Spencer Legacy's Reviews
Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness has all the potential makings of a great anime game adaptation, but it, unfortunately, ends up falling short. Its frustrating mechanics and lengthy mandatory tutorial mean that you’ll have to put up with a lot in order to get to the best part. If you’re a big fan of Made in Abyss, you may be able to look past these flaws, but otherwise, I’d wait for a polished sequel.
Soul Hackers 2 is an excellent JRPG that Shin Megami Tensei fans and newcomers alike will be able to dive straight into. Though the dungeons are basic and repetitive, the gameplay, characters, and story are all more than enough to keep you riveted. Don’t let Soul Hackers 2 fly under your radar, as it’s one of the year’s best RPGs.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance is a somewhat repetitive but flashy and fanservice-filled hack-and-slash that is essentially an action-packed love letter to the Gundam franchise. The variety of units and attention to detail is impressive, to say the least, meaning Gundam fans will likely find this one to be worthwhile.
Pac-Man World Re Pac is a refreshingly straightforward remake that will appeal to fans of the original game and newcomers alike. There are some repetitive parts and it’s a bit easy, but Re Pac makes for a chill and charming platforming experience for when you just need a breezy break.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the best JRPGs in recent years. Its characters, story, and world are all exceptional, and it’s remarkably fun to play. The fact that this game came out ahead of its original release date is wild, as it’s turned out to potentially be the best RPG on the Nintendo Switch. If you’re looking for a long, enthralling game to get lost in, grab Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Digimon Survive has lived up to its long-incubated hype. The story is intriguing and pleasantly mature, the gameplay is simple but enjoyable, and the performances are rock solid. It can be a bit repetitive, but I’d still recommend the game to anyone with a passing interest and a love for narrative-heavy mon games.
Mega Man Battle & Fighters is a simple but fun fighter/boss rush that I had a great time playing. It’s not especially complicated or anything, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a small and refreshing port of the Power Battle/Fighter games, with handy features that make this the most accessible version yet.
Live A Live is genuinely one of the most ambitious RPGs to have come from Square Enix. I’m truly glad that the world can now experience this gem, as it offers a unique experience that is tough to find anywhere else. If you dig RPGs but want something different and creative, I implore you to give Live A Live a shot.
Escape Academy is a unique and satisfying escape room-esque game that puzzle fans will truly dig. Some voice lines can be repetitive, and the puzzles can be a bit unclear on occasion, but otherwise, it’s a strong and delightfully puzzling adventure.
Disgaea 6 Complete is the ideal way to play Disgaea 6. While your enjoyment of it will depend on whether you’re open to a simpler and more streamlined version of Disgaea, if you’re cool with it, you’ll find a robust and exciting SRPG experience to sink your teeth into. And hey, if you’re new to Disgaea, this is a brilliant way to dip your toe into the wonderfully frantic grindfest.
Sonic Origins is an overall strong collection of some of Sonic’s best titles. The PS5 version seems pretty bug-free, and the included games all play very smoothly. I wish there was a bit more content in the gallery, and the replaced Sonic 3 songs are disappointing, but otherwise, I’m quite satisfied with Sonic Origins.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is without a doubt one of the strongest musou titles to date. It has a huge bounty of content, a unique story, and classic Warriors gameplay. It suffers a bit on the Switch, which is disappointing, but it’s still an excellent entry into both the Warriors series and Fire Emblem.
The Capcom Fighting Collection is a strong grouping of Capcom’s smaller fighters. Red Earth and Cyberbots alone make this a very neat collection, but the entire package is truly worthwhile. Fighting fans of all stripes will find something to enjoy here, though Darkstalkers fans will be especially happy.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is weird and surprisingly fun sports title that combines strong mechanics with a unique atmosphere. If you aren’t a big sports person, it’s best played in bursts, but for a soccer game, it’s actually incredibly enjoyable.
While other versions seem to fare better, the Switch version of Souldiers is an unfortunate mess. Until it receives some meaningful fixes (which the developer does seem dedicated to doing, judging from their Twitter), you’re better off trying it on another console. It’s a shame, as Souldiers seems like a good fit to play on the go, but the plethora of issues make that currently impossible.
Biomotor Unitron is a slick and fun dungeon crawler that holds up pretty well. It could use a bit of a smoother tutorial, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll have a blast plundering dungeons and battling other robots.
GIMME SOME SHIPS TO BREAK!
Evil Dead: The Game is a fun but somewhat flawed take on the best horror franchise around. The care that went into the world and aesthetic of the game is top-notch, and it can be very fun to play. It has some balance issues and could use a tune-up on the single-player front, but otherwise, there’s a lot of potential here for fun nights with friends.
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 is, in some ways, awesome. It’s great to have these neglected titles back and playable for modern audiences, as they’re quite enjoyable games to this day. The problem is that nothing has been done to them, meaning there’s no speed-up, auto-save, or cleaned-up visuals. I’m glad to play these games, I just wish a bit more effort went into the collection.
Postal 4 isn’t a very good game. It’s clunky, technically rough, and not especially funny. Fans of the series may be able to look past the issues and find some laughs in the jokes, but to me, Postal 4 just isn’t worth playing.