In yet another example of how old genres can still learn new tricks, I present Candleman (Xbox One), a puzzling platformer that has you, as the titular form of illumination, running and jumping his way through a complicated and dark world much like you have before and will undoubtedly do again.
Whenever the good people at Zen Studios make a virtual pinball table based on a movie, TV show, comic, or even another video game, they do their best to capture the spirit of the original inspiration. And that’s exactly what they’ve done with Star Wars Rogue One Pinball for Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita), Pinball FX 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC), Zen Pinball (iOS), and Zen Pinball HD (Android, Amazon)…for better or worse.
While fans of arcade-style racing games have always gotten to drive dirt bikes on off-road courses, there haven’t been many lately where they’ve gotten to take motorcycles on to city streets or designated tracks. But while the on- and off-road arcade motorcycle racing game Moto Racer 4 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC) aims to fulfil that need, it’s somewhat undermined by a badly executed difficulty system and a generally cheap feel.
Some games are good; some games are bad. And some games are just so terrible that you wonder about the mental health of those who made them.
Here now, in no particular order, are the worst games I played in 2016.
While 2016 wasn’t the best year for video games, there were a bunch that I had a lot of fun playing.
Here now, in no particular order, are the best games I played in 2016.
One of the common traits shared by the games published by Bethesda Softworks is how they always immerse you in rich, detailed worlds, whether it’s the medieval fantasy realm of The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim, the ’50s-flavored post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout 4, or the Hell-adjacent space base of the new Doom.
So it’s interesting to see how the equally skilled folk at Zen Studios have not only translated these games into excellent pinball tables for Bethesda Pinball, a triple pack for Pinball FX 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC), Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita), and Zen Pinball (iOS, Android, Amazon), but have done so in a way that makes them as fun for pinball fans who aren’t into Bethesda’s games as those who do.
I have a confession to make. While I enjoyed the original Dishonored four years ago, and while I had fun when I got to play its sequel for an hour at an event about a month ago, my initial thought when my review copy of Dishonored 2 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC) arrived at my house this week was, “Uh, okay.” But as I started to play it, as I grew confident in my abilities and got caught up in the action, my feelings for this first-person stealth action game grew well beyond just “Uh, okay.”
Earlier this years, fans of car combat games, myself included, were deeply disappointed by the supremely subpar Carmageddon Max Damage (my review of which you can read here). Now we have Gas Guzzlers Extreme, which is now available on Xbox One, and coming soon to PlayStation 4, after years of being on PC. And while it’s far from perfect, it does have enough going for it to satisfy the itch that a certain something failed to do.
Since the Call Of Duty games moved from World War II to modern times with 2007’s Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, I’ve been hoping that this first-person shooter series would go full-on science fiction (as opposed to the cyberpunk but still near future sci-fi of Call Of Duty: Black Ops III). Well, that time has finally come, and that game is…Titanfall 2. But it’s also Call Of Duty Infinite Warfare (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC), which takes this series’ patented fluid controls, frantic firefights, explosively cinematic action, and addictive multiplayer where no Call Of Duty has gone before.