Sunset Overdrive

Despite launching in 2014 as an Xbox One exclusive (eventually arriving for PC), Insomniac Games’ Sunset Overdrive is still a classic that deserves more recognition. Its humor may not be for everyone, but the bombastic style and presentation, over-the-top combat and fluid movement, which would go on to inspire Marvel’s Spider-Man, all combine seamlessly. Coupled with an open-world playground littered with stuff to do and a compelling story, it’s a shame that more people didn’t play it.

Prey

Arkane Austin is dragged for Redfall, rightfully given its quality, but also because of its previous effort, Prey. As a reboot of the Human Head Studios’ FPS, it’s an immersive sim with a unique sci-fi setting and moral consequences from the perspective of one Morgan Yu, stuck on the Talos 1 station. Unfortunately, despite its well-designed environments, nuanced gameplay and frighteningly intelligent Typhon enemies, it failed to really make an impact sales-wise. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the genre’s best.

The Evil Within 2

You have to give credit to Tango Gameworks. Following the reception to The Evil Within, it returned to the drawing board and crafted a sequel superior in almost every way. Better graphics, more memorable sequences and terrifying scares, vastly improved gameplay and a story continuation that made us care more about protagonist Sebastian Castellanos and his family. Of course, as the story goes, it saw underwhelming sales and faded into the background. On the bright side, at least the developer bounced back and saw massive success with Hi-Fi Rush.

Days Gone

Bend Studio’s Days Gone is an interesting case – it sold millions, but many never tried it out until it came to PC and was offered free on PlayStation Plus. Its critical reception also left much to be desired, especially considering the high bar of PlayStation exclusives. Those who gave it a chance found a compelling open-world zombie shooter with interesting activities and an intriguing protagonist (despite some horrendous writing in sections). Fans still lament what could have been following reports of a proposed sequel being canned.

Nex Machina

Nex Machina is the final hurrah to Housemarque’s arcade shoot ’em ups and bullet hell titles (or so we thought at the time). A twin-stick shooter that combined elements from Robotron and Smash TV, even bringing on original designer Eugene Jarvis as a creative consultant, it offered gorgeous voxel graphics and fast-paced, intense action. Critics may have embraced it, but the sales said otherwise, leading to Housemarque famously stating that “Arcade is dead.” Fortunately, it didn’t stray far from its roots when it delivered the acclaimed Returnal for PS5.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

With all the high-profile exclusives on the GameCube, from Metroid Prime to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, it’s a miracle that various third-party titles stood out. Silicon Knights’ Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem sadly wasn’t quite there, despite combining a long-running horror saga with multiple protagonists with an innovative Sanity system that messed with player perception in a fourth-wall-breaking fashion. Even with rave reviews for its story, mechanics and scares, it never received as much attention as the genre’s greats. Hopes for a sequel were buried long ago, but when it comes to compelling horror stories in video games, Eternal Darkness is still one of the greats.

Oxenfree

All these years later, and even with a sequel, the original Oxenfree remains as compelling and unique as ever. The story of Alex, who ventures to Edwards Island with her friends, alternates between teen drama and compelling supernatural mystery with incredibly well-written dialogue. Even better is the dynamic dialogue, allowing one to respond however they wish, leading to different results (and endings). Memorable stories come and go in the games industry, but Oxenfree’s deserves to be highlighted more.

Jusant

In this era of climbing games, where many emphasize the difficulty and frustration that comes from falling down on all that you’ve ever known, DON’T NOD’s Jusant hits differently. Despite its post-environmental disaster world, it offers a relaxing and meditative vibe as you scale a mysterious rock and attempt to piece together the history of its residents. With responsive controls and interesting platforming challenges that never get frustrating, Jusant is a remarkably chilled-out time.

