Tomas Franzese's Reviews
Madden NFL 18, with its variety of new modes and features, has quickly become may favorite entry in the Madden series to date. MUT Squads and Longshot are both very engaging, and the new playstyles and target passing mechanics spice up regular games and Franchise mode. Though the transition to Frostbite wasn't flawless, as the game suffers from long loading times and occasional slowdown, gameplay and content wise, Madden NFL 18 is the strongest in the series, so I would recommend it to both avid football fans and those who have not picked up Madden over the past few years.
From a creative standpoint, Agents of Mayhem is great. Its world stands on its own, looks good, and is hilariously written well… for the most part. Playing around with the agents' special abilities can even be fun, but many missions felt repetitive and dull. If the world of Agents of Mayhem intrigues you, I would recommend diving into it — just know that under the hood, its missions and open world aren't as creative as the rest of the game.
The system's portability is also a great fit for the game, as I could easily knock out one or two missions while on the go. It reminded me of puzzle games from the heyday of Xbox Live Arcade such as Peggle and Puzzle Quest, and makes me hopeful that the Nintendo Switch will be a similarly great platform for smaller, outside the box indie games such as Ironcast.
West of Loathing is one of the most memorable games I have played this year. It's unique simple-yet-detailed visuals and witty writing for everything from basic dialogue to item descriptions will keep fans of both westerns and RPGs very entertained. Unfortunately, once you hop into battle, the game's cracks start to show. While there is a great feeling of progression, West of Loathing's combat never did much to stand out from the systems in countless other turn-based RPGs. While I won't forget this Western romp anytime soon, I'll be remembering the witty dialogue exchanges and unique graphics more than its gameplay.
Namco Museum was able to preserve games that I remember fondly, and introduced me to some enjoyable new experiences that I can't wait to get back to. It could have had a bit more meat on its bones, but this collection ultimately is a great addition to the Nintendo Switch's ever growing library and a fitting tribute to some of Namco's greatest hits.
While a party can contain up to four members, players only directly control themselves. One can even set autobattle to have battles play out without having to interfere. The whole battling process is pretty hands-off, and can be sped up with the press of a button, which can make Miitopia a nice game to have on in the background or play in very short bursts. In longer gaming sessions however, the experience can really drag.
Unfortunately, it falls into some of the some old trappings of the genre that prevent it from joining the great 3D platformers that it is clearly inspired by. Samey worlds that are larger than needed are Unbox: Newbie's Adventure's biggest bane; the game may have benefited if it had smaller and more concise worlds. As it stands, if you are a fan of 3D platformers and are intrigued by this game's unique control scheme, it's worth giving a shot — just be aware that it can fall victim to some of the genre's more frustrating problems.
While playing, you can tell the game is competently built and comes from a place of passion with the developers, but outside of some eerie imagery and unique uses of the player's robot companion and Designator tool, Black the Fall fails to be the next big standout entry in this ever growing sub-genre.
Ever Oasis proves that the six year old handheld still has the potential to pump out some great content, while also being one of Koishi Ishii's best works. Even if you haven't heard of the game befor3 this review, I urge you to check Ever Oasis out, especially if you are a fan of city builders or Zelda-style games.
It is sad to say that this game will probably never reach the levels of popularity of both its predecessor and modern genre counterparts because the player count is at a currently super low despite the fact the it only recently launched. I encourage people interested in the game to pick it up, as Mirage: Arcane Warfare is really fun and would benefit from having many more players. Just be aware that if the game's community doesn't grow soon, its severs could be barren by the end of the year, if not in the next few months.
Injustice 2 improves upon Injustice: God Among Us in almost every way. It's faster, smoother, better animated, and better written than its predecessor, and is definitely NeatherRealm's best fighting game yet. While the Clash system sullies otherwise great fighting mechanics, and the game's story has a few problems of its own, I've had tons of fun with Injustice 2. As both a comic book and video game fanatic, I'd recommend Injustice 2 to anyone who is even remotely interested in it, as it does its source material justice while delivering both a great single player and online experience, and looks just as awesome in the process.
If this genre of games inspired by the Souls series is going to continue, it is important that future titles in it can build upon what has already been established and try to do something new with it. That is why I am so happy The Surge is able to do so. Even if it falters in a few areas, the game's limb targeting and Core Power mechanics coupled with its unique world create a fun experience that even people like me, who aren't mega-fans of the Souls series, can enjoy.
World to the West is a solid Link to the Past inspired experience that fans of that style of game will enjoy, and it was extremely interesting to see the world of Teslagrad fleshed out more through these four new characters. It is just unfortunate that the totem mechanic, which sounds cool on paper, ends up feeling like unnecessary padding that can make the game more frustrating than fun.
If TumbleSeed intrigues you at all, I would recommend picking it up. The game is as unique and engaging to play as it looks, just be aware of the steep difficulty curve you will most likely run into once you get more serious about passing the starting area. Games this original don't come around to often, but its always a treat when they do.
I enjoyed my time with Expeditions: Viking, even though noticeable technical problems can hold it back. Its engaging story kept me constantly intrigued, and made me want to survive for the sake of my village. Long load times and a few glitched out quests really held back the experience from ascending the level to other great strategy titles, but I would definitely recommend to strategy fans because of its deep and engaging gameplay.
While I still think Tetris is the better game in this match-up, and that it has a slight in-game advantage due to its faster speed, and that the voice acting can get grating after awhile, I loved my time with Puyo Puyo Tetris. It familiarized me with a puzzle game franchise and group of characters that I had never heard up before while also delivering a solid console Tetris experience, which makes it steeper price acceptable. I hope SEGA continues to bring over more Puyo Puyo games to the west, as it has the possibility of catching on just like Tetris did years ago on the Game Boy.
While creativity should be appreciated and rewarded in the gaming industry, and a very interesting world has been put on display here, the rest of the game is just not up to snuff. Shiness may be worth checking out for those who are yearning for more fantastical worlds to explore and the return of PS2-era style RPGs, as it certainly scratched that itch for me. but others should carefully consider their purchase before joining Chado on his grand adventure.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap sets a new standard for what remakes should include, and I hope future ones can follow in these footsteps with projects that are just as passionate. While it can't escape a few of the original title's annoyances, it is still an engaging and enjoyable experience for 2D-platformer and series fans, and will most likely garner the franchise some new fans, who will come into contact with the series for the first time with this game like I did. I never owned the Sega Master System, but I am elated that I got to experience this all-but-forgotten gem.
Even if its story falls into many amnesia tropes and the graphics are a bit dated, the innovative and enthralling gameplay coupled with its over-the-top-nature make Bayonetta a wild ride that you won’t ever want to get off. Sega has mentioned that they want to do more PC ports in the future and, if they are done as well as Bayonetta, I can’t wait to see what they bring over next.
Kero Blaster does feel much smaller and less monumental than Daisuke’s previous game Cave Story, but is a well crafted title nonetheless. While there sometimes are a few control problems with the DualShock 4, and the game is too short, the nuance in the level design, story, and soundtrack make Kero Blaster worth playing for 2D platfomer and Pixel fans. Cave Story this is not, but Kero Blaster is crafted just as well, and proves how talented of a developer Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya is.