Fallout 76
XBOX | PS4 | PC
DEVELOPER: Bethesda Game Studios
PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2018

I waited a long time to play Fallout 76. And when I say that, I don’t mean that I waited a long time for the game to be released so that I could finally play. I mean that instead of diving right in when the game was released, I waited and waited, at least a couple of weeks, before finally loading it up with eyes closed and breath held.

This, of course, is due to the response people have had toward the game. Beginning with the Beta and continuing into the final product’s release, the response has been overwhelmingly negative. So negative, in fact, that it’s been…well, shocking, to say the least. How could a game set in such a beloved world and made by such a beloved developer be so aggressively loathed?

But I couldn’t ignore Fallout 76 forever—as much as I sometimes wished I could (if I don’t play it, it won’t let me down)—so it was time for me wander cautiously into a new wasteland and see for myself what kind of devastation lie waiting for me on the other side.

We Happy Few
Xbox One | PlayStation 4
DEVELOPER: Compulsion Games
PUBLISHER: Gearbox Publishing
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2018

Developer Compulsion Games’ We Happy Few takes place in the 1960s on an island off the coast of England called Wellington Wells. It’s set in an alternate history in which World War II played out much differently. Bad things happened here in Wellington Wells. So bad, in fact, that the island has basically been cut off from the rest of the world.

To help people forget this darkest of times in the history of their home, a drug was created called Joy. It makes everything all sunshine and rainbows for everyone, and helps them to function as semi-normal (at least in their minds) human beings again.

Sea of Thieves
Xbox One
DEVELOPER: Rare
PUBLISHER: Microsoft Studios
RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2018

If you’ve been at all interested in Sea of Thieves, the new shared world pirate adventure game from developer Rare, chances are you’ve read a review or two for the game since its launch last week to see if it’s worth checking out. I’m here to offer a bit of a different perspective on the game than others.

This is a game meant to be played with friends or even total strangers. You join up with others, and set off pirate adventures together. But I’m not someone who often plays multiplayer and co-op type games, unless it’s quick competitive matches in something like Rocket League. I much prefer single-player games I can get lost in without having to worry about what other players are doing. That said I’ve been intrigued by the look of Sea of Thieves since we first saw it, and since there is an option to play alone I simply couldn’t help but dive in head first and see how a lonely pirate might fare.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
Xbox One | PS4 | Nintendo Switch
DEVELOPER: TT Games
PUBLISHER: WB Games
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2017

I’m not even half-way through, but I can tell you that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (developed by UK-based WB subsidiary TT Games) is already loaded with obscure and classic old-school Marvel characters, and that alone, makes it a purchase worth your time and money.

Yes, the gameplay is repetitive and virtually unchanged from any other LEGO TT games; the mechanics go back more than a decade, so it might be time to consider an engine overall for future releases. And yes, there are some frustrating glitches, but the real joy of playing Marvel Super Heroes 2 is found in the breadth of characters and environments. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 does an admirable job of meshing the widely-known Marvel movie universe (including the just released Thor: Ragnarok) with the lesser-known comic book Marvel universe “” specifically, the old-school Marvel U. Fanboys of a certain age (that is, old farts like me) are in for some real surprises.

Call of Duty: WWII
Xbox One l PS4 l PC
DEVELOPER: Sledgehammer Games
PUBLISHER: Activision
RELEASE DATE: November 3, 2017

I haven’t reviewed a Call of Duty game since Black Ops II back in 2012. Hell, I haven’t even played a Call of Duty game since then. Mainly because the series kept venturing further and further into high-tech futuristic settings.

But for the latest game in the series, Call of Duty: WWII, the franchise returns to its roots. So when Activision offered a chance to review the game, I simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to revisit the franchise as it revisited World War II.