Mekazoo is a familiar platforming experience that’s immensely fun. Zooming through the levels is a good time on your own, but really the game is designed for playing with a friend next to you. If you’re looking for an evening or two’s worth of entertainment for platformer fans, then Mekazoo is well worth the price of admission.
I persevered through the issues on PC because I genuinely found things to like in Dead Rising 4. The silly, if somewhat hackneyed plot was light-hearted in tone and Frank is just as likeable as ever. Investigations are a nice way to break up the action, which is just as insane as it ever has been. However, it’s a ridiculously easy game thanks to a liberal slathering of healing items, and the diabolically bad PC port is frankly embarrassing to see in 2016. A reasonably solid game that sadly on PC is just out of frame.
Despite the plethora of content on offer with 7th Dragon III: Code VFD, this is a dull game. What good ideas there are within the class system and the initial premise of the plot, they’re almost negated by the tediousness of the dungeon crawling that’s barely disguised, combined with a narrative that ticks all the RPG tropes. An utterly forgettable experience when compared to the best RPGs of the year.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King truly stands the test of time. Having this PS2 classic on the 3DS, despite its slightly inferior presentation, is a mind boggling feat. Each new gameplay addition or tweak is smart, not taking anything away from the original vision. It helps that the basis for this version was one of the better instalments of the franchise, but Square Enix could have easily just have ported it over and be done with it. If you don’t mind the slight presentation downgrades, this is the definitive version of a modern classic.
Aside from the visual downgrade and lack of coop, Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World is a faithfully recreation of the Wii U original for the 3DS. It is still a vibrant and appealing game, especially suited for younger children. For older gamers, hunting all the collectables for 100% completion is where the game gets challenging. Coming to handheld devices has hurt the game somewhat though.
Do not dismiss Nioh as just another knockoff; it's so much more than that. By taking some inspiration from others, Team Ninja do prove with a rich combat system and solid foundation that they have the ability to surprise and innovate. The vast majority of the game is a pleasure to play, despite the fact that death is around every corner. There's a lot I've not even touched upon in this review, simply because it's better experienced than told. For Koei Tecmo at least, all the effort was well worth it.
When theHunter: Call of the Wild works properly, it’s still going to be a game that only those with the patience of a saint would enjoy. It’s very slow, full of barriers, and isn’t very exciting. That’s not to say it’s not completely without merit as it’s a stunner to look at and there are rare occasions where everything comes together to make a compelling experience. Just note that those rare occasions are few and far between.
There’s a lot to like about Forma.8. While it does invoke the style of some other titles, it has enough charm and character to stand out. Its gameplay is unorthodox, yet mostly rewarding, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Sometimes the logic of the task at hand is not obvious and it took me a short few hours to get the Platinum Trophy on PS4, but while it lasts it’s an enjoyable romp.
If you're looking to move beyond the most obvious of the Nintendo Switch's launch line-up, you could do far worse than to invest in the Joy-Con and Snipperclips bundle. It captures the essence of the likes of Overcooked!, but with a clear emphasis on using shapes to solve the physics puzzles. Yes, there is a limited amount of content and that hampers the appeal somewhat, but it's a great icebreaker at house parties.
While the original game was a fabulous romp, the Treasure Trove collection is more than worthy of investing some time into. Anyone who already has the original will obtain the upgraded package for free, but if bought separately, each of the three released campaigns should keep you entertained with great platforming that’s full of charm. With more stuff coming in the next year, the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is worth its weight in gold.
It's not Adam's finest hour and certainly a time he should probably forget.
Hollow Knight is well-crafted and beautiful to look at, with an elegance that is found in few games. From exploring the world to interacting with characters and fighting the minions found within, it kept me on my toes throughout. It’s far from the most original though, perhaps taking too much inspiration from similar titles, but with a little tiny tweak in the controls, it could be a sleeper hit.
Persona 5 stole my heart. It was impossible to believe that the best game of the already venerated series was still to come, and yet somehow everything works wonderfully. I’d rather the dialogue didn’t pad things out as much as it did, but I was captivated from beginning to end, while it successfully brought back mechanics long thought out-dated, and introduced smart changes for the better. An essential RPG for 2017 that you should not miss out on.
Structurally, Blaster Master Zero is a significant step forward for the franchise, but provided you are actively avoiding getting hit, the game is just too easy. Mildly more interesting when driving around in a tank than gunning down mutants on foot, it’s probably a great entry point to the series for more inexperienced gamers. It’s just a shame that this reintroduction doesn’t provide much of a challenge.
A piece of DLC that for fans will signal closure for the lore and single-player offerings – for the time being at least. It has some of the best moments that the franchise has to offer, some not-so great moments, and indeed some throwbacks to key parts of the series. Until the time comes when Hidetaka Miyazaki wishes to return to this beloved franchise, this heralds the season finale with much more confidence than the previous DLC. Praise the Sun!
It's an odd complaint, but Flinthook really does feel like a high-calibre platformer trapped within the confines of a popular genre. It's a blast to play and I don't even mind just how punishing it can get at times, but the interest wains as soon as death occurred. It took me straight out of the zone when playing and when the game doesn't have much to it beyond the gameplay, it's a bit of a downer. The foundations are there, but really the curtains don't match the décor.
Honestly, the best way to experience Puyo Puyo Tetris is to gather some friends and play a local multiplayer session. There's a plethora of modes available and it's a blast to have people play each and every one of them. Despite single player and Online ranked matches being utterly relentless, Puyo Puyo Tetris is still a fun party game with a wholehearted recommendation nonetheless.
I really tried with Strafe, spending a good six hours with it and getting only as far as the fourth level before dying. I liked the overall tone, and the gunplay is solid fun, but really this is one of the more punishing Rogue-Lites out there, with a high skill ceiling that sets you right back to the beginning once you die without any meaningful progression unless you somehow find the key to a teleporter. A lot to admire, but for most it'll seem utterly impenetrable.
If you've beaten it and are looking for a fresh challenge, go for it. If not, beat the main game first before deciding.
Bugs and a weak narrative aside, The Surge is a much more confident take on the emerging Soul-like gameplay style. It takes the known tropes of being challenging and having progression dependent on learning attack patterns while adjusting your play style to accommodate, but it also has some fresh ideas that not only make perfect sense, but could shape future games. It's nice to see a developer give a gameplay style a second shot and Deck13 have almost nailed it here.