Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is an amalgam of excellent new augments, though for the most part it stays the same and implements new looks and skins. I'm not sure there's enough that it actually changes from the other game, but there's still plenty here to enjoy and hungrily devour, like Pac-Man and ghosts, if you're a diehard fan or even have a passing interest in the game. Ghost trains are where it's at, and you'll most likely agree.
Mechanically the game is more than sound, it's awesome. Character-wise, however, you might want to make sure this isn't the Ace Attorney game you pick up first if you're looking to build relationships.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is akin to games like LBX: Little Battlers' Experience or the Custom Robo games in that you get these powerful mechs to customize and traverse several different missions with, all the while able to bring friends to join in on the fun. It's chock full of Metroid lore, even if it's not the Metroid game you think you should have gotten after all this time. Had it been released under a different name, it'd be a perfectly serviceable mutliplayer mech adventure, but even with the Metroid name it's well worth picking up for a fun little weekend jaunt, especially if you're the type to return again and again to a game to best your previous scores and advance from there, you'll find an excellent entry in the Metroid series here.
It's all wrapped up in familiar dressing to get you hooked, but once you get to the substance it's clear I Am Setsuna needed a bit more time in the oven, or perhaps a master class of what made the games that inspired it memorable in the first place. If you're aching for a familiar and exciting JRPG, there's better to be found out there. While this is a serviceable option, there are plenty other more memorable ones out there.
In the end it feels very much as though EA was interested in adding a game with "heart" to its portfolio, but didn't take the time to stop along the way and ask themselves what that really means. It falls just as flat as Yarny's appeal, and it's a shame. There's the spark of something wonderful here, and hopefully any further excursions with Yarny will reveal a more intimate tale that we can all get behind.
Fan service isn't always for everyone, and with Project X Zone 2 overflowing with it, people are going to be turned off. I honestly don't think it could be any other way, though. Project X Zone 2 isn't for newcomers to its various represented series. It's for fans that have stuck by these venerable franchises for years. It shows how rewarding a zany bordering on nonsensical crossover can be, and it's unfortunate that more developers feel they can't take the risk to potentially alienate audiences with other properties.
As a faithful fan of both FreQuency and Amplitude, I'm satisfied with the reboot Harmonix has so lovingly crafted, but as a much different product than the loud, raucous Amplitude I fell in love with as a teenager. I won't keep returning to this Amplitude like I do the 2004 version despite enjoying the soundtrack because it lacks the same kind of replay value for me, but as its own being it absolutely stands on its own feet as a music title evocative of games like Rez or Child of Eden. If you're looking for the next evolution of classic rhythm gaming, this is it...let's just get some additional tracks added into the fold in the future.
This game was reviewed via a digital code received by the publisher.
Rock Band 4 is like a glorious reunion of wizened rock stars. Everyone looks and sounds great, but a little bit of the twinkle in their eyes has dimmed. The band plays all their hits in the same way that you remember with the same exuberance of youth, but you can detect that something's wrong, something's off with the entire package. But there's plenty of time to get back into the groove of things, and with the updates Harmonix has planned to implement going forward, I feel confident Rock Band 4 will blossom into the game it was meant to be soon enough, especially since support will go on in lieu of annual game releases. I'm no fairweather fan, and I'll be a groupie 'til the end, even when it seems like it could be time for a curtain call in the near future.
Davey Wreden's follow-up to The Stanley Parable attempts to loosely tie together disparate game sketches, but fails to live up to its predecessor.
Story of Seasons looks fantastic, feels great, and offers an overabundance of things to do and places to see. It's a farmer's paradise, though its almost excruciatingly slow tutorial and internship will take a large amount of patience to get through if you're to see all the game has to offer, and there is a lot. Expect to clear your calendar for this excellent portable farming sim, as you'll be spending several hours turning a profit to impress the townsfolk of Oak Tree Town, your future husband or wife, or even your friends playing alongside you.
However, there's still a somewhat decent game beneath the frustrating amalgam of boring, grinding gameplay and bizarre design decisions. There's a lot of potential behind the scenes that could be reworked into a much more satisfying experience. As-is, Citizens of Earth is at best a semi-mediocre journey with lots of quests to complete. Alas, it seems that while it tried its best to do so, it just couldn't quite grasp EarthBound's true form.
If I wanted to worry about all that, I'd just go to a college campus and listen to people complain for a few hours. As it is though, I hope that more developers take a cue from Saints Row and realize that it's still okay to tell jokes and implement cartoony violence that's still ridiculous and fun. I know gaming as an industry is maturing and people want to present new ideas and make statements using the media, but luckily, whenever I feel like I need a break, I will have Saints Row proudly on my shelf.
The first Dead Island was absolutely ridiculous and quite flawed in my opinion, but because I can feel the love that went into the game and thus the care, it's a blast to play in some areas because the developers cared if I had fun. Unlike its predecessors, Escape Dead Island feels devoid of heart or identity. It is a cruel reminder of the shovelware that plagued the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and the Wii and behind its generic facade hides a malnourished newborn of a game starved for nutrition and attention.
Warlords of Draenor is an exciting look at what it would be like if Draenor was never ripped asunder by the corruption of the Burning Legion.
The Crew offers you the entire countryside to explore solo or with friends (or strangers), plenty of cars, customization options, and a narrative that extends a purpose beyond "being the best" to get your motor running. Ubisoft's familiar structural pitfalls like microtransactions, online-only play, and other trappings hinder rather than enhance, but those things have become par for the course by now. Thankfully, they don't mar the overall experience, and that was an overtly positive one for me. I don't need a crew to cruise downtown Chicago or the west coast. I was just fine going it alone. And if you settle in for a few hours and let the game take you, I surmise you will be, too.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a pleasing amalgam of first-person dungeon exploration and role-playing elements that injects just enough humor to keep things fresh.
I will be the first to admit that I haven't played a wrestling game in quite some time. My memories of wrestling are of the cheesy but fun antics of Hulk Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page, Mankind, and the sort. To be honest, John Cena's angsty stare, which is plastered wherever the developers could find space for it, irritated me. However, I am certain that no matter how much things have changed, bad gameplay is the same now as it was then, and the questionable design decisions and performance of this game have a bargain-bin feel about them. If you're hankering for some good wrestling times, look elsewhere. This one's down for the count, even if you can play as Sheamus.
Oddly enough, a game that made its debut almost 12 years ago is what it took to lure me back into Pokémania. Although X & Y did an admirable job when it came to transitioning the Pokémon series onto the 3DS, to me (other than the graphics) it seemed like the same formula from 1998 with a new coat of paint. However, this entry feels like a true next-gen title, with all the charm of the Pokémon franchise and just the right amount of features and complexities to have players journeying through Hoenn for years to come. Grab a Poké Ball and jump right in!
I truly wanted to like this game. It combines several of my favorite tropes and ideas into one cohesive whole, and I respect what it was trying to attain. But combining an underdeveloped hide-and-seek operation with a ghost story that seems ripped straight from a casual game isn't the way to hold my attention. It's a half-baked concoction full of lofty ideas that don't quite mesh well together topped with a fedora. And I don't think that's a confection anyone really wants to devour. Save this one for a rental.