Paulmichael Contreras's Reviews
Serious Sam 4 is good, mindless fun, that is unfortunately mired by performance issues. This is recommended for big fans of the series, or for those looking for a nostalgia fix, for back when games were simpler, linear affairs which could be completed in a weekend. It's not a particularly great-looking or running game, but it is also only $39.99 at launch. The full campaign doesn't overstay its welcome, and its many secrets will tempt completionists. Give it a shot if you like your bloody kills combined with quippy one-liners. Just be ready for a bumpy ride.
Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy is strictly for the fans. That isn't to say people who are unfamiliar with the series won't enjoy it. Indeed, with as few walking tank games out there as it is, anyone into this type of gameplay will probably enjoy things here. It's just that being invested in the story of Gundam helps a lot, because much of the game is about taking in the story. Combat is clunky, but gets the job done, and the episodic format makes that fact easier to forgive.
Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars will appeal to longtime fans of either series, but outside of that it's an average action-oriented JRPG plus visual novel that anyone can easily get the hang of. There's plenty of titillating fanservice to go around, even if Sony insists on at least some of it being censored for the Western release. It's a safe bet if you can't get enough of Neptunia and the rest of the Goddesses or Asuka and the other shinobi, but otherwise there are more traditional games that are probably a better use of your time.
Hellpoint is a sci-fi Souls-like with one killer feature: local split screen co-op. The rest of the game lacks the polish of its obvious sources of inspiration, and ultimately the technical issues including a wildly inconsistent frame rate, hit detection problems, and interface glitches hold Hellpoint back from achieving more. But if you're looking for a Souls-like hit that you can take with a friend, you may want to check out Hellpoint, albeit with tempered expectations.
MXGP 2019 is a safe bet for those looking to race with the full weight of the real MXGP behind the game. It’s a mostly by-the-numbers dirt biking game, with some modernity thrown in.
Animal Force has a cool idea, as it introduces gamers to tower defense in 360 degrees. But its execution feels more like a tech demo than a fully fleshed-out game. A massive difficulty spike in the second world will leave many players desperate for any sense of progress, and leveling up units takes a long time when one is stuck on a particular level. A trio of local multiplayer games gives players something else to do when they're tired of the inevitable grind, at least. A bit more time spent balancing such a new form of tower defense could have gone a long way towards making Animal Force more enjoyable. At $15.99 ($12.79 for PS Plus) USD, it's not a terrible buy, but it could have been a hit with just a few more tweaks.
World of Warriors attempts to cast off its past as a mobile title, and in that regard it mostly succeeds. The new control options available thanks to the simple inclusion of a proper input device means that combat is tighter, and combos are easier to pull off. At about $20, though, most people might be inclined to keep playing the mobile version without a killer reason to pay money for something that's free elsewhere. For some, local co-op may be worth the price of admission, but for those without others to play with, the asking price may be a bit too steep at launch.
Guilt Battle Arena is a fun distraction for a little while. Naturally, this party game is also a lot more fun played with friends and/or family. Having only one bullet is a nifty gimmick which can introduce some level of strategy to the madness that unfolds, too. Modifiers and an assortment of game modes help to increase the title's longevity, but there isn't a whole lot of content to speak of, including one of the shortest campaigns we've ever seen.
If you enjoy turn-based RPGs with quirky characters and a generally lighthearted story, then you'll likely enjoy Demon Gaze II. There's a very strange fan-service mode in the maintenance performed on the demons, but other than that this is a safe bet for fans of the genre. Planning when to demonize your demons can make all the difference between domination and utter defeat, and the challenge level shouldn't put anyone off at the normal level. An active imagination is required to enjoy the little actual action displayed on-screen, and the dungeon graphics are terribly simplistic. But there is a lot of story and plenty of battling to keep most RPG players busy for dozens of hours before the Revolutionist Party seizes victory.
Jump Stars is a nice, cheap diversion if you have a couple of friends to play with. Unlike almost every other game out there, you cannot play single player. There are also just a handful of game modes to choose from. It's a party game you might come back to when the mood strikes. The fake game show announcer with dual personalities injects some, well, personality into the game, and the characters are amusing to play with. There's not a ton of content, and multiplayer is required, but $9.99 ($7.99 for PlayStation Plus members) seems like a fair asking price for Jump Stars.
