Nick Herber's Reviews
If you already have the base game for Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII (a title that we enjoyed a great deal when we reviewed it), you owe it to yourself to consider this DLC expansion then. It is a fairly pricey pack, but it brings a lot of great new options to the table and makes the core experience considerably better. And isn't that exactly what we want? DLC that actually adds something to a game we already enjoy, and not just frivolous weapons or costumes? In my case, the answer to that question is a definitive 'yes'.
If last episode was one step forward, this one was unfortunately one or two steps back. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 4: Thicker Than Water is a solid enough offering, with its usual assortment of quality voice actors and gut wrenching moments. That being said, some of the characters wore thin on me really quickly in this particular chapter, and once again it is Clementine to the rescue.
Out of the initial three episodes in this new series, Above the Law was easily my favorite. It is a much meatier installment, both in terms of episode length and the types of challenges Javi will face. The first couple of chapters left me somewhat uncertain, but now? After Above the Law I am ready for more.
We loved Mario Kart 8 when it released. We scored it a nine out of ten and felt that was the start of the Wii U's strongest run. With so few titles released for the Switch so far, I admit I was a bit wary about one of Nintendo's biggest early games being a rehash. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is more than just some graphic tweaks and a couple of pieces of DLC however, and fans of Nintendo's premier racing franchise will find plenty to like about this new iteration.
There is a fun game here in NBA Playgrounds, but this is by no means the best version of the game. The other issue is that the game is a little on the shallow side. It is a shame really, because there is a fun title to be had here, but issues hold it back and the end result is a merely average sports outing.
Rive is an insanely challenging yet satisfying game that is mostly shoot-'em-up, but tosses in a few genre wrinkles as well. It is an unapologeticlly brutal game however, and it could use a handful tweaks here and there, but the overall experience is still a fantastic one.
Birthdays the Beginning is a really challenging game to describe in just a few sentences. It blends some genres and will undoubtedly be a divisive title as it is a slow burn that often provides more of a passive experience than an active one. The thing is - I find myself enjoying the time spent with it more often than not, despite some of its flaws.
The original Outlast was effective for a variety of reasons, from its excellent use of lighting and sound design to a genuinely creepy setting and story. The sequel title tries to ramp things up by making the story even more twisted, and the overall experience is still a solid one, if it has not really evolved much from its predecessor.
It is a fantastic time to be a fighting fan these days, and perhaps no game epitomizes that more than Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2. Without a doubt, there is no better 2D fighting game on the market right now. I have covered numerous Guilty Gear titles over the years, and time and again I come away impressed with the amazing visuals, fast action and surprisingly deep combat mechanics. Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2 is easily the best of an outstanding bunch. Even referring to it as a 2D fighting game feels just a bit off, with the 2.5D visuals. Mind you, this is not a truly 3D fighter like Tekken, but the gorgeous visuals still move about the field of play in interesting ways that really highlight just how breathtaking the graphics are. The animations are buttery smooth, with tons of color, detail and movement both in the fighters at the forefront of the action and in the imaginative background environments.
Pox Nora is one of those titles that is really hard to describe in a few sentences, because it draws from a handful of different gaming genres and manages to blend them into something that as a whole is rather unique. Having been out on PC for a few years now, Pox Nora makes its way to consoles and while it does show some of its age, the overall strategy behind the engine still works pretty well.
Dark Rose Valkyrie manages to straddle that difficult balances between familiar and fresh, introducing new ideas while still remaining approachable to fans of the JRPG genre. There are elements of repetitive grinding here, something I personally have no problem with and genre fans will no doubt enjoy as well. That being said, the pace of Dark Rose Valkyrie is a slow burning one that is unlikely to bring new fans to the JRPG genre.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure continues what the first episode began, putting together an interesting tale about a group of misfits who are as often their own worst enemies as they are best friends to one another. Still, the quirky but lovable collection of characters helps to carry what has been only an average story so far, while demonstrating that there is plenty of potential to be had here in the upcoming chapters.
The Town of Light is a fascinating if unsettling story that is seen through the eyes of a sixteen year old girl. The visual style is unique if not fantastic, with a thick atmosphere that is held back by limited gameplay. This is an adventure game that can fall into the walking simulator category for the most part, which allows you to explore - but at a pace that is going to be too slow for some gamers. There is some payoff here however, for the patient who are willing to survive not just the tale, but some technical challenges along the way as well.
Perception is a tough one to review, because it is a relatively short game that is at its core very similar to a lot of other action/horror titles out there. However, a clever mechanic combined with a very cool visual style helps to creates some excellent atmosphere that had me holding my breath on multiple occasions. In the end these smart design choices help to elevate Perception above the sea of also-ran titles in the genre, even if it never really quite realizes its potential.
There have been a handful of excellent RPG/strategy games that have released so far in 2017, and God Wars: Future Past hangs in there with a nice mix of old school sensibilities with some modern touches that make it an enjoyable adventure until the end.
It is pretty easy to spot the inspirations behind the title Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas. This is a game that has found its way onto just about every platform available now, and of all of them the Switch seems like a suitably comfortable home, lending itself nicely to the pick-up-and-play mentality that Nintendo has been pushing for its hybrid home and portable console. It is a fun game that kind of feels like a portable Zelda title, even though Oceanhorn would have benefited from taking a few more chances along the way to better establish its own identity.
Death Squared tries to do a lot of different things, and for the most part it succeeds. It wants to be a single player game, but it wants to be a party game as well. Death Squared tries to be approachable to newcomers, but it wants to have puzzles that will bend even the most puzzle-solving mind. In trying to be all of these things, Death Squared does just enough to stand out from the puzzle crowd and merit notice, even if it is not the most original title.
There are so many Final Fantasy titles with their own followings that it is impossible to say which ones are the best and the worst, but Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age allows us to revisit one of the more popular titles in the series that has aged pretty well since its initial PlayStation 2 release.
While I have long been a fan of the Telltale video games, Minecraft: Story Mode was probably my least favorite of their full season offerings to date. It got off to a slow start with a property that seemed somewhat ill-fitting to a narrative-heavy game. However, to its credit, I thought Story Mode got stronger near the end, finding some solid footing during the final chapter. I was hoping that momentum would carry over to Season Two, but Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two - Episode 1: Hero in Residence reminds me a lot of the first episode in the initial season's installment.
When a game tries to blend several different influences into its DNA, you run the risk of that game suffering from an identity crisis. To be honest, I thought that might be a concern for Gigantic, a new free-to-play multiplayer game on both PC and Xbox One. I am happy to say that while there are some issues, Gigantic actually does a really nice job of carving out its own niche in a genre that has been heavily diluted of late.