Stories Untold

You probably heard of No Code for their work on the upcoming Silent Hill: Townfall, but horror adventure Stories Untold remains their most memorable work. It’s a surreal experience, seemingly starting as a series of standalone episodes before connecting incredibly. With unorthodox mechanics, including the player playing someone playing an old-school PC adventure game, Stories Untold is unlike anything else out there.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Falcom’s Kiseki series has always been considered an RPG series with a lower budget, but it made for it with strong characters and writing. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky exemplified this best, introducing us to a fantasy world with airships and magic (but in a more grounded fashion). As Estelle Bright, players embark on a journey to become a full-fledged bracer, joined by Joshua and encountering all kinds of characters and occurrences along the way. Despite a slow start, the first game offers an amazingly realized world, a solid battle system with challenging fights, and an incredible soundtrack that’s still memorable

Mad Max

Another post-apocalyptic open-world title that didn’t quite land with several critics, Mad Max was still a strong adaptation of the source material. Players scoured the wasteland, engaging in vehicular battles while scavenging for parts, but ventured on foot to interact with various survivors and infiltrate strongholds for some solid beat ’em up action. Despite how monotonous the environments could get, it was still worth checking out for fans.

CrossCode

With its 16-bit style visuals and addictive hack-and-slash combat, CrossCode is already one of the best action RPGs few have ever played. However, it also offers a massive world with dozens of hours of gameplay, a great story that plays with established MMO tropes, and one of the more well-written protagonists out there. Coupled with a fantastic soundtrack, it’s a wonder that CrossCode doesn’t have more players.

Tacoma

Gone Home from Fullbright understandably isn’t for everyone, but Tacoma, a sci-fi title focused on rewinding and reviewing conversations in an abandoned space station, is definitely worth checking out. The conversations in question occur via Augmented Reality, leading to the exploration of different spaces at different times of the recording to piece together what happened. It’s an engrossing mystery and a solid adventure title that deserves more attention.

Vanquish

While everyone talks about Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising and NieR: Automata, PlatinumGames’ Vanquish is nearly forgotten. It’s a shame because despite the corny story and voice acting, it offered a new take on cover-based shooting, with rocket-powered sliding encouraging one to reposition quickly. Slow-mo allowed for more precise shooting while memorable boss fights and scenarios added some style to the proceedings.

As Dusk Falls

Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, and some parts could have been better, but as a narrative title about two families inspired by the likes of Fargo, As Dusk Falls is an intriguing adventure from INTERIOR/NIGHT. Players make decisions at different moments, causing the plot to branch extensively, and every little choice and QTE has an impact. With solid acting and writing, its story is begging for a continuation and an expansion of the unique presentation.

For PS5 players, action hack and slash title Soulstice will be available. PS4 players can look forward to Tacoma, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Killing Floor 2. A game trial for WWE 2K23 will also be available, though this is more than likely exclusive to PS Plus Premium.

It’s worth noting that several other titles like ELEX 2, Redout 2, MX vs ATV Legends, PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay, My Friend Peppa Pig and DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace for PS4 and PS5 are mentioned in a recent PlayStation Access video. You also have The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition, Lonely Mountains: Downhill, Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, A Hat in Time, Carto, Forager, Dodgeball Academia, The Wild at Heart and Thief coming to PS4.

Classics coming to PlayStation Plus Premium include Killzone: Liberation for the PSP and Worms and
Herc’s Adventure on the PlayStation One.

Rainbow Six Siege

Ubisoft’s tactical first person shooter may have had a rough launch but its hand animations were fairly good and have only improved. Watching Operators set up barricades, manage different weapons and bashing through obstacles is still enthralling after all these years. The animations behind abilities have become more imaginative as well – just watch Iana activate her Gemini Replicator, which manifests a holographic version of herself to control, or Oryx who busts through walls without a care.

Layers of Fear

Though not the most innovative horror game by any means, Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear was significant. Following the studio’s failure with Basement Crawl, Layers of Fear presented a complete shift with its mature storyline and macabre atmosphere. As such, the game showcased Unity’s power in twisted settings with excellent fidelity, creating disturbing sights at a decent clip.

