Jonathan White's Reviews
Overall, I’d say that Arkane Studios may have possibly dropped the best game in the middle of this quality game drought we’re currently in (but I haven’t played Tales of Arise yet.) Deathloop isn’t nearly as original as it is refreshing and inventive. In fact, you could argue that Deathloop borrows the very best elements of everything that it rips off pays homage to and manages to stitch it together with a quality that’s not quite designer level, but considerably more convincing than a Wal-Mart brand knockoff.
The Ascent is a very impressive indie game made by a small studio of fewer than 30 people. Neon Giant has created a fantastic isometric shooter that’s just as much fun as the games it painstakingly writes a love letter to. I highly recommend you check out The Ascent as it’s been one of my favorite games so far in 2021.
Guilty Gear -Strive- is actually an incredible game, the fighting is fast, flashy, and extremely responsive.
Kudos to the team at Cold Symmetry. I hope more people pick up this game so that we can get a sequel somewhere down the road.
In its current state, Panzer Paladin is more of a chore to play than it is a joy, and as someone who enjoys challenging games, that’s really a shame.
As a whole, The Yakuza Remastered Collection is a welcome addition for anyone who’s a fan of the Yakuza franchise. It’s great to finally have all of the mainline games available on the same system. It’s just a shame these three games weren’t quite given the same amount of love that Kiwami and Kiwami 2 were. Still, three games for the price of one is definitely a steal.
There are some terrific improvements, and the soundtrack is still just as excellent as it was when I first played this game in 1997, but the story itself hasn’t aged well and these new liberties are paltry and weak. I’m hoping to be wowed in Remake part two.
For people who like Guilty Gear’s anime graphics but don’t like how complicated those games are, or are not at all into Dragon Ball Z, this game is tailor-made for them.
Creature in the Well is an interesting take on a familiar set of genres, but it's ultimately unsure of itself and the gimmicks wear off very quickly.
Ultimately, Control is a really cool experience even with all of the flaws. I really liked the atmosphere of the Bureau and Jesse’s voice actor Courtney Hope did a terrific job. The ending is a trip, and the gameplay is fun, even if it’s slightly repetitive.
It’s as if From Software made a Tenchu game and had fears that it wouldn’t sell well, so they put on some Dark Souls makeup and a sprinkle of Bushido Blade flavor to bring this soup to up to taste.
Perhaps the biggest reason I even decided to look at this game is still the most important: UNIST probably had a total budget for this game that was less than whatever Namco paid to have Negan from The Walking Dead put into Tekken 7. The fact that these quality fighters exist is a testament to their respective developers’ passion for the genre.
At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with Tales of Vesperia if you’re looking for a great RPG that isn’t Kingdom Hearts III.
It's truly a shame because the parts where the storytelling really shines in this game are the parts most people won't ever see because of the technical issues that plague it.
All and all, this is a terrific port and Diablo herself couldn’t have asked for a better welcome to Nintendo’s hardware. Even if you’ve played this game to death, don’t underestimate how great it feels to senselessly destroy hordes of evil on the go.
Soul Calibur VI is definitely steps in the right direction of reminding people why Bandai Namco has the best fighters not named Street Fighter, and I’m excited to see who else joins the fray in the series’ future.
Overall, Kiwami 2 is yet another stellar Yakuza re-release. This time it runs in Yakuza 6's dragon engine and it's absolutely gorgeous to look at.
With just a few small changes in design, Strange Brigade could have been a sleeper hit that people were talking about for years to come. Unfortunately, no matter how pretty the game looks, the flaws in gameplay keep it from being little more than passable and ultimately forgettable as the bigger games release across the holiday season.
One part rogue-like, one part Metroidvania. Mix in some speed running and you’ve got yourself a tremendous baby of a game.
Despite having a terrific antagonist, Far Cry 5 seems to struggle to connect the player to the story.