Jason Hidalgo's Reviews
Overall, I quite liked my experience with Langrisser I & II. Granted, certain aspects of the game might feel dated to folks used to more modern tactical JRPGs. As someone who remembers playing games like this as a kid, however, those same classic aspects make me feel warm and comfortable — just like slurping a hot bowl of chicken stew. If you’re a fan of old-school tactical games, the Langrisser I & II remake just might fill you up.
Its platforming and minor issues aside, Darksiders Genesis provides a fun hack-and-slash experience that further fleshes out the world’s lore at the same time. The addition of Strife to the mix also provides a nice change of pace over his more serious brethren. If you love Darksiders or are looking for a different take on the Diablo formula, Darksiders Genesis is worth a trip to hell and back.
Cindered Shadows is a nice addition to the Three Houses experience, especially for folks who have played the game heavily and want more or just need some extra variety to add to their replays. The difficulty might frustrate more casual fans and it would have been nice to have more class options for your crew. If you’re looking for an excuse to travel back to Fodlan, however, Cindered Shadows just might be your ticket.
The premise behind Arc of Alchemist’s world and its story is a good one. The implementation, however, could be better and the game feels incomplete due to its uneven combat as well as its awkward interface and systems. Given my affinity for old-school JRPGs and cute character designs, Arc of Alchemist should be a game that I absolutely love. Instead, I now find myself wondering what could have been.
Azur Lane Crosswave is a tale of two games. On one hand, you have the story mode, which features a chunky, entertaining narrative that also doubles as a visual novel with nice art and excellent Japanese voice acting. On the other hand, you have the 3D combat, which starts out promising but eventually feels a bit sparse and shallow. That being said, I still enjoyed my time with Crosswave. It won’t be for everyone. But if you love the lore behind Azur Lane, it might be worth dipping into this pool for the story mode alone.
Nearly four years after its original release, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore holds up well even today. The switch to the Switch, pun so totally intended, feels surprisingly natural even with the loss of a second screen. The first game was criminally underrated so now’s a good time for folks who missed it to experience its unique flavor as well as all the extra post-release content. The game also adds some new features to entice fans who played the game before. In fact, I selfishly want folks to support if that means we get a chance for a Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE 2. Pretty please for reals, Sega/Atlus and Nintendo?
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot starts out with a lot of potential thanks to the addition of RPG touches to the expected fighting mechanics. The adventure portion feels like it was taken out of the oven a bit early, however, and we’re left with a Dragon Ball game that feels closer to what came before instead of being something completely new. If you love the previous Dragon Ball games before this, then Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is another worthy title to add to your collection. If you were expecting a different Dragon Ball game with highly polished adventure and RPG mechanics, however, just falls a bit short of reaching a new power level.
Fallen Order is exactly the kind of game that the Star Wars gaming community needed after Battlefront 2. You have a game centered around you playing as a Jedi, exploring as a Jedi and fighting as a Jedi. It’s something that feels like a no-brainer but somehow got lost in the shuffle somewhere. Throw in the fun combat, solid narrative and nice production values and it seems that the Star Wars gaming franchise just might have a new hope.
As an old-school gamer, there’s just something about Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout that checks a lot of boxes for me. Maybe it’s the game’s colorful visuals and fantasy setting. Perhaps it’s the ability to use alchemy to craft all sorts of gear and items from the materials that I gather from the field. Or it could be its likable cast of characters. Regardless, there isn’t quite anything out there like the Atelier series and Ryza builds on a lot of the things I like about the franchise. Give this game a shot and you just might find your own alchemical romance.
Even with the controversy surrounding Dexit, I still find Pokemon Sword and Shield to be a fun romp. While certain features still feel like they’re not quite fully fleshed out, I appreciate all the quality-of-life improvements as well as the new things Game Freak added to change things up. Pokemon Sword and Shield feels fresh and new, something I haven’t felt in the series since Diamond and Pearl. It may not be the very best like no Pokemon game ever was. But it’s promising, which makes me look forward to what comes next for the series.
