Jonathan White's Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Guilty Gear -Strive- is actually an incredible game, the fighting is fast, flashy, and extremely responsive.
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.
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.
Diablo II: Resurrected seemingly accomplishes what it set out to do. It’s a terrific way to introduce one of the best video games ever made to a whole new generation of audiences. The music, the locations, the builds, the memories, they all came flooding back as I put more and more time into this game. It reminded me a lot of when times were simpler in life. Diablo II: Resurrected may not quite be exactly like the original, but it’s so damn close you’ll hardly notice the difference. It’s like a getting warm hug from an old friend you haven’t seen in a long long time.
I’m still adamant that the best usage of Hot Wheels was the DLC pack in Forza Horizon 3, but that success only came because it was built into an already excellent racing game. This is a passable at-best racer, but it damn sure ain’t anywhere near Forza.
Whatever Far Cry 6 is supposed to be feels like they made a cake and forgot the butter, flour, eggs, or to actually bake it. The more I played, the less I wanted to, and that’s not a good sign for a FarCry fan.
New World might be the first ever MMORPG in my two decades of playing these titles that made me hit a wall and go “Yeah – this isn’t fun, I’m out.” That’s saying something, considering I’ve reviewed both TERA and Bless Unleashed.