E3: Microsoft – Buy / Rent / Skip Call of Duty: Advance Warfare Skip – CoD never grabbed me the way it was able to almost everyone else. This games looks great and appears to be dropping the standard mechanics and scenario from CoD, except for the name. AW will have to work to escape the shadow cast by Titanfall; clear influences can be seen throughout the trailer. Forza: Horizon 2 Skip – More cars, more driving. Graphically impressive but nothing that gets my motor running (intentional pun). Evolve Buy – Everything about this looks amazing. Asynchronous multiplayer is difficult to pull off, but from all the pre-coverage ad attention this game is receiving, it has. The latest reveal did nothing but cement the fact that this game is willing to take risks and have players learn through gameplay. Assassins Creed: Unity Buy – This was going to be a rent, but the addition of multiplayer changes the gameplay. Instead of having AI companions, four players can coordinate a strike to work as a cohesive unit. Hopefully this is how the entire game can be played. If it is later determined to only be an option on select missions or modes, than this will be downgraded. Dragon Age: Inquisition Rent – The first Dragon Age had a compelling story but overly complicated and cumbersome gameplay mechanics. The sequel was able to create streamlined gameplay but a terrible story and lifeless world. If Inquisition can take the positives from its predecessors and avoid the pitfalls it could be a great game. Sunset Overdrive Rent – Insomniac is a capable developer most famous for the Ratchet and Clank franchise. This is their first Xbox exclusive and it looks like they are continuing the trend of humor and fantastical weaponry. Fuse was another entry that wasn’t a Playstation exclusive and was ho-hum at best. Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha Skip – Glad to see Capcom making fun of themselves with the title but that’s as far as I’ll get with this entry. This rehash of Dead Rising 3 promises additional options in gameplay but nothing that players haven’t seen before. Fantasia: Music Evolved Skip – Music games are fun during parties, but not anything that I will play by myself on the couch. Dance Central Spotlight Skip – I can’t dance in real life or virtually. Fable Legends Rent – Fable promised to be the fantasy game where you could do anything. It wasn’t. Fable II said that it would fix everything wrong with Fable. It didn’t. Fable III was critically panned and not received well. Fable Legends is for all intents a new IP that happens to share the Fable brand. Peter Molyneux is not involved…maybe that will be a good thing. Project Spark Skip – There have been plenty of games that allow players to create content and their own game. Most of them aren’t as fun to play as games built by actual developers. Project Spark has a large scope, expecting players to create a shooter, RPG or action game. It is a huge promise that I hope they deliver on but won’t contribute towards. Ori and the Blind Forest Rent – This side scrolling platfromer looks gorgeous and has a Studio Gihibli charm, but not much is actually known. Halo: The Master Chief Collection Skip – Old game is old. I have played the Halo series and have no intention of going through it again. Fans will be excited for a chance to rehash the classics before…. Hal 5: Guardians Buy – Halo was responsible for turning the Xbox into a success and the series continues to be a strong performer. Even with the transition to a new studio, Halo is an excellent exclusive in Microsoft’s arsenal. Inside Skip – This game looks like Limbo 2 in all except for name. If you like Limbo, you’ll probably like this. Rise of the Tomb Raider Buy – The rebooted universe of Tomb Raider returns and after the first entry, it’s easy to see why. Tomb Raider is an amazing action adventure game with branching paths, character development and secrets for players to explore. Plus, the definitive edition greatly improved the hair physics. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Skip – This is a gorgeous looking game (on PC) that will be serviceable on the consoles. The Witcher has a reputation for being Skyrim-lite and I don’t see this one going down much differently. Phantom Dust Rent – I have never heard of this property before. Everyone who had seems genuinely excited for its return. The initial trailer was heavy on visuals, but light on gameplay. Tom Clancy’s The Division Rent – This massive action adventure could be an excellent espionage experience or fall under the weight of its own promises. Also, the Ubisoft games are all starting to look and feel very similar to each other. Scalebound Rent – This game doesn’t truly deserve a ranking, it is more of a concept than an actual product at this point. Crackdown Skip – I didn’t care for the first entry, skipped the second and will continue the trend for this one. This game also gets my vote for most overhyped entry that fans will be disappointed with when it is released. Just like Watch_Dogs or Aliens: Colonial Marines. Level Up, Friends!