We’ve had a string of months where some excellent titles have been added to the Xbox Game Pass catalog, with both March and April seeing some strong games joining its ever-growing library. May is looking similarly exciting, and offers a number of great games. Of the eight games being added, the most notable is Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, which is probably among the best stories and single player campaigns you’ll find in a first person shooter.

Chucklefish’s recently released turn based strategy title Wargroove also joins Game Pass. With solid gameplay, a decent campaign, and excellent creation tools, it’s a great game regardless, but at the price of free, it’s an absolute steal. Also part of the new games is Fullbright’s excellent science fiction adventure title Tacoma, while Paradox Interactive’s unique simulation game Surviving Mars joins the library as well.

Deck13’s Soulslike sci-fi title The Surge is also coming to Game Pass, while the recently released Xbox One version of the MMO Black Desert, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and strategy RPG For the King are included as well.

You can get the details on exactly when each of the eight titles joins the Game Pass catalog below:

• Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – May 2
• Wargroove – May 2
• Surviving Mars – May 9
• Tacoma – May 9
• Black Desert – May 9
• For the King – May 10
• The Surge – May 16
• Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham – May 16

Fullbright’s Tacoma released in August 2017 without too much fanfare in spite of being a compelling mystery set in space. If you missed out on it or haven’t been sure of taking the plunge, then you’re in luck. The Humble Store is currently offering Tacoma for free on PC.

The only real catch is needing an account on the site and subscribing to the Humble Bundle newsletter. Also, supplies are limited, so grab it now- or before March 24th. This also isn’t a Steam key, but a standalone installer for the game without DRM. Simply download the files, install them, and enjoy.

Also available for Xbox One and PS4, Tacoma focuses on the player venturing into an abandoned space station to seemingly investigate the disappearance of its crew. Players will discover different events through audio recordings, scrub back and forth through scenes to uncover secrets, and much more. It’s a short experience, but worth checking out – read our official review for more information.

In this feature, we’re going to take a look at what we feel have been the fifteen best adventure games so far this generation. Given how many of these there are to choose from, missing out on a few great ones was unavoidable on our part, so if one (or some) of your favourites got left out, let us know in your comments. With that out of the way, let’s get this started.

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

Adventure games are largely the domain of indie developers or studios with smaller budgets, but not exclusively so- David Cage and his team at Quantic Dreams have been making masterful adventure titles for several years now. And with Detroit: Become Human, they truly hit the ball out of the park. With a story that was meaningfully branching, choices and consequences that truly made the player stop of think, and excellent setting, and some of the best visuals we’ve ever seen in any video game, Detroit: Become Human ranks among the best of the best of this genre.

Gone Home developer Fullbright’s newest game Tacoma, which launched last year on Xbox One and PC with strong critical acclaim, will be heading to the PlayStation 4. It’s out on May 8th and will feature a new mode called Developer Commentary Mode.

In this mode, players can hear how the different team members brought the experience to life. From how the Tacoma station was built to constructing the different augmented reality scenes and crafting the audio, there’s quite a lot to learn about how the game came to be.

Tacoma is the story of Amy Ferrier who is hired by the Venturis corporation to enter the abandoned station and retrieve the AI within. From there, she learns about the events that took place and what became to the crew. If you pre-order the game for PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store, you’ll receive a 20 percent discount. Check out our official review of the game here or watch the announcement trailer below.

Forza Motorsport 7

Loot box controversy and VIP bonuses notwithstanding, Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport was yet another awesome racing simulator. It took everything we loved about the series – the wide selection of beautifully rendered cars and tight track design – and added dynamic weather for surprisingly competitive results. The Forza Driver’s Cup was the campaign mode this time and it offered the usual range of showcase events, races and challenges.

The divisions restricted you to a particular class while the open series allowed for greater diversity in selection. Combine this with detailed car customization options, excellent presentation and the ability to tailor the difficulty to your liking, and Forza Motorsport 7 stands out as one of the best racing simulators on Xbox One.

