Drew Hurley's Reviews
The characters in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 3: New World Order are interesting and the gameplay is decent enough, but this episode again feels like a let-down in some ways.
The God Eater franchise is massive in Japan and it's easy to see why. Those looking for a more dynamic and story-driven hunting game may very well find exactly what they are looking for right here with Bandai Namco's God Eater: Resurrection. The flaws associated with its aged original release are more than made up for by the ground-up overhaul. This is without a doubt a fantastic and fun hunting series that hopefully spawns a lot more releases further into the future.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a hard game to judge, since newcomers to the series will be baffled and even bemused by the overly complex mechanics and the unnecessarily convoluted story that seems to refuse to focus on the interesting parts. That being said, though, Hollow Realization is a great instalment for long-term fans of the series, as it is filled with enough fan-service to keep them entertained for a long time, or at least until the inevitable next one in the line arrives.
Although initially quite enjoyable and filled with aspects that fans of the series will enjoy, the repetitive nature of the game is an absolute killer. The fan service is enough to get players interested, but not enough to keep them satisfied. For those in the audience that just happen to be fans of both Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter, this may be enjoyable in the short term, but, ultimately, Final Fantasy Explorers feels like somewhat of a failed experiment.
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is a phenomenal game, taking the spectacular original and giving it fresh lease of life. Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki's grim and beautiful world is truly a wonder to behold, and this new journey into that world is filled with fresh challenges that will test even the most experienced Souls players. You will die over and over and over again, but the key thing is that you will love every minute of it.
Filled with the series familiar and fun mechanics, The LEGO Movie Videogame is enjoyable for series fans, but ultimately doesn't live up to the fantastic games that have come before it, and once again goes to show that TT does its best work when left to craft original stories instead of adapting existing properties.
Root Letter was on the radar of every visual novel fan out there when it was announced to be getting a release in the West, but it does not live up to the hype. The story starts strong and then peters out into a mess and the writing is simply awful, the fun characters being the only real saving grace. The gameplay mechanics feel like shallow approximations of better titles, and, ultimately, this quickly becomes a considerable let-down.
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is the most ambitious and enjoyable Dragon Ball game to date, but it still has a way to go. The combat could be smoother and the loading screens leave a terrible impression. That being said, for hardcore Dragon Ball fans, this is a must-play filled with plenty of elements perfectly aimed at that sector. There's also an absolute ton to do here that will keep anyone busy for a long time to come and, as if that wasn't enough, Bandai Namco has already announced six months' worth of DLC, containing characters and stories from the recent (and superb) Dragon Ball Super. Look forward to getting hands-on with Goku Black and maybe even Super Saiyan Rose…
There are few players out there that will fully appreciate this title, a crossover of two rather niche properties, with little to elevate it over the numerous other instalments in the series. The repetitive nature of the quests and the huge amounts of exposition are very off-putting. Hardcore Hyperdimension fans will already be picking this up, and long-time SEGA fans will find plenty of references to keep them entertained, but the core game leaves a lot to be desired.
This feels like the natural successor to Senran Kagura. The ecchi elements of Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni will be a deal breaker for many, but doesn't mean there isn't a quality game beneath the T&A. The combat is dynamic enough to make for addictive play, the story is decent, and most importantly of all, the fan service is fantastic. There are some problems—repetitive gameplay, long loading times and translation issues being chief amongst them—but they aren't noticeable enough to overly mar the final product.
One of the most surprising gems of the year. Every part of Dragon Quest Builders is a real joy, filled with the sort of addictive gameplay that just seems to make the hours disappear. While the hardcore Minecraft fans may consider this as sacrilege, this feels superior in many ways. The Dragon Quest style, the RPG elements, and the entertaining story, all elevate it over its progenitor. Absolutely superb.
Yomawari: Night Alone on PlayStation Vita is a brilliantly refreshing return to the iconic Japanese horror game, and it's a real joy to see it get localised here in the UK. Horror aficionados need to pick this one up and when better than just in time for Halloween? Get some good headphones, a pitch black room, kick back, and let this special adventure take you on a journey, but don't forget to keep a torch nearby, just in case...
Whilst this episode is something of a let-down, it at least sets up enough plot points that could deliver quality episodes yet to be released. Oswald and his shadowy partners in the Children of Arkham have their big plan to unveil. The relationship between Bruce and Selina, between Bruce and Alfred, between Bruce and Harvey… everyone knows what's coming there! The next episode will hopefully pay off on many of the threads Telltale is setting up.
Mount & Blade: Warband is a very niche title that requires a great deal of time invested to actually get to the enjoyable parts. It's also filled with flaws that are hard to overlook, the graphics look horrendously dated, the combat controls are clunky, and there's so much repetition here that it will put off the majority of players. A certain subset of players will adore what Mount & Blade: Warband offers, but those that do will likely enjoy this more on PC.
This is easily the best Skylanders title to date, although Crash alone makes it that! There is some fantastically entertaining stages and solid gameplay, along with plenty of originality to keep the series fresh. It's always a risk with toys-to-life titles that it will rely too much on extra purchases, but that is not the case here, as Skylanders Imaginators contains enough content and replayability to make it feel value for money without having to resort to buying more toys. Hopefully, the adventure packs will prove to be just as good value.
Anyone who doesn't enjoy Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness clearly needs to get their Hue checked. The story is enthralling and compelling, with enough routes and flags to warrant replays. It manages to add more depth to the characters and universe, which were already well developed, and is a better accompaniment to the superb first season of the anime than the movie or second season. There have been some phenomenal Visual Novels over the years, games like Steins;Gate, Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series, so there's no higher praise than to say this is easily on par with those gems.
After the terrible previous entries in the Sonic Boom series Fire & Ice manages to look superb in comparison, but, on its own merits, it's simply a good game… and there's nothing wrong with that. Not every title has to reinvent a genre or break the mould. This is an enjoyable 2D scrolling platformer that has the added benefit that may introduce some new players to "The Fastest Thing Alive." It may not be perfect, but it's fun and certainly one of the best Sonic games in recent memory.
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death starts quite positively and is very enjoyable up until around the third or fourth tower. At this point, the combat starts to feel like a chore and there isn't anything new added to keep the adventure interesting. Even post-game is disappointing for this type of title, and it all just ends up feeling quite unsatisfying. That being said, with this type of niche title, the loyal fans will certainly enjoy it. MeiQ is one worth picking up for dungeon crawling RPGs enthusiasts out there that have exhausted all other options, but not really for many other gamers.
This is all that Duke Nukem Forever could and should have been. A nostalgic blast, with gameplay that is fast and fun, comedy which while cliché actually delivers laugh out loud moments, and a story which is surprisingly engaging. Definitely, one title worth picking up in order to get ready for the upcoming sequel.
To those players who always were interested with the hunting genre of games but couldn't get on with Monster Hunter, God Eater 2: Rage Burst may be the game for you. It's like an "Arcade" version of Monster Hunter, thriving on fast action and fun combat, while still capturing the feel of the genre. It has an engaging story, fun gameplay, and a mammoth amount of content - perfect for anyone searching for a game to really sink their teeth into.