This Is the Police will most assuredly find an audience. There is a tinge of Tharsis in the way that difficulty is handled – the world is out to get you, and things only get worse as you lose more and more resources. Most people won’t like this approach. But for those of you who enjoy having the odds stacked against them, for that one triumphant run in which luck is finally on your side and you come out of it all bruised, battered, but ultimately victorious, then This Is the Police may be right for you.
There’s only so much that the excellent Arkham Asylum and Arkham City can do for this remaster collection, however. It should have been an easy slam dunk: port the game over to the Unreal Engine 4, apply some polish, maybe through in some behind-the-scenes features, and profit! Instead, what we end up with is a poorly-optimized port which sees even the older Arkham Asylum stuttering from the game’s first moments, and some odd lighting that cuts into the otherwise excellent ambiance of both games. Then there’s the glaring omission of Batman: Arkham Origins. It all adds up to feeling like an unfinished product. If you already have both Asylum and City on their original platforms, you can safely skip this re-release.
Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault is a safe tower defense game. Its rotating zones of units is a novel approach to changing up the gameplay a little bit, but at the end of the day this is yet another tower defense game in a genre full of them. But it does have anime-inspired cutscenes and characters, so it will appeal to a certain niche of gamers. Outside of some blocky textures, there’s nothing terribly wrong with Aegis of Earth — but there’s also nothing groundbreaking here, either.
Amazing Discoveries In Outer Space is a charming game, with a some flaws. What we have here is a deceptively challenging game wrapped in a slightly sarcastic package, with a few rough edges. Gameplay can be slow going at the start, and casual gamers will likely lose interest relatively early on. But then, casual gamers probably have little or no interest in such a quirky game as ADIOS. If you've been pining for a procedurally generated space survival game while you wait for No Man's Sky, then by all means plunk down the cash for ADIOS. At reasonable asking price of just $11.99 ($8.39), your expectations should be met for this indie game. Now, try not to die too many times on your way home, lest you annoy your ship's AI too much.
Albert & Otto is a decent puzzle platformer with some interesting ideas. It's a bit rough around the edges, but hopefully this has set the stage for some refinement if a second episode is ever created. Check out Albert & Otto if you desire a short but intriguing puzzler and can power through some awkward platforming.
With No Man's Sky looming on the horizon, all other sci-fi games are about to lose a lot of relevancy. Lifeless Planet released at a time when the game has the biggest chance to make a name for itself. It's just a shame the end result feels more like a prototype than a fully fleshed-out game. There is fun to be had, however, and if you'd like to support an indie developer and are in the mood for a short sci-fi story you can finish in a sitting or two, then give Lifeless Planet a try.
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is an arcade fighter pilot game in VR, something we haven’t seen much of lately. But the conversion is not complete, and only a small portion of the game is even playable in VR. This is especially baffling as the original release on Steam was completely in VR. Throw in a subpar graphical experience, and the whole package is rather uninspiring. There is a decent-length main campaign in addition to the new bonus VR missions, though, so if you’re okay with soaring in the skies in flat-screen gaming, then it is still a good amount of content for the price.
Session: Skate Sim is the best skateboarding simulator you can play today. It might not be the best skateboarding game, though, with so much focus on getting the feel of the ride just right. The learning curve is such a steep cliff that many more casual skateboarding fans (or especially those without huge chunks of time to dedicate to a game) will likely give up before being confident on these virtual decks. Still, Session: Skate Sim is a challenging simulator worth your time if you’re a hardcore skateboarding fan.
Gotham Knights has a few interesting things going on. It’s just not enough to elevate it to the level of previous Batman games. Now, sure, technically speaking, this isn’t truly a Batman game, as the focus is on his legacy of proteges. But the Arkham series of games has elevated expectations quite high, and while Gotham Knights didn’t hit them, it has moments where it does feel like something interesting is brewing. With more to do in the city, and an easier method of switching characters, perhaps this could be the start of something greater.
The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is a great value for only $39.99. Three frenetic adventures that represent some of the best action games from console generations of the past are bundled, ensuring a lot of content for almost half the price of some AAA games. While the games stand on their own as fun and entertaining, the collection is rather barebones, and the exclusion of co-op or other multiplayer modes is felt throughout. Still, fans of the series, or those looking to become fans, can hardly go wrong with the purchase of this collection.