Action Games

It was today in 2006 that we received one of the most iconic of Marvel interactive experiences, allowing us to put our dream teams of heroes together to brawl against evil villains throughout the universe in Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

It was on this day in 2001 that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive released Grand Theft Auto III. More than just a good game, it effectively set the stage for all 3D open-world games going forward.

Mafia III's biggest strength is the ambitious narrative developer Hangar 13 has chosen to explore. At a time in our own lives that eerily echoes the world of Lincoln Clay's New Bordeaux, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn from this story. It's smart and engaging, and challenges players to think about their perception of the world when tasked with walking in the shoes of someone the world is clearly against. At least, that's true for the most part. Once you start bringing murders and delving deeper into the actual gameplay of Mafia III, you'll find there's a disconnect between the game and the story it's trying to tell. You'll also find it's frustratingly repetitive and riddled with glitches.

With a big cast of characters, colorful scenery, fairly clever joke writing, and pick-up and play gameplay, Skylanders: Imaginators feels like a playable Saturday morning cartoon where you can insert your own hero into the fray.

Now back again one year later with a wealth of new content, Lego Dimensions is poised to cement itself as the preeminent toys-to-life game.

When Bully came out today in 2006, it surprised players with its over-the-top tale of a protagonist rising from a rock-bottom background to do away with the scumbags that would terrorize his new school and become the hero of his classmates.

At New York Comic Con, I got to go hands-on with Dishonored 2 for the first time since it was announced. It's interesting how easily I was able to fall back into old habits from the first game despite Dishonored 2 having a number of differences. Most notably, Emily and Corvo have powersets all their own. I stuck with Emily for the duration of my playthrough this time, mostly because I spent dozens of hours with Corvo in the past, but also to see how her abilities freshened up the experience.

It was on this day in 2009 that we entered the world of Eddie Riggs, professional roadie and legendary hero, in Brutal Legend.

It was today in 2009 that Demon’s Souls came to North America, introducing a new kind of action-RPG games that would challenge players to survive brutal, yet rich gothic worlds with the Souls series.

The challenge is well executed here, but the weakness in Hitman’s episodic structure starts to show with how out of place this chapter feels in context with the previous missions.