Justin Oneil's Reviews
For an on rails, arcade shooter Mortal Blitz is fun and worth playing even if you have to wait for a sale to do so.
Out of Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle I think Full Throttle Remastered is my favorite of these classic LucasArts games. Everything here is so good even all these years later whether it be the story, characters, soundtrack or setting. Even in 2017 I think it is one of the best point and click adventure games you can possibly play. Fans of this genre would be doing themselves a disservice if they don't go on this motorcycle ride with Ben.
Despite my grievances with the unfair difficulty of Rain World I did enjoy my time with it but not as much I had hoped to. It's massive, interestingly, designed world begs me to explore it but the unfairness of it all pushes me away. Rain World has so many things going for it like an awesome enemy AI system, great animation, huge world and more but the other lesser done well things like the way too slow movement speed and the moments of unfairness keep it from being truly great. I do think it is worth checking out though and judging for yourself as it is unlike most other games out there.
I’m pretty happy that in the first few months of 2017 we have seen a couple games, Snake Pass included, try to bring back that magic that so many late 90’s 3D platformers had. Snake Pass has such a charming main character like those games of old and fun and colorful worlds as well. I never thought playing as a snake could be so much fun but Sumo Digital has proven that it can be. Yes I wish it was longer and the camera needs work but what Sumo Digital has put forth here is a strong foundation to build on and I hope I get to go on more journeys with Noodle and Doodle in the future.
Fated: The Silent Oath is a great first try for Frima Studios at creating an immersive, story driven game in Virtual Reality. They managed to create a world with characters I cared about and even came up with some interesting gameplay mechanics like the whole nodding your head. It's disappointing that it is over quite too fast but hopefully they can do another chapter or more of this game as I'd definitely like to see my viking family again.
While Leave the Nest doesn't do much to stand out from the endless runner crowd it is fun and it's really the only endless runner game on PlayStation VR right now. It has plenty of things to work towards unlocking and the online leaderboards give you a reason to go back and do another run. It's relatively cheap so if you are looking for a fun new game to take turns and play with your family or friends this is worth looking at.
I really was disappointed in just how every area of Troll and I just seemed to fail to even be half way decent. The whole idea was interesting but the far out of date visuals, bad and frustrating game design, boring story and all the glitches just make this game hard to recommend to anyone especially given the price.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a testament to the hard work and passion of every individual at Guerrilla Games.
I really liked a lot of things about Loot Rascals but it’s just a shame that luck plays a factor too often. The art style is colorful and charming, the gameplay is easy to learn but has a lot of depth to it along with player freedom and the procedural generation keeps things fresh. The whole card system is really cool but I just found myself getting frustrated that they weren’t dropping often enough to give me a chance of making it to the next level. The time limit on turns makes it so you can’t even work as long as you might need to powering yourself up to give you a fair shot as well. I really think Hollow Pond did mostly right here but some refinements could be made to make Loot Rascals really special.
After getting lost playing this game for hours and hours several days and nights in a row I can say that Werewolves Within is one of the best social gaming experiences I’ve ever had. Being in VR it really just further enhances the experience and makes you feel like you really are sitting there in that circle with the other players. The way the game works makes it so the community gets along well and everyone has a better time for it. Yes there are some annoying little bugs here and there and yeah over time it will be harder to find people to play with. For now though It’s a game that I’ll be coming back to over and over just to meet up with some great new random people and have a good time while hopefully catching that werewolf.
While Uncanny Valley has some design flaws it has a great story at its heart. Some elements fall apart over the course of many playthroughs but that doesn't change the fact that your first or second run will be an atmospheric treat. If you've got an hour here or there or a few hours to get through the whole thing I think Uncanny Valley is worth experiencing for any fan of horror or psychological games.
I have to say for a dating simulator I was rather surprised how addictive it was at least for a short while. Kitty Powers' Matchmaker is different from mostly anything else I've played on PlayStation 4. It's got charm, humor, fun, love, but just doesn't have that long lasting relationship material in it.
Linelight doesn't bring anything new to the puzzle genre necessarily but it does just about everything perfectly. It's got great puzzle design that gives you a rewarding feeling when you overcome its obstacles and unlock that next world. It's got such a relaxing soundtrack and visual style that will help relieve you of any stress you might be under.
Tales of Berseria is a fantastically written JRPG that delivers a deep, emotional story that kept me going until the end.
Knee Deep tries something new with its awesome stage play style but just falls short of being great due to poor visuals and simple gameplay style. I enjoyed the story throughout and it did keep me playing until the end. If Prologue Games can improve on the technical faults of this game and make the gameplay more varied and your choices more meaningful then Knee Deep could become something great in the future. As it stands it’s a good adventure title worth checking out at some point.
As someone who never played a Yakuza game through before and had only watched bits and pieces of previous entries Yakuza 0 delivered a hefty, meaty package that has now secured my residence in its world. I can imagine that for veteran Yakuza players this game is probably even better but I can’t recommend it enough if you have never played a Yakuza game before. The story here is the perfect jumping in point and it just has so much fun content within that it’s just hard to believe.
There are some good RTS games on current gen consoles and some bad ones but Siegecraft Commander falls somewhere in between. It does some things really well but things like the wonky aiming controls hold it back from being great.
2064: Read Only Memories is a game I had my eye on for quite some time and I’m happy that it delivered in the end. I liked how I was able to just sit back and enjoy this wonderful trip into a futuristic San Francisco without having to grow frustrated or get stuck. The story and interesting cast of characters kept me hooked all the way through and the visuals and sound design did nothing but make the experience that much better.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone I have to say is absolutely worth the price of admission. The 200+ song list is just a crazy amount of content and there are tons of customization options to unlock along the way. Yes there aren’t any goals set out in the game leaving it up to the player to set them themselves. For any hardcore Miku fan I think this game is a must have and if you have been interested in the series but never jumped in yet this is probably the best entry point.
The Little Acre is a charming and beautiful point and click adventure game that is perfect for older gamers like me and those with kids as well.