Mollie L Patterson's Reviews
Killzone; Shadow Fall – Intercept mixes some new twists on the Horde idea with some great team-based gameplay, but its lack of content volume and overall options unfortunately dull some of this new mode's shine.
Peggle 2 is more of what you've come to love about PopCap's peg-busting puzzle franchise brought to Microsoft's next-generation console. If all you want is more, then Peggle 2 will definitely please—but if you were hoping for something to really refresh the series after its previous outings, "more" may leaving you wanting, well, more.
There's no denying that Lords of the Fallen has taken a huge amount of inspiration from From Software's series of Souls titles, but it does so while also growing into a game that players can enjoy on its own terms. While faults both technical and creative keep it from being as enjoyable as it could have been, this is still an adventure that may be worth taking for those who love a real sense of challenge.
Final Fantasy Type-0 is a welcome release in the West, as we finally get the chance to experience one of the more experimental and enjoyable additions to the Final Fantasy franchise in years. It's just a shame that some of the game's concepts feel outdated or underdeveloped compared to its other parts—and that Type-0's journey from the PSP to the new systems hasn't done its visuals or environments a lot of favors.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is a solid new entry in Bandai Namco's rhythm game franchise, offering a roster of fresh music to enjoy, some creative new game modes, and more unlockables to have fun collecting. The game doesn't offer as many multiplayer options as its predecessor did, but does feature more to keep solo players occupied. Rhythm Festival also offers what is arguably the biggest addition the franchise has ever seen, the Taiko Music Pass-a new music subscription service that can greatly expand the life of the game while also bringing with it some additional concerns over our subscription-laiden future.
Steelrising is a new Souls-like twist on the French Revolution that unfortunately doesn't see all of its lofty ambitions grow into accomplishments. While its gameplay is enjoyable once you get far enough to earn some unlocks and get main character Aegis more decked out, it tries to mimic elements of FromSoftware's action RPG classics without always understanding what made said elements work. When Spiders leans less on taking inspiration from other games and more on presenting its own ideas, however, we get an intriguing-and surprisingly deep-alternate take on an important moment in France's history.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge looks to bring back the glory days of Konami's side-scrolling arcade beat 'em ups and home hits based on everyone's favorite young green ninjas. In its visuals and gameplay, Dotemu and Tribute Games have not only matched those retro classics that they're paying homage to here, but perhaps even surpassed them. Sadly, this trip through time is somewhat marred by inconsistent audio and an Arcade mode that feels more like a slog than a thrill.
Ghostwire: Tokyo offered Japanese developer Tango Gameworks a chance to mix things up after the first two The Evil Within games, and the result is an open-world action adventure that definitely has its moments. Unfortunately, those moments come together with some missed potential and a lack of truly fleshing out all of the ideas presented. In the end, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a good game-but one that could have been something more.
About An Elf is a game about an elf who wants to bring about the elftopia. It's about Princess Dam, who may or may not be a psychopath, and it's about a cat who wants to have half-cat, half-elf babies, and about another elf who pays Dam gummy bears to tell her stupid stories. It's about going on an adventure to fantastical places and facing off against monstrous foes, and it's about figuring out at times overly obscure video puzzles in order to beat those foes. It's a story about love, and loss, and hope. And, in the end, About An Elf is about five to six hours long.
Danganronpa Decadence finally brings Spike Chunsoft's amazing murder mystery series to the Nintendo Switch, accompanied by an all-new bonus game, Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp. While the latter is fun on a shallower level, the Danganronpa games remain engrossing and engaging experiences that are just as good today as they were back when they originally saw release on the Vita. Well, almost as good, as the ports we get here see reduced visuals or performance at times due to (seemingly) being based on the previous mobile releases.
