Nick Herber's Reviews
No one is going to mistake AeternoBlade II for a AAA effort due to its writing, voice acting and visuals, and that is okay if you are a fan of the Metroidvania genre enough to focus in on the gameplay. Here the gameplay is merely average by and large, though the time lapse / recording element is a really great twist that does elevate the experience a little. The ideas seem to be there, but the polish is lacking and there are better examples of the genre out there to be had.
Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars does a nice job of providing some self-aware humor and taking a potentially absurd topic and making it interesting and enjoyable. This is a nice update to a game that released on PSP and probably did not get much love at the time, but fans of the JRPG genre should be right at home with. There is really nothing all that new mechanically from the dating sim aspects or the combat, but its all put together in a nice package that is entertaining to play.
Disgaea 4 Complete+ is a fantastic game, though its off-beat sense of humor is not going to appeal to everyone. Also, while there are some pretty traditional mechanics in its gameplay, there are some pretty unusual ones too (throwing Prinnies!). This update does not really bring much of anything new to the table in terms of the presentation, but having all of the content and a few design tweaks certainly make for a better, more complete overall experience. If, like me, you have not played Disgaea 4 in a while now, or you never have but enjoy the strategy / RPG genre, there is ample reason to give Disgaea 4 Complete+ a go.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors gets a lot of things right with its presentation, quality action and fun co-op mode. It is that rare fighting game that is both accessible and yet deep as you learn how to best use a character. The updates here are somewhat minimal, which just goes to show how good the original game really was. It is still a great deal of fun for those who have an old-school brawling itch they need to scratch.
Those quibbles aside, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is a welcome treat this close to Halloween. Having the likenesses and original voice actors reprising their roles in this game when it first came out was a major win for the development team, and it still puts a smile on my face today. The shooting mechanics are a bit clumsy, but that plays into the collateral damage aspect of the game, which is hilarious at times. Some aspects have aged better than overs, but overall fans of the Ghostbusters franchise will undoubtedly enjoy what this game has to offer.
Sega Ages: Ichidant-R is a pretty cool study in what was, even if what it currently is might not be for everyone. Ideally, this is the kind of game you want to sit down with some friends to play - or better yet just spectate as two newcomers play it with one another for the first time. Having done that with my kids, I can say that this was a particularly entertaining experience. The mix of action and puzzle elements, as well as the variety of games actually makes for a pretty charming and interesting title, even if it is one that does not have a particularly long shelf life after your initial few hours.
After a handful of hours, you will have experienced pretty much everything Sega Ages - Columns II: The Voyage Through Time has to offer. What is there is certainly entertaining and as a classic offering, should appeal to people such as myself who have fond memories of this type of game or just enjoy puzzlers in general.
Despite the randomly generated dungeons, there is not much in the way of replay value to be had in Children of Morta. The storyline is linear and it is a somewhat short game. That being said, the journey through that first time is delightful, due in large part to fantastic visuals and also the interesting family dynamics found in both the gameplay and the narrative. The rogue-lite elements work well here, encouraging progress without being terribly punitive. Fans of the action-RPG genre should definitely give Children of Morta a look.
Northgard is an accessible strategy game on consoles, and that in and of itself makes it appealing for those who might be new to the genre. The brightly colored visuals are appealing, even if the rest of the presentation is relatively average, but where Northgard really starts to shine is in its surprisingly depth of strategy the longer your session runs. Weather, different clans and a variety of ways to claim victory help to make for varied, entertaining sessions well worth a play.
The slower pacing and somewhat lacking early tutorials give Frostpunk a somewhat high barrier of entry. Do not go in thinking you will be successful right off of the bat. This is a challenging game with some uneven difficulty spikes that can feel punishing and even unfair at times, but the capability to rebound is almost always there, so long as you respond quickly and decisively. Frostpunk will not be for everyone, but fans of survival or city-building games really owe it to themselves to give this one a try now that it has made its way from PC to console.
Fight'N Rage is a lot of fun, and will definitely tickle the nostalgia in games like me that grew up on arcade style beat 'em up games like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. The visuals and music as spot-on, and the branching paths with multiple endings and unlockables provide some pretty solid replay value. Unfortunately the combat itself is still a bit too shallow for my liking, some of the stages can feel a bit cheap / frustrating as well. Brawler fans owe it to themselves to give this one a try.
Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns manages to hold true to the things that made the original Puzzle Quest title so fun and addicting the first time around. That being said, on the whole it does feel just a bit less fresh and original given that this formula has been copied and tweaked many times over the last decade. That being said, Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns still gets a lot right that many of its spiritual successors don't and it is absolutely worth playing if you are a fan of this hybrid genre.
Wreckfest is just a good deal of fun. At the end of the year here at Chalgyr's Game Room, we have a variety of awards and one we have had in the past is our favorite Guilty Pleasure. Right now, Wreckfest is easily leading the way for that one in my book.
By and large, Catherine: Full Body does most of what you want to see from a remastered game. It makes improvements upon some of its more notable flaws, adds some more content and does a great job of meshing all of it together. Is this enough to convince people who found the first game too difficult or frustrating to come back and give it anther shot? I hope so, but I am not entirely convinced. That being said, there is enough new content here that those who enjoyed the original or never played it in the first place should enjoy what Full Body has to offer.
Crystar offers an interesting, thoughtful story that extends into a couple of the gameplay mechanics and actually makes a bestiary something interesting to read for a change. It looks and sounds good as well, making the time spent with Rei on her quest an entertaining one. However, repetition is bound to set in at some point due to a somewhat shallow combat system and a lack of variety in enemies and environments. If you can overlook the somewhat repetitive nature of the gameplay, Crystar felt like time well spent due to the narrative and characters.
I think what I appreciate most about Fantasy Strike is that the developers set out for a specific task - make a fun, accessible fighting game - and did just that. It looks and sounds nice enough, and there is more depth than initially meets the eye, which helps as well. The primary quibble is the overall lack of content, but if you are just looking for a quick fighting game fix, Fantasy Strike should scratch that itch rather nicely.
As a mesh of genres, Golem Gates succeeds more often than not. I love the CCG genre and found it to be a pretty interesting mix with the RTS one that Golem Gates builds its foundation upon. Expanding on my collection and editing my deck was entertaining and the core gameplay is quite interesting as well. I do wish there was a bit more variety in the types of missions and the multiplayer really does not do much of anything for me, but on the whole Golem Gates is a solid offering.
Layers of Fear 2 is not going to be for everyone. It has a distinctive flavor even among horror games, and the movement controls can sometimes come across as a bit clunky and some of the narrations do not hold up with the overall really good voice acting found in the majority of the game. Those concerns aside however, I have to say that Bloober Team knows how to play with a person's senses, heighten tension skillfully and pay that off with some pretty solid scares in a new environment that diverges from what they used last time around.
If you are a fan of Guanzhong's fantastic tale, there is an undeniable charm to Total War: Three Kingdoms that had me smiling from ear to ear on many occasions. First-time encounters with familiar characters, seeing how the developers envisioned a particular location or watching a scene play out differently in the game from the way it went in the book were all fascinating, enjoyable experiences for me that might not resonate the same way with someone who is unfamiliar with the source material.
There is a target audience for Sniper Elite V2 Remastered - but it is something of a narrow one. If you are late to the Sniper series, having only played it on the current generation of systems and are curious what came before, this is an excellent way to go back and experience an earlier release in the series. That being said, if you are not a fan of the Sniper games or you already own the original, there is probably not enough reason to go back to the well yet again here. There are some improvements to be had here, but not enough to really differentiate this updated version dramatically from its prior release.