moving their head down with their words to make a point. If there were more variation with the animations instead, then the stiff delivery might not be all that bad.
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Con
 Generic villain drags the story down

The main villain, Corypheus, is so bland and unremarkable that he worsens the entire story. He's a darkspawn, a type of demon enemy in the Dragon Age lore, hell-bent on bringing ruin to the world for reasons that aren't all that compelling. He doesn't have much of a personality beyond his evil tendencies, turning him into more of a caricature. If you've seen any old generic Hollywood movie with an evil villain, then you know all there is to see with Corypheus. He's such a safe and boring villain that he bogs down the narrative, making most of the twists and turns predictable and uneventful.
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Pro
 Easier to learn and enjoy than most other similar titles

Diablo III is very simple, requiring very little to no planning to succeed. You create a character, pick a skill and just progress through the game while occasionally upgrading your equipment. You can change skills and any stat points you've earned without penalties. You can also choose from one of the 17 difficulty levels, so you can always play at a level that's challenging but not too stressful. All of this creates a game that you can enjoy without worrying about messing up in the long run.
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Pro
 Fun to collect loot

One of the better parts of Diablo III is collecting the piles of gold, the colorful gems, and various pieces of equipment. It's especially exciting when a legendary quality item drops from a monster since it makes a distinct sound effect and shoots a beam of orange/green light into the sky. So whenever a lot of legendary items drop all at once it just feels incredibly satisfying.
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Con
 Endgame grinding can get really repetitive

The endgame in Diablo III consists of only two things – completing bounties and clearing greater rifts. Both of these have very little variation in them, so quite often you'll run through the same map layouts, clear the same enemies, and complete the same objectives. This gets extremely stale after long play sessions and can cause you not to pick up the game again.
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Pro
 Decent selection of character builds to try out

There are more than 50 distinct class/skill combinations, including ranged builds, melee builds, support builds, defensive builds, pure-offense builds, and many more. You're sure to find a build that you'll enjoy playing, whether you prefer to play alone or with friends.
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Pro
 Improving your character is addicting

One of the main aspects online titles like Destiny 2 is character progression, which is done through leveling and collecting new equipment. Your character gets stronger and when you revisit missions/bosses that gave you trouble before, you can beat them with ease, which feels incredibly satisfying. This will push you to play just a bit more, collect a few more guns and armor pieces, defeat a couple more bosses, and before you know it, many hours will have passed.
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Pro
 Massive environments that feel alive

The open-world environments in games usually have a lot of empty space, so you spend most of the time traveling without doing much else. Destiny 2 has large areas filled with enemies, world events, and activity in general, eliminating most of the downtime. Because of this it feels like you're actually visiting a planet inhabited/occupied by aliens, which considerably adds to the immersion.
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Pro
 Solid controls that don't detract from gameplay

Your character's movement, aiming your gun, and even driving your hoverbike feels really fluid and responsive. As a result, you can make very precise movements, jumps, and shots in any situation, allowing you to land a headshot with your sniper rifle from far away while strafing with ease.
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Pro
 Excellent co-op multiplayer

Even though Destiny 2 doesn't have strict class archetypes like most MMOs, each class/subclass has its role in a group setup. So whether you're capturing control points in a PVP match or fighting a tough boss in a raid, you still need to cover for each other's weaknesses. This can be providing support to surrounded teammates, taking the attention of groups of aliens or just picking off troublesome enemies from afar. Because of this you learn to rely on each other and working together feels rewarding.
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Pro
 Really fun gameplay

Destiny 2 is all about killing aliens and destroying massive robots. To do this you have a wide variety of weapons and abilities available to you. This includes hand cannons, shotguns, assault rifles, chain lightning grenades, and many more. Each weapon and ability feels great to use, making destruction and mayhem that much more enjoyable. It's a well-rounded and enjoyable experience, which will keep you interested for dozens of hours.
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Con
 Inconvenient customization

While most online games usually give you permanent color packs for customization, the shaders in Destiny 2 are divided into single colors that can only be used once. You can't preview your new color scheme either, so if you end up with something you dislike, you're stuck with it because you can't change it back. This also means you shouldn't use shaders on leveling gear since you're gonna replace it anyway. As a result most players don't bother with creating unique appearances and everyone looks nearly identical, which is bad for the social aspect of Destiny 2. The sad part is that even though the shaders can drop randomly in the game world, they can also be bought from the in-game store. This makes it feel like customization has been turned into a cash grab by inconveniencing players.
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Con
 Guns and armor do not feel unique like in the prequel

In Destiny 1, the guns and armor felt more unique when compared to Destiny 2. In Destiny 1, a gun or armor could drop that had one set of perks or stats boosts, and then it could drop again with a different set of perks and boosts. Weapons and armor from the raids also gave unique looks as well as perks that helped for that raid. In Destiny 2 those raid perks are gone, making the gear feel no different than what could get from anywhere else. The lack of variation in the guns and armor just make it hard to care about what you get and kills the urge to try to find the best gun and armor for your character.
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Con
 Content that was available at the start of the game ended up locked behind DLC

When the expansion Curse of Osiris was released, Bungie ended up preventing players without the expansion from being able to access the prestige versions of the first raid and nightfall strikes, as well as the PvP Iron Banner and Trials of the Nine. For the people who like to hunt achievements/trophies, this move effectively blocked them from earning them. Bungie has since patched things so players are not locked out of the prestige mode of the first raid, as well as nightfall strikes and Trials of the Nine when not using Curse of Osiris maps, making the achievements earnable again. Still, it was an extremely poor decision to lock player out of content they paid for and leaves the question as to will Bungie make another mistake with the next expansion.
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Pro
 Additional content, changes and upgrades for the HD remaster

The HD remaster includes new content from the PlayStation 2's Japanese International version that didn't get a Western release. When assigning battle roles for your characters, you have the option to give them two jobs instead of one. If you decide to make Balthier's initial job a white mage with healing magic, you can also have him take a secondary job as a knight or machinist to shore up his physical weaknesses. The Trial Mode with 100 floors of enemies gradually increases in difficulty as you progress, offering more challenges and rewards beyond the game's existing plethora of optional content. The remaster also includes a newly arranged soundtrack, though there's the option of sticking with the original soundtrack if you prefer.
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Pro
 Huge and diverse open world to explore

The world of Ivalice is a medieval fantasy setting that has elements of magical technology beneath the surface, with several locations to explore out in the wild. The grand, magnificent Royal City of Rabanastre is sequestered between a desert, branching off to plains that alternate between dry and wet seasons. Beyond the plains are mysterious mines with traces of science experiments gone awry, leading to a magical jungle, and snowy mountains that lead up to a religious city at the peaks. Far beyond those are vast beaches and caverns that lead to the intimidating and expansive Imperial City of Arcades. This breadth of locations in the PlayStation 2 version were ahead of their time, including options to return to these places and find secret paths leading to optional bosses.
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Pro
 Amazing amount of challenging optional content

Once you reach the later parts of the game, you'll be free to go after many different side quests like hunting powerful enemies for great rewards, and taking down stronger Espers, Final Fantasy XII's version of the series' magical deity summons. You'll be able to traverse each map in the game and find secret areas that weren't reachable during your normal playthrough of the story, allowing you to find the game's strongest weapons and magic spells along the way.
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Pro
 Standout characters among the cast

Unlike the majority of the cast whose motivations and growth are too closely linked to the plot, Fran and Balthier have their own lives that don't revolve around the story, making them feel more authentic than the others. Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate who always has his eye on the prize. He tags along with the rest of the cast, willing to do whatever's needed--for the right price. His devil may care attitude is a nice foil to the seriousness of the plot and many of the other characters. Fran, his fellow sky pirate, is more quiet and mysterious, speaking only when she needs to impart knowledge of yore and magic onto the other party members. Even while saying little, she has a strong, magnetic presence in the group that makes her stand out from the rest.
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Pro
 Intuitive player-programmed combat with the gambit system

