Mountains are far from uncommon in open-world exploration games, but even in the most impressive ones, they’re normally little more than pretty white fences encircling a greener playfield. Steep reverses this concept with some success. Here, it’s the valleys and green spots of the world that trigger the invisible walls and the mighty Alps that…

Anyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area will feel right at home in Watch Dogs 2. The important landmarks are there, even odd intersections that may only stand out to residents. But I don’t think you need to be familiar with the real Bay Area to appreciate how Watch Dogs 2’s mix of…

The best Final Fantasy games are often regarded for their layered characters and stories, but that will not be Final Fantasy XV’s legacy. Save for a few minor arcs and some impressive cutscenes, the story of the deposed Prince Noctis and his three bodyguards ultimately leaves little room for its stars to evolve and earn…

George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, is the sort of writer whose work is unlikely to ever feel irrelevant or unimportant. Although his writing is only explicitly mentioned a few times in Orwell, the game questions modern surveillance techniques and the security of online communication in a way you’d imagine the…

Since its debut a decade ago, Dead Rising has continuously evolved with each new game. It’s changed settings and protagonists, added crafting and vehicles, abandoned escort missions and limited saves. In spite of all these changes, however, the core gameplay always remained intact: grab whatever’s handy to kill and maim droves of zombies in a…

True to Fumito Ueda’s work on Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian is a fascinating game that portrays a heartfelt relationship between two unlikely cohorts–a nameless boy and a giant creature named Trico–who develop mutual trust, communication, and compassion against seemingly impossible odds. Their tale is a shining example of storytelling through…

Crytek has been experimenting with ways to make games more immersive by utilizing new tech for a while, whether it’s the exceptionally good use of stereoscopic 3D effects in the Crysis games or impressive demos for Oculus Rift. Taking that experience to PlayStation VR, the developer has released Robinson: The Journey, a virtual-reality game that’s…

Building and managing an amusement park is a difficult job. There are a surprising number of things to consider: keeping your rides safe and well maintained, making sure you have enough trash cans and janitors to keep things clean, forecasting and managing your finances to avoid crippling debt, and deciding how many pickles should or…

I never missed catastrophes in Cities: Skylines. Dealing with rampaging extraterrestrials, Armageddon-instigating asteroids, and visits from giant lizards have long been a hallmark of the SimCity line, but Colossal Order’s city builder seemed too buttoned-down for such outlandish developments. This is one of the most authentic city management simulations of all time due to a…

Silence is a plane of existence on the cusp between life and death, and it was originally introduced back in 2009’s The Whispered World, when it was known as Silentia. It’s not an idle change. Just as its name has shifted from its Latinesque form to simple English, so too is the world itself now…