10. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remastered
Rating (8.4)
Summary: Two RPGs - Now in High Definition. Over 200 hours of gameplay, including the International version content never before released in North America. Relive the fateful journey with fully remastered HD visuals and rearranged music.
Praise: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is already great way to play these classic RPGs on the PS3 and Vita, and the even prettier PlayStation 4 version comes with the visual improvements you’d expect for the new-generation platform.
9. Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition
Rating (8.4)
Summary: The definitive edition of this action game arrives with enhanced 1080p graphics at 60fps, new features and all the original DLC included. Chain together stylish combos with up to 8 unique weapons. Traverse the demonic world of Limbo as you join Dante and Vergil in the legendary rebirth of the Devil May Cry franchise.
Praise: The Definitive Edition is an already fantastic game perfected and shined up brighter for an audience that didn't come in nearly the droves that it demanded the first time. DmC walked the walk and talked the talk of an envelope-pushing experience on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. On the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it's the chaotic, anarchic Devil May Cry the new generation needs and deserves.
8. Axiom Verge
Rating (8.4)
Summary: A failed scientist dies in an accident, only to awaken in a mysterious, alien world. Where is he? How did he get here? And why do the fundamental laws of reality appear broken? Life. Afterlife. Real. Virtual. Dream. Nightmare. It's a thin line. It's Axiom Verge
Praise: Its story is simple, yet subverts convention with its attitude. The exploration loop is incredibly satisfying, and combat feels both tight and adaptable, like a complex dance where the partners both accentuate each others strengths, allowing any weak points to fade into the background. I could go on, but honestly, the next sentence sums everything I need to say up quite nicely. You really, REALLY, should play Axiom Verge.
7. OlliOlli2: Welcome To Olliwood
Rating: (8.5)
Summary: OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood plucks the iconic skater from the street and dropping him squarely in the middle of the Big Screen’s most bodacious cinematic locations.
Praise: OlliOlli2 is what happens when a developer takes in feedback and does its best to employ the best of said feedback. There isn’t one aspect of the original OlliOlli that wasn’t improved in some way, shape or form in OlliOlli2. The new visual style is incredible, the mechanics are as close to perfect as you can get, the soundtrack is packed with amazing songs and artists that complement the gameplay and there’s exact parity between the PS4 and PS Vita versions of the game. In short, OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood is nothing short of a masterpiece.
6. Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin
Rating (8.7)
Summary: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin includes the 3 previously released DLC packs - Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the ivory King - along with additional features. All versions of the game include the following features (Existing Dark Souls II owners will receive a patch to implement these elements): Additional NPCs added for an enhanced story experience. Parameter adjustments for improved game balance. Augmented item descriptions. Improved online matchmaking functionality.
Praise: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin certainly comes off as a definitive version worth checking out. The changes in enemy placement can be a bit jarring at first, but I think you’ll agree that these changes keep the overall game feeling fresh, regardless of how many hours you devoted to the original game. And if you’re coming off of Bloodborne, and wanting more From Software goodness, than Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin certainly fits the bill.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight
Rating (8.7)
Summary: Batman confronts the ultimate threat against the city he has been sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to congeal an imposing array of super villains, including The Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to summarily destroy The Dark Knight. The game introduces Rocksteady's uniquely-designed imagining of the Batmobile drivable for the first time in the franchise. Batman: Arkham Knight offers gamers a complete Batman experience as they rip through the streets and soar across the skyline of the iconic Gotham City.
Praise: The Bat could not have hoped for a better send off. Graphically astounding, narratively compelling, and featuring two utility belts full of new gadgets. This is bat-time very, very well spent.
4. Bastion
Rating (8.9)
Summary: The goal of the game is to construct a safe haven in the wake of the Calamity, a cataclysmic event that shattered the world into a series of floating islands. As players journey into the wild unknown in search of survivors and supplies, they will confront strange beasts, forge an array of customizable weapons, and gain new powers from specially-brewed spirits. The entire play experience of Bastion is dynamically narrated, gradually revealing a rich backstory as the narrator reacts to the player's actions in real time.
