Az Elias's Reviews
Very few stones have been left unturned to create what is a contender for the best Sonic title ever made. More than just an anniversary celebration, Sonic Mania is full of fresh ideas, balancing its source material and addition of all-new elements to elevate it beyond many other platformers that rely heavily on the same old formulas. It is a great pity that Sonic 4 exists, because no game deserves that name more than Sonic Mania; this is the Sonic 4 you have all been waiting for. The hope now is that it does not prove to be a one-off; a sequel with even more original zones and ideas needs to happen down the line. For now, though, it is a time to appreciate Sonic Mania and the incredible work Christian Whitehead and his fellow developers have done.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a powerful and significant piece of interactive media that, yes, is far from perfect, but successfully puts mental illness at the forefront of the concept, causing its players to come away from the experience contemplating exactly what they have borne witness to, and allows them to better understand the very serious realities that others go through on a daily basis. Ninja Theory earns a great deal of respect for what the team has managed to achieve, but also for respecting those affected by psychosis.
The best Final Fantasy XIV has ever been. Ever moving forward, Square Enix has managed to craft one of the most focused storylines in the game thus far, backed up by exceptional voice acting and a desire to keep quests fresh with great boss battles, characters and dungeons. The main area Stormblood suffers is postgame, where there is little desire to top that subscription back up once the main story and few unlockable dungeons and raids have been completed. Whilst it lasts, though, thoroughly engrossing from start to finish.
Outside of the campaign and options for a single race, there just isn't much here. The eight tracks get old quick, and the online portion is dead - each time this was attempted, there were never any lobbies running. Free updates that include new tracks may extend the life value, and R8 Games has shown commitment to supporting the game since the weeks following its release, but there needs to be more to entice people to stick with it. As it stands, Formula Fusion is an anti-grav racer that looks and somewhat feels like Wipeout, but doesn't have the content and appeal of it.
There should be no reason to miss out on Steins;Gate 0 for anyone who played the first title. It might not have quite the same impact as Steins;Gate, but it succeeds in telling a fascinating story, delving into intriguing and poignant subjects of our time, and excellently developing the characters involved. Whilst it does go on a bit longer than it probably should do, many fans will find this to be a positive, as it's a universe impossible to let go of.
A highly intense arcade shoot-fest, the combination of the talent at Housemarque and the expertise of Robotron and Smash TV creator Eugene Jarvis has come together to deliver another exemplary title in the Finnish developer's catalogue. The faster paced gameplay and tighter areas over that of previous game Alienation pile the pressure on, whilst the strategic edge of trying to keep score multipliers going for as long as possible adds another layer to the bullet mayhem on show. One or two extra levels and online co-op really would have iced the Nex Machina cake, but either way, this is not to be missed by any shoot 'em up fan.
The King of Fighters '98 looks, sounds and plays as great as ever, but there is no denying that its lack of modes that come as standard in just about every other fighter, including later versions of KOF '98, is a detriment to its broader appeal. That said, this is a faithful arcade port of one of the most prestigious fighting games and adds quality to the Switch's early selection of titles.
The lack of stages isn't as big a deal as it sounds, as there is a lot of challenge to be had when it comes to picking up every collectible and mastering Noodle's snakey abilities. Expect a slow-paced puzzle-platformer, but one with a carefully crafted control scheme with levels that take full advantage of this unique set of skills. It won't appeal to everyone, and there will be a lot of frustration involved, but anyone with a penchant for Rare's old N64 hits would do well to check this out.
It seems cramming five games into one has resulted in rather stripped back versions of each main sport when compared to Mario's previous standalone offerings. Most of the charm and range of options to extend the life outside of a few multiplayer sessions is absent, so Mario Sports Superstars ironically ends up as a pretty boring affair, despite the number of events to play. Fine for a few online bouts, especially if lamenting the lack of football or baseball main series games, but don't expect this to occupy the 3DS for long.
Whilst not a lot happens on-screen during tracks, the presentation is still lovely and vibrant, with colours and panels changing and shifting in time with the great range of music on offer. Although VOEZ doesn't really lend itself well to long periods of play, many of the tracks are short enough that it can be played in quick bursts now and then, perhaps unlocking the generic light-hearted visual novel in the process. Comfort is a point of contention, but the concept is so incredibly simple and appealing that just about anybody will be able to pick up and enjoy tapping away to these beats. A welcome addition to the genre and the Switch library.
