Paulmichael Contreras's Reviews
Super Street: The Game is a disappointment in all aspects. Clunky driving, a blurry presentation, generic sound design, boring upgrade options, and mind-bogglingly terrible physics all mash together into one “arcade” racer you're better off avoiding, especially at its launch price of $49.99 USD. Its two saving graces are possessing a decent selection of cosmetic options and split-screen support, but those features do nothing to make this game worthy of a purchase. The game has already been out for over a week, and its online population is nonexistent. The developer has also not issued any sort of patch to fix some of the more glaring issues. If that's a sign of what to expect when it comes to post-launch support, racing fans should look elsewhere to get their tuning fix.
R.B.I. Baseball 19 is once again a disappointment. The extremely low production values, lack of game modes, inconsistent animations, and uninspired gameplay result in one lackluster delivery. R.B.I. Baseball 19 would be a hard sell at $19.99, which incidentally is the same price you can currently nab the superior MLB The Show 18 for. But for the launch price of $29.99? Don't even consider it.
Heavy Fire: Red Shadow had the potential to give gamers an updated version of Beach Head 2002 from the heyday of arcades. Unfortunately, an incredibly short campaign, terrible graphics, and a lack of any real challenge all coalesce into an altogether underwhelming product. The $9.99 premium VR mode is so minimal in execution, that even that isn't recommended. If you absolutely love arcade, wave-based shooters, it's probably still best to wait until Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is on a fire sale before plopping down the cash.
KOI is a game that almost went somewhere. While it has a pleasing aesthetic, and peaceful ambiance, what’s on offer is woefully short. So the score earned here, for the first game developed in China and released for Western audiences on the PlayStation 4, should serve as a sign for any other developers in China to strive for something more. KOI stands as a good start, but with a bit more development time, we could have seen a longer story mode, and perhaps some sense of what was actually going on in the world above the little fish.
Babylon’s Fall seems like it needed a lot more development time. The core combat feels stiffer than my left wrist, which is currently recovering from a broken bone. Combining that with lackluster graphics and limited multiplayer options would be bad enough, but locking out key features of the game behind ten or so hours of gameplay makes Babylon’s Fall a very tough sell. Stacking microtransactions on top of it all leaves a nasty aftertaste that Platinum Games is going to have to wash out for a long time to come.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood has a good premise, but suffers from poor execution. If you're looking for a game that allows you to live out the fantasy of being an overpowered werewolf and kill everyone around you in bloody fashion, Werewolf provides that, but only just. Unrewarding combat, dumber-than-a-doorknob AI, dated mechanics, and an uninspiring presentation mean that this is a tough recommendation at the launch MSRP of $49.99 US.
Arc of Alchemist is an RPG that most people who play will forget about it shortly after finishing it. Given an average finish time of 6-8 hours (without new game plus), the journey is over before it really feels like it's begun. What's here isn't really impressive to look at, either. The Lunagear concept is slightly interesting, but mixed with the blandness of the rest of the game it doesn't make this a must-have release. If you really like building bases, you may have some fun with Arc of Alchemist. The rest of us can wait on a meatier RPG to take up our time with.
Gungrave VR is a generic shooter wrapped in the new-tech allure of VR. For fans of the 16-year-old PS2 series, this will no doubt bring up some nostalgic feelings. But the incredibly small amount of content on offer will turn off most gamers looking for a fuller experience. The launch price of $29.99 isn't doing the game any favors, either. This is an especially poor launch price when you consider that the last game launched at a $15 price point, and lasted at least five times longer. Only the most hardcore Gungrave fans may want to check out Gungrave VR at this time. Everyone else can afford to wait for a sale.
ONE PIECE: Grand Cruise feels like a trip aboard a dinghy rather than a pirate ship.
Infernium attempts to pay homage to older games, and mostly leaves the player alone to discover the world on their own. Problem is, many of the connections between levels only make sense to the developer, and while the game's scares may cause a good jump or two, they are easy to see coming after the first few times. Permadeath is a mechanic few games use these days, but when dying in a game is this agonizing involving multiple loading screens, the player may almost welcome obtaining a game over since it's the last time they'll see that purgatory.
If this is the final Syberia game, perhaps it's for the best. Pure point-and-click adventure games are becoming rarer and rarer these days, and this entry does nothing to instill confidence in the genre. Between the glaring technical issues, over-the-top antagonists, and even lazy captioning, Syberia 3 is not recommended at its launch price of $39.99. If you absolutely need to complete Kate Walker's story, then perhaps wait until the price comes down, and play an adventure game that got things right, such as King's Quest.
