The definition of niche visual novels. It's easy to see that there is probably a demographic for this story and its geeky exploration of trains, but the slow pacing feels wrong. The exploitation of its childlike characters, mixed with a lack of a choice system means that this is very hard to recommend, even though the technology and artwork is commendable.
A game dripping with cool intrigue and style marred heavily by bad level design, bland hordes of enemies and awkward systems. Fate/Extella will still appeal to many but in this case, it feels like failed potential. To have started with an awesome, stylish, uncommon RPG to being diluted into a simple hack and slash title. This "Warrior-ising" of franchises is slowly wearing down the existence of more unique games. Disappointing.
A flawed port that struggles to overcome mediocrity in its implementation, and that suffers from a lack of multiplayer, leads to a less than stellar experience. Star Wars Jedi Outcast is purely saved by its solid level design, and fan service. There are probably better options if you want a good TV experience, but nothing can beat this port's portable experience, which is in all honestly its saving grace. Recommended for fans looking to take it on holiday, and a near miss for fans looking for a Star Wars title worthy of being played in the big screen.
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS-Force is not a bad game at all, the setup and premise is pretty simple, the characters interesting, and the designs colourful. It is by no means the prettiest title on the PS Vita, but a smooth framerate makes up for that factor. If a long term Gundam fan picks this up, a good amount of content with a fulfilling set of lore can be expected, but for anyone else, it may just fall short of greatness.
Bedlam is great fun, fast-paced, challenging, and humorous. The bugs that exist just now will hopefully be fixed during its Early Access period on Steam. Therefore, problems aside, Bedlam's story and gameplay should keep the interest going right up to the end. Bedlam has huge potential, but is unfortunately not quite fulfilling it at the moment and is simply a fun-yet-average shooting game with a quirky story.
Overall Pixel Heroes: Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic is an interesting game. It brings a very familiar concept to the table and then randomises its attributes until it becomes something different, a less generic RPG with significantly increased difficulty. Its sense of humour, and fun systems and visuals make it well worth picking up for anyone in the market for a turn based RPG, or those who enjoy a bit of traditional tabletop dungeon crawling. For most, the jokes will mostly hit and will stave off the boredom factor, but for those that don't like referential humour, maybe steer clear of this title.
Now That's What I Call Sing 2 is very good at doing what it set out to do. It's a very fun and engaging karaoke experience but there comes a point where it needs more options. The accuracy of the game for sensing the voices is fantastic and there is potential for DLC songs that cover the older Now That's What I Call Music CDs. The variety of modes, challenges and the visual and audio quality of the videos is enough to make the game thoroughly recommendable as a party experience - just be wary that the music won't be to everyone's tastes.
Solar Shifter EX is a fun and dynamic shoot 'em up that embodies the genre and adds a little something unique. It's a well thought out romp with plenty of great moments but it just misses out on greatness. No doubt this is an amazing effort from a one-man team and it will provide fans with plenty of challenge.
A unique experience is to be found in Not a Hero. The elective journey through waves of opposition just proves how fun a small title can be and the added content provided a little extra for those who are yet to pick up the title on other platforms. While it has a few minor faults, they don't overshadow the experience, and it is a thoroughly commendable run and gun platformer.
It's easy to see why those who have a nostalgic link to Day of the Tentacle might enjoy this remaster a lot. It's full of character, the new visuals are like playing an interactive cartoon, and the voice-acting is pretty great. Unfortunately, the puzzles and characterisations might fail to gel with a modern audience despite the visual and audio representation. Far from a bad game, but it will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea.
Goat Simulator is a bundle of fun. Its baffling lack of polish and crazy misdemeanours are so charming and, in all honesty, hilarious, making this hard to put down... initially. Playing it with a friend will provide a couple more hours of entertainment, and could liven up a party a little if it needs an ice breaker. That said Goat Simulator is a lot of things and in the end it will wear thin. A fun romp but only while it lasts. In the words of its creators, you'd probably be best to spend your money on something else, if it's not on sale.
King's Quest: Chapter 2 - Rubble Without a Cause is ultimately a good experience, but for a game with only two chapters so far, the drop in length is a concern. The writing is still good when dialogue sequences take place, and the humour is excellent for the most part, although the length and atmosphere really bring this chapter down.
This may look like a harsh score, but it is hard to justify Never Alone's price tag when it is plagued with buggy gameplay and the story is shorter than Halo 4. The game is commendable for its goal and what it achieves in terms of raising awareness on the Iñupiaq culture and stories. In conclusion, Never Alone is a wonderful story and concept that is unfortunately wrapped in a slightly off, but still fun, gameplay experience.
If you are invested in FFXIV, this DLC will probably excite and please you. It's a fun but forgettable romp that runs just the wrong side of boring during its hours-long retelling and bland A-B mission style. If this tickles your fancy, be sure to start and play with a team of friends - it will easily be 10 times more enjoyable, if infinitely longer.
A very solid and fun Lego game that tries to undo some of the more tired series trends by offering up a more interesting and varied style of humour, deeper puzzles and fighting mechanics but most importantly being less buggy. It's really a great title, and though some fans may find the gameplay still a bit stale, anyone who gives it a shot should find plenty of fun to be had and lots of value for money.
Slime-san is a blast through and through. From its normally tight and fun controls, the fantastic atmosphere built by its unique visuals and fun music, there is very little it does wrong - some of those things could be put down to player error. The bite-sized levels and variety of modes, power-ups, plus the amount of content, means that not only is this perfect for those wanting quick retry-based, semi-rogue-like levels, but also those who want a host of varied and interesting content - it really offers bang for your buck, so its thoroughly recommendable to those who enjoy the genre.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is great. The strong visuals and story are complemented well by the gameplay. It should be satisfying for both fans of the gameplay style and fans of the Berserk franchise, and still approachable enough for fans of neither to enjoy. The only downside is that Warriors games' signature gameplay can lead to fatigue in long play sessions. It's a solid and polished game that is definitely and easily recommended to all.
Worth the price of admission the Cities: Skylines - Natural Disasters DLC offers extra depth to a game that was already quite engulfing. It enhances the experience by upping the excitement factor and by offering players the ability to play God. This is easily recommended to those who already own the original base on Xbox One.
Despite the cumbersome controls, weird unresolved stories, and confusing interface, The Silver Case provides a really intriguing and unique gaming experience that, once the mechanics are learned, is a joy to behold. Its enticing tale of murder, insanity, and more, really shines through via the interesting characters and beguiling narrative style. This remaster has brought the old cult classic to life and introduced Westerners to a real treat that looked like never coming to realisation. No visual novel library would be complete without The Silver Case in it.
Chapter 4 of King's Quest has some great standout moments, and fantastic characterisation and script, with an almost unpredictable plot twist, which keeps players in suspense until just before the very end. Due to the slightly repetitive nature of the puzzles, it's likely some people will get bogged down, but the payoff at the end is definitely worth it, especially back in the present with its "subtle" foreshadowing. There is a lot of fun to be had with this, and it can be thoroughly recommended to those who are playing through the series.