A trio of exclusives are out, drawing a harsh line between Team Xbox and Team PlayStation. On the Microsoft side of things, the zombie survival game State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition resurrects one of the most beloved downloadable titles released on the Xbox 360. Sony devotees have more to brag about, with a pair of new PS4 exclusives on the market: The multiplayer strategy-fest Brawl and the throwback adventure game Broken Age.
Reviews by Phil Villarreal. Phil is an author, blogger and Twitterer. Publishers provided review copies.
Brawl
(PS4, $15, Mature)
The Bomberman concept gets a MOBA-inspired update in this horror-themed multiplayer slugfest. You choose from among eight slasher-inspired characters and try to off one another with strategically placed traps, laughing as you make your opponents act like idiots while taking the fall. Tight controls and clean, maneuverable levels make for apt playgrounds for the madness to unleash. In the manner of old-school Super Mario Kart battle mode, the game is tailor made for ridiculous and awkward moments.
There are five offline multiplayer modes, but oddly, only two online options. The slimmed-down online structure is no doubt there in order to keep matches populated, but the structure chops away much of the creativity and intrigue packed with the game. This makes Brawl much more of a party game than a serious e-sports entry, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a worthy pickup for those with roommates or have a lot of people hanging around and passing through.
Broken Age
(PS4, Vita, $25, Everyone 10+)
Developer Double Fine thrives in this Kickstarter-funded throwback to 1990s point-and-click adventure games, telling a deep, immersive story while removing many of the structural hangups that plagued the games that inspired it, such as Escape from Monkey Island and Grim Fandango. The story switches back and forth between two characters — a girl who is set to be sacrificed by her village and a lonely boy on a spaceship.
The game was designed for computers but flows nicely onto the PS4 controller interface, with analog stick guiding the cursor. Each screen is filled with things to check out and explore, and there are countless jokes buried within. Dialogue can get repetitive and lame, but almost always works on the first pass. The story is deep, involving and well-paced, and surprisingly emotional. The PS4 edition includes both parts of the game, which were originally released separately. Including both acts in the same package is crucial, because the two parts intertwine to create a grand vision that far surpasses what they are as standalones.
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition
(Xbox One, $30, Mature)
Buy State of Decay: Year One Survival Addition on Amazon here
The undead apocalypse saga, originally released on the Xbox 360 in 2013, drew a legion of devotees for its bleak, survivalist view on life in a world overrun by zombies. Characters spawn with a particular set of skills and attributes, contribute what they can to the effort, then are gone forever after their luck finally turns. The goal isn’t to rescue humankind or turn back the waves of evil flesh, but to scrape together enough resources and shelter to make it through the night. As you play, you generate your own stories, making no two games play out the same.
A graphical overhaul, new missions and combat moves freshen up the game, helping to justify the $30 cost, but it still feels like a simple port rather than a wholesale remaster. The re-release is geared to those who played and enjoyed the first game so much that they refuse to give up their Xbox 360s. A save file transfer feature makes it easy to scoot your original data to the Xbox One, letting you get back into the flow seamlessly. Those dedicated players are essentially paying a second time for the same game, so it’s the newcomers who have the most to gain from giving State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition a try.