It is tough to recommend this collection to even the biggest KH fan at its current price tag, because what Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 consists of is one of the weakest games in the series, a glorified demo and extremely short teaser of what to expect in Kingdom Hearts III, and a movie that many may find difficult to care about its characters. At a much lower price, however, this will be worth the investment, as the small story pieces in KH 0.2 alone set the stage and clear some things up. It is visually beautiful, and whilst the controls and combat need work, there is still a solid foundation there for fun and flashy gameplay. Anyone yet to dive into the franchise, wait for the PS4 combined bundle of 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, then pick 2.8 up after it has reduced.
The New Order is a far superior game in many ways, but take Wolfenstein: The Old Blood as a companion piece to its predecessor, and there is still the same great arcade FPS and stealth gameplay here that will satisfy fans of MachineGames' previous entry. It isn't as fleshed-out or exciting as the 2014 title, but it holds up well as its own standalone Wolfenstein game.
Factoring both packs into the overall package that makes up Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone, there is very little to fault in this true arcade rhythm experience. Clocking in at 224 songs strong, the sheer number of tracks is incredible, and the fact so many of them are fantastically addictive is icing on the cake.
Nearly a year on, Street Fighter V still doesn't quite feature the sort of content a modern fighting game should pack in, and this limits the number of casuals and newcomers that could potentially be brought into the scene. Definite improvements have been made in the last twelve months, though, and whilst there is still work to be done and there are some hard-to-ignore graphical issues that dominate screens, if you can add the DLC characters into the roster through unlocking or purchasing, there is no better time to jump into the Street Fighter V ring.
Square Enix Montreal is doing great things with the Go series, and the studio will be making plenty of people happy if it can continue to add to it, hopefully with another puzzle quest for Lara to overcome in the future.
It's a Final Fantasy straight out of the 90s and deserves the attention of every fan of the old-school games. World of Final Fantasy isn't a grand epic adventure, and its main narrative is probably a little too convoluted, but it uses its franchise's history to wonderful effect, blending iconic characters, a simple turn-based battle system, and a monster capturing mechanic that is sure to appeal to more than just Final Fantasy stalwarts to create a genuinely hilarious and enchanting RPG that might not warrant many replays, but fills a void that has been left abandoned in the series for too long.
It's definitely more "continuation" than "sequel," with Trails of Cold Steel II following on from not only the story of the prequel, but also with the already accessible (by JRPG standards) battle mechanics and character customisation features, which prove to work well to add a little strategy to the proceedings. Despite some shortcomings, there is a lot to like here, especially for Persona fans who have become so familiar with the calendar-based narrative and party member bonding sessions that affect gameplay, with a mature storyline that doesn't stray too far from its anime roots, but strikes a perfect balance with its wonderful characters.
It is still hoped that Lara is isolated a bit more in her next quest, as minimal interaction with other characters is where Tomb Raider has worked best, but it has been necessary to shape her personality in this storyline. The rebooting isn't quite there yet, but Rise of the Tomb Raider is sure-fire proof that Crystal Dynamics is on the right track, as the essence of Tomb Raider is alive and kicking here, with plenty of promise for the future. The gameplay mechanics and Lara's determination are more or less solidified, barring an overreliance on the Survival Instincts feature, so now it's just a case of carrying that through into her next adventure and expanding on the already-great atmosphere, freedom and tomb raiding that has been applied in this chapter of Lara's story. There is certainly plenty of bang for the buck in this edition, ensuring PlayStation 4 owners are getting the best deal if they have held out to purchase it.
Oceanhorn is short, easy, lacking in much extra to do after completing the main adventure, and has just one too many faults that hold it back from reaching the heights of the series that has inspired it so heavily. Despite that, it is worth checking out for any Legend of Zelda fan, and could at least function as a stop-gap that might just help pass the time whilst waiting for the next top-down entry starring Link.
It is easy to write Metroid Prime: Federation Force off completely without playing it, and there is no question that it has its fair share of faults, whether it is balancing, tedious and gimmicky missions, and a slow set of opening hours, but there is something here that deserves giving it a chance. Running the campaign solo will not result in the best experience, but this has been designed to be played with other people, and that is when Federation Force is at its best. Previously dull missions become fun when they allow players to focus on different tasks, and there is still a visible effort to ensure it feels like a Metroid Prime game, which also runs well and controls smoothly with the recommended setup of Circle Pad Pro or New 3DS. It may not be the type of game nearly all Metroid fans desperately want, and it may go ignored due to that, but Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a great example of not only how to make FPS work on the 3DS, but how to successfully do co-operative mission-based multiplayer.