The gambit system allows you to assign pre-set conditions and commands for your characters in real-time battles, like using healing spells when a party member is at less than 50% HP, or only using physical attacks when an enemy reflects magic. As you progress through the story, you'll find more of these conditions and commands scattered across the world through treasure chests or available for purchase in shops. With the right gambit setup, you'll find a sense of satisfaction in defeating groups of enemies or even tough boss fights without having to press a single button.
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Con
 Airship travel is limited to picking destinations on the map

When you gain access to the airship, that excitement sours quickly once you realize you can only select locations on the map and travel to them instantly. You'll only get to see a cutscene of the airship taking off for flight before you're faced with a loading screen.
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Con
 Later parts of the story feel tacked on

Final Fantasy XII's political story is dense, mature, and captivating--until you reach a certain point after the halfway mark where things become too predictable. Plot holes begin to crop up, competent characters make questionable and reckless decisions for the sake of drama, and compelling villains are reduced to tropes. It's as if someone took the foundation of XII's well-written story and characters and mismanaged them with nonsensical plot points for the sake of finishing the game on time.
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Con
 Main protagonist adds little to the plot

The main character, Vaan, is a teenage pickpocket who aspires to be a sky pirate with his own airship, which sounds interesting, but his relevance to the plot falls off sharply within the first 6-8 hours. He wants to avenge the death of his older brother Reks, but this becomes only a tertiary goal compared to the more urgent ones that his other companions have. As the story progresses, it's easy to forget that Vaan is there, especially with the option to choose another character to control as the party leader while exploring the world. There are other, stronger characters who could have been the lead instead.
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Pro
 Beautiful hand-drawn graphics

The graphics and animations resemble a painting in motion thanks to their colorful, hand-drawn style. Lines are bold, with lots of contrasting colors. The crisp, vibrant look is easy on the eyes and helps to make your journey through green plains, forest, and snowy fields even more inviting. With gorgeous backdrops and scenery throughout, exploring the world is simply great.
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Pro
 Immersive Nordic atmosphere

Not only do you fight war gods as a viking warrior, but the entire landscape and story is steeped heavily in Norse lore from start to finish. Rune stones are scattered around the world which give glimpses into tales and stories about mythology. The landscape itself is heavily influenced by Norway including green plains, mountain vistas, and rolling fields of snow. The soundtrack hums along in the background with soothing, woodwind ballads and crashing battle music. All the voice acting is in Norwegian. Taking on the role of a viking warrior as you roam this vast and detailed world is incredibly well done.
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Pro
 Bosses provide an exciting shift in tone

Encountering a powerful boss after the relaxing nature of the exploration is a huge shift in tone. Rather than calmly discovering and taking your time, you're thrown headfirst into action-packed battles. This stark contrast between calm exploration exploration and thrilling combat is incredible, as the sheer physical size of the bosses shows how massive the world truly is.
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Pro
 Great boss battles

Squaring off against the larger-than-life Jotuns (bosses) is action packed and requires paying attention to the mechanics, but the encounters never really feel unfair. Trying to get a hit in with your axe while dodging massive attacks and environmental attacks can be challenging, but doable once you learn the patterns. Each boss features their own mechanics, and surviving each of these encounters can be rewarding knowing you beat it through skill and persistence.
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Pro
 Relaxing exploration

Much of the gameplay is simply focused on enjoying the scenery and soaking up the lore as you explore. Roaming around and encountering lore items that dot the map and then taking a break to listen to the stories contained within can be quite calming. Walking through snowy fields as the soundtrack plays Viking-inspired music really gets you in the state of mind to see whats around every bend. Casually exploring while enjoying the atmosphere is really what this game is all about.
Comment

Con
 Can be a bit boring

Much of the gameplay consists of walking around searching the various areas for power ups and runes. With the exception of the boss fights, there is very little combat. This slower pace may be boring to some.
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Con
 Combat is too minimalist

There is only a light attack, heavy attack, dodge, and a couple special abilities (which are learned as you progress). You'll also use the same axe for the entire game.
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Con
 Overtuned last boss feels very out of place

The last boss is so hard and unforgiving, that it completely ruins the laid-back feel of the rest of the game. This sharp difficulty spike feels very out of place compared to the other bosses.
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Pro
 Multiple endings that depend on your choices

One of the best parts about the story is how your decisions affect the ending you get. The multiple paths branch out depending on how your respond to emails and text messages, which show the recipient characters how you think and feel. Their reactions to your state of mind determines how things play out in the long-run, opening up lots of chances to replay the game to see all the different outcomes.
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Pro
 Great English localization

The English localization is pretty good. The voice acting is purely in Japanese, so the game relies heavily on its subtitles to get its story across. Thankfully, everything sounds natural and flows well, keeping things relevant and accessible for non-Japanese audiences. Every little thing on-screen is translated to English, too, including things like cute reaction stickers that your friends send you through text messages. There are a few mispellings and mistranslations here and there, but it's not bad enough to pull you out of the experience. Anyone will have an easy time understanding all of the dialog here.
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Pro
 Unique concept of bending time to prevent World War III

The story takes things one step further with its themes and concepts. You're part of a group of students who use time travel and artificial intelligence support to stop a terrible future where World War III breaks out between the major powers on the planet. There's plenty of intriguing science-fiction lore to learn about along the way, and it's all easily digestible thanks to great tips that the game shows you from time to time. It's a cool concept that goes beyond the usual stories about war, keeping things new and exciting.
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Pro
 Dark and mature storyline that grapples with grief and loss

Steins;Gate 0's story is quite serious, dealing with some real concepts that many games don't really explore. The story takes place in an alternate timeline after the first Steins;Gate game where the protagonist failed to save his loved one, causing him to struggle with anxiety, PTSD, and depression. You spend much of your time speaking with other characters who try to get through to the main character, hoping that he overcomes his grief to help save the world from falling into war. It's a poignant yet realistic approach that still has layers of hope, keeping things from getting too bogged down in sadness.
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Con
 Not for people who want more involved gameplay

Since Steins;Gate 0 is a visual novel, that means a lot of reading. The gameplay boils down to how you get one of the multiple endings, which is limited to your responses to text messages and emails with other characters. If you want a game with more interactivity, then this one probably isn't for you unless you're willing to try something different.
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Con
 Some reused art assets stick out

From time to time, you may notice that the characters don't always look the same. There are some old models from the first Steins;Gate game that get reused here, probably to save time, but it's distracting. The old character models aren't as interesting or detailed as the new ones for this game, so they end up sticking out in a bad way. It's nothing too terrible, though it may throw you off.
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Pro
 Stunning environments

The world of Dark Souls 3 looks amazing, so you may often feel the need to stop and take in the beautiful sights. This can be the sheer size of structures, mountains, or caves. It can also be the decorations, inscriptions, or details in a room. There's always so much to look at, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in its world.
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Pro
 Can give a great feeling of accomplishment

The Dark Souls series is known for its difficulty and Dark Souls 3 is no exception. It's filled with difficult enemies and tough boss battles, able to cause you grief on more than one occasion. However, every time you progress to the next safe spot or defeat a boss you'll often be filled with a mix of joy and relief. Beating this game will almost certainly feel like an achievement.
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Pro
 Unpredictable boss battles

The boss battles in Dark Souls 3 consist of several phases, changing up how the bosses fight over the course of the battle. They will gain new abilities, become more aggressive, or reveal various nasty surprises. This creates an enjoyable experience that is different from most modern games where bosses are just glorified pincushions.
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Pro
 A great variety of equipment for almost any playstyle

You'll be finding new pieces of equipment quite often, giving you many options to choose from. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to pick the equipment that best suits your playstyle. For example, heavy armor will make you move slower, but you'll be better protected. Greatswords have a wide reach, but you swing them really slow. Conversely a dagger is very fast but it has a horrible reach.
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Pro
 Solid controls

This game feels and plays really well. Your character responds to button inputs immediately and it almost never feels like you're losing control over it. The control scheme can also be customized, giving you the option of a more personalized experience.
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Pro
 Great combat system

