Donald Theriault


127 games reviewed
73.1 average score
75 median score
53.7% of games recommended
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Sep 12, 2019

A lot of my interest in Ai was due to the writing talent: though he's done things since, this is the first post-Zero Escape project from Uchikoshi that I've had the chance to play. I definitely want to see where Ai is going next, and just hope that the experience is a little smoother when it goes wide.

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Pillars of Eternity's reputation for quality is well deserved. It's definitely worth checking out, whether on other platforms or when the Switch version is fixed up. For now, the version on Nintendo's latest is an interesting curiosity with some pretty heavy issues. And it's not the first time I've seen that phrase used in relation to an Obsidian-developed game published by another company.

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Jul 24, 2019

They've addressed a few complaints about the game, especially in handheld mode for me, which is pretty impressive for a year and a half turnaround between games. If the initial load and maps themselves weren't so long as to make it a chore to play in bursts, this could be an all timer. It's not a general, but sometimes you need staff sergeants.

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Jun 3, 2019

The end credits for the 3DS started rolling on March 3, 2017 and Persona Q2 is basically the post-credits scene. And it's a good scene that really makes me hyped to hopefully see more of the Persona series on Switch in a fashion besides musou and Joker in Smash. For now, make sure your 3DS is nice and stable, and start mapping those dungeons.

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Apr 22, 2019

Dark Arisen has some of the most unique systems in modern RPGs, and great combat to go along with it. It’s a great adventure, and if they can improve the loads after the inns it’ll be essential.

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3.5 / 10.0 - Our World Is Ended
Apr 17, 2019

Little things in the text set off my editor senses. The plot quickly derails and is so overbearing with the focus on fanservice that I wanted to scream. Maybe PQube should try again with the Judgment 7 version next year, but I'm not holding my breath for it.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Baseball Stars 2
Mar 27, 2019

Baseball Stars 2 is a solid contender for now while the Super Mega Baseball series avoids starting its service time clock.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Fate/Extella Link
Mar 19, 2019

With the big Nintendo-related hack and slash franchises (Fire Emblem and Hyrule Warriors) already present on Switch, the Fate/EXTELLA titles don't usually get a lot of attention. But the Fate series is sneakily popular, largely due to the popularity of the Grand Order mobile game, and fans of Fate will find a good time here. For everyone else, your enjoyment of Fate/EXTELLA: LINK will largely depend on your tolerance for anime stereotypes.

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Feb 18, 2019

Steins;Gate is already one of the most dynamic visual novels, and the added anime cutscenes of the Elite version makes it worth exploring. If you can handle a main character who is extremely delusional and doesn't have a filter… you're probably comfortable dealing with me. Either way, Steins;Gate Elite is the best pure visual novel we've got right now.

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” I had several of the PS3 entries, including the remake of Symphonia, but they all ran together, so I tended to float away from them after 5-7 hours. Tales of Vesperia is the first Tales game that I've put significant time into since the original PlayStation, and frankly the Switch has made it so I can't finish super-long RPGs without some sort of portability. If you're looking for a jumping-in point for the series, Vesperia is the way to go.

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Oct 23, 2018

Since Into the Breach hit at the end of August, there has been a barrage of quality strategy games on the Switch, so it can be tempting to skip Valkyria Chronicles. But don't do it. It's a brisk game, and there are some things like the graveyard for fallen troops that I wish were carried into future titles. War may be hell, but Valkyria Chronicles is a little slice of heaven.

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On paper, The World Ends With You would have been perfect for a Switch adaptation, and it still could be. There hasn't been any indication of post-launch updates to fix the controls, but in a less cynical view we can be glad they're not selling Another 7 Days as a separate expansion. But Final Remix is something rare: the Switch port of a classic game that would have been better served happening on 3DS if they wanted to replicate the original experience.

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Sep 10, 2018

Valkyria Chronicles has had a rough go of it since its initial release. Although the remastered version of the original sold well, the second game was divisive and the third was never localized. Don't even get me started on the Revolution side game. But with Valkyria Chronicles 4, the series is back and everyone needs to enlist.

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8 / 10.0 - Hand of Fate 2
Jul 19, 2018

The original Hand of Fate was a game I had heard a lot about, but never got around to. The Switch is encouraging me to go back and pick up a lot of these titles, and this is one worth grabbing a hold of. Just be sure to watch the cards and choose your battles wisely, and you'll have a tale that will live on through the ages.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Lumines Remastered
Jun 26, 2018

The demand for puzzle games on a system that can be played anywhere is always high, and Lumines Remastered is a shining example of what the Switch can do with them.

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May 17, 2018

I suspect I'm not in the audience that Cast of the Seven Godsends is targeting. I think speedrunners will get a lot of mileage out of this game, and if you somehow managed to enjoy Super Ghouls and Ghosts back in the day take the Cast out for a spin. As for me, I'm moving on to less painful pursuits, like sorting out E3 rumors.

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8 / 10.0 - Rogue Aces
Apr 25, 2018

Rogue Aces does a fine job of balancing randomness and giving agency over the flights, and it definitely doesn't deserve to be buried by the wave of eShop releases every week.

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7 / 10.0 - Clustertruck
Mar 20, 2018

My personal frustration with Clustertruck shouldn't take away from the game. Landfall and tinyBuild made a good game, even if there were times that I thought they'd owe me either a Switch or a TV. And I had plenty of occasions in which I nailed a tricky series of jumps or managed to overcome a tough level and felt amazing. The run eventually comes, and if you can tolerate not knowing when that is, Clustertruck could be for you.

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Mar 9, 2018

Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo is a good first attempt at a loot mech game from Arc. I think some of the issues could be worked out in a sequel, which coincidentally - or not - launched just after the Switch release of Operation Tokyo. It plays well on a handheld with the short missions, just pop the volume down a bit and move the headphones over to something else.

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Mar 9, 2018

Although Magical Drop III isn't at the top of the Switch's tier list of puzzle games - Puyo Puyo Tetris and Ironcast are fighting for that spot - it's still a high-tier product. Even if you'll want to punch that stupid raven after losing for the 35th time, you'll want to try again. The Neo Geo wasn't really known for puzzle games, but this is the best that system had to offer.

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