If you're a huge fan of Nippon Ichi's games, then this is the game for you. However, the same reasons that fans enjoy their games are the same reasons to avoid them if you've not liked their work up to this point. The story is absurd, bordering on nonsensical at times. The graphics are disappointing at best, laggy at worst. Combat has a unique multi-weapon approach, but still mostly boils down to mashing the Square button until you can occasionally use a special ability. But by now, you likely know what to expect from this developer. Nippon continues to show that they really understand their demographic. They even have a decent combat system. This is, however, still the same game that released two years ago, with the same flaws and blemishes as before. If you really wanted the game on the PS3 but missed it, then go ahead and grab this. However, if you already own the PS3 version, then there is little reason to pick it up.
Knock-Knock is a game with great sound work, a nice, unsettling art style, but several flaws. Its mechanics are never explained. You can expect to replay the entire thing over again to see its "best" and "good" endings. With no real way to see if you've made decent progress other than to play until the end. Since there is no traditional save system, this can turn into quite the gamble, and if you make it through the game a second or third time only to find out that you didn't "earn" the best ending, you may kind of feel like you wasted your time.
Homefront: The Revolution fails to stir any real revolution of its own in the genre of first-person open world games. It still has a unique premise with the notion that a unified Korea could ever overtake the United States, but the game is simply adequate. Couple uninspiring gameplay with occasionally broken physics and stupendously idiotic AI, and this is a purchase for fans of the franchise only. Otherwise, just go play Far Cry.
R.B.I. Baseball 2015 isn't a bad game. It's not a genre-defining game, either. At $20, there are certainly worse things you can throw your money at (I'm looking at you, Yorbie). If you need a quick arcade baseball fix, then R.B.I. Baseball 2015 can hit the spot. However, when last year's MLB 14 The Show can be had for a mere $5 more at this point, you may want to save up a little bit to experience a more complete package.
AEW Fight Forever is a good start which can hopefully lead to much greater things. If you’re a fan of the newest professional wrestling league, then you should purchase this game to send a message to the league that you appreciate their efforts, and you’ll have plenty to look forward to in any potential sequel that may follow this if the game sells well. Wrestling fans in general should check this out as well, because it’s not like you’re exactly swimming in current game choices these days. For everyone else, this remains a hard sell, but that is true of most sports games. If one word could sum up AEW Fight Forever, it’s simply this: potential.
If this really is Suda51’s last major venture with Travis Touchdown, then it’s a passing ending for the “passing assassin.” There’s no re-invention here – if you got a kick out of the earlier games, then there is plenty for you to enjoy this time around. It might get a little stale as you fight a group of enemies in a Designated Fight for the umpteenth time, but at least you’ll look stylish doing it. If No More Heroes has never been your cup of wrestling-inspired ultraviolence, well, best move along then.
You probably could have guessed this by now, but Dolmen should have released before Elden Ring. All Soulslike games from here on out will constantly be in that game’s gigantic shadow. It’s not that there’s not enough room in this genre for more entries, especially ones that are in such a wildly different setting. It’s just that whatever games release in this space must now meet such incredibly high standards or face intense criticism and likely faltering sales. Dolmen will surely appeal to those who want a Soulslike adventure in a sci-fi setting, and perhaps were disappointed by 2020’s Hellpoint release. Just go in with lowered expectations owing to a smaller dev team, and perhaps you’ll have some fun smashing enemies to bits.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is tailor-made for super fans of the franchise. While players may feel like a lackey at the start of any new Conquest campaign run-through, rising up the ranks and having the Prime Minister agree with your suggestions can feel rewarding. If you enjoy making decisions about whether to increase ration development or to collect tribute on a monthly basis, or politicking in general whereby interacting with important people gets your heart racing, then by all means check out Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. The rest of us will get by on regular Dynasty Warriors 9 just fine.
It's a bit rough around the edges, but Foreclosed's story and style are worth a look, especially for the PS+ launch price of $15.99 ($19.99 normally). When I think of my time spent in Foreclosed, I think it made for a good, short adventure that had me impressed by its presentation, but ultimately left me wanting more. More story, more combat, more world building, more consequences from my actions. Just about the only thing I didn't want more of would be the stealth sections. So, with any luck, the open-ended nature of Foreclosed's endings, combined with enough sales of this game, may result in us seeing a sequel down the line.