Dark Souls 3 is a very fast-paced game but it's not just about having quick reflexes. A lot of the combat comes down to exploiting your enemies. To do that, you have to learn their patterns and attack the moment they pause or perform a telegraphed attack. This creates a combat system, which rewards awareness and patience, and is satisfying to master, even if you don't have extraordinary reflexes.
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Con
 It's hard

You should try avoiding the trap of great review scores since most of them fail to mention the difficulty. It's simply put - hard. A lot of the combat requires quick reflexes, good mechanics, and the mental fortitude to carry on after failing for hours. If you're new to the Souls-like genre or simply want to enjoy a relaxing evening playing a video game, you most likely won't enjoy Dark Souls III.
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Con
 Poorly tuned dynamic visiblity

You may notice some texture pop in while sharply turning the camera. It can be somewhat distracting if you notice it, but most of the time you won't because it happens in the distance.
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Con
 Occasional performance issues

There are portions of the game that will have noticeable framerate drops, which can negatively affect the gameplay. Most of the fault lies with the game engine, so getting a PS4 Pro won't help that much.
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Pro
 You can fly a car

When the right upgrade parts are found, the Regalia is given an additional travel mode of flight. While the controls take some getting used to and might result in death, hopefully amusing death, it does allow for an interesting new mode of travel.
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Pro
 Lets you choose which weapons to use to best suit your playstyle

There is a wide range of weapons that Noctis can equip, such as greatswords, lances, short swords and even guns. Four different weapons can be equipped to Noctis at once and when in battle, the weapon being used can be switched with the press of a button. This allows for you to select weapons that might be beneficial for certain fights, or for a preferred playstyle, and switch between them with ease when the situation calls for it.
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Pro
 Impressive visuals

Final Fantasy XV is an epic game that knows how to put on a show with its visuals. Some of its best moments are visually awe-inspiring, standing out from other games through sheer ambition and huge proportions, like fighting boss battles against enormous foes. Even during regular battles, if you're at low HP and you need to finish off a group of enemies, you can summon a giant, god-like being to instakill the enemies at the cost of not gaining any experience points. The summon animation for the thunder god Ramuh is amazing, with the whole sky shifting to a violet lightning storm as the huge deity comes down from the sky, using his scepter to rain down crazy amounts of lightning to kill everything in your path. Instances like these are more of the norm instead of the exception, making for some unforgettable scenes throughout the game.
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Pro
 Powerful soundtrack

The soundtrack in this game is grand and inspiring, going the extra mile to help plenty of moments stick out in your memory alongside the music. The prologue alone gives a great preview of a fiery level you'll reach later in the story, playing the song "Hellfire" with an energized chorus singing over a strong mix of percussion instruments. Music for regular boss fights, called "Omnis Lacrima", is as whimsical and intense, with a determined chorus singing in Latin over frenzied violins, pianos, and brass instruments. Certain story sequences are heartfelt with "Love Lost" playing in the background, featuring wind instruments and pianos that are strong enough to affect you emotionally. The music overall does a great job of elevating the plot with its huge sense of scale and emotional impact.
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Pro
 Great interaction between the main characters

It was enjoyable to watch how the main characters dealt with the story as it progressed from fixing a broken car on the way to a wedding, to avenging the destruction of their home to eventually saving the world and dealing with the issues along the way. What stuck out the most though was the interactions between the characters while just playing the game. They will make comments while fighting battles, banter with each other while riding in the car or on chocobos. They even make comments when you are trying to catch fish. These small interactions between the characters were a great detail is not always found in other games.
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Con
 The magic system is a downgrade from previous Final Fantasy games

In most Final Fantasy games, magic spells are unlocked by leveling a character up or acquiring them through other means, such as nodes on a level grid, equipping gear that can teach a spell, or from items found in the game, such as Final Fantasy VII's materia system. Final Fantasy XV reduces the magic casting to collecting fire, ice and thunder energy from nodes near campsites, and them filling up flasks with the energy in various combos, and sometimes drops from enemies, to be able to create a spell. The ability to add what you want to a flask does allow for the creation of strong spells or spells that end up being cast multiple times, but it ends up being limited by the resources you have. The worst part though about the magic system is that casting the spells is done by throwing the flask like a grenade causing an explosion of the spell, damaging friend and foe alike. The only way to prevent friendly fire is the Ring of Resistance accessory, which is obtained from paid DLC. It should also be noted that the ring only protects from the initial affects of the spell, which means the party can still be paralyzed from a thunder spell if they are standing in water.
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Con
 The world can feel empty at times

The majority of Final Fantasy XV takes place in the area known as Lucis. Lucis is comprised of one main town, a beach resort, and various little outposts that mainly serve as places to get food, gas for the car, rest, and obtain hunts. The lack of multiple large towns makes the world feel rather empty at times compared to previous Final Fantasy games. The feeling of emptiness is further enhanced by some areas having few monsters encounters while exploring.
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Con
 Core character development for Noctis' companions isn't in the main story

The weak story in Final Fantasy XV links back to Noctis' companions--Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto--and how you won't get to know the guys all that well unless you play the paid DLC. You have to reach certain points in the story before these DLC stories are available, and without the context in this content, you won't have a solid understanding of the main characters beyond the tropes they represent. Aside from a few heartwarming moments in the story, it's all too easy to dismiss Prompto as a happy-go-lucky guy with little depth to him. It isn't until you play through his DLC, Episode Prompto, that you get to know him in ways that should have been in the main story. It's a poor business decision that prevents the story from standing on its own two feet.
Comment

Con
 Weak story

Because the Final Fantasy series is known for its great stories, it's frustrating that the one here is badly executed. There are a lot of payoffs in the plot that the writers intended to be dramatic and emotional, and yet you probably won't feel the full impact of them since the buildup to those moments is lacking. There's too much missing with Final Fantasy XV's storytelling, all but abandoning the plot to land on its face by the end credits.
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Pro
 You can change the way your character works on the fly

In Mass Effect Andromeda, the class system is incredibly open, and classes can be swapped at any time, even in the middle of combat. Essentially, you can go from being a battle-hardened front line soldier to a crafty engineer, or even to an infiltrator that's capable of invisibility. This will also swap out your abilities, which makes sure you're always prepared for the next challenge you have to face.
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Pro
 Combat is very fast paced

The combat in previous entries of Mass Effect has been based on getting behind cover and having good aim. That aspect still exists in Andromeda, but thanks to the new jump jet, things are much faster and much more fun. The jump jet allows you to vault over obstacles or make quick dashes while running, which lets you flank, charge, and generally just outmaneuver enemies in many more interesting ways.
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Pro
 Exploration is quite fun

Nearly every planet in Andromeda is unique from the others. There's different terrain and environments to check out, new hazards to watch out for, and a plethora of missions to complete on every planet.
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Pro
 Fun multiplayer

Mass Effect Andromeda's fast-paced combat from single-player works well with the team-based multiplayer matches, where up to four players cooperate to complete hacking or target objectives while fighting back against waves of enemies. Maps are densely packed with obstacles and winding rooms to take cover in or to take the enemy by surprise. Aggressive foes actively push back forward into player territory even on lower difficulties, keeping matches fun and intense.
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Con
 Poor face textures and animations

Widely mocked and ridiculed near Andromeda's release, the facial animations, eye movement and tracking, and general skin textures are still sub-par, even after patches meant to fix these issues. Characters look unnatural and downright ugly at times, with the female Ryder inspiring dozens of cringe-worthy compilations of her cinched facial expressions and comical duck-like running animations. Moving to the Frostbite engine no doubt hampered the team's efforts to create believable faces, but in a Mass Effect game, the faces especially should not have been as bad as they were.
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Con
 No single-player DLC

There will not be any single-player downloadable content for Mass Effect: Andromeda. This is especially disappointing because, by the end of the game, the writers clearly intended to give more context through DLC about certain galactic races who were absent from the original story. With the news that the publisher, Electronic Arts, has put the Mass Effect franchise "on ice," the series' future looks bleak.
Comment

