The foundation of Episode Gladiolus is excellent, which is why it's disappointing when the adventure comes to an end after less than an hour (not including cutscenes).
Those who haven't yet experienced either 999 or VLR are in for a real treat. Both games were already excellent in their previous incarnations, but The Nonary Games bundles two definitive editions together in one simple, appealing package.
Almost a decade after its release, World of Goo remains a top-notch puzzler, complete with all the creative mechanics and macabre visual touches its developers could impart.
Right after the announcement of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, my then-fiancee commented that if any game was due for an HD remake, it was Final Fantasy XII. While the original Final Fantasy X is a beloved classic that heralded the series' leap into (mostly) full 3D environments, the original version of Final Fantasy XII — while generally acclaimed by critics — was found to be somewhat confusing at launch and had the misfortune of launching just before the holiday season where the PlayStation 3 went on sale. Largely reflected upon as a game ahead of its time, it makes perfect sense to bring the title back as Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age in an era where the concept of the "single-player MMORPG" is not so foreign thanks to games like Xenoblade Chronicles… and my time with the game only reinforced how glad I am to see it with another chance to make its mark.
I might be a card-carrying member of the nostalgic group that salivates at the very thought of a new, traditional 3D platformer, but I also sort of understand the annoyance that comes our way. After all, a look back at the heyday of the genre inevitably brings about the realization that very few of the games were actually that good — and I'm also not a huge fan of the "things were better then" thinking that tends to lead to regression in any given industry. I mention this because part of the reason I've been impressed by Yooka-Laylee so far is that the developers clearly aren't content to cash in on nostalgia. Yes, this is basically the Banjo-Threeie we've all been waiting 17 years for, but what I've played so far mercifully doesn't play like a game from 2002 or 2003; on the contrary, Playtonic Games seem to have struck a nice balance between satisfying a sense of nostalgia, challenging players with new ideas and addressing a lot of the complaints about the genre.
At first blush, Reservoir Dogs does seem like kind of a weird choice for a video game. If you know anything about the Tarantino classic, it's probably the movie's defining gimmicks: that the film shows the "before" and "after" a heist, but not the "during"; and that as far as endings go, well, none of the filmmaker's characters make it out of this particular movie unscathed. And of course, we all know the complete and utter lack of expectations that licensed games often face after so many failures. Sure, they've been a bit better as of late, but that's not saying much.
