Except that it's just that core that has been ripped from the original game's chest. Garrett's plight and interaction with the olden days of The City gave an ephemeral feel to every jaunt into the darkness. What would getting caught or killed entail? What were the Hammerites up to? What was the great evil befalling the city? There is none of this left; the shadows in Thief hide not great, unspeakable mysteries but only more immaculately rendered cobblestones. Perhaps it's time for Garrett to steal this new vision of Thief a personality.
If you're looking for a competent party game or multiplayer affair for your handheld, walk on by. It's no Fortune Street, but it's certainly one of the weakest Mario Party titles I've seen in some time.
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.
The Sinking City is an intriguing idea weighed down by frustrating bugs, unpolished game mechanics, and a lackluster narrative.
Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls offers an exciting and decidedly chilling story for fans who have followed the series since its inception, with callbacks to the original game and important revelations those in touch with the games won't want to miss. Unfortunately for newcomers or those who aren't as in tune with Danganronpa, there's not much here to convert anyone.
Rainbow Six: Extraction tries – and fails – to bring the Rainbow Six: Siege paradigm to PVE multiplayer.
I respect what the developers were going for and think the comic look is still cool, even if it is a bit lacking in other areas. The game works decently, in terms of mechanics. I can just think of plenty of other games you'd probably rather play more than this one. If you're in the mood for a relatively quick cyberpunk-tinged romp, though, Liberated isn't the worst you could do.
In its current state, however, it's best left to hardcore Predator fans insistent upon adding any related media to their collection.
Contra: Rogue Corps may not get high marks for reinvigorating the Contra series, nor does it innovate or do anything exceptionally well. But a game that you enjoy playing doesn't have to, and I found myself enjoying this raucous shooter more than I thought I would. It may have its own fair share of problems, but its low price and low barrier entry make it a serviceable and potentially hilarious time to be had solo or with your friends.
Unfortunately, it simply can't capture the same magic of ActRaiser. Perhaps it's time for a real sequel instead of a spiritual one.
Oninaki has big goals, but it isn't able to follow up on them. While it has an exciting premise and even some cool systems to explore, it ends up mired in the sameness other games in the genre have.
Bury Me, My Love is an ambitious game with a great premise. I just wish it didn't feel so disingenuous so much of the time.
The Alliance Alive is a great-looking game with an interesting premise and intriguing battle mechanics, but in the end it falters from its combat decisions.
Kirby: Battle Royale is clearly meant to offer another bit of multiplayer-centric fun for 3DS owners, but nothing about it feels like a full-fledged offering. The short Story Mode and the repetitive nature of the mini games available make for a game that you probably won't come back to after you've exhausted what it has to offer. It's good to see more Kirby on the handheld, but with Kirby: Star Allies on its way on the Nintendo Switch, it doesn't offer a can't-miss Kirby experience by any means.
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.
Weirdly enough, despite how frustrating and silly all of these problems were, I still wanted to push ahead and see more, but not because I expected anything to improve. Part of it was my nostalgia for the Mass Effect trilogy. Another reason I wanted to keep going was because I genuinely hoped there might be some way to redeem all of the bad parts that have kept me steaming and laughing my head off at the same time.
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.
Atomic Heart wants to be BioShock, but the tone of its narrative rubber-bands in quality. It's hard to tell which parts are poorly written, and which are intentionally comedic. By contrast, the environmental and character designs are excellent, which makes it worth pushing through the rougher sections. Atomic Heart is a spectacle, and it's got more highs than lows.
Fallback is an exciting roguelike that paints a terrifying portrait of the apocalypse, with robots acting as prison guards to humans.
It's a shame to take great graphics and an interesting premise and ultimately squander them, but that doesn't mean Evan's Remains is absolutely horrible. Given a bit of tweaking it could have been great. As it stands, it's an iniquity you can finish in a couple of hours if you're great at puzzles. Just don't expect to get too engrossed.