Con
 Sub-par storytelling

MEA's writing is very inconsistent throughout the game. Sometimes the dialogue is really poor, having lines like "my face is tired". Other times characters forget important information such as the length of their trip to the Andromeda Galaxy, showing surprise at things that should be obvious to them. Even though there are few great moments with moral grey areas, most of the story feels rushed, incomplete, or done by completely different teams with different visions for the game. The end result is a story that lacks immersion and isn't very memorable.
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Pro
 Addictive to collect loot

You can pick up most of the stuff you see laying around in Fallout 4. Every item, including weapons and armors, can be broken down into reusable crafting materials. This makes it hard to stop yourself from going around and collecting everything in sight because everything has a purpose. You can also find unique versions of equipment on the corpses of legendary enemies. Each of these items has an additional effect such as speed boost or extra damage. This may cause you to constantly pick fights you'll probably lose, but it's worth it once you get your hands on that extremely good piece of equipment.
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Pro
 Solid gunplay with an interesting twist

The gunplay plays so well it almost feels like a pure FPS. You can shoot from the hip, aim down the sights/scope, or even just run and gun. However, what makes Fallout 4 stand out is VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System). When you activate VATS, the time slows down to a crawl, allowing you to mark body parts of enemies. When you execute it your character will automatically shoot the marked body parts. This is very useful for getting out of tight spots, allowing you to instantly clear groups of enemies or kill a really tough enemy charging at you. It also has the benefit of making you feel like an expert gunman, even if your aim isn't that great.
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Pro
 Deep perk/skill system

Fallout 4 has a great selection of perks centered on surviving in the wasteland. You'll gain a point each time you level up, allowing you to select one of the perks. The perks can give you an increase to your sneaking ability, improve your lockpicking skills, or even add unique effects such as causing bullets fired by enemies to ricochet back and killing them. There's easily enough variation to make multiple playthroughs feel fresh and exciting. To make it even better, if you don't like multiple playthroughs, you can just unlock every single perk on a single character, albeit with a much longer playtime.
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Pro
 Diverse enemy types keep the gameplay exciting

There a lot of different enemies found in the game such as super mutants, feral ghouls, robots, mutated wildlife, and many others. All of them have their unique behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, robots often use heavy weaponry such as rocket launchers and lasers, making it really hard to deal with them. Fortunately enough, they're very vulnerable to EMP grenades and can also be hacked. Another example are the feral ghouls that will almost always charge at you. They can surround you really fast, clawing away at your health and affecting you with radiation, but they lack any intelligence. So if you plant mines infront of you and attract them with gunshots, they'll lose their legs in the minefield, leaving them at your mercy. The various enemy types and methods you can fight them with keeps the gameplay fresh for a long time.
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Pro
 Companions can help make the game a little easier

There are a bunch of companions to find in the game, starting with Dogmeat, the dog. Each companion has their own skills that can help you. For example, Dogmeat can dig up hidden items and bring them to you. They can also distract the enemy, causing the combat to be a little easier since all the attention won't be on just you. The only real downside is that you can only use one companion at a time, but you can easily swap them out. Using a companion is not mandatory either, so if you prefer the added challenge you can travel without a companion.
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Pro
 Great storyline

The main story has a very personal theme of family and revenge, featuring a main character looking for their lost son in a post-apocalyptic version of Boston. The side-quests also provide a decent backdrop, expanding on some of the plot elements of the main story. There are many twists and mysteries, but the narrative remains coherent throughout the story, creating a very enjoyable experience.
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Pro
 Addicting building mechanic

One of the more interesting parts of managing your settlement is the house building aspect. There are various preset houses you can put down quickly, but you can make large structures entirely from scratch, starting with the foundation and ending with the roof of a 10 story building. While there are some constraints such as limited building area, you can really let your imagination loose, allowing you to spend countless hours on it.
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Pro
 Huge world with loads of content

The world of Fallout 4 is massive so there's quite a lot to do. Many areas to explore, tons of quests to complete, and lots of collectibles to find. There's easily enough content to keep you playing for over a hundred hours.
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Pro
 You can adjust equipment to suit your playstyle

In Fallout 4 you have a lot of options when modifying your equipment, giving you a chance to make equipment that matches your playstyle. You can take an assault rifle and change most of its parts. Each part you can change has an upside and a downside to it. For example, adding a long range scope would make the rifle useless in close quarters, but it would be great for pick off targets from afar. You can also tailor your armors for various situations. You can lower the weight or add pockets to make carrying loot easier. Or you can add additional linings or padding to gain increased protection against various hazards such as radiation.
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Pro
 Great selection of mods

You can can find all sorts of mods at the Bethesda website, giving you the freedom to change the parts of the game you don't like. This includes interface adjustments, graphical improvements, additional quests, and many other things.
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Pro
 Interesting settlement management

In Fallout 4 you can set up thriving communities in various locations. You'll have to provide the settlers with housing, bedding, water, food, and protection. Over time you'll be able to establish trade routes between the settlements and expand into an empire spanning the entire territory of Fallout 4. This really gives it the feeling like you're trying to rebuild society, which is a welcome change in a post-apocalyptic game.
Comment

Con
 Occasional bugs

There are bugs in the game that users will run into. While most are not game breaking, it can detract from the experience.
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Con
 Pipboy UI feels unpleasant to use

When you open your Pipboy (a personal computer that manages your quests, inventory, character data, etc) the screen containing the useful information only covers about a fourth of the entire screen. As a result some of the elements are too crammed, requiring a lot of scrolling. This can be really annoying if you're trying to find something in a list of 100 items.
Comment

Con
 The dialogue choices are confusing

Most of the dialogue choices will only show a few words that don't actually reflect what your character is gonna say. This creates a disconnect between you and your character, making it seem like you don't control what your character is gonna say at any point.
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Pro
 Gets you prepared for story events leading into Kingdom Hearts III

This is perfect for players looking to get ready for Kingdom Hearts III. The games and short movie included in this Kingdom Hearts 2.8 package all show crucial story events, acting as a prologue to the next installment in the series. Playing the games in the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection first, and then the ones in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will get you all caught up to speed on everything you need to know. Since this is such a story-heavy franchise, it's really convenient to be able to pick this up as a companion piece to the ReMIX Collection.
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Pro
 Includes two games and a short movie in one package

You get a selection of things in a single disc here. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is more of an umbrella name for everything included. There's Kingdom Hearts 2.8: A Fragmentary Passage that features series character Aqua as the protagonist, an HD port of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, and Kingdom Hearts: Back Cover, a short film that covers additional lore and story information that leads into Kingdom Hearts III.
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Pro
 Wonderful soundtracks

The soundtracks are incredible. In both Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, the music goes above and beyond to convey any given tone or theme wherever they play. Battle and boss themes are catchy even in their classical influences, with epic final boss songs that tell a story about the main villain through music. Songs for Disney worlds stay true to their original material and are sure to make longtime fans nostalgic for their favorite movies and characters. Even the song that plays on the title screen, "Dearly Beloved", is a quiet but emotional song that stays in your heart. The composer Yoko Shimomura does a fantastic job with the music across the series, putting her background in classical music to use here in the best ways possible.
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Pro
 Fun real-time action combat with keyblade swords

The combat in the games is a lot of fun with the unique keyblade weapons: swords that are shaped like keys. Attacking enemies with your keyblade feels swift and smooth, with plenty of abilities to help you dash quicker, jump higher, and more. Elemental magic spells are snappy and pretty to look at; leveling up unlocks cooler and more powerful spells, with giant flare explosions, thunderstorms, and blizzards with detailed particle effects. You also get rewarded for using certain magic spells, letting you chain faster, flashier keyblade attacks where you're practically invincible until the effect wears off. Combat is really enjoyable, especially as you unlock new skills over time.
Comment

Con
 The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance isn't for everyone

