Francis DiPersio's Reviews
As someone who tends to get a lot of enjoyment out of rail shooters, Star Horizon is a game I had high hopes for. And while I feel some features, like the storytelling and upgrade system, fall a bit flat, the core shooter experience can be pretty fun in short bursts. Sadly, in its current state, it’s impossible to recommend a game that is, as far as this reviewer can tell, entirely unbeatable at this time due to a game-breaking glitch.
While not quite as good as the Taito’s recently released Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, Ghost Sweeper is a fun little puzzle-platformer that’s well worth the modest $5 asking price. If you’re a fan of Solomon’s Key or merely looking for a fresh dose of arcade-inspired action, you can’t go wrong adding this game to your collection.
As someone with a lot of nostalgia for the BUILD era of PC first-person shooters, I had high hopes for Ion fury on Xbox One. Sadly, this port’s abundance of glitches, bizarre performance problems and a lack of optimization for consoles make it too frustrating to recommend. Perhaps with the magic of post-release patching, the worst of these kinks will be ironed out. However, at the time of this writing, today is not that day.
SNK Gal’s Fighters on the Switch isn’t the most ambitious port out there, but that’s okay. Two decades since its original release, it’s just as addicting as it ever was. If you’re looking for a lighthearted retro fighter to add to your Switch library, or just want to experience this obscure gem in the Neo Geo’s 30-year history, then there’s no better time than the present to give SNK Gals’ Fighters a shot.
Of course, brevity is par for the course when it comes to ports of classic coin-op titles. But even so, many other games in the SEGA AGES lineup will keep you busy for considerably longer than this release. Still, if the game’s brief runtime and relative lack of replayability don’t bother you, SEGA AGES G-LOC: Air Battle is a great way to experience one of SEGA’s more overlooked gems from the glory days of arcade gaming.
Online woes aside, Streets of Rage 4 is the gold standard for what a beat ’em up should be and a triumphant return to form for the series. The road to its release has been long and at times uncertain, but Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Lizardcube have managed to deliver a game that was well worth the 26-year wait. With stellar visuals, an unforgettable soundtrack, and a wealth of modes to enjoy, this is one game you need to have in your collection.
SEGA’s Sakura Wars reboot marks a welcome return for a series that’s gotten criminally little exposure to western audiences since it first released nearly 25 years ago. While the game’s real-time, hack-and-slash approach to its combat left me wanting more, the superb writing and lovable cast of characters kept me glued to my controller right to the very end. And with multiple endings and romance options to unlock, I hope to do it all again very soon.
As a big fan of the shoot-’em-up genre, I had my hopes up for Galaxy Warfighter. Unfortunately, the game just doesn’t do anything to hold the player’s attention. Truth be told, you can see everything the game has to offer in the time it takes to watch or read this review. For a quick-fix free-to-play mobile game, that might be acceptable. But for a title that’s currently going for $7.00 on the Switch eShop and Steam, that’s just inexcusable.
In many ways, Disaster Report 4 lives up to its name. Sure, it’s a disaster, but it’s a disaster with heart. It’s a buggy, technically-flawed mess that somehow, seemingly against all odds, manages to pull you in with its charming characters and compelling narrative. If you can overlook its unpolished nature and a few questionable design choices to experience a game unlike anything else on the Switch, you may just enjoy this quirky and chaotic adventure.
If you’re looking for a VR experience that defies categorization, Paper Beast will not disappoint. While occasionally a bit too cryptic at times, it’s a fascinating fusion of the simulation and adventure genres that will keep you glued to your PSVR from start to finish. With a surreal and often melancholy main story to experience and bonus sandbox mode that allows you to craft your dynamic ecosystems and watch them come to life, it’s one of the more robust offerings for Sony’s headset in recent months. If the lack of handholding doesn’t bother you and you’re in the mood for something totally unique, give Paper Beast a try.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash makes a good first impression with its nostalgic visuals, funky tunes, and easy to pick up gameplay. It’s just a shame that once you’ve wrapped up its five-minute intro chapter, you’ve already seen a quarter of what it has to offer. With a story that almost any player should be able to finish in less than a half-hour and a dull smattering of throwaway extra modes, I’d have trouble recommending the game to even the most die-hard fans of the series.
The game’s brevity aside, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is a blast while it lasts. I love the new upgradable skills, which add an extra layer of depth to the arcade antics without trying to reinvent the wheel. And the ability to participate in multiplayer mayhem with four players makes Taito’s latest offering one of the most enjoyable party games to find its way to the Switch to date.
While not perfect with its lackluster sounds and just passable framerate, Panzer Dragoon: Remake is about as close to a definitive version of SEGA’s cult classic Saturn shooter that fans could ask for on the Switch. With its gorgeous visuals and a superb soundtrack that’s aged like fine wine, MegaPixel Studios and Forever Entertainment have done an excellent job of modernizing one of the most memorable games of the 32-bit era.
Despite its camera quirks and a few random crashes to the PlayStation 4 home screen, I enjoyed my time with Darksiders: Genesis. And if you’re a fan of the series who’s looking for a fresh take on the franchise, I think you will too. Developer Airship Syndicate has done a commendable job of transplanting the Darksiders universe to the hack-and-slash genre. With some genuinely solid puzzles and platforming segments to complement the game’s weighty and fun combat, it’s a game that’s worth experiencing alone, and even better with a friend.
Even though I have to admit that I’m not crazy about some of the changes implemented by Chara-Ani, these complaints are almost entirely cosmetic. When all is said and done, these decisions don’t do anything to take away from what remains an exceptional pair of SRPGs. And when it comes to content, there’s no denying Langrisser I & II delivers lots of bang for your gaming buck. It’ll take you roughly 40 hours to play through both of the games featured in this collection. Additionally, with Langrisser II’s branching story and a New Game+ Mode that unlocks after completing each game’s campaign, there’s plenty of reason to come back for more after the credits roll.
Past Cure is a title with tons of ambition that’s hobbled by sloppy execution. The game’s varied cocktail or horror, gunplay, stealth, and a strong, story-driven narrative could have made it something truly special. However, the lack of polish, repetitive design decisions, and some serious technical issues that extend right down to subtitles that don’t even match the onscreen dialog, make for a game that’s hard to recommend to all but the most starved shooter fans.
Crossing Souls is a game that wears its pixelated heart proudly on its cut-off denim sleeve. From its blocky character sprites to its neon-saturated title screen and grainy, static-filled VHS-esque cutscenes, it’s obvious the game is geared to players with a fondness for the era that gave rise to such riches as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Bonkers fruit chews, and the ever-looming specter of nuclear annihilation.
If you’ve been waiting for Sonic’s grand return to the spotlight, your wish has finally been granted. Sonic Mania is as good as it gets, proving that sometimes a franchise needs to rediscover its roots to move forward.
When all is said and done, Ys VIII is an utterly engrossing and nostalgic adventure that no fan of the action-RPG genre should miss.
Agents of Mayhem has it’s lumps to be sure, but fans of the genre who can look past these issues will find a densely-packed sandbox title that revels in its absurdity. You just might want to wait until Volition irons out those kinks with a patch or two before plunking down your hard-earned cash.