Hayes Madsen's Reviews
Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is an intensely challenging XCOM-like that fully embraces the aesthetic and tendencies of the Warhammer 40K universe.
SaGa: Emerald Beyond is a strong entry in Square Enix’s most bizarre franchise. It may not be the best introduction to the series, but it’s filled with wacky characters, fascinating stories, and an incredible combat system.
Monark is a game filled with great ideas and themes, and it manages to deliver on some of those in spades. Unfortunately, Monark is also its own worst enemy, and many of the gameplay elements simply get in the way of making it something truly exceptional. Still, if you can manage to get through the slog of repetitiveness, there’s a fascinating and thematically engaging story underneath.
The overwhelming feeling I had in my time with Expeditions: Rome is that it's perfectly average.
Volume 1 of Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy is a fairly strong start, but it feels like a small snippet of the overall experience. Hopefully, the next volumes can develop on it in a meaningful way.
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a charming experience, and its charming cast keeps things surging forward, even while the main story drags on for a bit. There's certainly a bit of a learning curve, and the game could do a better job with tutorials, but there are deep systems to dig into once players get the hang of them.
If you want to experience these stories again, Kakarot is the best way you can do it, but expect a bit of tedium along the way.
If you’re willing to tough out the rough opening hours, there’s a deep mech experience lying underneath with exceptional combat that constantly keeps things exciting, even with a few issues.
If there's one fault My Hero One's Justice has it's a lack of ambition, to really try and go for something inventive and new, like its anime counterpart. Still, if you're jonesing for more My Hero Academia, this will see you through the wait until Season 4.
Outside of the sometimes stupid allied AI, Shining Resonance Refrain doesn't do anything “wrong,” it just doesn't excel at much either. There's little that gives the game a unique identity or sets it apart from the wealth of JRPGs available.
The quirkiness, presentation, strong voice acting, and characters help push past the simplistic gameplay and the narrative the game tells is surprisingly engaging. I had no idea what to expect from Detective Pikachu going in, but it ended up being one of the most unique Pokemon spinoffs ever.
Despite some persistent technical issues that dragged down the experience, Monster of the Deep is surprisingly ambitious, and one that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. I can only hope Square Enix is able to smooth out the game with subsequent patches because I was a little taken aback at the lack of polish in certain areas of the game.
Gundam Versus has a lot to offer, and fans of the series will no doubt be pleased with the frenetic combat and roster. It may not be as accessible to those that don't know anything about Gundam, but there's still a fast and engaging battle system to take part in with a strong multiplayer offering.
Xanadu Next is definitely a game that feels dated by many standards with its lack of a detailed map, frustrating menus, and simple combat. Even despite all this, there was an immense draw to the game with its gameplay loop that proved to be incredibly fun, and really made me want to keep going.
Distant Memories shows hints of what worked so well in Hotel Dusk: Room 215, and even if it felt too short, I’m definitely interested to see where this one goes in the future.
Song of the Deep feels like a distinctly different experience from the Insomniac that we’re used to. It’s a beautiful, lonely world and the Ghibi-like aesthetic work incredibly well in its favor.
Dead Rising 4 evokes much of the same style and quirkiness that the first two games did, but ultimately isn’t able to spread that fun across the entire experience.
The core gameplay of Company of Heroes has never felt better, and there are hours upon hours of fun to be had simply blasting your way through other players or teaming up against AI opponents. The dual campaigns are honestly a bit of a letdown, but I’m hopeful things could be streamlined or improved with future patches and updates. The RTS genre has undoubtedly been in a slump over the last decade, but Company of Heroes 3 might be just the shot in the arm it needs to keep going.
Crisis Core Reunion doesn’t alter the story of the original PSP game, but it lands somewhere between a remaster and a remake on account of its gorgeous graphical updates and gameplay improvements. That being said, the limitation of the original game being on a handheld still shines through, becoming obvious through the game’s simple structure that uses mostly small confined environments and linear pathways. For anyone coming from the tremendously ambitious Final Fantasy VII Remake, Crisis Core is going to feel remarkably limited. Still, the overwhelming positives of experiencing the Crisis Core story on modern consoles make its minor flaws totally forgivable.
There’s still a layer of jankiness the series can’t escape in terms of visuals and tropey writing. But the compelling characters and gameplay mechanics overshadow the rough edges. If this is the last Star Ocean game, Tri-Ace has gone out with a bang.