River City Melee Battle Royal SP is not tough, but rather a big stinkin' BARF! Hopefully this misfire has not damaged the Kunio legacy and maybe one day it will get another chance at redemption. The presentation here was top notch and one of the best looking entries in the franchise. It is too bad it got wasted on such a boring and uninvolving brawling game.
The plot is not as epic as some other LucasArts adventure games, but it really doesn't need it. At the end of the day, it's a story about a guy who is on the run and wouldn't give up his wheels... Somewhere there is an heir to a major company, too. Full Throttle Remastered gets the highest compliment an adventure game from 1995 could get: it did not need to be remastered. It is a pretty short game, which wraps itself up at breakneck speeds at the climax, but it is definitely a ride worth taking at least once. Best to play it in the classic mode and take in the atmosphere from a bygone era. Some parts are a bit of a pain, but it is all worth it for the ending.
For $19.99, The Disney Afternoon Collection is a tad steep, but these games tend to fetch much higher prices individually on a NES cart. Capcom did go through the effort of boss rush and time attack modes to make them somewhat more enticing for people who might just emulate these, so there is some effort here. The real draw of this compilation is the nostalgia they exude to transport the user to a simpler time, or for gamer parents to share something from their childhood with their own children. It is very likely that one day when the license expires, Capcom and Disney will have to remove The Disney Afternoon Collection from PSN and Xbox Live, so anyone with even a passing interest with these games really should consider downloading them. With the exception of TailSpin, the games here have aged pretty well and show why Capcom has been around for so long.
Little Nightmares goes for about $19.99 (digital) and for that much the game is pretty much worth it. Once the game begins, it is easy to be hooked and enthralled all the way to its conclusion. From an artistic and design standpoint, it is one of the most creative looking games around, and pulls off the whole demented doll house look perfectly. On Xbox One it may not be the smoothest running game, but it is still perfectly playable. Not a long or challenging game by any means, but Little Nightmares does manage to make a lasting impression.
Kamiko costs about $4.99 and can be beaten in under an hour. Visually, it is nothing impressive or interesting... There are far better looking pixel art games out there on the Switch, such as Blaster Master Zero. The core mechanics aren't broken or anything, it is completely serviceable, but it just lacks anything of interest to make Kamiko worth any time at all.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a fine example of the Metroidvania sub-genre. Depth-wise, it does not quite reach the heights of Guacamelee or Strider, but it far surpasses the likes of Xeodrifter. Momodora's strengths lie in the action and its charm. This is a fairly bite-sized affair when compared to the competition, but it is a bite worth trying. With all the basics set in place for such a polished and well-crafted entry, hopefully Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight will get a successor that expands on such a strong foundation.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is Capcom's little survival horror that could. With so much contention about this entry being in first-person and the complete lack of returning protagonists, many felt wrongfully disgruntled about this truly innovative and expertly crafted survival horror that plays the way classic Resident Evil would play in the current generation. The developers finally figured out what made Resident Evil tick, and they did it by taking a long and introspective look at the most beloved entries in the series and putting a new spin on them. PSVR and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard together is by far one of the most successful experiments since Resident Evil 4.
The Nonary Games is a collection of two examples of some of the best visual novels available. Expect a riveting mystery full of interesting and layered characters, and even some diabolical puzzles. Whilst Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors is clearly the game that got the most attention for this compilation, it doesn't mean that Virtue's Last Reward is the lesser of the two... 999 just needed it more and it pays off beautifully.
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ is the most updated console version and features two-player co-op. With both Joy-Con, there is a lot of game here to play with someone friendly. With over 10 endings and a seemingly endless amount of unlockable content/features, expect to get far beyond 100 hours logged in. For its price, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ pretty much has it all and more thanks to the Switch hardware. For some it may become a grind, and others may never be able to get past Edmund McMillen's wonderful sense of humour. Those who get beyond those quibbles will have one of the most addictive and creative indie games in their pockets and on their TV.