Dream Drop Distance drastically changes up the gameplay formula. Combat is a mix of the usual keyblade fights, along with jumping, dashing, and swinging from various surfaces in the environment. Journeying to different worlds is also different, where you "drop down" from an overhead view into the planet's orbit, with rewards to collect and obstacles to avoid along the way. While different doesn't equal bad, this change is pretty out-there compared to the rest of the games in the series, and some players might not like it that much.
Comment

Con
 Not accessible for newcomers to the Kingdom Hearts series

If you've never played a Kingdom Hearts game before, this isn't the best place to start. The content included here assumes that you're caught up to speed with the series, filling in additional information and expanding on existing plotlines. There are also major spoilers for previous Kingdom Hearts games. New players will have a better time starting with the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX Collection first before picking this one up.
Comment

Con
 The playable section with Aqua is only two hours long

Aqua's section, A Fragmentary Passage, is way too short. As the main selling point of Kingdom Hearts 2.8, it's the only new playable content, showing off the latest engine that Kingdom Hearts III uses. But there are only a few areas to explore, and the story is a footnote compared to the length of the rest of the games in the series. This is sadly more like a demo of what Kingdom Hearts III is capable of instead of a full standalone title.
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Pro
 Risky but fresh change in tone from Final Fantasy X to X-2

Final Fantasy X-2 does a complete 180 from Final Fantasy X's more grounded themes of life, death, and corruption, showing the world after the darkness passes, and featuring an all-female cast of party members. The themes here are much more fun and upbeat, showing Yuna as more on an overall light-hearted journey with her troupe of treasure hunters, although the story does have its moments of seriousness and melancholy. Even the opening CGI cutscene is of Yuna performing a pop song at a concert. It's a risky, but bold and fresh move that you'll either love or hate depending on your tastes.
Comment

Pro
 Great soundtrack with a nice blend of different genres

Final Fantasy X-2's soundtrack is filled with energetic pop songs, pensive ballads, and an overall jazz and rock-inspired sound that matches the game's fun and adventurous themes. "Real Emotion" is an infectiously catchy pop song that would fit right in with the Top 40s charts in real life. "Yuna's Ballad" is much more thought-provoking and emotional, with pianos that sound a lot like how Yuna's sorrow and conflicting emotions would be in musical form. The normal battle theme has a great rock sound to it, mixing in violins to keep things interesting, and it doesn't get old no matter how many times you hear it during normal encounters. The soundtrack is amazing with the way it experiments with different genres that all manage to blend well together.
Comment

Pro
 Heartfelt and thoughtful story

Set two years after Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 is much lighter in tone, featuring Yuna as the main character as she searches for treasure across Spira with her friends. Although the story seems overly positive and campy at first, almost like a cheesy movie with silly one-liners and hammed-up humor, there's much more depth to the story that reveals itself as you play through the game. As a world leader, Yuna tries to do what's expected of her by fixing the power struggle between Spira's two ruling factions, but she's also deeply upset by her love interest's absence. She questions if it's possible to find him with so much mystery surrounding his disappearance. It's an emotional experience watching Yuna struggle with her obligations to maintain peace in the world, and going after what she personally wants for her own happiness and fulfillment.
Comment

Pro
 Fun turn-based combat with a cool job system

Final Fantasy X-2 has an exciting turn-based system where you can change jobs on-the-fly. During the fast-paced battles, you can choose to switch jobs to handle different enemy types and situations. When you change your main character Yuna from a gunner to a songstress, she can sing tunes that can debilitate enemies or buff the party for the duration of her song. Character models update to the new job costumes in real-time with special animations, like how Yuna will have a spotlight on her as she poses with a microphone when she changes to her songstress job. It's a fun and unique system that with the way you can swap jobs at any time to handle whatever your enemy throws at you.
Comment

Con
 Airship travel is limited to picking points on the world map

It's really disheartening to have the airship available near the start of the game, only to discover that all you can do is pick a location and go to it automatically. You can't maneuver it through the skies like in older Final Fantasy games. It would have been nice to have the freedom to explore and see the world of Spira from high up.
Comment

Con
 Extremely linear environments

The locations in Final Fantasy X-2 are beautiful and detailed, and yet there are lots of invisible walls blocking you off from exploring those locations. More often than not there's only a single path in any given environment to follow. It's a lot like running down a single corridor from the start of the world to the end. The good part is that you'll rarely get lost, but you won't be able to run around outside of the incredibly limited boundaries in each level.
Comment

Con
 Blitzball is automated with no player control

Blizball in Final Fantasy X is fun and addictive because of how in-depth it is, but all of that depth goes out the window in Final Fantasy X-2's version. The mini-game is like a mix of soccer and rugby played underwater, where the players pass a ball around the sphere-like field, trying to score goals while the opposing team tackles and kicks to try and stop you. In this game, you can't manually control the characters, turning you more into a manager with access to player stats and rosters and little else. It's more like a spectator mode, watered-down from the exciting matches in Final Fantasy X.
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Pro
 Improved graphics from the previous games

The jump in graphics from Yakuza 5 on the PlayStation 3 to Yakuza 6 on the PlayStation 4 is astounding, giving characters and locations more vibrant details than they had before. Kiryu in particular looks great, with just enough wrinkles on his face to show his age, along with protruding muscles and veins running down his arms that make him true-to life. The game's two main districts are also incredibly detailed, with Kamurocho's neon lights and bustling city life, and Onomichi's romantic view of the sea and cloudless skies at night. It's a stark contrast to the bland environmental textures and less-detailed character models from the previous games. The Dragon Engine improves on the graphical fidelity, making everything look incredible for the current generation.
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Pro
 Accessible for newcomers to the Yakuza series

With a cast of mostly brand new characters, a story that stands on its own, and helpful resources to help you get caught up on the previous games, Yakuza 6 is a fine entry for newcomers to the series. Other than Kiryu and Haruka, a large majority of the cast are introduced in this game, making the story self-contained with no need to know what happened before Yakuza 6. You won't feel the full emotional impact surrounding Kiryu and Haruka, but the story is written in a way to help you still care about what happens between them. The main menu also has brief recaps of the events from the first five Yakuza games, meaning you won't have to search around online to find them. If you've just recently become a fan of the series, or you're thinking about jumping in, this is a good place to start.
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 Incredible English localization

Yakuza 6 is fully voiced in Japanese with an amazing English localization for Western audiences. The localization team did more than simply translate the game -- they made sure everything is relevant for a non-Japanese audience to understand and relate with. Since there's no option for English voices, the subtitles do a great job at bringing the game to life for those who don't know Japanese but still want to appreciate the culture and support the Yakuza series.
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 Tons of high-quality side content

There's so much to do in between story missions in Yakuza 6, with plenty of quality and polish to keep you entertained for hours. All of the mini-games and side quests almost have a life of their own with plenty of variety and detail. For the mini-games, you can play old SEGA arcade games like Fantasy Zone and Out Run, sing karaoke songs, have drinks and flirt with beautiful women at a hostess club, play full games of baseball, have a sexy video chat at an internet cafe, work out at a gym, and so much more. As one of the standout mini-games, working out at the gym pairs you with a personal trainer who guides you through workouts and a meal program. The video chats are pretty realistic too, with actual video footage of real-life women stripping for you and other people in chat who have hilarious X-rated usernames. The side quests are wacky and unique, standing out from the more serious main story missions. While wandering around Onomichi's graveyard, you'll get attacked by ghosts that you have to fend off, branching off into more mini stories from there. If you explore Kamurocho's buildings, you'll find a niche cafe that the owner wants to populate with cats for customers to hang out with, so it's your job to find stray cats and feed them, and then get them over to the cafe. There's also an optional Clan Creator game with its own storyline, where Kiryu assembles a band of specialized fighters for his own clan, with detailed strategic play similar to a real-time strategy game. With so much variety, it's hard to get bored with Yakuza 6's plethora side content that could take up an entirely separate game
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 Dense and realistic open world set in Japan

