Seriously, what a joy! This game reminds me of some of the earliest phone games that hit the sweet spot between being very simple and very addicting, and I mean that in the best possible way. Kabuto Park isn’t the type of game you really sink your teeth into, and it never tries to be, but sometimes rather than a full meal, all you need is a snack to go along with your summer vacation. If you are looking for a short and sweet game that runs on good vibes and repetition, definitely pick this up.
Man, this one hurt me a bit. I was really hoping I’d love this game more than I did. And it’s not like I hate it either! The characters and story in Tales of Berseria keep me extremely engaged, but the actual gameplay part annoyed me deeply for so long that I couldn’t fully forgive it. Is the game much more fun by using the exp bonuses and the option to just turn off encounters? Oh yes, tremendously, but I just can’t feel good about the solution being “just don’t play this part; it sucks” rather than some more positive changes. It’s a remaster, people, come on! It has been 10 years! If you have already played and enjoyed the original Tales of Berseria, this doesn’t have anything new to make it worth your while. If you are a new player like me, I’d never suggest playing the original over this version.
You know how I said that Wander Stars feels like an old anime? I mean it, with everything that it entails. How many of those have had pacing issues, weird storytelling decisions, and so on? These old shows aren’t perfect, but that comes with trying new things and eventually finding their footing, and above everything else, Wander Stars feels like a truly earnest story. It looks and feels like it was made with love, by people who had a lot of fun with it, imperfections and all, and I love that. Many old anime shows are imperfect products of their time, but the imperfections make them memorable in a whole new way. Wander Stars feels a bit like that to me. It’s not an incredible game, but I enjoyed my time with it as much as I did watching my favourite shows, filler episodes and all. I was very much engrossed in the adventure of Ringo, Wolfe, Canela and Ax across the stars and if there’s ever a sequel, I know I will be there, hoping to encounter those wandering stars once again.
God, this game is awesome. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance felt like the dream mixture of a Devil May Cry game with a beloved Saturday morning cartoon’s theatrical movie. The story and characters are so over the top, covering ninjas, private armies, yokai, death itself and all sorts of crazy shenanigans and ... it just gets the blood pumping! It’s not perfect, but it’s awesome. In some ways I feel like it could have been ambitious enough for an even higher score – a little more time given to the story and characters in between the incredible gameplay may have pushed it further, but it didn’t truly have to. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is as awesome as kids in the 90s thought ninjas were, and more. Sega may be old, but between this and Crosswords… they proved that they still got it!
I have never had a bad time playing a Shantae game, and I am happy to report I did not start with this one. In a world of ever more complex games that leaves behind some of my favourite classics like Mega Man, Shantae always delivers the great platforming fun that I love. To me, Shantae games have become synonymous with fun, rock-solid platforming goodness. WayForward has never disappointed me, as even the worst Shantae game is still solid, with a respectable baseline of expectations, and I will always be looking forward to another adventure of my favourite half-genie.