Shane Wall
There’s a lot to do and Nioh 2 flat out demands this of you. If you’re planning on chopping down some of the nastiest bosses you’re likely to come across, you’ll need to be able to invest a lot of time to do so. Nothing comes easy, there’s a lot to learn and you’ll struggle for hours on end at times — but if you’re ready for a rogue-like experience, Nioh 2 has perfected the genre.
Moonlighter is a wonderful combination of Zelda and Animal Crossing that easily commands your constant attention. It looks beautiful with a lovely, pixelated style; music from the shop and the dungeons will be stuck in your head for days. The only fault I could find with Moonlighter it's relatively short — I wanted more dungeons, more enemies to topple, more items to sell.
This feels like the beginning of a new major RPG franchise to compete with the other giants. If you like this style of game you'll love it and if you're not usually into JRPGs it's a perfect gateway to the genre.
Though its subject matter was heavy, I had an incredibly fun time playing Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.
At the end of the day I have to say that you should really only investigate Valkyria Revolution if you're a big fan of the series and want to have a deeper look into the lore. If you're on the fence, either skip it or play Valkyria Chronicles.
Its story has a few plot twists, though most are telegraphed well ahead of time.
On top of its stellar narrative, Berseria boasts an incredible cast of characters. They may seem cliché at first but as they come out of their shells they become well-rounded and relatable. In fact, every character — well, except one — is easy to relate to whether they are perceived as good or bad.
There’s a huge focus on all the new features, but there is still a lot of nostalgia here. This is the 20th anniversary of Pokémon after all, and Pokémon Sun and Moon celebrates by boldly reinventing the wheel. This will go down as a huge success with returning players and it’s easier than ever for newcomers to enjoy after the success of Pokémon Go. Fans are in for a treat, and if you’re new don’t hesitate. There has never been a better time to play Pokémon.
Dragon Quest Builders does and exceptional job of implementing a proven formula from a game that sold so well Microsoft decided to buy it, but it doesn’t stop there. DQB improves on that formula and give players a more well rounded, fuller experience. Its a guided experience but its this structure that makes the game both addictive and rewarding.
There is one section of the game however that felt completely overwhelming. At a certain point you’ll temporarily lose access to most of the arsenal you’ve become reliant on, making every battle a chore. There are a bunch of boss fights you have to loose to progress any further followed by a fight that you have to win that fells just like the unwinnable battles. If When you lose you’ll have to traverse the entire dungeon again until you either luck out and the boss is just an idiot or you grind for a few hours to increase your chances, I did both. Even after grinding it’s an uphill battle and the whole thing feels like it’s full of cheap deaths. If you have the patience to make it through this nightmare of a section you’re rewarded with normal gameplay and a general happiness inside.
Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom knows exactly what it is. It has perfected the most important elements, seemingly at the cost of other systems. The story closely follows the anime series and adds a little extra, so if you're a fan you'll be happy with the accurate retelling. If you've never watched the series, this could be a good way to dive into the franchise.
My 3DS gets a ridiculous amount of attention (mostly because of Pokémon) so it’s fair to say I’m familiar with it. I’ve upgraded a bunch of times over the years and I’m current sporting a new 3DS XL. I’ve always wanted something to test out the nub… thing so I was keen to give it a go with Monster Hunter. It was a disaster. It doesn’t reflect poorly on the game itself as it’s completely a hardware problem, but I would suggest a Circle Pad Pro instead, or just avoiding the nub altogether. The controls are tricky enough as it is and take a bit of getting used to without the headache of using the damn thing. There also is another control system for people without either that works almost as well as the Circle Pad Pro. You’re spoilt for choice.