Attack of the Fanboy

• XONE
• États-Unis

December is the perfect time of year to release a winter sports game as the temperature is dropping and snow is starting to fall in many parts of the country, and Steep transports players right into the Alps themselves for a wintery experience. The recreation of the mountains looks fantastic and it is a lot of fun to traverse them using the four different sport options, but unreliable input controls and many buggy moments are a steep hill to overcome to classify Steep as a great game.

• XONE
• États-Unis

Final Fantasy XV had quite a lot to live up to after so many years, and while it may have taken a decade to get here, the journey was worth the wait with this phenomenal entry in the series.

• 3DS
• États-Unis

• PS4
• États-Unis

• 3DS
• États-Unis

Many Dragon Ball games from over the years have been criticized for playing it too safe, but Dragon Ball Fusions definitely tries something very new, even if it doesn’t all work to perfection. While the flying feels very awkward and the unique fighting system can take awhile to get used to, the abundance of available fusions and lighthearted nature make Dragon Ball Fusions a genuinely fun experience.

• VITA
• États-Unis

Games based on Sword Art Online have done a good job at recreating the style of the anime in the past, though each having their own flaws. While this is mostly the case with Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, there is no doubt that this one is the most fully realized version of the series in game form yet. The combat is well designed and the worlds feels more expansive and alive than ever, but the pacing with the story and overabundance of dialogue prevent Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization from taking the series to the next level.

• 3DS
• États-Unis

• XONE
• États-Unis

Trumping the first in nearly every way, Dishonored 2 is at the very top of the list of “must play” first-person action games in 2016. Causing bloody chaos or sticking to the shadows, Arkane gives players the tools to run wild in this new world. This brand of gameplay combined with a beautiful presentation and plenty of customization leads to fun playthroughs of Dishonored 2 whether its your first time or your fifth.

• PS4
• États-Unis

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is chock full of content. The campaign, multiplayer, and zombies modes all add up to a game that will keep you playing for hours. These individual modes might have their faults, with the campaign being particularly skippable if you just want that base action gameplay. The multiplayer remains true to its roots, even with the big shift in setting. And Zombies is the highlight of the experience in a lot of ways, offering a great co-op experience. All together, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a winner. It just might not be the biggest winner the series has had.

• PS4
• États-Unis

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 had a lot to live up to for fans of the franchise after the success of its predecessor, which Dimps has mostly managed to do. Even though the overall structure of the game is not a radical change from the first, the mix of movie villains really has helped to provide a fresh take on the classic story to go along with a number of other little improvements. While the game may not be for everyone, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 offers yet another satisfying experience for Dragon Ball fans that is not one to be missed.

• PS4
• États-Unis

Skylanders has now been around for six consecutive years and it doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down with Skylanders Imaginators. The core gameplay is still a lot of fun and the level of customization with the new Imaginators is quite impressive, but a few bonehead decisions like the locked battle classes on Creation Crystals and a lack of any major gameplay changes surrounding the actual Imaginators prevent Skylanders Imaginators from taking the series to the next level.

• PC
• États-Unis

• PS4
• États-Unis

Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is a fantastic package that any Tomb Raider fan will adore. The main story is possibly the best that the entire series has offered yet, and the sheer amount of additional and worthwhile content both inside the main game and outside of it with Expeditions is staggering. The series’ future may have been in question a few years ago, but it now finds itself standing firmly with the best that the action-adventure genre has to offer.

• XONE
• PC
• États-Unis

Gears of War 4 is exactly what you’ve come to expect a Gears of War game to be over the years — an impressive visual showcase in the campaign, with the accompanying competitive and cooperative modes to keep you busy long after the credits roll. The Coalition may have chosen to optimize the look and feel of this game over adding new mechanics to the gameplay, but perhaps we’ll see more variation when the inevitable sequels roll in. The story was little blunt for my taste, but then again, the story of Gears of War has never been the star of the show. After so long though, a little more explanation as to why we need to be invested in this new branch of the story would’ve been the icing on the cake. With rock solid multiplayer and Horde 3.0 to fall back on, Gears of War 4 has plenty of value if you delve into all its modes. Its good to finally see a new Gears of War game on the Xbox One. The wait has been long, and now we’ve seen that the wait has been worth it.

• PC
• États-Unis

• PS4
• États-Unis

While created for fans first and foremost, Dragon Quest Builders serves as not only a love letter to the long running series, but also as an excellent introduction for newcomers to this wonderful franchise that is definitely worth checking out.

• XONE
• États-Unis

The sports game genre’s toughest task is to make consumers feel a need to buy each year, so an incremental upgrade can often not be quite enough. FIFA 17 was already coming off one of the series’ best outings in awhile, but with features like the The Journey mode and the even more realistic Frostbite engine, EA Canada has once again given players a reason to buy the game yet again with FIFA 17.

• XONE
• États-Unis

Hands-down NBA 2K17 offers the most authentic, best looking, best playing hoops game on the market today. This year’s game doesn’t disappoint on that front, not one bit. Its multitude of modes and gameplay refinements make it worth picking up for basketball fans. Digging into its deeper modes, however, like My Team and My Career can be frustrating due to design decisions that have obviously been used to push players into spending more money once they’ve stepped through the front door. The good news is, you don’t have to play these modes to enjoy NBA 2K17. There’s plenty to do, both online and off, that allow you to avoid the VC grind.