Overall, SoulCalibur 6 is a solid reboot of the franchise. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but focuses on sanding off the rough edges and returning the gameplay and storyline to the basics. The result is a game that's a distillation of what makes the SoulCalibur franchise fun. There's enough room and depth for people to get into the real -gritty of the gameplay, but there's also a lot of room for enjoyable fighting. It's a bit difficult to justify the purchase just for the single-player portion, but it's excellent for a couch party game — just like SoulCalibur should be.
All in all, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 is a must-buy, and I'd recommend skipping Collection 2. The first four Mega Man titles are good Mega Man games and remarkably good platformers in their own right. Anyone who remotely enjoys the Blue Bomber will get a lot of fun out of the games. The second half of the collection is, at best, of academic interest or for completionists. Die-hard fans will get a lot of fun out of the X Challenge feature, but for most people, the real value is going to be in the engaging first four games.
Starlink: The Battle for Atlas is a solid and very enjoyable space-fighter themed take on Ubisoft's traditional open-world formula. It has a good amount of content and is a genuinely fun experience. The only thing dragging it down is the vestigial toy system, which works against the rest of the gameplay. Fortunately, the digital version of the game allows you to entirely side-step that trouble and contains enough content at the regular retail price to make it worthwhile. It's a good purchase for kids, and some adults (especially Star Fox fans) will find a fair bit to like here.
All in all, Zone of the Enders 2: MARS is a noteworthy port of an excellent game. It has flaws, but almost all of them are also part of the original game. There is more they could have done (including a retranslation and redub), but the visual updates and silky-smooth frame rate alone make it a far better port than the lamentable PS3 Zone of the Enders Collection. Fans of giant robots or fast-paced action should consider Zone of the Enders 2: MARS as a must-buy, and those who loved the original can consider this to be the definitive version.
Phantom Doctrine's biggest issue is that it compares unfavorably to X-COM. That doesn't make it a bad game, but it emphasizes X-COM's tight design. With Phantom Doctrine, you end up feeling like everything's a touch too unfocused. The metagame is interesting but messy. The combat is filled with interesting ideas but weaker execution. A lot of this may sound really negative, but I had fun with Phantom Doctrine. Fans of X-COM-style games will absolutely find it to be worth playing; it just has so much potential that it's easy to zero in on the little things that it does wrong. Hopefully, for a sequel, the developer can polish up the flaws to create a true competitor to Firaxis's sci-fi adventure.
Mega Man 11 is a solid entry in the franchise, but it's not an exceptional one. It's a well-made and enjoyable Mega Man game with a great variety of robot masters, fun levels, and interesting weapons. It suffers from some odd difficulty spikes and a disappointing finale, but nothing drags down the game too far. If anything, the game's biggest flaw is that it's too safe and too traditional, but after nearly a decade without a new Mega Man title, perhaps safer is better. All in all, Mega Man 11 is a safe and fun title that's a pleasant experience for fans and newcomers alike.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the true sequel that fans of the original Valkyria Chronicles have wanted. It's safe, by the book, predictable, and it does little to fix the flaws of the original game. However, that's not a bad thing.
All in all, Okami HD on the Switch is a fantastic version of a fantastic game.
All in all, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a standout example of the franchise. It's undeniably safe, but on the flip side, it's engaging, enjoyable, and polished, and it showcases almost all of the franchise's strengths. It also has its share of weaknesses, but in terms of nostalgia for the olden days, it's an example of how to do it right. It might be a bit too repetitive for longtime Dragon Quest fans, but if you were going to play one Dragon Quest, DQ11 is the one I'd recommend even over my personal favorite. It's a great entry point to the franchise, and it's a charming, fun, and likeable JRPG on its own merits.
All in all, Strange Brigade is a solid and enjoyable co-op shooter with a lot of heart. It doesn't necessarily redefine the genre, but the combat mechanics are fun, the traps are delightful, the variety of characters is interesting, and in general, it's just a whole lot of fun to play. Get together three friends, burn through a horde of zombies, and you'll have a fantastic time. The only caveat is that the game should be played co-op. It's a tougher game to justify when you're playing solo.
