Justin Oneil's Reviews
Judgment was a great Yakuza spin-off title two years ago and that remains true in 2021 with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series release. While the detective gameplay isn’t as good as it could be it doesn’t detract too much from an otherwise great game. RGG Studio delivers another memorable story full of fun and interesting characters as well as a really detailed world full of fun activities to partake in. It also looks and runs much better than it did before making this the definitive version to play. Whether you’re a fan of the Yakuza franchise or jumping into this world for the very first time, Judgment shouldn’t be missed.
Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire is pretty much exactly what it’s called as you get the Mahjong Solitaire game with some anime waifu characters to look at along the way. It’s a game for those who love fan service or who just want to chill out and match some tiles.
El Hijo – A Wild West Tale is a charming little spaghetti western stealth game that gamers of all ages can enjoy. It might not be hard enough for more seasoned gamers but the level design and puzzles do get more challenging as you make your way through. I also just really like the theme of a young boy trying to find his mom and being able to help other children along the way. If you’re looking for a new stealth game to spend a few hours with that asks you to use things other than violence to sneak around then El Hijo is worth checking out.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is a great finale to what has been a memorable four game journey. It’s got so many great moments throughout and many of the characters we’ve grown to love get to shine. It could’ve done with a bit better pacing though as I felt like I was just doing busy work quite a bit of the time. The Switch version doesn’t look or perform as well as the PlayStation version that released last year but what you lose in visuals you make up for in being able to pick up and play portably. It also is disappointing that Switch only owners can’t experience the full four game story on the platform currently with only the third and fourth entries being available. I can’t say much else other than if you’ve been invested in this story so far, you’ll be very happy with the payoff and if you haven’t yet jumped into it yet then you’re missing out on one of the best JRPG franchises out there.
While it isn’t perfect Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure is a fun, smooth kart racer that is jam packed with content. The asking price is more than fair as the Adventure mode alone will provide many hours of enjoyment while things like the custom rules will provide many more.
Hunting Simulator 2 on PlayStation 5 is an enjoyable time out in the wilderness so long as you haven’t been here before. While the graphics, performance, and load times are improved a lot those things alone don’t justify paying full price again if you owned this game before. Had the team included the DLC or offered some kind of upgrade path then I could recommend it. New buyers who are fans of more realistic experiences will find a lot to like here with some beautiful areas to explore, a variety of game to hunt down, and many weapons to hunt them with. Head out on the hunt if this sounds like your type of thing.
Kaze and the Wild Masks is a must-play game for any 2D platformer fan and especially those who loved Donkey Kong Country. The controls are smooth and responsive and the difficulty gradually builds and never felt unfair. Every level looks great and sounds great and it made replaying them to hunt down any gems I missed much more enjoyable. I can’t speak highly of it enough and when we get to the end of 2021 it deserves to be in the discussion for best platformer of the year.
Samurai Shodown’s jump onto the Xbox Series doesn’t bring much new to the battle outside of a faster frame rate. The jump to 120 frames per second is noticeable though and something I hope to see more fighting games on console offer in the future. Samurai Shodown is still going strong a couple years after its original release with more content still on the way for the gorgeous Japanese fighter. If you’ve yet to jump in and have a compatible display for the faster frames now is the best time to pick up your blade.
Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse is a solid point-and-click adventure game full of adult humor. Fans of the source material or things like South Park will likely enjoy it the most as this style of humor isn’t for everyone. When the other parts of this story come out I do hope they make it a bit more challenging and come up with more content that doesn’t feel so much like fetch quests as those two things are what bothered me the most about this first iteration. Outside of that I enjoyed my time with Coop and look forward to what comes next.
Monster Energy Supercross 4 continues Milestones work at crafting finely tuned bike racing games but the jump to the PlayStation 5 isn’t as big visually as I would’ve liked. The better load times and adaptive trigger support were greatly appreciated and the biggest things that separates this from the PlayStation 4 version. The game is still pretty unforgiving for newbies so prepare to fail a lot if this ends up being your first time with this franchise. Fans of the franchise will find quite a lot to enjoy with some refinements to the physics, new skill tree system and career events, along with the track editor and Compound.
Sir Lovelot doesn’t do much of anything new for a platformer but it’s an enjoyable time for the few hours that it will last you. The levels are just challenging enough to not be boring and completing the optional objectives is something you can do to get a bit more out of it. Sir Lovelot’s quest for love would be a bit more enjoyable though if the team took out the water parts and deviated from the formula just a bit more.
With all that said, Monster Truck Championship on PlayStation 5 looks, performs, and loads faster and better than ever. It’s still got a solid career mode and a lot of ways to customize your trucks but there are downsides here. There is no free upgrade so prior owners likely won’t be compelled by the minor upgrades to pay full price for this again and the lack of DualSense support is also disappointing. If you’ve yet to play it though there aren’t a lot of better options on the market when it comes to Monster Truck racing.
There is some fun to be had with the cast of girls here but just don’t expect to come away from it feeling like you experienced something that you haven’t seen before.
If you enjoyed Moving Out then I would say that the Movers in Paradise DLC is a no-brainer. It provides more of what you loved with 20+ new levels with new mechanics all while set in a tropical paradise. It will likely lead to some more heated play sessions with friends and family but that’s part of the fun.
Psychotic’s Colossus Down is a dark, humorous beat ‘em up with great visuals but it may not appeal to everyone. I personally found the dark humor to be enjoyable but if that’s not your thing then I totally understand that. The actual beat ‘em up gameplay isn’t as impactful of say some other recent entries in the genre like Streets of Rage 4 but there is still fun to be had here either playing solo or with a friend locally.
Persona 5 Strikers shakes up the formula a bit but still manages to feel like a full-on sequel to one of this past generations best JRPGS. While it is missing some of the more in-depth social elements that fans of the series love, it still manages to make itself unmissable thanks to another captivating story starring the Phantom Thieves. The characters still get to shine, the combat system smartly borrows some Musou elements while still feeling like Persona, and it’s all just as visually stylish and pleasing to the ears as you would expect. If you call yourself a fan of Persona 5 then you’d be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on Persona 5 Strikers.
The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match lives up to its heritage and still stands as one of the best entries if not the best entry in the franchise. While there isn’t a ton here for modes or extras, what you do get is a brilliant 2D fighting game with a huge roster of characters and a deep combat system.
Overall, while Habroxia 2 doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out from other shoot ‘em ups it is a solid new choice in the genre. The levels switching between horizontal and vertical help keep you on your toes and a variety of upgrades for your ship will have you testing different loadouts out across the main game, New Game+, and the other modes on offer. If you’re looking for an enjoyable and affordable new shmup for your catalog then Habroxia 2 is a great choice.
Turrican Flashback combines four of Factor 5’s classic Turrican titles together but is missing the features that players have come to expect from retro collections like this. The addition of rewind and save states are welcomed but the package is really let down by a lack of other compelling features and a lack of more games. I would stir on the side of caution for this collection at full price unless you’re just a massive fan of Turrican who is itching to suit back up again immediately.
Control: Ultimate Edition on the new generation of consoles is truly the best way to experience Remedy’s most recent title. The game looks and performs great whether you’re playing it with Ray-Tracing or at a smoother 60 frames-per-second. The massively reduced load times get you into this world faster than ever while things like the PlayStation 5’s 3D Audio, DualSense features, and activities help get you through and feel more immersed in said world. When you combine all of that with a lengthy base game and two great expansions you’ll see why Control was on so many Game of the Year lists in 2019.