Sophia Edwards's Reviews
From a studio I’d never heard of and who, in turn, I expected nothing special from, 'Furi' makes me feel like a fool for ever judging it so harshly. Very possibly the best action game this generation so far, this is a rare example of every facet of a game's design working perfectly to create an amazing whole. This is an outstanding effort from a studio I’m going to follow wholeheartedly from here on out.
One of the best games on the 3DS has been bested with 'Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ', and the result is an exciting, smart, and amazingly complex RPG. I can't think of a game I've enjoyed this much in 2016, and I'm already looking forward to diving back into this again in the near future. While it's worth playing its predecessor before diving into this, Atlus has done a good job of ensuring that the game stands on its own perfectly, making it accessible even to series newcomers. For those who like JRPGs in the slightest, 'SMTIVA' is absolutely worth playing.
While it occasionally buckles under its own ambition and the game falters somewhat as the plot ramps up, overall 'Final Fantasy XV' is a beautiful, exciting game that I dearly loved. It may not be the best game I've played this year, but it is almost certainly my favorite, and Square Enix has built an incredible, extremely unique open-world. While I'm not sure I want 'FFXVI' to follow suit and be an open-world like this one, I'd absolutely love to see them expand upon some of the ideas presented here in future. A remarkable return to form for a franchise that many felt had lost its way.
A fantastic reboot that revitalizes an aging series wonderfully, the 'Hitman Intro Pack' is packed with personality, intelligence, and absolutely wonderful gameplay. This should easily satisfy series veterans and newcomers alike, and gives me a ton of hope for upcoming episodes. I can't wait to see where IO goes from here.
A tremendous remaster of a really great game. 'Resident Evil 0' might be a little too difficult at times, and the inventory system really could've used some tweaking, but there's never been a better way to experience this survival horror classic. If you've never played the game before, it's a fantastic time, and if you have, it's hard not to appreciate just how much has been done to make this version of it extremely worthwhile.
Even better than the terrific first episode, the Sapienza mission might be a series high point. While there are still some technical issues, and the lengthy load times hamper things in a game where reloading to give things another shot is such a big part of it, the overall experience has been incredible so far. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Despite some minor issues, 'Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X' is a lovingly produced, beautiful, and extremely fun rhythm game that stands as possibly the best on both PS4 and Vita so far. For those who haven't experienced the series before, there's no better time to jump in, and for those who have, this is one of the most refined takes on the formula to date.
A lovely little low-key JRPG that feels like the work of a small, passionate indie developer that just wants to pay homage to the classics it looks up to. 'I Am Setsuna' isn't a revolutionary game or a rebirth of the genre, as the marketing seems to imply. What 'I Am Setsuna' ultimately ends up being is a remarkably well-made, charming game that's endlessly endearing and entirely devoid of cynicism.
Marrying the best ideas from 'Minecraft' with the structure and charm of 'Dragon Quest', 'Builders' had its work cut out for it from the start. The team behind it, however, have gone the extra mile in developing a game that feels wholly unique and endlessly endearing. It's by no means perfect, and has ideas that could stand to be improved upon when the game eventually gets a sequel, but what could've ended up as a cynical cash in has instead wound up as one of 2016's most interesting games.
'Attack on Titan' focuses on a single idea and nails it absolutely perfectly. The game runs the risk of feeling repetitive at times, but it smartly mitigates that by injecting enough variety into each mission and playable character. While the game isn't without its flaws, at its best, it's an extremely exciting action game with some of the greatest movement mechanics I've ever seen. 'Attack on Titan' is both perfect for series' fans and a terrific game in its own right, and absolutely shouldn't be ignored.
In spite of some odd quirks, and a little bit of age starting to show, 'Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen' still feels incredibly fresh, is tons of fun to play, and is a great addition to the wealth of the PC platform. It can take a little while before things really start to get going, but once they do, it's a compelling game that has a lot to love for both action and RPG fans. If there's ever going to be a 'Dragon's Dogma 2', it could turn out to be something of a masterpiece.
An extremely strong start to a promising series, here's hoping we see Square Enix give this formula another shot soon.
While 'Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest' can stumble in a few places, namely the melodramatic plot and a few structural annoyances, this is ultimately a great SRPG that should please series fans. Some of the newer mechanics don't work quite as well as they should, but the tweaks to the core gameplay go a long way to making this a challenging, and immensely satisfying game.
It's unwelcoming and occasionally too difficult for its own good, but overall, 'Stranger of Sword City' is an accomplished dungeon crawler made by a team who clearly understands what makes the genre special. It's both a terrific JRPG and an excellent showcase in building a genuinely scary atmosphere with limited resources. While their earlier effort 'Demon Gaze' is definitely an easier game to recommend, there's plenty here that makes this special, and I can't wait to see what comes next from this developer.
Both a great action game and a really fun strategy game, 'Empires' might not appeal to most 'Warriors' fans, as the new elements can seem intimidating and almost jarring when put next to the combat, but for those who put the time in, there's a lot of complexity and fantastic ideas to be found here, making this one of the best 'Warriors' games to date.
It'll undoubtedly be a divisive game, one I'm certain many will hate due to how punishing and unfriendly it can be, particularly in the game's awful prologue, but once I got into the swing of things, I found an amazingly rewarding game that I grew to love. While it can sometimes be alienating in how out there many of its ideas seem (considering the game is technically one big bossfight, it'd have to be), 'Trillion: God of Destruction' is an outstandingly original game that I can't wait to check out again.
While it's a shame it's lacking the exclusive bonus chapter from the recently released PC version, this is otherwise the most content rich edition of a great horror game. The new content here is definitely nice, but it's the kind of side content that doesn't necessarily justify double dipping for those who own any of the other releases, but absolutely makes it a great entry point for anyone who hasn't yet delved into the horrors 'Corpse Party' has on offer. With a clear understanding of how to do a lot with very little, and just how to keep things scary, 'Corpse Party' still feels just as terrifying as it did five years ago, and is well worth checking out for any horror fan.
Boasting some of the most compelling mechanics in a Grasshopper game to date and a terrific sense of style, 'Let it Die' is often a great time, and easily one of my favorite F2P games on consoles. The game is held back somewhat by occasionally wonky difficulty that feels particularly punishing given the game's death system, and it often feels padded with systems that drag things down in the name of length, but overall, I've been having a wonderful time with 'Let it Die', and I look forward to diving into it for weeks to come.
'Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel' likely won't capture a major audience within the fighting game community, though for what it tries to do, it's a fun game. Those who are just looking for something light and frothy will have a good time, but if you're looking for much complexity, this likely won't hold interest for terribly long. The stalwart online helps the game a great deal, but lack of moveset variety in the roster isn't particularly exciting. For sure, there's fun to be had with 'Nitroplus', it just requires that you play with other people, as the single player is far too limited for its own good.
It stumbles in a fair few places, and it likely won't sway those who aren't fond of the basic idea of the franchise. Overall, however, 'Neptunia VII' represents a strong step forward in a franchise that seemed all too content to stand in place. While I wish it went further with its parody than it ever really does, a sequel that doubles down on the good ideas introduced here could potentially lead to something great.