Mollie L Patterson's Reviews
You might not initially think that the story of a Yakuza member fighting for control of the streets of Tokyo would make a good template for a tale about post-apocalyptic warriors battling over resources (and pride), but Sega's Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is the best game the beloved manga series has ever seen. While the experience does have some failings, they're nothing protagonist Kenshiro can't shake off.
It can be hard sometimes to make collections for retro games feel exciting, especially if those games have been released numerous times before. Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle bucks that trend not only by having games that are still enjoyable to this day, but also by including two titles that are finally being released on consoles for the first time. A few issues mars the overall package, but not enough to put a major damper on its offerings.
It's easy for me to understand how Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner captured the attention of players back in the PlayStation 2 era, as it offered, and continues to offer, some gameplay ideas and experiences that still don't exist in abundance to this day. Even back then, however, some of what it does would have been inexcusable to me—and playing the remastered Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – M∀RS in our modern era, those weaknesses are just too hard to ignore.
Mini Metro was a surprise hit for me when I first played it on computers four years ago, and I was really excited to finally see the game hit a proper console. While the controls aren't quite as good as I was hoping they'd be, the game itself still remains enjoyable and engrossing, offering a more-than-worthwhile experience for anyone who hasn't played Mini Metro on other platforms.
In an era when so many other wrestling games continue to focus on style over substance, a legendary Japanese franchise returns to remind its rivals of how things should be done. While Fire Pro Wrestling World isn't without room for fixes or improvements, it's still by far the best video game wrestling experience to arrive in recent memory. It's been 12 years since the last proper Fire Pro game, but it was absolutely worth the wait.
Dragon Quest XI brings the legendary Japanese RPG franchise to consoles (properly) for the first time in 13 years, and it's a mostly fantastic new chapter of the series. Its story, gameplay, characters, and visuals all work to blend timeless series elements with newer-era genre refinements, and most of the time, the results are great. Unfortunately, there are a few times when honoring tradition is a weakness, not a strength—most specifically in the case of the game's protagonist.
Somehow, Sega, Christian Whitehead, and the development teams behind the original Sonic Mania have found a way to make the best Sonic game in years even better. Sonic Mania Plus is now nearly everything it could and should be, with new playable characters, modes, options, and polish sure to please fans. There's a small handful of areas in which the game could still be improved, but really, this is just about as good of a Sonic adventure as we could ever have hoped for.
While it's taken far too long for it to arrive, The Sims 4 Seasons is one of the most necessary expansions that exists for the game, as the addition of weather alone adds so much to the overall experience. It's not everything it could have been, and it's definitely got some quirks here and there, but dedicated The Sims 4 players should consider this one a must-own.
It's long been known that Ikaruga is one of the true classics of the top-down shooter world, but going back to the game again on the Nintendo Switch really cements that legacy. This is a brutal but beautiful, relentless yet rewarding, and frantic yet fun bullet hell challenge that feels as fresh now as it did 17 years ago in its original arcade release.
State of Decay 2 builds upon Undead Labs' original cult classic about surviving a zombie apocalypse, and in many ways, it's bigger and better than its predecessor. In other ways, however, it's too similar to said predecessor, resulting in an experience that often feels like it could have been deeper or more ambitious.
It's tempting to call Dragon's Crown Pro a lazy rerelease, because beyond a slight visual bump and new orchestration of the soundtrack, this is basically the same game from 2013. The thing is, five years later, it's still an incredibly engrossing experience, so I can appreciate the effort in simply bringing that same game to modern hardware.
Penny-Punching Princess offers up a world where the heroine can solve (nearly) all of her problems through cold, hard cash, providing for some legitimately fun (and funny) scenarios to play out across the dungeon brawler's various chapters. Unfortunately, a necessity for grinding and some wild spikes in difficulty cause the princess' stockpile of coins to lose some of its shine.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is another solid chapter in the current era of Gust's franchise about heroines drawn to alchemy—and that's said in both a good and a bad way. If you've enjoyed previous Atelier games for what they've been, then twins Lydie and Suelle are ready to take you on another adventure of crafting items, fighting monsters, and uncovering the secrets that hang over their homeland. However, if you've been hoping for some real progress or change in the Atelier formula, that recipe, sadly, remains undiscovered.
It's taken me a long time to experience the Yakuza series, but Yakuza 6 makes me so thankful that I finally have. The insurmountable badass Kazuma Kiryu is surrounded by a fantastic cast of characters and some gripping drama—it's just a shame that the "game" portion of this video game isn't quite what it could be. Still, this is a superb adventure from beginning to end, and further proof of the magic that Japanese developers can weave when they put their minds to it.
The queen of stylish action has now made her way to the Nintendo Switch, and along with Bayonetta herself comes two of the best action adventures money can buy. While both games have minor nitpicks and there, overall they're fantastic experiences enjoyable by casual and hardcore players alike, giving form to quality re-releases on Nintendo's latest platform.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT finally brings Square Enix's handheld “what if” franchise to the big screen, and the results are pretty fantastic for those who love chaotic, high-energy combat scenarios. Unfortunately, the game can be challenging to get the hang of due to a range of factors including class differences and controls, and there's not much to do for those who prefer their gaming sessions solo. Still, for players who do click with this third Dissidia chapter, it's a heck of an experience.
There's a legitimately interesting and enjoyable top-down shooter experience present in Sky Force Reloaded, but it's tainted by an overall package that still has far too many connections to its free-to-play origins. Those longing for a game that'll last for a while will find the most enjoyment here, but most others may find progression to be a total slog.
While it's taken us nearly two years to get to the point where Street Fighter V probably should have been soon after it launched, in a way, seeing the game grow into what it's become in Arcade Edition almost makes the experience just that much sweeter. The core of Capcom's latest Street Fighter entry has always been great, but now, everything surrounding that core has finally reached an equal level of quality.
Though I never expected to ever see a sequel to The Evil Within, we've now gotten one, and I'm rather glad that we did. While The Evil Within 2 isn't without problems—and I'm not sure it's the kind of game I'll ever want to play through a second time—by the time the final credits rolled, I had legitimately enjoyed the adventure I'd just gone on, and the improvements that Tango Gameworks had tried to bring to the series.
Blue Reflection is a game that displays a heartwarming amount of beauty and grace even in the face of some tragically ugly flaws and mistakes. On a gameplay level, it never reaches the heights it wanted (or deserved) to, but as an overall experience, it feels like something special in a way few other games do.