Jamie Briggs's Reviews
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii delivers a Majima-centric adventure with over-the-top pirate flair and a likeable cast of characters. I can confidently say this instalment provides the best combat in the series, with Twisted Metal-style ocean battles and exhilarating hand-to-hand combat. Despite some forgettable villains and slow ship-based exploration, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is genuinely fun and makes me crave more Majima games in the future.
"Dragon Age: The Veilguard delivers a good action-heavy RPG, with moments of greatness buried in the second half of an extremely lengthy and linear opening. Veilguard does very little to revolutionise the RPG genre, and at times it feels like an RPG simply following the standardised template of what an RPG should be. But does that make it a bad experience? No, it just provides a less memorable adventure when compared to its genre counterparts. I could see Dragon Age veterans absolutely loving what Veilguard has to offer, but I can also see many players abandoning their adventure due to the extended linearity of its opening."
When Neva’s combat system, memorable soundtrack, and gorgeous visual style all come together to enhance the moment-to-moment gameplay, Neva is simply stunning. It utilises each and every sense to intensify the world on screen, and due to that, Neva isn’t merely an artistic expression; it is a true interactive work of art. The game does falter by not capitalising on some creative concepts, which feels like a missed opportunity to create some memorable puzzle platforming. Neva’s overarching story of a world suffering from decay is provocative and relevant, but those core themes take a backseat to what is essentially a powerful story of a relationship between a parent and their child, or in this case, a warrior and her wolf.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is an incredible game, that implements many quality-of-life improvements to the Persona formula, while enhancing that experience to create an exceptional fantasy RPG. Metaphor delivers a captivating and memorable villain, with a lovable ensemble cast, and brilliant soundtrack, all of which work together to craft a compelling fantasy adventure.
Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer is the perfect narrative conclusion to this incredible adventure. Each character gets time to shine, as deep and meaningful themes are tackled effectively. Aigis is an endearing character and her transition into narrative lead works incredibly well, with an emotional send off that will leave Persona 3 fans very happy. However, I found the repetitive aspects of exploring the Abyss of Time quite noticeable, which left me wishing the expansion was condensed further to avoid the unnecessary padding of completing each dungeon.
Even without the PlayStation references, delightful cameos, and iconic imagery, Astro Bot would still be considered one of the best 3D platformers ever made, but with all these lovely additions scattered throughout this charming adventure, it becomes something even more special. While I cherish those childhood memories of playing Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, it brings me joy to know that current players will now be able to cherish their own incredible memories, all due to the masterful adventure Team Asobi has managed to develop.
Emio: The Smiling Man – Famicon Detective Club delivers a gripping, genuinely creepy and intriguing detective themed adventure, which will satisfy both adventure and visual novel fans. The mature subject matter feels fresh and unique, especially for Nintendo Switch owners looking for a more adult experience in-between Nintendo’s usual family friendly titles. While some minor technical issues and a forgettable soundtrack do hinder the overall experience, Emio: The Smiling Man succeeds in providing players with an enthralling detective story, which will leave a lasting impression.
Nobody Wants to Die delivers a memorable noir-inspired detective adventure set within a captivating cyberpunk setting of New York City. It features brilliant writing, fantastic characters, and intricate world-building. While the gameplay aspects become quite repetitive, discouraging replayability, there is a memorable adventure here that some players will absolutely enjoy.
After finishing the Paper Mario remake, I envy those who were able to play the original release, as I can only imagine how happy those original fans would be with the Nintendo Switch release. TTYD offers the best Mario centric story I have ever experienced, with brilliant writing across the entire 30+ hour adventure. While some unnecessary backtracking and fairly easy combat do hinder the overall experience, it’s hard to play TTYD without a smile on your face due to the magnificent soundtrack and sleek visuals.
Dave the Diver is full of heart, with a charming lead character, and a cast of memorable characters. The gameplay loop of catching fish and then serving them to paying customers is truly addictive, and as the game constantly introduces new mechanics and abilities, nothing ever feels stale. Developer Mintrocket has introduced a plethora of gameplay mechanics, options, and side activities to enjoy, so many in fact that I feel I barely scratched the surface of what players can experience. Dave the Diver is a jack of all trades, and a master of most.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU tells a powerful story of loss, that despite some predictable moments, leaves an impactful and lasting impression. The voice acting throughout the adventure is sublime, with uniquely epic music, and some gorgeous environments. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU does show glimpses of platforming potential, but an inconsistent camera hinders the experience from rivaling the great platformers it is obviously inspired by. Combat also has brief flourishes of excellence, before shielded enemies arrive and cause issues during chaotic battles.
Pentiment was developed by only 16 members of the Obsidian Entertainment team, which is truly mind-blowing, especially when considering the incredible amount of depth found within its world and cast of characters. Pentiment’s main selling point is its story, and, in this regard, it absolutely delivers. This is a fantastic story with brilliant twists, historically relevant themes, and great writing across the entire 15-hour journey. Pentiment is also very pleasing on the eyes, with a truly gorgeous hand-painted 2D style. However, Pentiment lacks in many other areas, with a lack of gameplay features and a mostly silent audio experience.
The Brothers Remake allows new players to experience an incredible story, one that will stay with you for many years to come. It also gives fans of the original release an excuse to re-play Brothers with improved visuals, additional tracks, and for many, their first chance to experience this adventure cooperatively. However, this is not a Remake that updates or alters any other elements. The story (thankfully) and gameplay mechanics are faithful to the original release, but the major selling point of this Remake, is the visual upgrade. For me, I was satisfied with the visual upgrade, but other fans may find the lack of extensive changes disappointing.
P3R is an incredible game in its own right, and it is an experience that has encouraged me to venture back to the original release to truly appreciate all the quality-of-life improvements this remake offers. It contains a phenomenal soundtrack, a memorable story with a brilliant cast of characters, as well as the fantastic side stories provided by the Social Links on offer. The turn-based combat delivers high-quality fun to both Persona ventures and new players alike, but exploring Tartarus eventually does become an extremely repetitive task.
Fans of The Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 will find a lot to love from this new adventure, and while it may not rival the sequel-worthy excellence of Persona 5 Strikers, it is an enjoyable experience for all comers. The tactical gameplay elements are challenging and interesting enough to provide tactical veterans with some difficult encounters, while it also provides an approachable and enjoyable offering for tactical newcomers. While the visuals can be a mixed bag, the music is downright brilliant and helped intensify battles and emotional moments. The narrative is fantastic, and Erina and Toshiro are equally memorable, but if you haven’t played the original Persona 5 adventure, go play that first before playing Persona 5 Tactica, and I guarantee you will appreciate this experience a lot more.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is magnificent and will become the new standard for the RPG genre and what it can provide players. It delivers a fantastic main narrative, an incredible cast of loveable characters, a nuanced number of choices and side quests, alongside a satisfying/challenging combat system, with a brilliant soundtrack and sleek visuals. Even the aforementioned issues of companion following, and late game crashes hardly hinder what is a true gaming masterpiece, and my current frontrunner for game of the year 2023.
Under the Waves tells a powerful story that will resonate with many, and also offers a beautiful under water environment to explore. Despite some repetitive mission structures, an occasional annoying camera, and some underutilised gameplay features, Under the Waves is an experience that narrative-driven fans will truly enjoy diving into.