With Persona 5, Atlus has outdone themselves, crafting a thrilling narrative while balancing the social life of the characters. The world is designed with rich, and vibrant colors, and although the dungeons are no longer procedurally generated, I've enjoyed exploring them with my ragtag group of thieves. There are an infinite amount of possibilities thanks to the open end nature of players choices different things to focus on in their character's social lives. If you ever feel overwhelmed, you can always check the Thieves Guild, letting you see what others players did at that precise moment. Persona 5 is certainly a stylish RPG, and while the opening few hours is slowly than I would like, by the time you are freely able to explore the first and second palace, you are well accustomed to the game's mechanics.
Snake Pass is a highly enjoyable and charming puzzle-platformer full of character. Attempting to collect all of the coins and orbs can lead to a few frustrating deaths, especially if you didn't reach a checkpoint. Playing the game on a PlayStation 4 Pro, I did experience some micro stuttering that would occur randomly, but nothing that took away from the experience. In fact, Snake Pass does feature a 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR) support if you have a compatible display. The game's audio is superb, composed by David Wise (Donkey Kong Country) fitting in with the vibrant art and characters full of expressions. Just like in LBP, you can change Noodle's expressions using the directional pad.
Too often in Rain World, death does not feel warranted, as the ruthless creatures make any attempt to advance truly punishing. I felt that many times that there was simply no way to avoid dying, which in turns sets you back in your progress to locate new areas to explore. There are thrilling moments in the game, but the poor design decisions in the game hamper any enjoyment.
Although V7 Entertainment may improve the experience and I do enjoy the visual look to the game, Old Time Hockey does not play well. I was looking forward to playing something akin to the games I played growing up, but the game didn't come together. Skating doesn't feel as tight as it should, shooting lacks one-timers, passing feels too stiff, and fighting is lackluster and barely functional. The visual style certainly captures the look of the era, with thick mustaches and mullets, and small backyard arenas.
Although Jon St. John (known for voicing Duke Nukem) is the voice of Jack Boyd, I found myself not genuinely caring how the narrative played out. I thoroughly enjoyed the management sim portion of the game and could see myself play through a sandbox mode for quite some time, if one is ever added. Add randomized cases and crimes, and it could be something special, but as it is, the lack of true freedom in the narrative holds the game back. Having your playthrough cut short after only a handful of days because you wouldn’t listen to the mayor’s racist request is something that should not happen. Don’t give the player a false sense of choice when in practice there is only one way to play the game.
New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers is a game for those that don’t mind waiting, maybe best played while watching TV or doing something else around the house. I can’t imagine playing while traveling, as you’ll be staring at your pioneers while they complete their tasks. While this style of games works in browsers, the fact is, waiting around is not fun. I understand it comes with the territory of a simulation strategy title, but there just isn't enough to do while yo wait. The colorful visuals are easy on the eyes at first glance, but zooming in everything becomes a blurry mess.
Human Resource Machine may be light on story elements, but the programming gameplay is where the game shines. While I came into the game with no programming skills, I felt the game’s difficulty took a wrong turn quite early on in the game. After learning more about the commands and thinking through the puzzles, it greatly helped me complete even more challenging tasks later on in the game.
The reliance on trial and error gameplay does a disservice to the disturbing setting that 2Dark creates. The lack of checkpoints is frustrating, and I fail to see how having them would have harmed the game’s tension. Simply having to replay large sections of levels or stopping to manual save after every room just isn’t fun. The combat could be improved if bonuses were provided if you were able to sneak up behind someone, but as it stands, melee attacks are too weak to be effective.
Snipperclips is certainly a surprise, something that you don’t see at the launch of a new platform all that often. While featuring both a single-player and local multiplayer experience, Snipperclips is at its best when played with others. The lack of Pro Controller support is regrettable, but sharing Joy-Cons with a family member or friend and working together to solve a puzzle is quite enjoyable. With that said, there isn’t too many reasons to play through the game multiple times, and Snipperclips is a digital-only experience. If the game added daily or weekly challenges, there would be a reason to return to the game once you figured out the solutions to the included puzzles.
