Got a couple of new games last week via Target's "Buy Two, Get One" sale. I also bought Sunset Overdrive (was going to get it from Target, but they were sold out) and Far Cry 4. I haven't had much time to spend with any of these games (that'll change this weekend, as I'm on call, which means I'll mostly be staying in), but here are some brief impressions...
Alien: Isolation (XBONE) - I played maybe the first hour and a half to two hours of this one and it is fantastic. I haven't yet made it to the part of the game where the alien starts stalking you (I've only actually seen the alien once), but even before that it's tense and beautiful with incredible sound design. You're constantly paranoid every time you hear a noise, and the game exploits this by throwing random (but fitting) sounds at you throughout the experience. I'm sure I'll be even more paranoid once the alien starts showing up randomly. The voice acting is solid and the lighting effects are fantastic.
Far Cry 4 (PC) - I'm a sucker for all things Himalayas and, as such, Far Cry 4 does not disappoint. I've only played the first hour or so, but the game is gorgeous. Pagan Min, the antagonist, is perfectly voiced and I look forward to more dealings with him in the future. Aside from that, it's basically Far Cry 3 in a prettier skin. Far Cry 3 was a great game, though, so I don't mind. I'm still really early in the game and haven't gotten to experience a lot of the new features, but auto-drive is the greatest idea ever. Basically you hit a button and the game keeps your car on the road en route to whatever destination you've selected on the map. This means you can focus on other things (like surveying the countryside or shooting at enemies) without having to also worry about staying on the road. It's such a brilliant idea for a game like this that I'm shocked no one has implemented it before.
Sunset Overdrive (XBONE) - As most of the reviews mentioned, this game takes a lot of getting used to. Basically every shooter/action game ever has dictated that you stay on the ground or find the best vantage point during combat. If you do that in this game, you will die almost immediately. It's very unique having to re-learn how to play when you first start up Sunset Overdrive, grinding rails, bouncing from car to car, and just generally trying to stay off the ground as much as possible like it's hot lava. I've only got a couple of the game's many guns right now, so it's hard to comment much on this one. It's fun so far, though.