Yakuza 6 takes place in two very different districts, Kamurocho and Onomichi, both of which are painstaking recreations of actual locations in Japan for you to explore. Neither of the locations are all that big, yet they're still packed with details that make the districts seem much larger than they actually are. Gleaming with city lights and brimming with people, Kamurocho is the red light district of Tokyo, filled with all types of restaurants with various cuisines, stores for you to shop at, and places for entertainment and mini-games. By contrast, the sleepy seafaring town of Onomichi is set in Hiroshima, with activities like spearfishing and drawing fortunes at the temple, peaceful venues for sightseeing, and nice touches like statues scattered around town that are engraved with thoughtful poetry. While the districts themselves aren't necessarily huge, they're so realistic that they make you feel like you're actually there.
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 Nuanced and thought-provoking story about the bonds of family

Yakuza 6's subtitle, The Song of Life, is a clever thematic reference to the ways that the story explores the meaning of family in non-traditional ways. The main protagonist Kiryu doesn't have any living relatives, yet his father-daughter bond with the young woman named Haruka is a mainstay of the story and the series. In Yakuza 6, Haruka finds herself caught up in the middle of a yakuza war, and Kiryu is determined to protect her no matter the cost. Kiryu also struggles to come to grips with the decisions Haruka makes and the circumstances she finds herself in, prompting the player to wonder how they might react if their own daughter were in a similar situation. He also forms strong familial bonds with his yakuza brothers who fight for him and for Haruka, showing that the underworld syndicate isn't just about crime and intrigue, but also about finding a family among other outcasts of society. Seeing the lengths Kiryu will go to protect his family is a moving experience that almost anyone can find strength in.
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 Brutal and entertaining brawler combat

The beat 'em up fights in Yakuza 6 are brutal, with impressive up-close-and-personal cinematics that make the fights a lot of fun. Each punch and kick you throw out builds up a certain gauge for you to pull off special moves, and you can use items in your environment as weapons against your opponents in punishing ways. You can hear your opponent's bones crushing as you smash your fist or foot into them, with successive hits building your heat gauge over time. Once your heat gauge is full, you can use a special move against an enemy with a nearby trash can, bike, crowbar, or anything else you can pick up, showing a neat cinematic straight out of an action movie as you smash your makeshift weapon into your attacker. Or you can choose to enter Extreme Heat Mode where your body glows with a cool blue aura as you throw out a flurry of swinging punches, culminating into a close-up where you can mash a button prompt as you break your fist through your enemy's jaw. The combat here is intense, making you feel powerful while keeping your interest at the same time.
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Con
 Noticeable animation issues with faces and combat

Even though the Dragon Engine significantly improves the graphics, the stiff facial animations and wonky combat animations are signs that the engine is still a work-in-progress. When characters speak during normal conversations, their mouths and jaws often don't move enough, making them look lifeless and robotic. It's not like this during dedicated CGI cutscenes where characters are much more expressive, but the difference is pretty noticeable. During combat, when you knock characters down or get knocked down yourself, there are a lot of weird ragdoll animations. Characters will crumple to the ground or flail about in ways that look lazy and unfinished. The Dragon Engine is beautiful for serious story moments and the open world, though it really needs some more work and polish in other areas.
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Con
 Most of the beloved characters from the series are absent

Longtime Yakuza fans may be disappointed to find that most of the characters that they know and love are largely absent from the story. These characters are the backbone of the series that's been around since the mid-2000s, so it's bizarre to not see them feature for Kiryu's final game. If you're a newcomer to the series, this won't be much of a problem for you, and actually makes the story easier for you to follow since there are mostly brand-new characters here. However, dedicated Yakuza fans will more than likely miss seeing the old gang around, possibly souring their experience with the game.
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Con
 Disappointing ending for Kiryu's final sendoff

Because this is Kiryu's final game in the series as the main protagonist, it's both disappointing and heart-breaking that he doesn't get the proper sendoff he deserves. All of the plot points are resolved by the end and wrapped up with finality, and yet this comes at the cost of Kiryu not getting proper closure. The writers should have gone a different route to give both Kiryu and Yakuza fans a more satisfying ending, because what's here is far too crippling to be an acceptable end to the Dragon of Dojima's saga.
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Pro
 Performance mode runs at 60 FPS on PS4 Pro

Performance mode is amazing for PS4 Pro owners who don't have a 4K TV, running at a solid 60 FPS, taking full advantage of the hardware to make Shadow of the Colossus run amazingly well. There's also a cinematic mode that upscales to a dynamic 4K range, but only allows for 30 FPS.
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 Beautiful environments

The world is as wide and wondrous as the PlayStation 2 version, now with more vibrant colors and intricate details. Traveling across the world by horseback is inspiring: riding over ravines of running waterfalls and traversing the expansive desert puts into perspective how varied and gorgeous the environments are.
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 Faithful rendition of a masterpiece

Everything looks and feels like an updated copy of the game that first released in 2005, with options for more intuitive control schemes, better draw distance that expands the scope of the world, and the breathtaking scale of the gigantic colossi preserved in-full.
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 Heartbreaking story and ending

The Wanderer's quest to bring back his loved one is a tale that will resonate with anyone who has lost someone that they care about. He defeats each colossi in his determination to challenge his loved one's fate, but he pays a heavy price for his actions that you'll discover as you progress through the plot. His journey to defeat each colossus culminates into an unforgettable, heart-wrenching ending.
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 Climbing each colossus is like solving a thrilling puzzle

Upon approaching a new colossus, the player must first observe how the boss moves and behaves while searching for a weak point. After shooting an arrow at a glowing spot beneath the beast's foot, for example, the enemy will fall forward for the player to then parkour on top of. Depending on where the colossus has ledges of stone to climb or patches of fur to hold onto, the player will need to navigate these obstacles while managing their stamina meter. Upon reaching another glowing weak point, there's a precarious thrill in striking this point and depleting the beast's HP while struggling to hold on and not run out of stamina.
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Con
 Gameplay can get repetitive

The bulk of Shadow of the Colossus surrounds the Wanderer's quest to defeat each beast, and with over fifteen colossi, things can feel repetitive after a while. Although the way you approach each battle is different, depending on the boss' design, it essentially boils down to finding a way to climb each one's back and strike their weak points.
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Con
 Story is short

Averaging at around 10 hours, the main story isn't all that long, and may not be worth the $40 price for some players.
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Pro
 Great value for its price

The collection has 3 games with all their DLC included. This means you can enjoy hours of great content just with the initial purchase, without having to invest in overpriced DLC's.
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Pro
 Fantastic environments

The Bioshock games will bring you to two rather surreal locations. First up is the city of Rapture, featured in Bioshock 1 and 2. It's a sprawling, dimly lit city hidden in the ocean, giving it a feel similar to the fabled Atlantis. There are many buildings underwater, including skyscrapers and it's surprising how calming it is to be there, even with the dark atmosphere permeating it. This is followed up by Columbia, a city in the sky you'll explore in Bioshock: Infinite. It's a collection of very colorful and bright floating islands with white clouds underneath them. The buildings are also not as tall and as imposing as those found in Rapture, giving it a sharp contrast to it. Both of these locations are a blast to explore and leave a lasting impression.
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Pro
 Superhuman abilities liven up the gunplay

The Bioshock games have a Sci-Fi element to them called the Plasmids. With them your character can obtain special abilities such as shooting flames or summoning a pack of crows. These can be used to gain an advantage over your enemies in various ways. For example, you can use electricity to zap enemies standing in water or incinerate flammable objects to cause mayhem among the enemy. It feels really nice having other options beside using guns.
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Con
 Doesn't add anything new over the previous releases

You won't find any new story, levels, modes, or any content for that matter. The only noticeable changes are the updated graphics and the framerate cap, which was increased to 60.
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 New cutscenes add more depth to the main antagonist