Blaster Master Zero is certainly one of the better games to purchase on the Nintendo Switch. If you are like me and never finished the original game, Zero is a much easier, and refined experience. You can easily spend eight to ten hours to play through the entire campaign, but there doesn’t appear to be any New Game + or additional difficulty settings once completed.
1-2-Switch seems like a missed opportunity. With 28 minigames in total, there are too many of them that are wasted and limited in terms of enjoyment, The couple that seems to be the most enjoyable grow stale over time when played with the same crowd. Sure, forcing eye contact while you are dueling in the wild west or milking cows produces many hilarious moments, but the lack of depth keeps it from being a must-play title. On top of that, the asking price is too high for what the game offers and would have been better suited as a pre-installed game.
Ubisoft's gamble on transitioning the tactical shooter Ghost Recon: Wildlands to an open world sandbox has been a nonstop enjoyable thrill ride.
Fast RMX is a must-have racing game for those looking for an F-Zero racing experience or simply any racing game on the Nintendo Switch. Local split-screen multiplayer works better than I thought it would, and there are plenty of ships and tracks to choose from. The lukewarm online integration is to be expected on a platform where Nintendo has been quiet on the precise details of the upcoming online system that is coming later this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is without a doubt one of the best games and freshest takes in the series, and should be played by every Nintendo Switch owner. Whether playing docked or in handheld mode, the game is reminiscent of gaming bliss. There are frame rate issues in both modes, but dock mode certainly has more technical problems. Breath of the Wild has surprised me at every turn, and after the lackadaisical Skyward Sword, I’m elated to see the series try something new and become one of the best games in recent memory. I am disappointed that the overall narrative is lacking and Link’s lost memory since quite cliché, but the gameplay makes up for any shortcomings.
The rich narrative and quest design in Torment: Tides of Numenera makes it a suitable spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment. Along with the tidal system, and the different conversation options, there is plenty of reasons for multiple playthroughs. You can find yourself spending countless hours reading lore and chatting with companions and random townsfolk.
Although I never considered myself a competitive fighting game enthusiast, I found both the combat mechanics and the flow of engagement in For Honor refreshing. Individual matches don’t overstay their welcome, and it’s a hard game to put down due to the faction metagame. Seeing your faction losing a territory is a strong incentive to place additional war assets, requiring you to play one more match. Not to mention the game has additional legs with a rewarding loot system and customization options.
At the end of the day, Double Dragon IV feeds off the nostalgia of those that spent their youth playing the NES classic titles. While some may argue that the Arcade version of the game was a better version of Double Dragon, there is a certain charm to the 8-bit NES visuals and sound effects. If online multiplayer had been added to Double Dragon IV, it might have helped alleviate the lack of replay value the game suffers from.
Yakuza 0 is clearly an early frontrunner for one of the best games of the year. Even after spending 80 hours with the game, I've found myself surprised by side-missions and all of the optional forms of gameplay. Heck, I’ve probably wasted thousands of yen on the UFO catcher, millions playing poker and blackjack, and tens of millions on purchasing new real estate locations and betting on fights. The overarching story is deeply satisfying, and the side missions are a bonus.
Rise & Shine is an enjoyable side-scrolling action game that perfectly blends the run and gun gameplay of past games with puzzle elements that make you think. The artwork is nothing short of spectacular and the sheer amount of nods to other franchises in the game will make you smile. The game can be completed in a handful of hours unless you become stuck on the final boss like I was, which added a couple more hours to my total. Upon completion, you can go back and find missing collectibles or try your hand at the Ironman mode. Besides a couple of puzzles that bring the game’s pacing down to a crawl, I thoroughly enjoyed everything from the gameplay to the atmosphere in Rise & Shine.
With only three pinball machines available in the base game, you’ll want to purchase additional tables on the PlayStation Store. The Season One expansion adds CastleStorm, Wild West Rampage, Paranormal, BioLab, and Earth Defense. Like the original three, none of these tables are new. Each of these tables provides a satisfying challenge. Wild West, for example, has a wide open middle section to the pinball cabinet, harking back to the days of open country and towns tucked away in the middle of nowhere. BioLab, on the other hand, is full of twisting tubes, and pathways for you to use to your advantage, covering most of the play area with various types of bumpers.