Heavy's Reviews
As a playable teaser for Bright Memory: Infinite, Bright Memory sadly underwhelms. Some of its default control methods feel unwieldy, your foes take far too much damage to put down, and the completion time tied to it is extremely short. While its combat mechanics and graphical output shine, the litany of issues present within Bright Memory will keep you from enjoying yourself for too long. Here’s hoping that Bright Memory: Infinite irons out all the kinks and realizes its full potential in 2021. You might be better off watching a playthrough of this teaser and waiting for the full release instead of ruining your hype for it by playing this disappointing first episode.
As a remaster, this one falls a bit below today’s standards in two key areas. The graphics don’t look that much better than they did back in 2010. And the unchanged open-world free roam option is still a total waste of time. Hot Pursuit Remastered has a ton of fun things to do and feels great when it’s time to hit the road. It’s just a bit of a letdown when it comes to its graphical enhancements and the fact that its longstanding issues remain intact.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon largely succeeds at moving the series forward in a bold new direction. Kasuga and his band of unlikely heroes are incredibly interesting and make it so easy to care about their crazy antics. The new main locale is massive and plays host to so many compelling things to do. Getting wrapped up in everything Like a Dragon has to offer is worth it and you’ll easily pour 30+ hours into its captivating tale. The turn-based battle system works in parts, but its annoying character placement issues and faulty summons system keep it from being a total victory. Like a Dragon is still worth hopping into if you’re looking for an amazing parody of RPG tropes, however. It’s a Yakuza sequel that signals a bright future ahead for the beloved franchise.
All in all, DiRT 5 excels as an arcade racer that feels like a natural evolution of DiRT 3 and DiRT: Showdown.
The game’s demanding difficulty can definitely increase one’s salt levels, though. Some of the game’s latter stages and all of the Flashback Tapes fall into the realm of overly punishing at times. But Crash 4’s high fun and replayability factors will keep you in the race, even in the face of the game’s toughest challenges. This fresh Crash adventure is just too damn fun to pass up and stay mad at.
NBA 2K21 does the bare minimum in most areas, but it still offers the best (and only) basketball gaming experience on the market today.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is another shining example of Activision’s dedicated effort to properly revive its most beloved IP’s. Vicarious Visions not only improved upon the first two games’ visual and audio aspects but it also threw in a wealth of modes and changes that make it approachable for both past and modern-day gamers.
Marvel’s Avengers is still worth a recommendation and looks to be even more worthy as it throws free DLC at players over time.
Battletoads is a short yet incredibly varied and jolly adventure.
EA Sports UFC 4 attempts to right the wrongs of past entries and succeeds in the process. This sequel’s career mode is a far more enjoyable endeavor now that the Fighter Evolution and relationship systems have been added to its proceedings.
Fairy Tail came out of nowhere to deliver a worthwhile RPG that rises above the usual mediocre material tied to anime games.
Disintegration’s fresh take on your usual FPS is fully realized in a single-player setting, yet its unique gameplay doesn’t feel all that fun in a more competitive setting.
Streets of Rage 4’s awesome presentation, fun combat, and clever Easter Eggs for series fanatics still make it worth a recommendation.
This game is a must-play.
It’s crazy to fathom that a Musou game is far better than it has any right to be in this day and age of more complex action game experiences. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 makes itself approachable and worth sticking with for the long haul thanks to an incredible use of its source material, a huge cast of characters to master and the type of mission structure that offers tons of fun in small/large doses.
DOOM Eternal is an adrenaline shot of pure, hyper-intense action that will constantly keep you on your toes.
My Hero One’s Justice 2 feels less like a sequel and more like a DLC expansion. Fans of the source material will likely enjoy what’s being offered here but be let down by the lack of the game’s evolution.
One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is a complete waste of a great manga/anime property. Instead of creating a worthwhile game for the series in the vein of a fun action RPG or spirited beat ’em up, fans are instead treated to a lame arena fighting game.
Arc System Works has produced another great anime fighter that does its job of bringing in beginner fighting game players and showcasing Granblue Fantasy to a larger player base. Its graphics are amazing, its orchestral soundtrack is pleasing on the ears, and its deceptively simple combat mechanics offers a limitless serving of entertainment.
A few extra quality of live improvements would have made this collection even better, but it’s still worth a pickup in its finished state.