In the original Yakuza 1, Nishiki's change from Kiryu's best friend to a cold-hearted villain didn't feel natural, but new scenes in Yakuza Kiwami flesh out this transformation. The cutscenes give more context and background on why Nishiki made such a drastic change, portraying him in a sympathetic light that helps the player understand him more. It helps a lot to see his sorrows and his struggles against his own subordinates in the yakuza who disrespect him, as well as his resentment toward his superiors who think he'll never live up to Kiryu.
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 Great amount of side content

In between story missions, Kiryu is mostly free to run around the city and engage in optional side quests or mini games. Side quests in Yakuza Kiwami mostly deal with various shady characters trying to scam Kiryu out of his money, like a supposed loan collector who calls his cell phone and demands that he pay up or get beaten up, and a thuggish guy collecting toll money on a street and also threatening to fight Kiryu if he doesn't pay. Mini games can be found in the SEGA arcades, like the classic UFO catcher, or elsewhere at the mahjong parlor, the shogi building, the karaoke parlor and much more.
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 Memorable cast of characters

You'll encounter a diverse batch of characters in Yakuza Kiwami, like Kiryu's childhood friend Nishiki who goes down a dark path that changes him, creating an intriguing drama throughout the story. There's also Haruka, a determined young girl who is looking for her mother, and ends up forming a strong bond with Kiryu as he tries to protect her from the yakuza who want to harm her. Goro Majima, one of the antagonists, is a foil to Kiryu in how wild and unhinged he is, often throwing a wrench into the game's story with his over-the-top antics when you least expect them, such as driving a truck straight through a building. It's easy to grow attached to the cast in Yakuza Kiwami and want to follow their stories throughout the rest of the games in the series. For players who jumped into the franchise with Yakuza 0, they'll have even more backstory on these characters and their struggles in this installment.
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 Compelling story

Yakuza Kiwami tells the story of Kiryu getting dismissed from the yakuza, only to get swept right back into their world once his loved ones are in trouble. As he tries to find out what happened to his love interest, Yumi, he meets Haruka, and learns to care for her as if she were his own daughter. While protecting Haruka from the yakuza who target her, Kiryu discovers more about how she and Yumi are both connected to a larger crime of ten billion yen that's gone missing from the crime syndicate, all the while his best friend Nishiki pulls strings from the shadows. Overall, the story leans successfully on its memorable characters and Kiryu's attachments to them. Finding out what happened to the missing ten billion yen also includes figuring out why Nishiki went down such a dark path, finding Yumi, and keeping Haruka safe. It's compelling to play through the game and discover these answers while also getting to know the characters more along the way.
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Con
 Graphics aren't impressive

Yakuza Kiwami looks like it could have been a PS3 game with weak textures, stiff character animations outside of cutscenes, and too many repeat copies of NPCs around the city. Invisible walls also block off the city's boundaries. Thankfully the characters and facial animations look great during story scenes, helping to make up for the poor visuals elsewhere.
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Con
 Majima Everywhere system is annoying

The Majima Everywhere system features the fan favorite character Goro Majima who sneaks up on Kiryu around the city and challenges him to random fights. It's an amusing idea at first, with Majima hiding in giant cones or manholes and popping out to surprise the player. But sometimes these encounters are too frequent, and they can go on for too long as Majima gains more health.
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Con
 Boss battles are cheap

Getting stunlocked during boss battles is all too common in Yakuza Kiwami, like when the enemy uses a weapon to constantly hit you over and over. There's also an infamous battle against two gang leaders who enjoy knocking Kiryu to the ground again and again, leaving little room for recovering or dodging. Even if you love the game's story, these annoying fights could be a deal-breaker, especially on harder difficulties.
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Pro
 Brutally challenging real-time combat that rewards patience

Dark Souls is a hard game at its core because of the combat. It's "difficult but fair", as in, the enemies are relentless and hit like a truck, but they're not overpowered or cheap to defeat. If you take your time to trade blows, dodge, and parry as needed, you can get through. Making your way slowly through new levels and taking on enemies one at a time, whenever possible, is the best approach. Unless you're a seasoned veteran, if you're try to bum rush your foes, you may find yourself getting quickly destroyed. It seems impossible at first, but if you keep at it and learn from your mistakes, you'll surprise yourself with how far you can get in this game.
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Pro
 Gives you a great sense of discovery from exploring

There's an unrivaled sense of exploration you get just from traversing normally through the game's medieval fantasy world. Simply going from one area to the next is astounding, because you get to see exactly how far you've come. After travelling a distance and defeating challenging enemies, you can find a shortcut that takes you down to a previously-visited location, for example, showing you that all of the levels are interconnected in a labyrinthine-like way. Thanks to this well-implemented level design, the world feels like a grand place that's full of mystery and adventure.
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 Epic and meaningful boss battles

Bosses in Dark Souls are huge, terrifying, and intriguing in ways that don't feel forced at all. They have stories to tell without words, showing their lore and history through awe-inspiring designs and setpieces. Seeing a tower off in the distance, getting there many hours later, and finding a gigantic boss there also builds up the sense of anticipation once you arrive to the fight. Ranging from dragons, hulking armored knights, mythological beasts, and tons more, the variety of boss types are creative, with their own unique movesets for you to learn. Alongside the combat, the bosses make the game what it is.
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 Incredible soundtrack and atmosphere

The music in this game is astounding because of how well it fits any given situation. Moments where the music stands out most is during boss battles, with sweeping, booming choruses where it works, and quieter pieces where you may not expect them. The warm but sorrowful wind instruments you hear at the main home base area is your cue that you're in a safe location after all of your grueling battles, letting you take a moment to reflect and unwind. Most playable areas have no music, letting you focus on the atmosphere from all of the little sound effects from enemies' footsteps and your own clanking armor as you go along. So whenever a song does start playing, it stands out more than it would have otherwise. Overall, the music definitely helps to give you long-lasting emotional memories of everything you experience.
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 Extensive lore that's presented in unconventional ways

There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story. Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you. Even though the actual story in Dark Souls is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
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Pro
 You can bring two friends along for online co-op

It's possible to play through most of the game with up to two friends. If you need help with a boss or if you just want to run things with other people, there's a simple online setup for the other players to join your world through password matching. They will return to their world once you defeat a boss or if you die, but it's easy enough to invite them back.
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Con
 Unforgiving and discouraging learning curve

Even though Dark Souls is technically fair, it's still really hard to get into. From the start, there's a minimal tutorial where you read messages scattered around the area for tips on the controls, and then you're forced into an immediate challenge that you have to figure your way out of. The game is clever in the way it pushes you into seemingly impossible situations and makes you think on your feet, but gamers who are new to the genre will more than likely find a serious culture shock here. Because the learning curve is so incredibly steep, you may struggle for a while before things finally click.
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Con
 Certain mechanics leave new players open to unfair PvP invasions

There are a few ways you might find yourself invaded by another player even when you don't want to be. The method for inviting co-op players into your world also leaves you open to PvP invasions, which you can't turn off. The other one involves how you can only carry five healing items with you at the start; there's a way to increase this to ten, but by doing this, it becomes possible for PvP-minded players to enter your world to challenge you to battle whether you like it or not. There's also an area a couple of hours into the game that's notorious for high-level players seeking out oblivious newbies to tear them apart, so beware.
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Con
 Lazy remaster that isn't worth it if you already own the original version

This is more of a port than a true remaster. Despite the couple of added online capabilities, there isn't anything new here to entice existing fans of the Dark Souls series. The textures still look like they're from the original game, and the devs butchered the lighting scheme in an attempt to update the visuals. If you were unfortunate enough to only own the game on consoles while suffering through the performance issues, or if you're new to the series, then there's nothing wrong with picking this up. But for PC players especially, this is basically a port with the DS Fix mod that fixed the performance issues.
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Pro
 Intuitive stealth gameplay