Halo Wars 2

It’s hard to sell someone on a real-time strategy game for consoles. The Halo Wars series has been pulling it off somehow but Halo Wars 2 is a different beast. It’s been developed by The Creative Assembly and 343 Industries as opposed to Ensemble Studios. Taking place after the events of Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2 reunited us with the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire who awoke from cryo-sleep to arrive at an Ark and battle a new Brute faction called the Banished.

With a fairly solid campaign that streamlines many of the complications of RTS titles to allow for faster paced action, Halo Wars 2 also made an impact with its multiplayer modes. The wide variety of units to control along with their leaders, the addition of Blitz that combines collectible card game mechanics with strategy, and Firefight for some sweet PvE action made for some highly entertaining gameplay.

Tacoma

From the developer of Gone Home, Tacoma is also a narrative-based adventure title with plenty of mystery. As Amy, you board the Tacoma space station and unravel the events that took place under the eye of Venturis. What happened to the crew aboard the station and how does the AI ODIN play a part in all of this?

The magic of the game isn’t in the performances or writing of its characters but in how their stories are told. Amy views augmented reality data of each event and can rewind, fast forward or pause moments to glean more information. You might discover Clive’s boyish love for E.V. or miss Andrew’s more emotional moments with his son. The various plotlines unfold in a natural manner and despite the fairly linear nature of it all, Tacoma presents an intriguing story that should be experienced.

Super Lucky’s Tale

Microsoft has never really been known for its platformers. We’ve had successes like Ori and The Blind Forest but Super Lucky’s Tale was an indication that mascots could thrive on the Xbox One as well. The story itself focuses on Lucky, the protagonist, being sucked into a magical book to battle a posse of evil cats. One of those is a ninja who employs Mew-shu and wants to test Lucky before fights can actually take place. The hijinks only escalate from there.

In terms of evoking the nostalgia of old-school platformers, Super Lucky’s Tale isn’t as successful as A Hat in Time or even Yooka-Laylee (and forget about being in Super Mario Odyssey’s league). But it’s a colourful adventure with some fun abilities and challenges to overcome. That’s all we can ask for in this day and age.

Cuphead

Have you ever played a game that felt so much like a tribute to so many different mediums while still establishing its own identity? Cuphead was a mash-up of Fleischer Studios animation, spicy swing music blaring with trumpets and big drums, and the old-school difficulty of run and gun platformers. It was dripping with charm but would it be too niche for its own good?

As it turns out, it wasn’t. Cuphead was pretty flawless in its approach with awesome boss fights and tough but fair stages brimming with cool enemies. You wouldn’t think a platformer this tough could garner such universal love but Cuphead did and made it look easy.

Winner: Cuphead

Studio MDHR’s Cuphead has always had our curiosity and attention. The animation style almost felt unreal. The difficulty was apparently brutal. What was this strange game that was exclusive to the Xbox One (and would later be confirmed for Windows 10 and Steam)? How could it possibly stand up to Sony’s juggernaut of exclusives? Why was it constantly delayed?

Cuphead didn’t have the biggest budget – in fact, Studio MDHR’s founders had to mortgage their homes to complete development. It didn’t have the most forgiving difficulty curb. However, it had an identity. It had something which so many games today lack and that’s heart. Cuphead stood on its own and burrowed deep into our hearts like Mega Man, Mario, Shovel Knight, Metroid and many other platforming greats before it. To that end, it’s our pick for 2017’s Best Xbox One.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

Fullbright Entertainment’s newest game is Tacoma, an adventure game that they have just released for PCs running Windows, macOS X, and Linux, as well as for Xbox One, one that tasks you with making your way through what seems to be an abandoned space station. We’ve seen the game for quite a while now- and now we get to play it at last.

Given that it’s an adventure game, progress through the game is actually not that difficult. But maybe you get stuck and need help (there is no shame in that). Or maybe you just want to see a full fledged playthrough of the game. No matter why you are here, we’re here to help. The video below is a full fledged video walkthrough of Tacoma, with the ending, too.

Now, naturally, that means it has spoilers. Which, in turn, means you need to be careful to not skip ahead of where you are in the game- or be okay with getting spoiled. We good? Okay, let’s go.