Genres

Batman might have ruined the superhero genre for us. While that type of title has never been especially strong on the whole, Arkham Asylum and its sequels proved that it could be done. So why are Activision still relying almost entirely on a format that's been basically unchanged since Spider-man 2 ten years ago? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is another film tie-in that falls short of expectation, but it's the Spidey-by-Numbers feel that is the most surprising.

Nether is a post-apocalyptic open world multiplayer game with an emphasis on survival. The style can be compared to Day Z, but instead of a zombie apocalypse, the world was hit with solar flares that mutated a portion of the population into Nethers. Other players in the world can help or hurt you, however there are safezones throughout the map in which Nethers can’t enter and people can’t hurt you.

When playing Child of Light, I felt a bit melancholic. Ubisoft Montreal’s own unique take on the RPG genre elicits a sense of somberness throughout its, roughly, 10-hour adventure. Though it doesn’t sport a complex or even original story, the way it is told is Child of Light’s best strength. By using the UbiArt engine that was created for Rayman Origins several years ago, Ubisoft Montreal is able to perfectly concoct a classic fairy tale experience.

If you've never heard of Candy Crush Saga then you might live under a rock. Match 3 games are insanely popular, and have for the most part taken over Facebook and mobile. So, why shouldn't Nintendo attempt to profit from the craze? They did, and paired it with one of their most popular franchises, Pokemon.

What's with the current trend of releasing games and then bragging about how bad they are? As YouTube has become more popular, these "joke" titles have become the focus of thousands who want to be in on the humour. Some of them have had redeeming features, titles worth checking out on their own merits. Others are as bad as their developers claim. Into The Dark Ultimate Trash Edition trips, drunk teenager-like, into the latter category.

Wayward Souls - the latest offering from Rocketcat Games, the minds behind Punch Quest - is the latest of this genre revival, following in the wake of other recent mobile and PC entries like FTL or Rogue Legacy. Players control one of six different character classes (three of which are locked from the start) as they fight through three increasingly difficult, procedurally-generated dungeons, casting spells and unleashing special attacks on the way.

It feels so long ago that I went out and purchased a banana yellow Gameboy Pocket and copies of Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2. As a kid, I always had to pay for my own games as my parents refused to purchase games for birthdays or Christmas. For that reason, these two games were played a lot. Many years later, Nintendo is still releasing titles in the Donkey Kong Country franchise; how thankful long-time fans must be, because Nintendo continues to release high quality, top tier games.

To say that Nintendo has released more of something is nothing new. More Mario Kart, more Yoshi's Island, and now more Kirby. I use these three specific examples for a reason. More Mario Kart has always been a good thing, while more Yoshi's Island wasn't. Another game in the Kirby franchise is not like another Mario Kart game, but is leaps and bounds ahead of Yoshi's Island.

If there was one complaint about Ground Zeroes, it was its size. Despite the fact that you could easily spend tens of hours exploring that little base off the coast of Cuba, it was quite samey and, ultimately, failed to hold all but the most dedicated of Metal Gear fans to its 100% completion.

Daylight is a survival horror game that is procedurally generated, creating a new experience each time you play, however, while rooms and location of items change, the experience doesn’t feel entirely “new.” Daylight has some concepts that were promising but failed to deliver in terms of content and variety.