Grand Kingdom features a vibrant and charming art style along with a surprisingly well implemented multiplayer mode. However, the lackluster story and repetitive combat that sits at the very core of the experience holds the game back from greatness.
For the 15th anniversary and the first Digimon game to be released in the west in over seven years, the fans deserved better than the localization effort put forth here. Still, despite these issues, the core gameplay remains strong and stands as a fun game to play- just not to read.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a game about moments. Encountering a brand new monster, obtaining a powerful weapon or when a Drake crashes your goblin slaying party with a storm of hellfire- all moments that are memorable and fun to experience. The issue is that getting to those moments are oftentimes an absolute slog of tedious stamina and weight management, battling the same group of wolves and bandits for the thirtieth time.
Overall, Nights of Azure is a rather unremarkable ARPG that just happens to have a gorgeous art style and a fantastic soundtrack. Even though it's not likely to become the new flagship franchise for the developers at Gust, it's a solid attempt at a new genre and a good distraction until the next Atelier title releases later this year.
Playing ATTILA has taught me that this is a series that has a lot going for it. The scale of the battles, the depth of the seemingly innumerable mechanics all point to well-crafted title, but if I were to never play a Total War game again, I'd be perfectly fine with that.
I just wish that it could have been on the definitive version of the game.
While it didn't blow my mind or redefine just exactly what puzzle games meant to me, it was solid, albeit unspectacular puzzle experience that I'm sure the fans of the genre will enjoy.
While Like a Dragon: Ishin! Might not be the strongest entry in this venerable franchise, its emphasis on weapon combat and an interesting take on historical characters and events makes it one worth experiencing all the same.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a solid foundation for a new IP with fluid combat and fun exploration but fails to topple its spiritual predecessor due to oversimplification of customization and a lackluster PC port.
Fire Emblem: Engage falters as a follow up to what I consider to be the best the series has to offer thus far. However, despite its failings with its lackluster story and characters, the deep customization and enjoyable combat makes it one well worth experiencing anyway.
However, for those who haven’t, it’s a solid title jam packed with content, and while the characters and humor will be very much a point of contention, it’s worth checking out all the same if you’re into JRPGs.
As a brand new IP, Ghostwire: Tokyo shows a lot of promise with its strong animation work, solid combat and interesting world design, but it falters along the path to the finish line with a story arc that feels rushed along with an excessive use of typical and tired open world game design tropes.
Even though the lackluster combat is a major detractor in an otherwise great return to form for the series, it doesn’t ruin the experience either. Despite being on hiatus for so long, this release proves that there is life left for the series, and I for one can’t wait to see what’s next in store for the world of Sakura Wars.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus makes a great first impression with its stellar visual flair but falls a bit short on the gameplay department with simplistic combat mechanics and a story mode that becomes boring a little too quickly.
In a bid to move the series forward towards a new direction, Atelier Ryza presents a new exciting combat engine and one of the best takes on alchemy yet, but falters with its plodding pace and a cast of forgettable characters.
Despite the lack of challenge and somewhat underwhelming story, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying the fast paced combat, and as I continued to experiment with different weapon types and skill loadouts losing countless hours, I knew the niche that God Eater has carved out for itself is most certainly well deserved.
There really isn't much to say about the MMX Legacy Collection. Given my fondness for the series, I'm always happy to have more people discover the pure platforming bliss that most of the series offers and while there certainly is value in keeping things faithful to the original, I would have much preferred a collection of true remasters as it would have gone a long way to justify the asking price.
There really isn't much to say about the MMX Legacy Collection. Given my fondness for the series, I'm always happy to have more people discover the pure platforming bliss that most of the series offers and while there certainly is value in keeping things faithful to the original, I would have much preferred a collection of true remasters as it would have gone a long way to justify the asking price.
After waiting all these years, it's absolutely wonderful to see PixelJunk Monsters back once more, but the more I played it, I couldn't help but feel a looming sense of disappointment at the lack of content and new ideas. It's a game I hoped to love but walked away only liking, and that's a shame for what is a follow up to my favorite tower defense game of all time.
A fighting game featuring characters from multiple beloved series I've come to adore through over a decade of fierce competition should have been nothing short of a dream come true. However, reality has a bad habit of encroaching on all precious dreams, and while the final product plays well enough, it stands not as the glorious celebration of Arcsys fighters history but instead as bittersweet reminder of what could have been.