The stealth mechanics feel natural and fluid in how strategic they are. While tracking your targets, you blend in with each city's citizens or climb up to the tops of buildings to perch there and avoid getting spotted by the templar or their guards. You can either wait for the perfect opportunity to strike with a hidden blade up your sleeve that silently assassinates your target, or you can go all-out and have a sword duel with them if you'd rather take a more aggressive approach. After they're dead, you make your escape and become incognito again. Everything goes together nicely in a way that feels satisfying.
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Pro
 Interesting story of Assassins versus Templars

The stories in all three games are full of intriguing ideologies and philosophies. They're familiar tales of liberty and freedom on the Assassin side and law and order on the Templar side, but they still feel fresh. Playing as Ezio, it's up to you to assassinate certain templar targets who oppress the masses and horde power for themselves. As you take them down, you learn about their views on controlling the populace, encouraging you to question if the assassins are truly on the right path. Thankfully, the games don't tell you what to think, leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
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 Excellent soundtrack

The soundtracks in all three games are top notch. They are a blend of religious motifs with modern sci-fi synths, making the tracks unique. The echoing choruses and unsettling backtracks give a sense that you're on a tense, but mysterious mission to assassinate templars. There's a measured thoughtfulness and caution that you pick up on as well, almost like the songs themselves mimic you as you stalk your targets while you blend in with the crowd. It's such a cool experimental sound that the composer, Jesper Kyd, manages to pull off well, keeping you engrossed as you play and listen.
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Pro
 Impressive cities to explore with buildings to climb freely

The Italian locations of Florence, Forli, Tuscany, Venice, and Rome, as well as the Ottoman Empire city of Constantinople are beautifully done. The levels are massive for their time, with well-designed areas from the era such as towers, open plazas, and religious buildings. You can climb anything, anywhere, and run along the rooftops as much as you want. Scaling the tallest places gives you an amazing bird's eye view of the city and the mountain ranges beyond, along with a vantage point to plan out how to assassinate your targets. The realistic architecture makes the games feel like true period pieces.
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Con
 Lazy ports branded as "remasters"

This collection is hardly a true remaster of the three games; it's more of a port in a single bundle. All they did was touch up the textures a bit and improve the resolution, but it was really the bare minimum that they could have done. It was especially worse when the game was new and sitting at full retail price, because it really didn't justify the cost. The current trend of remastering games has had its low points, and this is easily one of the most notable ones.
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Con
 Generic premise of a revenge story (Assassin's Creed II)

The revenge story has been done to death, and Assassin's Creed II doesn't really add anything new here. From the beginning of the plot, you see some of the major cliches that often pop up in these types of tales. And while Ezio's cause is just, it's hard to care on an emotional level about his mission to kill Italy's high-level templars. But if you're not one to care too much about stories in games, then you probably won't even notice that anything's off.
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Con
 Repetitive main missions (Assassin's Creed II)

Ezio's mission to kill a list of templars lacks flavor and variety. The gameplay boils down to the same formula of picking a new target, going to the city where they're located, finding out information on them, and then assassinating the templar. While it's cool that you get to explore new places and interact with a variety of characters along the way, it's easy to see behind this veneer to the boring and repetitive nature of the missions. It's one of those things that can kill your enjoyment of the game.
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Con
 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations feel like more of the same of Assassin's Creed II

If you play Assassin's Creed II, then you may find that Brotherhood and Revelations are too similar. The assets are completely reused, with the only major difference being that Brotherhood is set in Rome and Revelations is in Constantinople. There are a few new mechanics like getting to create and manage your own brotherhood of assassins in Brotherhood, but it's not all that intriguing outside of how overpowered they can be when you call on them to help you in a fight. It feels too much like they tread on familiar ground in Ubisoft's push to annualize the franchise, which began here with these games.
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Con
 Weak final boss with cheap gimmicks (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood)

The final boss isn't very compelling. Thematically, for the story, it makes sense for this battle to be the last one, but it's just not interesting from a gameplay perspective. There's something ridiculous about the antagonist that makes it hard to take the fight seriously in the first place, diluting the meaning behind the battle. The way you fight this particular villain isn't that fun, either, because of the gimmicks that the boss uses. The whole thing is really a lost opportunity.
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Con
 No multiplayer (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations)

The innovative multiplayer featured in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations isn't available here. It's a shame, because the games of hide and seek with the Assassin's Creed hidden blade kills and crowd stealth mechanics were a lot of fun, and added a lot of longevity to these titles. If you're looking to play some more matches or start getting into them, you'll have to access the multiplayer through the original games instead.
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Pro
 The story shows a dark and gritty depiction of war

Final Fantasy Type-0 isn't afraid to show what war is really about and how it affects the world without glorifying anything. You play as a gifted group of military academy students called "Class Zero", and despite their youth, they manage to see through some pretty horrific things, like the true evil and sadism of the evil empire taking over the world one country at a time. The very beginning of the game shows the more violent and depressing aspects of war, hooking you in on an emotional level. It's a surprisingly mature story, especially if you're a fan of Final Fantasy, since the series typically doesn't go this far into gritty realism.
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Pro
 Varied cast of playable characters

There are over a dozen playable characters that you can choose from to fight on your squad. They all have a range of different personality types, fighting styles, and specialized weapons to choose from. You can pretty much bring along anyone you want for most missions; if your preferred characters are all spellcasters or sword-users, you can take them with you just because you like them as characters and not miss out on anything. Even though some characters devolve into tropes, for the most part, they're all quite likable and well-rounded.
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Pro
 Fast-paced action combat

The real-time fights in Final Fantasy Type-0 are fun because of how quick and chaotic they are. You bring along a small squad with you for missions with everyone's different fighting styles at your disposal, though even the characters with heavy-hitting weapons are still agile enough. Targeting enemies and firing off lightning-fast combos of magic spells or physical hits feels satisfying. It gets even more intense once you're on some of the game's important, story-heavy missions with critical objectives and high-stakes. The combat is overall incredibly engaging and doesn't get old.
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Pro
 Huge world to explore with tons of content

There's tons to do in between main story missions. The world is sizable enough with plenty to do during your free time. You can take on side quests to help liberate other towns and cities, go dungeon crawling and take down powerful monsters, or just hang around the military academy and talk to your classmates to get to know them better. More activities also open up as you progress through the story as a way to change things up from the usual combat.
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Con
 Inconvenient time management mechanics

There are some time management details that you have to deal with. While at the academy, you can choose what you'd like to do in between major missions, but these activities all take up a certain amount of time. Heading out to the world map to explore takes up a handful of hours, regardless of how long you actually spend out in the open, while spending time with your teammates and getting to know them better only takes a couple of hours. This mechanic essentially makes it impossible to see everything in a single playthrough, since you have to sort your priorities and go with whatever's most efficient.
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Con
 Some of the characters are bogged down by tropes and stereotypes

Sometimes, the large cast of characters ends up working against the story. A good number of them are fleshed out well, but others are just there for the sake of being there, or they're so poorly-written that you may forget that they exist. The worst ones have awful cliches as their central personality traits, like the dumb brute or borderline damsel in distress. It's irritating and cheapens the story as a whole.
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Con
 Graphics are dated and inconsistent

It's hard to get away from how bad the graphics look. Since this is a remaster of a handheld game from 2011, there was only so much the devs could do to improve things without fully remaking Type-0 from scratch. The main characters look okay, but environments and non-important characters have sloppy textures that make it obvious they didn't get the same special treatment. It's jarring when one of your main party members is in a cutscene with a less important character, and your party member has better graphics and detail than the other person. This unfortunately happens a lot throughout the game.
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Con
 Convoluted story that requires multiple playthroughs to fully understand

The story hardly makes any sense on its own, and on top of that, the game expects you to play through multiple times to figure things out. With all the terminology and mythos that's so poorly explained, you might find yourself getting lost right from the beginning, struggling just to keep up as the story goes on. There's a bunch of lore that you can find outside the game through other media, but if you don't go looking for it, you won't be able to fully get what's going on. But the worst part is that the endings you can get on your first playthrough don't really explain much of anything, so you have to play through again if you want to have any basic comprehension of how the plot wraps itself up.
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