Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX shows us a different side of Copen that I have been waiting see. It’s through this entire adventure that he makes his marks as a true main protagonist and proves he is just as awesome as Gunvolt.
If I had to describe Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered in one word, it would be "magical". The game truly takes the player to a new world of exploration and discovery as you experience it through the eyes of a boy determined to fight for the ones he loves.
Utawarerumono: ZAN is a condensed version of must-read visual novel SRPG that doesn’t quite stick with you as much as the original. Sure, you’ll get the gist of the characters and the situation at hand, but nothing really stands out in the game storywise.
River City Girls is the brawler that the series needed to spark new interest in the franchise. WayForward took this classic IP and made something truly unique, yet still recognizable to long-time fans.
Gun Gun Pixies offers exactly what you’re looking for if you’re thinking about playing it and more. It is perhaps the lewdest game that I’ve played to come west on console and I ended up loving it for that.
Catherine: Full Body is the full Catherine experience and presents some of the best moments of gameplay and storytelling from any game I’ve played to date. The game’s newly added scenes and features will make it feel new to those who have played before, but if it’s your first time than you are playing the best version imaginable.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan presents some amazing steps forward in the narrative adventure genre made by Supermassive Games. They have truly outdone themselves with their attention to story development and overall design.
Control stretches the imagination of reality and takes the player on an unexpected journey. The developers took a huge chance on their approach to storytelling and their ability to navigate players through new and unique systems and it pays off.
Judgment is a game that anyone will love playing through from the beginning to the end. I was completely immersed in Judgement’s world and could easily spend more time running through the streets and hanging out with the friends I’ve made along the way.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a true Igavania adventure and does a great job at bringing this experience to modern platforms. There are some low points here and there and some design choices can be a bit questionable, but honestly, there is just so much to love about this game that it really doesn’t matter.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings has a good battle system and premise, but overall I wanted more from the final entry in the Mysterious trilogy. It seems like a missed opportunity to not include an open world and instead opt for a streamlined adventure with quick travel being the only option for exploration. As main protagonists, Lydie and Suelle are fantastic, but I felt like they deserved better. If you're looking for a solid story and a decent battle system or if you're a long time, Atelier fan than Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings might work for you, but I was left unimpressed.
I had a lot of fun learning about these characters in search of a blue sky and I appreciate FuRyu taking chances on new IPs in a generation full of sequels and remakes. The Alliance Alive is a straightforward and fun JRPG with enough to keep the player invested throughout its story, but it could use some work on difficulty balancing and the inclusion of voice over.
By setting the bar higher with its meaningful side-quests and multiple systems executed perfectly, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is paving the way for future JRPG titles to build upon. I loved every moment of Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and could easily recommend it as an entry point to the genre for newcomers as well as longtime fans of the genre. Developer Level-5 has truly outdone themselves with this one and I would just like to say to them, thank you for the adventure.
I enjoyed the premise of playing the story through new eyes and watching these events unfold. Also, taking the time to read the character's journal offers a new layer of immersion for hardcore fans. Attack on Titan 2 is a game for the fans, and the story does well to include critical scenes that those fans will readily recognize. After a few hours, I found that I had mastered the ODM gear and could quickly take down any Titan that came my way along with seamlessly issuing commands to my party members. I was glad to be having fun because this is just what I needed to hold me off until season 3 of the Attack on Titan anime.
As a gamer, playing through The 25th Ward: The Silver Case had me thankful to be playing a game that would have otherwise been lost. Coming from the mind of a young Suda51, the story told is as juvenile as it is gripping and engaging. The 25th Ward: The Silver Case takes chances and pushes the boundaries of storytelling and character development. Some of the controls might not have aged well and a couple scenarios overstay their welcome, but The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a game that deserves the attention of visual novel adventure fans as well as Suda51 groupies.
Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- is not Yume Nikki, but that ends up working well for it in the end. Developer Kadokawa AGM shows that they are truly fans of the original work and this is proven time and time again through the visuals and sound design. I feel like I want to recommend the game to peers if only to have more people to talk about the story with and hear their interpretations of the events that transpired. Being on an indie budget might have held back this game from being better and it's never going to live up to the standards set by the original, but Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- definitely provides a decent surreal experience.
Ultimately, Fear Effect Sedna is saved by a great story and awesome puzzle design. I found myself completely impressed with where Sushee Games took the Fear Effect series despite the game's shortcomings. Fear Effect Sedna proves that the Fear Effect series can survive in a modern gaming climate and flourish. During my time with the game, once the story began to take unbelievable twists and supernatural elements made there way into the narrative, I truly felt like I was playing a new Fear Effect game and that's a lot of what I was hoping for from Fear Effect Sedna.
I enjoyed most of my time with Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet but I felt that it could have been a better experience with improved dungeon design and controls. Thankfully, this is a great new direction for the SAO series to be headed. Hopefully, the next video game installment will continue the trajectory of Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet and make this series the best it can be for fans.
The developers kept the physics, systems, and gameplay almost identical to the original Secret of Mana and I'm overjoyed that they did. With Secret of Mana being grouped up by so many gamers as their favorite game of all time, it was important for Square Enix to deliver as close to that same experience for a new generation, and they did that just that. Some features might not have aged well or should have been added in for good measure, but this release of Secret of Mana is the same adventure that I remember, and I couldn't have asked for more.
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is more than fans could ask for in a remaster of an already great game. If in any case, you happened to have looked over Radiant Historia in the past or just kept it in your backlog all these years, it's time you give Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology a try. Because ultimately, those who have not played Radiant Historia are in for an adventure with the best version of a timeless RPG.