Blue Reflection: Second Light is a perfect example of judging a game on what it tried to be, and not what it isn't. While it pales in comparison to other blockbuster Japanese role-playing games, and remains constrained by the long-standing limitations of its developer, it is an enjoyable and engrossing adventure when taken for what it is: a mid-tier RPG that brings together a group of fleshed-out characters who are trying to improve both their lives and their world. Coming off the original Blue Reflection, Second Light genuinely advances the franchise both in terms of storytelling and gameplay, offering an even better experience to those looking for this sort of game.
Shin Megami Tensei V is the Japanese RPG equivalent of mid-century modern design, as the classic style and attitude of the series gets enhanced by—but never replaced with—simpler and sleeker refinements and modernizations. In a moment when Atlus could have given Persona’s sibling series a more market-friendly makeover, the company has instead given us a game that’s as weird, punishing, and mysterious as any previous SMT release that came before. As a longtime fan who wasn’t sure if the team at Atlus still had games like this in them, Shin Megami Tensei V is shockingly satisfying—well, as long as you don’t ask too much of its characters or story.
Bandai Namco promised that "now is the time for change," and Tales of Arise legitimately feels like a game that's trying to bring change to Japanese RPGs. It's strong characters, epic story, engrossing battle system, and lush visuals are only marred by a disappointing final act, and those areas of the game where the team refused to let go of outdated ideas and conventions. If the Tales team can find it in themselves to push things just a little further, then this might truly be the spark that sets off a revolution in a genre that's needed a regime change for so long now.
Space Invaders Invincible Collection certainly isn't the collection it could have been, and definitely isn't a collection for everyone, but it is still a great look back at the Space Invaders franchise for those interested in such a thing.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster brings back one of the most celebrated and beloved entries from the Megami Tensei franchise nearly 20 years after its original debut. The original Nocturne was a heck of a JRPG in its time, and Atlus has now upgraded it with higher-resolution widescreen visuals, richer vocal tracks, and some much-appreciated quality of life upgrades. Unfortunately, it also misses some areas of the game that equally needed touching up (such as the controls and camera), and it's hard not to feel like the game deserved a full remake rather than just a remaster.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir is a captivating window not only into Nintendo's past, but also into the past of adventure games as a whole. While it retains some of the gameplay frustrations that plagued the genre back in its earlier days, The Missing Heir offers a gripping murder mystery at its core, wrapped in video and audio upgrades that freshen up the experience for a whole new generation of would-be detectives.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487129… remakes an under-appreciated action RPG for a new era of consoles and players, giving us another look into the beautifully bizarre mind of creator Yoko Taro. Replicant isn't the most impressive remake on a technical or visual level, but it's received some very welcome upgrades, such as an improved combat system. More importantly, the thing that didn't need fixing wasn't broken: the original's captivating storyline and cast of characters. Everything in that regard is still here as it should be, just told through the eyes of the initially intended protagonist, and with a few pieces of originally cut content restored.
Gnosia takes the classic social game of Werewolf and transforms it into a single-player graphical adventure experience. Arguing against the computer in an attempt to determine who is the human-killing alien in your group is far more dynamic and exciting than you'd ever expect this type of game to be. Unfortunately, its compelling gameplay gets tarnished somewhat by the requirement to go through those searches so many times that their charm can wear off. Still, Gnosia's engrossing story and fantastic cast of characters make the game's duller moments worth getting through in the end.
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection marks the return of Capcom's brutally challenging action platformer series after a 14-year hiatus, and it's a game that hasn't forgotten the teachings or techniques of its ancestors. While it's more of a "best of" for the series than a fresh new chapter, Resurrection is both a trip down memory lane, and a new experience that'll test both longtime fans and players alike. It probably won't resurrect the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise for a new era, but at least it reminds us that both Arthur and his enemies aren't ready for the grave quite yet.
The Medium builds upon a lot of gameplay gimmicks and ideas that aren't always used to their full potential, but when they do work, they work incredibly well. Controlling main character Marianne as she jumps between worlds is both engrossing and exciting in practice, and the game's main location serves its job as a setting for horror masterfully most of the time. This is a game that definitely could have been better-but which is also better than a lot of other horror games that don't take such daring risks.