Cody Gravelle
The title is about all you need to know heading into Noble Muffins' sandbox game.
Overall, though, it's tough not to recommend My Hero One's Justice all the same. Being able to take these characters out for a spin and re-enact some of their most memorable moments from the story is a treat, and the fighting gameplay itself is just strong enough that it keeps drawing me back in whenever I think I'm done with it for the next few days. It's a solid game that can easily draw in newcomers as well, thanks to the story mode's careful retreading of past plots, too. My Hero One's Justice is a strong introduction to what could easily be the foundation of a valuable fighting franchise for Bandai Namco and a must-own for My Hero Academia fans.
If that reminds you of a situation that currently involves Roman Reigns, then you'll see why I'm so convinced WWE 2K19 is the best WWE port 2K Sports has ever made. Just like the real WWE, there are different audiences even within the same fandom, and there will be plenty of gamers who are blown away by the depth and tweaks made to WWE 2K19. WWE 2K19 is a great WWE game that is only a good wrestling game, and feels like it has reached the end of what is possible within the constraints of the WWE 2K series as we know it.
Deep Sky Derelicts provides an exciting blend of tactics, card game, and roguelike elements.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is the next in a long line of modern isometric RPG successes.
Prodigy Tactics is a more than serviceable entry into the tactical game genre.
At the end of the day, FIFA 19 is yet another crisp, clean, and innovative offering from EA.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is an excellent game, compelling in both its character roster and its gameplay. While it runs adjacent to the original Valkyria Chronicles, its contrasting of the Second Europan War with multiple coming of age stories makes it powerful in its own right. These types of games aren't necessarily for everyone, but if you've ever had a passing interest in tactical games, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a wonderful entry into the genre and the closest thing we've ever had to a true successor to Valkyria Chronicles.
Ultimately, Fire Pro Wrestling World is just the best wrestling game I've played in years. It's also a perfect fit for the PS4, with its arcade-style input commands right at home on the DualShock 4. If you want to play a wrestling game on the PS4, there's only one option, and Fire Pro Wrestling World might be set to have art imitate life and experience the same kind of global renaissance that NJPW is experiencing.
At the end of it all, Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition is still the RPG dream it has been since its release.
Despite those hiccups, however, The Banner Saga 3 is good. Really good. Anyone who has played the first two will undoubtedly be picking this game up anyways, but for those who are unfamiliar with the series and curious as to how it all ends: do yourself a favor and pick up the trilogy whenever you get a chance. It's not often that games are made with the kind of style and substance that The Banner Saga 3 has been, and, much like a good book, it's nearly impossible to put down until it all comes to a close, where, inevitably, you'll feel like a small piece of you was left with it in exchange for something new, the way all great stories make us feel.
Ultimately, New Gundam Breaker does little to continue the good faith the past few Gundam games have worked so hard to garner. It's a charming game at times, and its characters are refreshingly simple. That's not enough to save it from itself, though, and the gameplay is well below what a game based entirely on building and piloting a Gundam should be. Hardcore fans will likely want to pick this one up simply because it has Gundam in the name, but for anyone else, this one should probably be avoided.
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is probably a safe pick up for diehard fans, a gamble for those with a little bit of familiarity like myself, and a dangerous choice for anyone outside of those two categories. For a title based on a world filled with magic, the game itself has very little of it to be found.
Tacoma‘s simple premise expands into something much larger, and it invites each of us to examine what it means to be human, and how we might pretend to be if we can't actually achieve that. There's a game there, underneath the questions it's asking, and it's a wonderful, technologically sound port. I'm not sure what else needs to be said about the achievement of Tacoma, because so many smart people have already discussed it at length when it was released on PC in 2017. All I can say is that is has aged well, attacks concepts like human will and capitalism on angles that seem fresh in 2018, and remains a must play for those willing to set aside a few hours of their time to experience some very fine, challenging work within the video game medium.
From an accessibility standpoint, however, HIVE: Altenum Wars does little to make the player feel welcome, and even less still to reward their perseverance in staying. It feels very much like an alpha gameplay demo for a game years down the pipeline. HIVE is a shooter that misses the mark almost entirely, but does, at the very least, provide a very solid foundation upon which Catness Games could build something truly special with more time spent iterating and refining the process.
While these things keep the game from being perfect, however, they don't stop it from being great. Owlboy is a must-play platformer for fans of the genre and of gaming's history in general. It's also a truly wonderful revelation on the PS4, feeling right at home on the console in a way that made me briefly forget at times that the game was a port. Come for the charming art or the offer of some quick hits of nostalgia, but stay for the sublime storytelling and fluid gameplay.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings knows what it wants to be, and for the most part, it delivers. Those looking for style and substance will only find the former in abundance, but there's just enough of the latter to keep Lydie and Suelle's adventure interesting enough to explore deeper. Just don't expect to become too invested in any of the game's story or characters. For a world that's built on the notion that the sum can be greater than the whole of its parts, Atelier Lydie & Suelle never becomes more than its addictive gameplay and two-dimensional protagonists, for better or for worse.
Excepting its online shortcomings, however, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is easily the best game using the license yet. Everything feels more polished, and though the game's setting sacrifices the bright colors and exciting worlds that have been the saving graces of past titles, the gameplay and structure more than make up for it. Fans will enjoy the unique story and major character appearances, and those new to the world of SAO will inevitably find themselves losing hours to the grind without realizing it before late-game fatigue finally begins to set in. In that regard, Fatal Bullet does something that no other title in the series has done—making a game about a show about a video game finally, inexplicably, a decent game after all.
Secret of Mana is an entirely skippable remake of a game that was the progenitor for a number of JRPG conventions. That's a shame. The greater failing, however, is what happens when fans will inevitably pick this title up in the hopes of recapturing some of the feelings of grandeur the original game contained so much of. They, like me, might end up realizing that a game they had placed on a pedestal for decades is actually rather ordinary by today's standards, and any magic that made it a lasting impression on those who played it has long since been left behind by the cruel, inexorable march of time.
As it stands, though, Dynasty Warriors 9 is more of a foundation for the next title than the dawning of a new era for the franchise. That's perfectly acceptable, too, given that series like Dynasty Warriors inevitably must evolve to stay relevant. Right now, there are just some growing pains, and anyone who was interested in the newest iteration because of its new gameplay features would do better waiting for the next one instead.