A great comeback from episode two, A Crooked Mile amplifies the drama—though sometimes in the wrong ways—and confronts Bigby with hard choices and proper detective work.

An exceptional collection of puzzles bound by narrative which gets a little ahead of itself.

The worst gaming goat since that one in Broken Sword. This is a dumb, limited novelty game that's not worth the asking price

It starts promising and gets better in the final act, but the bulk of Betrayer's journey is let down by inconsistent quality, repeat enemies, and investigative drudgery.

The story is lacking, but great environments, a new class, and more freedom—partially from the free patch—make for a better Diablo III.

A single-screen platform brawler that’s about as good as the genre has ever been—in versus or wave-survival mode.

But LocoCycle is unchallenging, unengaging, and chronically unfunny, and when ideas start to repeat themselves, the game drags along like Pablo himself. [May 2014, p.74]

Like the best of Vlambeer’s cannon, a simple concept executed beautifully. Limited enemy and level design, though.

As Irrational's final work, Episode 2 is a fitting epitaph; both in its ability to offer a fresh perspective on the series, and in the way it obsesses over past triumphs.

The most exciting multiplayer shooter in recent years, held back from greatness by its questionable staying power.

MOBA genre conventions are much better executed by Dota 2 and League of Legends. Dragons and Titans just isn’t a worthwhile alternative.

Half a great 4X game, dragged screaming into the nearest black hole by its lesser components.

Infuriatingly difficult, but perfectly constructed. Ikaruga is the PC's best bullet-hell shooter.

Witty interactive storytelling that’s best with a group and weakens significantly after a few brief playthroughs.

Stylish, succinct and spiritual, Year Walk coins its own genre: the fright of passage.

The Walking Dead's signature moral dilemmas are more nuanced than ever in a plot-heavy second episode.

Above all, it’s just a wonderful piece of entertainment. It’s surprising, surreal, packed with jokes, and rarely frustrating. I didn’t get bored once across the 17 hours it took me to finish the story and most of the sidequests, and it kept me laughing consistently until the credits. If that isn’t worth 90%, I don’t know what is.

Strider is a liberating, free-form action platformer studded with frustrating callbacks to an arcade era better left behind.

Technical shortcomings aside, Dragonfall’s story rocks; a well-spent $15 for any RPG fan.

Barely noticeable differences to Black Flag make Freedom Cry an inessential add-on to Assassin's Creed IV. [April 2014, p.66]

Masochistic stat-chasers will find much to enjoy, but Blackguards’ varied combat is no substitute for a fully-formed RPG.

Resident Evil 4 is still a masterful shooter nine years later. Occasional slowdown caused by the locked 60 fps framerate hampers an otherwise great port.

A miserable blend of flawed game mechanics that's a giant leap backwards from its predecessor.

Great in places, but never quite lives up to its potential. A competent sequel let down by inconsistency.

A nice change of pace for city-builders, but it loses momentum once the immediate urgency of survival goes away.

An exciting, kinetic single-screen multiplayer with excellent level design, but little to reward the solo player.

Loadout’s gun customization and well executed twists on shooter staples make it a free-to-play game that doesn't feel like a compromise.

Neither a good Lego game nor tribute to the movie—at best, The Lego Movie Videogame is enough fun to be called a functioning promotional product.