Splatoon is the best original franchise from Nintendo in years, and it fundamentally changed how people view competitive shooting games. Xenoblade Chronicles X is an achievement in large-scale game design and a boon to Wii U owners craving a new RPG. Skells feel like a privilege, and once you get your first one, you feel like you're playing the game's sequel. These giant, bipedal robots-which can also transform into vehicles-allow you to look dinosaurs straight in the eye and cover large swaths of land in no time. At the halfway mark in the story-around 30-40 hours into the game-you unlock Skells, which completely alter your relationship with Mira. While this may seem daunting, Xenoblade Chronicles X sets a good pace by saving its best rewards for the second half of the game. The massive world plays host to dozens of optional quests on top of the main story, and eager players can easily play for 100 hours and still have plenty left on their plate. In this way, Xenoblade Chronicles X is a dream come true for people who like to tinker with options and manage long-term goals.Р”В«eating Xenoblade Chronicles X is a long-term goal in itself. The diversity of things to see is impressive, but so too is the number of game systems that you interact with while exploring, fighting, and managing your team. Mira's size would mean nothing if it wasn't filled with surprises, but sure enough, its landmasses are dense with otherworldly creatures and structures that defy explanation. Her Story is an amazing narrative-driven experience that's immediately arresting, and the deeper down the rabbit-hole you go, the more intrigued you ultimately become.Р”Сћ015 was dominated by games with large, open worlds, but none could match the scale of Xenoblade Chronicles X's Mira-an alien planet with five massive continents. For most of the game, your relationship to the characters is shaped by what you choose to believe, and the game's somewhat open-ended conclusion keeps the mystery alive long after you walk away. Uncovering every video in Her Story is challenging, but not as challenging as understanding the truth. When a video matches your search term, you can access it, but with a hard limit of five results per search, you're forced to examine videos with greater scrutiny to identify subtle details, and thus more granular search terms. With a broken but searchable database of interviews taken during the investigation of a murder case, you have to piece together a confusing web of tales by searching for clues and keywords. While simple in execution, it requires great attention to detail.

It's hard to imagine a game like Her Story would have a big impact, but it presents a complex narrative in a clever way. Other games can either give you the thrill of being an all-conquering solo player or the satisfaction of working as part of a well-oiled team. But when you have a great team around you-as well as an equally proficient monster player-Evolve truly shines. Make no mistake: if you aren't ready to embrace the game's complexities, then Evolve could easily turn out to be much less than the sum of its parts. Whether you're a dedicated team player or a lone wolf, Evolve has something for you. Playing as one member of a team of four hunters evokes the deep cooperation required in games like Left 4 Dead (little wonder given developer Turtle Rock was responsible for that Valve classic), while playing solo as one of Evolve's towering monsters scratches a very different itch.

In a genre awash with me-too experiences, Evolve turns the multiplayer shooter on its head through its distinctive 4v1 structure. Few AAA games took as many risks as Evolve this year, and even fewer managed to succeed.

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