Justin Celani's Reviews
As I sit here and think about my time with Mantic Burning Racing, I do so with a little bit of mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s extremely fun, easy to play, and hard to master. The progression of gaining gears and XP to upgrade cars is fun and addicting. The online portion seems like it would be a blast to play, but sadly there has never been any players I’m able to find online at the same time, a shame though there is also local play if friends are visiting. Just the lack of variation in visuals for tracks and the repeating soundtrack really put a damper on my otherwise fun time. Still, Mantis Burn Racing is worth the time for arcade racing fans.
It’s a Zen like experience for me in that it’s relaxing, therapeutic, and just easy to lose track of time in. No bosses, no time limits, no artificial difficulty, just farming. I’m completely OK with that.
For the price of entry and the type of game Exiles End is worth a look from fans of the genre. It’s got decent atmosphere, controls fairly well, and provides some fun exploration and fighting. It’s just not nearly as good as those that came before it, take it or leave it. I want to like the game more than I do, but getting endlessly lost, questioning my progression, and the weak start left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Though I feel folks are paying half for the game and the other half for the experience. A cheaper price would have definitely given it a bit more legs. As it stands, it’s a great showpiece for VR tech at launch.
I can’t say I loved Pixel Gear VR. It works well enough and the shooting mechanics are fun, yet with the limited enemies and levels, I felt the repetition hitting fast and hard. It was the bosses that made me continue to work my way through each of the waves as they were the highlight of my time. The pixel effects of blocks exploding and the visuals work well with VR, but with the short playtime, lack of variation or substance of levels, really brings down the experience.
I have been having a great time with Ginger Beyond the Crystal, warts and all. It’s got a lot of little issues or oddities, but it hard charm and heart, and at the center of it all is a decent platforming title.
While the game isn't super hard, there can be some tricky moments of knowing when to best save up your energy, heal, or attack. Nothing too troublesome for a RPG vet. The sticker system for bonus stat perks, trapper keeper live cover, and the various special attacks from a moon walk glove to a transformer semi, are fun to use and to see.
Ashes of Ariandel is a good time for those looking to give themselves an excuse to boot up Dark Souls 3 again, as if that is even necessary.
I felt there was very little content here to keep me coming back, other than the novel feeling of the bow and arrow, which is absolutely amazing in fact. Aside from this and maybe the visual style, I don’t see a huge reason I’d return to it, especially if other games adopt this bow and arrow feel. Yet at the same time, I can’t complain, it’s a simply game with colorful graphics and is appropriate for players of all ages. Just don’t expect it to kill hours of time.
Job Simulator has a personality of its own, and that’s what sells the experience. Its lighthearted, extremely silly premise works wonders with its presentation and core gameplay. It’s just not something super deep, and that seems to be a fairly common issue with most of the VR games I’ve experienced so far. Yet at the same time, this was one that gave me the most chuckles and it’s one that’s just as much fun playing as it is watching someone else do these menial tasks.
Thumper is one of my favorite games this year, simple yet challenging, visually stimulating, and excellent sound use. Easy to play, hard to master is the familiar phrase that comes to mind. VR only adds to the experience, but even without that added element, the game shines
Brookhaven is a fun place to visit. It can be a bit traumatic for some players, or scary even. I was more tense than scared, but it accomplished what I feel the devs were going for. A simple, yet fun new experience for PS VR players. It’s easy enough to grasp the concept, hard to master, and provides unlockables to work towards. It’s not super deep, but for the prices and the new VR concept for most PlayStation players, it’s worth taking a look into. I have no doubt that a game like this might wear out its welcome 2 to 3 years into VR, but as a starter, it’s worth your time.
Vermitide is a great co-op experience. It's fun alone and competent enough to play through, but with online folks or friends it's even better, and where the experience truly shines.
While the gameplay, levels, and locations are something that everyone will experience by the end game, how players build their towns and help the townsfolk is what will give each person their unique experience.
Zenith is a game I wanted to enjoy more, and there are plenty of times I did have fun, but the combat was the most un-fun and unfair aspect of the game, and that’s what players will be doing the majority of the time.
Is there anything I liked about my time with this game? Hardly.
I overall enjoyed my time with episode 4, but as I mentioned earlier, it just feels like each game offers a different experience. Not that this is a bad thing, but the gameplay and what to expect just sort of feels all over the place.
A game for those that want nice, quick, and brain stumping challenges at home or on the go.
XCOM 2 is a fantastic experience, and one that retains all the elements that the original release on consoles brought while adding more. The setting for the story is fun, the idea of moving the mobile base around the world is interesting, and I had a grin almost the entire time I was playing the game. Head to head multiplayer is there also for those bored once the campaign is done, but the meat of the experience is the single player for me.
Aragami is an experience that I found mostly enjoyable with its gameplay quirks, and almost nailed it fully. Its biggest deterrent is the performance on PS4, which just isn’t good. There are times it runs decent, but throughout the various chapters there are problems that continue to crop up, which pulled me out of the experience. Platforming and stealth via shadow warping is fantastic, and doing a complete level in stealth is as rewarding as it’s been in other games. Aragami just needed to run smoother and the experience would have been one stealth fans shouldn’t miss. As it remains, it’s one that needs some serious consideration with its major flaw.