The Alliance Alive HD Remastered brings back the 3DS JRPG to home consoles with improved graphics. It’s a bit on the short side for an RPG and doesn’t really add much for folks who have played it before. At the same time, its nice story, likable cast of characters and classic gameplay make this a great title for JRPG lovers, especially those who never got a chance to play the original.
Doraemon and farming? Sign me up! Doraemon: Story of Seasons adds a fresh take on the farming series with the addition of characters from the popular Japanese manga and anime. The introductory tutorial is a bit of a slog and the game admittedly has a slow deliberate pace as do most farming games. Nevertheless, it has lots of stuff for you to do while oozing plenty of charm. Give it a shot if you love Doraemon and farming games to boot.
After punting on a campaign mode in BLOPS4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare represents a welcome return to form for a franchise that appeared to be on a downward trend. The more deliberate pace for multiplayer, especially for Ground War mode, might feel clunky to folks who prefer more fast-paced action. This one, however, feels more like a complete game than its predecessor. It still might not be the best COD ever for a lot of folks. But it’s certainly the best COD in quite some time, especially if you’ve been disappointed by games such as Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 represents a positive step forward for the franchise. The more fleshed-out story mode makes it feel more like a complete game and the retro events add an extra dose of fun and whimsy to the title. Admittedly, events can be hit-or-miss and the campaign can feel a bit fetchy at times. Overall, however, Mario & Sonic 2020 feels like a breath of fresh air for a franchise that was feeling a bit stale in recent years. It’s arguably the best game in the family-friendly Olympics series to date.
Astral Chain is everything that’s right about Platinum, reflecting the fresh, quirky, gunslinging mentality that the studio displays in its best works. Part Bayonetta and part Pokemon with a heavy sprinkling of police sci-fi in between, Astral Chain is a breath of fresh air in an industry typically dominated by sequels and familiar formulas. Free time sections could be a bit more dialed down and the Legion combat can be a handful at times. Overall, though, Astral Chain marks a promising start to what will hopefully be a new franchise.
Contra is one of my favorite video game series of all time. Which makes giving Contra: Rogue Corps a low score extra painful for me. I really wanted this game to do well. But while it has some good ideas, they’re pretty much buried in an avalanche of poor gameplay decisions. From overheating guns to poor camera angles, playing Rogue Corps feels like you’re fighting the game a lot of times instead of the aliens inside it. I just hope it doesn’t spell the death knell for a franchise I love so much.
Daemon X Machina is a solid game that boasts a great foundation but could use just a bit more polish in some areas. While I appreciate that it at least tries to craft an intriguing narrative instead of just putting in a throwaway story, the dialogue is admittedly a bit rough around the edges. The game could also be grindy, particularly if you want to get the best gear. Even with its issues, however, the excellent core combat makes this game worth a look, especially if you’re a mech fan. Hopefully, it does well enough to warrant a sequel as I’d be interested in seeing what this team can do a second time with the solid foundation it has set.
Calling Code Vein a Dark Souls clone is a bit unfair as it certainly adds its own unique spin to the genre. It doesn’t quite nail the purposeful gameplay that’s perfected by Dark Souls and Bloodborne. At the same time, its anime-style visuals combined with its more free-form class swapping makes it a fresh alternative for folks hungry for more Soulsborne-style games. All in all, Code Vein is a solid first effort that establishes a promising franchise.
Nintendo could’ve just taken the easy way out with Link’s Awakening. Instead, it brought back a gaming classic by remaking it from the ground up while keeping all the wonderful things that made games such as the original a bonafide treat. The new look won’t be for everyone and the Switch struggles at times when there’s too much going on. But those are minor quibbles for a game that reminds us why the top-down Zelda games were so beloved in the first place. Link’s Awakening is a charming remake done oh-so right. One last tip: don’t steal anything. Seriously.
Borderlands 3 doesn’t introduce any massively revolutionary concepts that completely change the game. Sometimes, though, people just want more of a good thing and Borderlands 3 delivers on that front for fans of the series.