Back for another installment in the Ys series, we now get Ys Seven for the PC. Join Adol and Dogi once again as they venture into dark dungeons, battle fearsome foes, and lose a statue (maybe) while you roam some old ruins. While the PC version has a few setbacks, Ys Seven is still a vibrant world full of monsters, exciting characters and colorful landscape.
A series full of mysteries, murder, twists and intrigue comes to its conclusion in the third title from the "Zero Escape" series, Zero Time Dilemma. All the questions that have been left answered and the fates of the characters MAY come to a head in this final game of life and death, provided you can manage to muddle through the convoluted plot line(s), occasionally poor voice acting, and some of the annoying necessary steps for making it through some of the decisions in-game.
A short while ago I had the opportunity to review Fallen Legion for the PS4, and I mentioned that I hadn’t had the opportunity to play the Vita version. Well, now I have, and my quote of “There are a lot of issues that people can be divided on: music, politics, flavors of jellybeans, and of course also ruling a country” is proving its worth even more so. While I greatly enjoyed the experience I had with the PS4 version, I found the Vita version to be a bit less enjoyable.
There are a lot of issues that people can be divided on: music, politics, flavors of jellybeans, and of course also ruling a country. Fallen Legion takes this principle a little further by dividing what could be considered a “split storyline” game between a Vita and PS4 version, each with a different main character and storyline, but identical play styles. While there are many things to be divided on, one thing is for certain: Fallen Legion brings a fresh yet nostalgic breath into the gaming scene.
Released in Japan in 2015, now coming to North America is another installment in the Xanadu series, Tokyo Xanadu. Tokyo Xanadu follows the adventures of Kou Tokisaka, as he fights the supernatural labyrinths that are appearing in the city of Morimiya. With interesting characters, a good storyline, and a really solid soundtrack, there was a lot I liked about Tokyo Xanadu, despite some of its flaws.
Superdimension Neptune vs. Sega Hardgirls is the latest installment in the Neptunia franchise making its way to PC. As a cross-over between the Sega Hardgirls and Neptunia franchises, we see IF finally taking a spotlight role. Drawing from the Neptunia format with revamped combat and exploration, be prepared for a pleasant surprise on the classic Neptunia system.
Ys Origin was originally released for PC in 2012, and has finally received a PS4/PSVita port this year. Created as a prequel to the other Ys games, Ys Origin takes place roughly 700 years before the events of Ys I and provides backstory of the world. With a story that will draw in new and veteran players alike, with a simple yet effective combat system and a stellar soundtrack, Ys Origin definitely demonstrates a quality product.
Operation Babel is a sequel to Operation Abyss, and I'm not sure whether I'm pleased or disappointed, considering everything I loved about Operation Abyss is back. But so is everything I hated, too.
Don't let the copious amounts of fanservice dissuade you from picking up Estival Versus, the gameplay is solid, the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, and there is actually a surprisingly engaging storyline. If you're a fan of 3D brawlers and anime style graphics, you'll definitely enjoy Estival Versus. Just make sure you know where you're playing, cuz the fanservice might be difficult to explain.
Operation Abyss is a dungeon crawler that released on the PS Vita in North America in 2015 and has just recently released for PC. Join the ranks of the CPA in order to discover the truth behind mysterious kidnappings plaguing Tokyo.
Monster Monpiece is an interesting spin on the trading card game style that has been quite popular over the last few years. A well thought-out blend of collection and strategy, with card art created by more than 5fifty different artists and a plethora of re-imagined mythological creatures, now available for your "viewing pleasure" on PC.
Blue Rider is a wonderful bout of nostalgia that recalls a time when arcade machines where still relevant and quarters took up more space in your pockets than wallets and credit cards. Blue Rider is a sort-of top down shooter like Raiden, 1942, or Touhou - except with a lot less bullets and a lot more freedom of motion.
Despite being "horror-themed", I was honestly laughing way more than anything during the game. The fish-head villain isn't particularly scary, just kinda dumb looking, the characters and their motivations are either shallow or unexplained, the interface was occasionally extremely aggravating, and some of the puzzles can be extremely unintuitive, given a certain mindset. Honestly, I've seen better "escape" style games for free on my phone, and even the paid ones are better and cheaper. I really can't recommend this game unless you're in dire need of an escape game that isn't for your phone.
While some aspects may seem potentially annoying or daunting, such as the passage of time (and the fact no one has an open store at one in the morning) or the intricacies of the alchemy system, these aspects grew on me the more I kept playing. I learned to adjust my in-game schedule in order to view character events, and the alchemy system is something meant to start off as a looming presence that you slowly become familiar with. Overall, Atelier Sophie is a great addition to the series, and while it does have its flaws, does its best to try and overcome them. Although the PC port could run a lot smoother, the majority of the transition went well, and is still an enjoyable game to play.
Nights of Azure originally released for PS4 in North America in early 2016, and now it has received a PC port to bless, or torment, the non-console gamers. Featuring a beautiful art style and soundtrack, Nights of Azure, while incredibly niche, is a soulful tale of love and friendship.
Overall, Nitroplus Blasterz probably won't make it into your top list of fighting games, but it certainly has its own charm. The story mode is challenging but not difficult (until the last boss; she is absolutely brutal) and offers a story line for each character, the Another Story is interesting, if not overly complicated, and each character has their own play style, which makes it fun to try out each of the characters. While the game certainly lacks in any form of tutorial, and the music and stages can get repetitive, the gameplay is solid and it was definitely fun to see all my favorite niche characters duke it out with each other. If you're a niche Nitroplus fan, this is definitely a game you may want to pick up, although fighting veterans and newer players to the 2D fighting style might not be able to get into it too easily.
While the game definitely won’t appeal to a very wide player base, it certainly isn’t poor. Disproportionately cleavaged characters and all, I’d call this something of a guilty pleasure game. While I may not go out boasting about it, according to the trophy system apparently I am now officially “The Best of the Breast” and “The Backdoor King”, but I certainly had fun playing it.
Overall, it’s a nice little game to pick up and play while you’re waiting for something, or in transit somewhere, like during a bus ride or your daily commute, but can get incredibly frustrating if you don’t have the patience for it. Surprisingly enough, the worst part of the game isn’t the schizophrenic difficulty or the rather lacking story, but the “escorting” you have to do. The villagers are kinda dumb, and they get scared really easily. It’s also a pain if you have to escort them somewhere, but need them to stay behind because a monster is in your way, because they’ll just walk right into them sometimes. The game feels like one of those hidden gems for puzzle fans, but likely wouldn’t cut it for those looking for a little more action involvement. Remember that ninjas aren’t only sharp with weaponry, but with their minds as well.
Superdimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls is the latest instalment in the Neptune franchise, and it is probably my favorite installment to date. Vs. Sega Hard Girls sees IF finally getting the limelight, now we’re just waiting for “Gigadimension Vert: BOING in the Dungeon”, which probably isn’t going to be a thing, but we hope. The basic plot is that the world has fallen to ruin, due to constant fighting between the goddesses and the Sega Hard Girls.
So now that we’ve covered the game aspects, what has changed in the PC port? Well, the first major aspect I noticed was that save times are basically instant, which is glorious, and I feel like the load times got a little shorter. There are a few frame rate drops during cutscenes, but nothing that I would call a serious flaw. All the DLC is nicely organized as well, which is nice. As a game, overall it earns a seal of approval. As a port, I would say it’s definitely a solid transition.