Nick Herber's Reviews
There is a lot to like about Tethered. I have played a handful of strategy games in virtual reality now, and most have multiple hits and misses. Tethered is almost all hit, with fun gameplay and an adorable visual aesthetic. Best of all? It is a full and proper game and not a lightweight proof of concept like so many other VR titles.
Persona 5 pulled me in immediately, with stylish visuals and music, some fresh ideas on gameplay and of course what always carries this series: characters I truly grow to care for. I struggled to put down the controller for any length of time and I frequently found myself asking 'what if I had chosen to do this instead?'. All clear signs that I was invested in this RPG masterpiece.
Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe is something of a throwback fighting game. While Ark System Works is well-known for their fast, slick, polished fighting games like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, this is a simpler title made by FK Digital. It is a solid enough outing, with gameplay that is easy to pick up, but if you were hoping for the level of polish found in the aforementioned Ark System Works series, you will likely be disappointed.
Blaster Master Zero hearkens back to a much older age in video gaming, but it does so with a certain loving care that does more than just rely on nostalgia. In truth, the original Blaster Master on the NES always felt somewhat ahead of its time when I played it, mixing genres a little and providing some outstanding platforming and action thrills. Blaster Master Zero is a really strong release title for the Switch and should readily appeal to fans of the older games.
Shovel Knight has proven to be one of those games that really just doesn't age. It's hard to believe that the title's been out for a few years now, but the retro visuals, outstanding music and challenging yet addictive gameplay allows it to hold up as time passes. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the definitive version of this title to date as it pulls the first three games into a single package for the newly released Nintendo Switch, and the end result is as much fun as ever.
Brut@l has a striking aesthetic that tries to brush up on the ASCII dungeon roguelikes of old and modernize the formula some in the process. In the end, Stormcloud Games gets more right than wrong, though a few frustrating quirks turn the title into a niche title that will not appeal to everyone.
Fans of the Digimon world will likely enjoy this offering the most. However, this is a slower grind of a game, one that will not appeal to everyone. However, despite the very slow learning curve here, Digimon World: Next Order offers some real depth that I found myself sinking a ton of time into - and I was enjoying it more often than not.
Double Dragon IV clings to its retro inspirations just a little too tightly. Fans of the old 8-bit titles will likely enjoy their romp here for what it is, but Arc System Works could have taken some more chances and delivered a brawler that had more to offer. Instead we get a fighting game that is simply average, despite my deep nostalgia for the series.
Zen Pinball 2: Star Wars Pinball - Rogue One offers us a standalone table instead of a suite of different ones collected around a single theme. Despite only having one table to play, it is an incredibly well-made one that should appease Star Wars fans and pinball fans alike.
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is a guilty pleasure for me, but one I have not been able to get enough of. This is a great twist on the traditional Dynasty Warriors formula, and while the game is not flawless, it is the most fun I have had with a title so far in 2017.
As a package of three tables, I really enjoyed the Bethesda Pinball set. Fallout was average-ish, DOOM was really, really good and I thought Skyrim was great. Now, these tables with their game elements might not appeal to pinball purists. I can imagine my dad wrinkling his nose a little at these because there are times they feel more like a video game than the typical Zen Pinball tables - but I believe that works here. These tables are after all based on popular video games, and to that end I applaud the devs for taking some chances and doing something unique with these tables. The overall package is one I will be coming back to time and again.
With numerous Marvel tables having been released over the last few years or so, I have some favorites. Neither of the two here in Women of Power will be at the top of that list, but both how the usual Zen Studios polish and excellent overall table design. Of the two the Champions table was my favorite and both are a solid experience.
Sylvio puts an emphasis on atmosphere, creating horror more through storytelling and exploration than a true sense of danger. It is one of those titles that makes great use of sound and as such is best experienced in a dark room with an ideal audio situation (headset or surround sound). When the game is played this way, it is an interesting, creepy experience that horror fans should enjoy despite some of the game's limitations.
Please, Don’t Touch Anything is a puzzle game with a pretty wicked sense of humor. This title is an oddly casual yet mind-bending game that is well-executed despite its somewhat simplistic overall premise.
A short but incredibly cool game, DEXED might offer somewhat limited content but has a really good grasp on how to make an engaging game in VR. Not so much a tech demo as a proof of concept, I really do wish there was more here, because DEXED is an excellent experience.
The Climb is an excellent experience, one that works exceedingly well with the Oculus Touch controls. However, a lack of gameplay depth and overall number of environments could give some gamers pause when they try to decide if this is a journey worth undertaking.
AirMech: Command is one of those titles that simply uses the Oculus Rift very well to add some immersion to what is a really solid game in and of itself. Instead of the often gimmicky focus on first-person scares or novelty controls, AirMech: Command is a solid game on its own merits.
The first episode in this new series lays some really solid foundation for our upcoming story, though there are some curious design choices along the way that I can see rubbing fans of the long-running series wrong at the same time.
EVE: Valkyrie makes an outstanding initial impression. With polished controls, slick visuals and plenty of lore and world building from the EVE universe, this title takes a solid space combat game and elevates it with its visual immersion.
Chronos deserves some serious credit here, as it is one of the most fully fleshed out experiences in virtual reality I have experienced so far. You can spend more than a dozen hours with this title and the magical world it creates for you, which is far more than most VR titles I have had the chance to play on the Oculus Rift so far. It also helps that the overall gaming experience is a good one worth spending that time o