Gammalad's Reviews
The Caligula Effect Overdose has some of the most inventive combat I have ever played in a turnbased JRPG. If you can get beyond the grind a lot of the dungeons feel like and the poorly implemented social systems, you will be treated to amazing combat, great music, wonderful character interactions and a story that will really make you think.
Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise is seriously a good game, and is honestly one of the best anime based video games I have ever played. The game does an amazing job of putting you in the shoes of Kenshiro, and allows you to lay waste to hordes of baddies in an over the top and gruesome manner. The mix between this series and Yakuza honestly seems like a match made in heaven, and at times it truly is.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and some of the plot twists and turns will leave you speechless at times. For longtime fans of the series, you will appreciate everything this game has to offer. For newcomers, this is a fantastic entry point for this series. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a game that will not leave my mind for a long time to come.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 has easily become one of my favorite games in the Yakuza series. From the action packed story, to the overabundance of side content provided, to the ability to play as Majima again, I honestly have a game that keeps me wanting to come back for more and more, and never want to put the controller down.
Little Dragons Cafe is honestly a return to form for Yasuhiro Wada. He has managed to create a game that manages to recreate the magic he did when working on the Story of Seasons series. This game may not be for everyone, but if you are interested in a game that will truly warm your heart and help you unwind after a busy day, Little Dragons Cafe is the game for you. All it really boils down to is your preference when it comes to performance.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a masterpiece in the world of 2D platformers and is easily the best one out there to date. I will go as far to say that Tropical Freeze is easily better than any of the New Super Mario Bros games, and that Donkey Kong is truly the King of the genre.
Detective Pikachu is an interesting spin off to say the least, while it doesn’t really add anything to the puzzle or visual novel genre, it is still a charming adventure.
Overall, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is really a classic game in the JRPG and DRPG genre. From the engaging story that will really make you think at times, to the enjoyable dungeon crawling and intense combat, you have a game that fans of both genres will enjoy. Fans who have played the original Strange Journey will find plenty to do here in this remake of the game. Once again Atlus has delivered a gem that is easily one of the best games out this year.
The Alliance Alive succeeded in everything The Legend of Legacy failed in. From rich environments and a somber atmosphere, to more balanced combat, and to an overall much better story, you truly have a JRPG that channels the roots of a lot of classic games. While the game may have a few technical issues, it is a rather enjoyable time through and through.
. Yakuza 6 is easily the most immersive video game I have ever played, and is just a lot of fun. The amount of times I couldn't help but smile while playing this game is a testament to the fact of how much I enjoyed myself. While the game does has its flaws, SEGA has once again delivered a fantastic game that is easily one of the best games currently out this year.
At the end of the day, Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is a fantastic remake of the original DS game. With the added quality of life changes, new story inclusions and allowing the player to choose whether or not they want to experience more of it, you have a classic game that anyone with a 3DS should go out and try. I can recommend this game to JRPG fans looking for their next JRPG itch, as well as fans of the original. While it’s not perfect, Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology will continue to radiate through history.
At the end of the day, Harvest Moon Light of Hope isn’t a completely bad game, but it doesn't play like a good one by any stretch either. It just feels like a lazily stitched together copy and paste.
Overall, Cyberdimension Neptunia 4 Goddesses Online is everything an online Neptunia game should be. The game has creative writing, an enjoyable combat system, and fantastic visuals to boot. The only thing really holding this game back is the amount of performance issues tied to this game. Outside of that, you have a really enjoyable spin off of a loveable series. If this game is going to set the groundwork for how future games look and feel, I am excited to see what the future holds for the Hyperdimension Neptunia series.
Yakuza Kiwami honestly rides on the thin line between remake and reimagining of a classic game. It keeps all of the original story beats and brings the games visuals into the modern-day while incorporating a lot of the newer games mechanics without hampering the original games integrity. This game is honestly the best way to experience the original Yakuza.
What you have with Dark Rose Valkyrie feels like two different things. On one hand, the story is very well done and comes across as almost like a visual novel, mixed with a JRPG that misses the mark and a lot of potential. That said, Dark Rose Valkyrie is definitely a good game if you are looking for something to beef up your JRPG collection with.
At the end of the day, Miitopia really is a letdown. It tries to bridge Tomodachi Life and the JRPG genre, but without adding anything that would make the gameplay endearing. I could only recommend this game to someone who is looking for a quick pick up and play game for short play sessions but doesn’t want to get invested in a extremely in-depth JRPG.
Hey! Pikmin feels more like a side entry to the main Pikmin series than some simple spin off. I really enjoyed everything this game tried to do, and I honestly feel like with a bit of reworking Hey! Pikmin could have been a game to be held up there with the original trilogy.
At the end of the day Persona 5 is the perfect dance of gameplay, music, story and design that mixes together to be the pinnacle of the JRPG genre and the best entry in the Persona series, and maybe even Shin Megami Tensei, to date.
At the end of the day ARMS is an extremely well rounded arena fighter brought to us from Nintendo, and is looking to do what Splatoon did with third person shooters (but with fighting games.) ARMS is nothing but pure chaos in the best way possible.