Assassin’s Creed IV: Freedom Cry Review

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: December 17, 2013

Assassin’s Creed IV was a huge, immensely satisfying game.

There was a lot of ground to cover and ocean to sail meaning there was never dull moment since the minimap always kept the to-do list full. Any sort of DLC would have to add something to a game with a plate that was already pretty packed. Freedom Cry is that DLC starring side character Adewale in his attempts combat slavery in Haiti. This fight for freedom seems to be a metaphor that frees the series from traditional mediocre DLC.

Watch Dogs Review

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: May 28, 2014

Watch Dogs quickly became the unintentional spokesperson for the new generation of consoles.

Stemming from its fantastic surprise appearance at E3 2012, it looked like a sneak peek at the eagerly anticipated next generation of consoles. A stage demo showing a new franchise with impressive visuals and intense action will do just that. Flash forward past its delay that kicked it out of both console launches, Watch Dogs is finally upon us, in all of its hacking, open-world glory. Watch Dogs probably isn’t that open-world game that many have built it up to be, but it does know how to borrow enough good ideas and sprinkle in some great ones of its own.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Review

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: Feburary 12, 2013

Alien is one of the few franchises that seems destined to be a video game hit.

Dead Space more or less fills that empty void but those games lack the iconic Xenomorph and the universe that surrounds sci-fi’s greatest predators. This is where Aliens: Colonial Marines comes in. Early gameplay demos showcased potential that could maybe finally make good on the almost intangible hope of a worthy Aliens game. Tense shootouts and pretty visuals showed what a development team like Gearbox could do with such a revered franchise. What could go wrong? Almost everything.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, PC
Release Date: May 12, 2014

Despite success in Hollywood, Spider-Man hasn’t seen the as much glory in his games.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions didn’t necessarily get its fair shake (seriously, it’s a great game), but just about every game after has ranged from average to garbage. The Amazing Spider-Man hovered pretty closely to the average range by not really being great at anything but web swinging. Sequels tend to improve most aspects of a franchise, which opens the door for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to lift the Amazing series to a reputation more closely resembling its title. But leave it to Spider-Man to get tangled up with the “bad movie tie-in” trap yet again.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Review

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 25, 2014

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow showed the world that a solid three-dimensional Castlevania was possible.

Through gorgeous visuals, a steady flux of new abilities, and a kickass ending, it was and still remains to be an underrated title that hit the last generation of consoles. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 picks up from that great ending with intent to further improve on the many systems that the original pretty great. There’s always room for systems to be tightened along with stepping up the quality of production overall, which a sequel usually does. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 does none of those things. In fact, it runs rather quickly in the opposite direction.

South Park: The Stick of Truth Review

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: March 4, 2014

South Park‘s humor and satire have been incredibly sharp for years.

While it’s difficult to keep up-to-date with the long-running television series, there are always at least a few episodes a seasons that make quite a splash either through humor, controversy, or a blend of both. The video game entries haven’t had nearly the same luck. Each has been tasteless garbage, but South Park: The Stick of Truth has turned heads and shown promise since its debut trailer. This could finally be it. For once in the franchise, it can finally have a video game on the same level of the show.

Thief Review

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: February 25, 2014

Despite being in the same franchise that arguably birthed the stealth genre back in 1998, this new reboot of Thief has no idea how to stay relevant.

Stealth games have seen many advancements over the years from games like Dishonored and Hitman: Absolution. The forward progress in hardware and design have also been key factors into making a golden handful of sneaking-based games that have been standouts in their years of release. Thief‘s new reboot, simply titled Thief, looks as though it wants to take back the spotlight it has relinquished in the past decade or so. Despite being a game about thievery, Thief can’t even steal the best aspects from its newfound competition.

Batman: Arkham Origins – Cold, Cold Heart DLC Review

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: April 22, 2014

Batman: Arkham Origins didn’t need to exist.

Arkham Origins reeked of corporate overlords forcing a new studio to churn out a new title while the golden geese were slaving away at the next new thing. It failed to bring anything substantial to the table except for lowered production values and a generally lower-quality vibe. But the best part of the game was the collection of villains, something Cold, Cold Heart, the newest piece of story-based DLC for Arkham Origins, seems quite focused on. Mr. Freeze stars in this chapter, but he may as well have stayed out in the cold on this one.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones HD Review

Platforms: PS3
Release Date: April 19, 2011

Before the iconic assassins, there was merely a single Persian prince.

This prince went through sequel after sequel and even a reboot before publisher Ubisoft was forced to move on because being an assassin reaped in then gold at a faster pace. But before that, the prince of Persia had a solid, memorable run on the PS2 generation of hardware. The final game in the trilogy, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, was a title purposed to mend the odd edgy overtones in Warrior Within while aiming to invoke a more playful atmosphere like the original. But it goes further than that. The Two Thrones, despite its age, is still one of the best in its genre.

inFamous: Second Son Review

Platform: PS4
Release Date: March 25, 2014

inFamous: Second Son surprisingly has little to do with the other two inFamous games but that doesn’t make it unworthy of the name.

Electrified superhero (or anti-hero) Cole McGrath from the prior two inFamous games didn’t leave much room for himself to star in a sequel. With a new protagonist and whole new set of hardware, inFamous: Second Son feels like a reboot with a series that didn’t overstay its welcome in the first place. This puts Second Son in an odd place. but it matters not; Second Son is a great entry in the series.