The Final Conflict

Final Fantasy Resonance feels like it’s walking a tightrope between being a loving tribute to Final Fantasies past while also taking the series into a cool new direction and telling its own story. Is it going to pull it off? We’ll have to wait and see, but I was very impressed by the hour I spent playing it. From the gorgeous HD-2D aesthetic to the awesome soundtrack and a battle system that can hold its own, Resonance looks like it’s doing all the right stuff.

If Insomniac has proved anything over the last eight years, it’s that they know how to make a hell of a superhero game. Marvel's Spider-Man remains one of the PlayStation 4’s defining action games and a shining example of open-world design, as are both of its follow-ups. Now they’re looking to replicate that magic with Marvel's Wolverine, albeit this time as a traditional linear AAA action game. I got to play about two and half hours at a recent preview event, and while my impressions are mostly glowingly positive, I did come away with a few questions and concerns.

Its bosses are every bit as demanding as those found in a Soulslike, but the journey between them isn't built around constant punishment. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a game that manages to challenge the player without becoming exhausting, allowing the game to shift naturally between moments of intense concentration and opportunities to simply enjoy stylish swordplay.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 seems like one of those lazy Sunday games, where you kill part of an afternoon playing a couple hours with friends. It gets Aliens and understands that forty miles of bad road Cameron envisioned. As a co-op game, it’s not going to change the world. Aliens already did that. But it’s a great excuse to play around in that world again, and I’m eager to see what else LV-558 has in store.

Gaming hardware is more expensive than ever. There’s a few different reasons things are as bad as they are, but regardless of how we got here, there’s no denying it’s an absolutely terrible time to be in the market for a new gaming console or PC. Even worse is the realization that there’s no going back.