Praise: When the credits first rolled all those years ago, I simply sat in my chair, completely blown away at what I had just experienced. While it may have taken a few years to find its way onto the Sony platform, Bastion still stands as proof to what a small team of creative and passionate individuals can accomplish, and that video games as a medium have an infinite amount of potential. Hopefully, we can all stick around long enough to see what comes next.
3. Shovel Knight
Rating (9.1)
Summary: Shovel Knight is a sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic. It's a hot mashup of new and old! You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this land with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and quest for his lost beloved. He wields a Shovel Blade: a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly! But, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress, and will pursue their mission at any cost. If you love games with perfect platforming, beautiful art, infectious music, crazy bosses, humor and levity, and real heart... Shovel Knight is for you!
Praise: Luckily Shovel Knight is generous with its placement of checkpoints, allowing a measure of modernity where it could have easily opted for the old school Nintendo-hard approach. Likewise, the only real consequence to dying is the loss of some of your treasure which, taking a page from the Souls games, can be recovered upon returning to the spot you died at previously, provided you don’t die again that is. In fact this idea of recovering your own gold can potentially add more to the game, as it encourages revisiting the often precarious situation that killed you in the first place for the opportunity to gain back your hard earned treasure. Unfortunately, there were occasions where the treasure I dropped ended up in a place that made it impossible to recover (such as the point-of-no-return in a bottomless pit) which detracts from an otherwise smart take on dying in a platformer that doesn’t rely on lives and 1-Ups.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Rating (9.2)
Summary: With the Empire attacking the Kingdoms of the North and the Wild Hunt, a cavalcade of ghastly riders, breathing down your neck, the only way to survive is to fight back. As Geralt of Rivia, a master swordsman and monster hunter, leave none of your enemies standing. Explore a gigantic open world, slay beasts and decide the fates of whole communities with your actions, all in a genuine next generation format. Also known as "The Witcher III: Wild Hunt"
Praise: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sets a new standard for open world RPGs. Its shockingly cohesive world is as beautiful as it is demanding, and it's packed full of mature content that throws you from one emotional response to the next. Its storytelling is superb, its combat is grippingly refined, and its often unforgiving nature only lends itself to a brilliantly rewarding experience. In an industry that's flooded with so many by-the-book open world titles, Wild Hunt stands out as a true labour of love from a developer that's uncompromisingly passionate about its creative freedom. Geralt's incredible adventure is nothing short of a masterpiece.
1. Bloodborne
Rating (9.2)
Summary: Bloodborne is an action RPG in which you hunt for answers in the ancient city of Yharnam, now cursed with a strange endemic illness spreading through the streets like a disease. Peril, death and madness infest this dark world, and you're tasked with uncovering its darkest secrets which will be necessary for you to survive. Armed with a singular arsenal of weaponry, including guns and saw cleavers, you'll require wits, strategy and reflexes to dispatch the agile and intelligent enemies that guard the city's underbelly. You will utility holy chalices to access an array of vast underground ruins, chock full of traps, beasts, and rewards, to explore and conquer on your own or with other people.
Praise: Bloodborne may not be a Souls game and it doesn't fall into the horror genre, but it captures everything that makes the series so satisfying, so terrifying and so magical.
I want to keep playing, I want to discover its secrets, I want to fight every monster, try every weapon, discuss theories and explore as many of the community dungeons as possible. To put it bluntly, I want to bleed the game dry.
Praise: Bloodborne may not be a Souls game and it doesn't fall into the horror genre, but it captures everything that makes the series so satisfying, so terrifying and so magical. I want to keep playing, I want to discover it's secrets, I want to fight every monster, try every weapon, discuss theories and explore as many of the community dungeons as possible. To put it bluntly, I want to bleed the game dry.
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