The biggest problem with Civilization VI: Rise and Fall is that it's not a really big expansion. The new features are nice, but they don't fundamentally change the game. The new bonuses and civilizations are fun, and overall, they don't detract from the experience. At the same time, it's hard to call it essential. In addition, there are a handful of new features, particularly Loyalty, which detract from the game without adding much to it. There's no real reason to go for Rise and Fall unless you're a huge Civ VI nut who needs more content. The line between expansion and DLC is thin, and Rise and Fall lands right on the line. It's worth buying if you want more Civilization, but casual players may want to wait for a price drop or a meatier expansion.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom isn't a conventional sequel. It has mostly superficial similarities to the first game, but it's one of the most genuinely enjoyable and fun JRPGs to come out in a long time. A charming story, delightful cast of characters, exciting gameplay and amazing presentation combine to make a game that is a boatload of fun to play. Its only real flaw is sometimes getting too bogged down in its own systems, and the story could be meatier. JRPG fans of all ages should find a lot to love here, and it's a must-have for anyone who loves the genre.
Yakuza 6 is a solid entry in the franchise. It's carried by a strong story and excellent visuals that make up for the fact that it's a fairly bare-bones Yakuza title that has less content than other titles in the series. Fans of the franchise should find a lot to like in Yakuza 6. It's not the best entry for a newcomer due to it being the end of Kiryu's story, but it's a solid and enjoyable game.
Final Fantasy Dissidia NT is a tough game to like. It's a bare-bones arcade port with a scant new roster, convoluted mechanics, and a story mode that leaves much to be desired. If you're willing to push past all of that, there's a lot of fun beneath the awkward exterior. Players have to be enough of a Final Fantasy fan to persevere and enough of a fighting game fan to feel comfortable with the mechanics. There's something here for fans of the franchise who are willing to put in the effort, but as a single-player game, it pales in comparison to its predecessors.
Shadow of the Colossus was a generation-defining game for a reason. Even now, a decade after its release, it's one of the most interesting games to ever be released. The PS4 remake is just about everything one could ask for. It retains the same gameplay and same plot but makes just enough upgrades, modifications and changes so the game feels a lot more playable without losing exactly what made it special. There's absolutely no better way to experience Shadow of the Colossus than the remake, and it's a must-play for any PS4 owners.
In a nutshell, Dragon Ball FighterZ is the Dragon Ball game that fans have been waiting for. It doesn't have the pure character creation features of a Xenoverse title, but it makes up for it by being what is probably the first truly competitive Dragon Ball Z fighting game. The amazing graphics and impressive audio help sell the feeling of playing an episode of the anime, and it's one of the best-looking games on the market. The single-player content is good for a fighting game, but unlike Xenoverse, this is a game for those who are looking for competitive play first and foremost. It does that exceedingly well, and any fan of fighting games or Dragon Ball Z should find something to like here.
Echo is a fun and enjoyable game defined by a well-executed gimmick. Without the adapting Echoes, it would be a standard stealth shooter. With the Echoes, it becomes distinctive and interesting. The adapting AI is as much a proof of concept as a fun gameplay mechanic, but it works very well at being both. Echo shows that modern stealth games have a whole lot of room to grow and evolve. For fans of the genre, it's well worth playing, assuming you can get past the slow start and occasional technical hiccups.
Taken on its own merits, Xenoblade 2 is a fun JRPG with a ton of content, customization and gameplay that any genre fan will enjoy.
All in all, the Resident Evil Revelations Collection is a sub-par port of a pair of fun games. It's by no means unplayable, but it's not the best way to play either title. The new features are either ignorable or actively detrimental, and the ports suffer from extended loading times and lack of ambition. If you're a fan of the franchise, it's probably something you can push past, but the Switch version only adds a couple of minigames and the ability to play Revelations 2 on the go. Fans of the franchise who missed out on Revelations may want to snag the collection, but casual players may want to wait and see if the loading times are patched.
All in all, Horizon: Zero Dawn - The Frozen Wilds is a straightforward and respectable expansion. It adds to everything that worked well in Horizon: Zero Dawn and does so with confidence. The Frozen Wilds features some of the most fun content in the game, but it's also a very orthodox addition that doesn't make many changes to the core of the game. It's great if you want more Horizon content, but if you were burned out or hoping for a game-changing expansion, this isn't it. Fans who are chomping at the bit for more Horizon action will enjoy The Frozen Wilds.