The gameplay itself is fun if a bit uninspired. The narrative stumbles from the starting blocks until the finish line, finding itself in more embarrassing scenarios as it progresses. With mission lengths falling terribly short and being the very definition of redundant, there isn’t much value to be had outside of the gameplay. It’s a sad cycle to see the Hyperdimension series fall into; it has officially become what it set out to satirize.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness offers an impressive experience that accomplishes what it sets out to do. While the bulk of the game is relatively short (though with how the actual plot runs its course, that seems to make logical sense), the gameplay more than makes up for it.
On the whole, Mushroom Wars is a cute and enjoyable RTS experience from indie developer Zillion Whales. For its $9.99 pricetag, the short campaign and inclusion of skirmishes/multiplayer is worth your time.
Furi is a serious endeavor for the hardcore. It’s extremely fun and very rewarding, but it delivers in equal parts immense frustration and anger.
At its heart, The Technomancer is an inspiring attempt at what open world action RPGs can be. It doesn’t always succeed at what it tries to do, but its ambition often makes up for its missteps.
When I look back at my pained time with Homefront: The Revolution, I can't help but shudder. I feel dirty even suggesting this game wasted its own potential; I can't be certain potential was lurking behind this shoddy façade to begin with. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever played a game as unpolished and trashy as Homefront: The Revolution.
With this entry into The Legend of Heroes saga, Falcom created something truly special. The believability of the world and characters, the attachment to the people of the empire, and low key storyline build a memorable experience.
Nights of Azure is both a wonderful attempt at freshness in a genre that lapses into redundancy and a lapse into said redundancy itself. The ideas in Nights of Azure are worthy of a nod of respect, but the execution falls short.
The game is good enough to stand on its own without multiplayer, but the lack of any accessible games or rooms really damages the value (especially at the $40 price tag).
The Collider 2 offers a brief wave of fun for its cheap $9.99 price tag. You won’t find endless hours of gameplay here, but you will find a challenge at neck break speeds.
But let me tell you, even though I died a multitude of times, I couldn’t stop playing Leap of Fate. Minutes turned into hours as I continued to say, “Just one more game.” While I wasn’t particularly concerned with the exposition (though completing each stage brought a very interesting line of narrative), the gameplay had me hooked. The completely randomized levels and strategizing the selection of randomized upgrades melds perfectly together to create an incredibly fun concoction of intense and furiously quick gameplay that leaves you satisfied. I will be playing this game for quite a while to come.
Naughty Dog continues to improve upon their winning formula, which leaves me overly excited for what comes next.
In conclusion, Battleborn is a difficult game for me to review. The maps, especially the competitive ones, can feel uninspired, but the art style of the overall presentation is comically beautiful. The writer job is wonderful, as is Gearbox's norm, and the deep roster of 25 playable characters will only get bigger with future DLC.
When I think of the positives, I find a game that is mechanically decent but presents an interesting narrative worth experiencing. For me, however, the dungeon exploring became stale very quickly, and I only forced my way through the game because of the plot line.
Resident Evil 6 for PS4 and Xbox One offer players the same overall experience from the original title. Most gamers familiar with the series already know whether they’ll be playing the game again. But for those on the fence or those who have never played it before, the cheap price tag, the addition of all DLC, and working/enjoyable multiplayer mode makes the game a potentially worthwhile buy.
Ratchet & Clank offers fans and newbies alike a chance to re-explore the origins of two of gaming's most beloved characters. With a challenge mode filled with a significant amount of additional content, Ratchet & Clank is loaded with value, especially at its cheap price tag. Excellent voice acting, gameplay, boss fights, weaponry, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue leads Ratchet & Clank to find its way near the top of my favorite games of 2016 so far.
When considering Monumental in retrospect, I am glad I had a chance to experience the nostalgic atmosphere and intense puzzles. As a fan of critical thinking and problem solving, especially in the way of gaming, few modern products offer the same depth to puzzles as Monumental. It's certainly unforgiving, but with enough thought and perhaps the use of the hint button, Monumental is a solid, inexpensive game worthy of your time, money, and brain overload.
Twilight Princess offers a slight deviation from the cliché save the princess story, and the incorporation of wolf Link contributes a new avenue to explore. As far as RPG length, Twilight Princess is about average, clocking in at approximately 40+ hours for full completion (and adding a little extra should you utilize the Midna and wolf Link amiibo).
If I could remove the poorly executed boss battles from the story mode, Devil's Third could have been a passable, albeit paltry, game. And while the multiplayer doesn't offer anything new and isn't overly populated, it can be fun for additional hours of gameplay. Your best bet is to wait for the game to fall in price before picking it up.