In spite of all the odds against Yoko Taro's career, he has finally created a true masterpiece that delivers on all fronts that includes gameplay. Environmental detail aesthetics lacking aside, Nier: Automata is an unbelievable game and one that just might make even the most stone cold-hearted gamers well up into a weepy emotional mess. This is a landmark in storytelling in games that is one that embraces the fact it is a video game and does not try to imitate film in the way most story driven games do. Nier: Automata is bold and weird without being pretentious, but most importantly it knows how to be a fun video game thanks to masterclass action game design.
A wasted opportunity. Some decent graphics and a couple of engaging puzzles aren't enough to save Dying: Reborn. The overreliance on safes, keypads and combinations highlight the developer's lack of imagination. This feels like a step backwards from the older low-fi titles from Konami and Capcom, who figured out how to make interesting and fun puzzles in horror games. While this version of Dying: Reborn is a better buy than the PSVR edition, it is not better by much.
2Dark is mostly a triumph for Gloomywood. It is impressive and refreshing that a skilled user could play a survival horror stealth game that can be completed without killing anyone. Sure, sometimes accidents happen and a kid dies a horrible bloody death, which can lead to both horrific shock and bemused laughter... at the same time no less, but that is the weird and wonderful tone of 2Dark. Inane inventory system and difficulty spike aside, this is a very interesting and free-form survival horror that dares to be a little different. A humble little game that really tries its best to get people to invest in saving children and be heroic with no shred of irony.
Blaster Master Zero is a brief and faithful successor to Blaster Master. This may not be as hard as the NES game; it has modern conveniences like checkpoints and save files as it slavishly pays lip service to the classic. It does Sunsoft justice and perfectly captures that distinctive Sunsoft sound that they were known for in the NES generation.
Dying: Reborn VR is a waste that does manage to have some okay visuals and a couple of interesting puzzles that are completely undermined by a lack of smooth turning that ruins the experience. It may be fine for those who don't mind turning at set degrees, but everyone who likes smooth turning should not buy this game at all. It doesn't help that the PSVR version is $9.99, which is, at its core, a feature that should have been in the standard game. Lasting at about two hours, Dying: Reborn VR is just not a worthy purchase for any PSVR customer.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a guilty pleasure that is best digested in small doses. It's really entertaining to savagely murder dozens of enemies with such a large weapon in a single swing, but with such simplistic combat and generally unaggressive enemy forces, the novelty wears thin after a while. On one hand, it can be a great entry point for those who have been curious about the original manga and anime, but at the same time, this is also a fairly dumbed down telling of these stories and characters. Long-time berserk fans will be excited to hear that the story does go further than the "Golden Age" arc (an overly represented arc) and actually has extensive story that goes into the "Falcon of the Millennium Empire" arcs. Any Musou fan already knows if they are interested in Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, but this is not the grand Berserk game Guts deserved.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a noble effort by Double Fine to give Psychonauts fans something to whet their appetite until the actual sequel comes out. Their attempt was misguided. Most of the game is hopping from host to host with a little puzzle here or there, of which none are ever challenging. With PSVR having a small install base and the steep pricing model for the game, it's not likely anyone will be getting sucked into Rhombus of Ruin. Just wait for the sequel.
Flying Bunny is a humble game with a modest price. Depending on if anyone wants a Flappy-style game, they likely won't do better than this. It manages to hit all the marks to excel in its genre, and even has a robust amount of content. Really, the only thing holding it back is the flat, cold and cheap looking Flash-style graphics. This is a fun mobile game, but it is stuck on a PlayStation 4.
If Lethal VR has any real faults, it is in its absurd price. With around only 30 missions, which can all be beaten in about an hour, there is just not enough content to warrant the asking price. However, what Lethal VR does, it does well. The game shoots straight and doesn't falter... It just doesn't have many rounds in the barrel.
The Hatsune Miku phenomena will likely continue in spite of Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live. Barely there gameplay won't make barely there skirts compelling enough. This still manages to be a fine, if pricey, VR experience, since the effect is quite marvellous. Shaking a controller is just not really a long-term plan to make an engaging or precise rhythm game.
Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live's second stage is great for those who want to go to a concert without the effort of getting up or leaving home. It is certainly cheaper than the price of actually going to a Miku concert and has more songs to choose from while the show is on. If there is one thing Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live does do well it is simulating the concert-going experience.