Join me after the break for some game recommendations.
- Killer Instinct Season 2: This one is a little hard to rate, as its still ongoing (and will be until early next year.) So far though, its been great.
A lot of fans were understandably nervous about the game transitioning to another developer after Season 1 (the original developer, Double Helix, was bought by Amazon's games division.) I was cautiously neutral - Iron Galaxy had some fighting game chops, but they also hadn't worked on something as big as KI.
Turns out, I shouldn't have worried at all. The season is still in the early stages so various bugs and kinks are being worked out, but overall things have been great. The new characters are very interesting mechanically and look cool. The core game mechanic changes look to keep the meta game fairly rich and varied. And the vague hints we have for the remaining cast members are very exciting (especially since so many will be entirety new characters.)
KI continues to be one of my favorite fighting games, which is heavy praise considering how thick the field is now, and it seems to be getting better month by month.
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax: Persona 4 Arena was one of my surprise favorite fighting games last year, so I was very excited in the update coming out this year.
Ultimax did not disappoint. Great new characters, interesting rebalancing of existing characters, and plenty of excellent single player and multiplayer content.
If you're a fan of Arksys' style of fighting games, Ultimax is another quality entry in their catalog. Which makes this a fantastic year for them, considering we're getting Xrd in a few weeks. I haven't had a lot of time to spend with Ultimax due to this season being absolutely packed with great games, but I'm definitely looking forward to playing more in the future.
- Bayonetta 2: This game has been a long time coming, and there was a period of time when it seemed like there was no way we'd see a sequel to the underground sensation that was the original Bayonetta.
Against all odds, a sequel has come, and solely courtesy of Nintendo (who saw that coming?) Was it worth the wait? Was Platinum able to follow up on a game considered the peak of its genre? Would it run well on the mid-generation powered Wii U?
The answer to all is a resounding "yes."
Bayonetta 2 represents Platinum at the absolute peak of their abilities. They've had enough games at this point to learn what works and what doesn't, and Bayonetta 2 is a games that almost entirely "works." It plays magnificently, the structure of the story missions is some Platinum's best, and the game runs remarkably smoothly on the Wii U.
I'm not normally one to recommend a console for just one game, but I will say that if you were a fan of the previous game, Bayonetta 2 is absolutely worth the price of admission (plus the Wii U's library is steadily improving.) Its easily one of the best games I've played this year, and its good enough to have leapt into a spot on my "best games ever" list.
- Hyrule Warriors: Speaking of quality Wii U games, here we have another surprise: a "Warriors" style game with a Legend of Zelda flavoring. The result is one of the best "Warriors" games yet, and an interesting homage to the Legend of Zelda franchise.
Hyrule Warriors doesn't do a lot to shake up the usual "Warriors" formula, but what it does do is present an excellent iteration on that formula. The Legend of Zelda elements are very smartly incorporated and they add a surprising level of novelty and refreshment to a formula that has seen a lot of reuse.
Another neat thing about Hyrule Warriors is how cool the DLC support has been. Nintendo games up to this point haven't been known for their add on content and it seems like Tecmo-Koei is driving that effort more than Nintendo. The DLC adds a significant amount to the game - new characters, weapons, costumes, and Adventure Mode maps - all at very reasonable prices (also bundled into a solid season pass package.)
I wouldn't recommend buying the game just for the DLC, but it does add even more content to the game if you've cleared out what it has to offer. Combine that with plenty to do up front, and you have a fun, intesting game that makes a Wii U an even better investment.
- Dragon Age: Inquisition: If Destiny is one of the most disappointing games of this release season, then Inquisition is the most surprisingly great games of this season.
Inquisition had a lot working against it: BioWare's track record has been shaky at best recently and their promotional efforts were fine, but unremarkable (and not particularly effective at swaying anyone turned off to the franchise.)
So I was one of those who were very pleasantly surprised when the game came out to rave reviews. Emboldened by those review scores (paricularly a few reviews from more trusted sites) I decided to roll the dice and see how I liked it.
I haven't had a ton of time to put into it, but my early impressions of Inquisition are very positive. The game combines the best elements of the previous two games to great effect: the world is massive, with tons to see and do, while also having plenty of great writing and character interaction.
This is a game that you can sink some serious time into, and not in a tedious way; I've already spent 8-10 hours in the first area, doing quests, exploring, and generally having plenty of fun. It seems like there are several other zones like this one, which means this could be a tremendous game.
And on top of that it has a fun multiplayer component. Its very straightforward - your team rushes through a dungeon to accomplish several objectives and fight a boss - but there's still plenty of fun to be had there if you want a break from the main game. Plus, BioWare has stated that they're going to support this mode similarly to how they supported the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3: with multiple free content add ons. That means this mode is only going to get better with time; in a year you could be looking at a game with an amazing single player component, as well as a great multiplayer mode.
Inquisition is a game that absolutely shouldn't be missed if you're a fan of Western RPGs. Its being compared in some places with the highly regarded Skyrim, and I think that evaluation is apt (even if the two games play differently.) Both games represent massive game experiences that were clearly created with a lot of dedication and passion, and they're going to be tremendous experiences for their players.
I'm very excited to put a lot more time into this game. I have a feeling that I'll be coming back to it a lot over the next year or so.
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This Fall release season has been a killer one with lots of great games. There are even a few games I didn't get to due to budgetary reasons and one that hasn't come out yet, so this season has been bigger than even my list above.
Its a fantastic problem to have, and I hope next Fall is just as dangerous for my wallet.
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