Look, I know many gamers like fanservice titles. I enjoy my fair share as well. However, if you’re not going to give me a well-written story or solid gameplay to go with it, then I might as well go watch some ecchi anime or just straight-up porn. Gun Gun Pixies offers little aside from its admittedly attractive (and very over the top) fanservice, and as a game, it really just isn’t worth anyone’s time.
If you’re really into artistic platformers and have run out of games to play, Gravity Ghost just might be worth a look. Otherwise, there’s plenty of more recent titles that do this blend of platforming and emotions much better.
While London Detective Mysteria may appeal more to otome fans specifically, for those (such as myself) just looking for a good story, you’ll struggle to find it here.
What we have here is an excellent title with truly addictive mechanics and some fun exploration. It’s just missing that “shock to the system” quality that the original had for me. If you’re new to this sub-franchise, I can guarantee you’ll have a great time with this game. For returning players, as long as you’re aware that this game is more of the same at its core, there’s still plenty of fun to be had here.
Overall, SolSeraph feels like a half-baked attempt at a spiritual successor to ActRaiser. It’s like ACE Team knew what kind of experience they wanted to present to the player, but not quite how to go about making it.
Overall, Gato Roboto is a fun little action game with a bit of exploration that doesn’t do all that much gameplay-wise to stand out from the pack. However, I don’t want that to be taken in a bad way; this game is a perfectly solid and entertaining experience, and I had a great time running through it.
Overall, World End Syndrome is a mash-up of great style but unusual choices. An excellent core story with a mostly pointless first half. An intriguing attempt at interactivity that winds up turning much of the game into guesswork. Very attractive presentation, but mostly average soundwork.
All in all, Tapsonic Bold is an incredibly solid rhythm game that lacks a bit due to its mobile roots. Neowiz has done an excellent job porting over a game built for mobile and tuning it for PC, but there’s still a few kinks here and there that they missed ironing out.
While I can’t say I like that the game feels like it’s hiding its true conclusion behind future DLC, the package that we have right now is still damn fun to play through. If you’re not averse to some over-the-top violence, Katana Zero is definitely a game worth checking out.
As I said before, if you have no experience with the Corpse Party franchise, there’s nothing to debate here – do not play this game. For fans of the series, though, I still don’t think I’d recommend this game. Between the weak storytelling and pointless nature of the narrative, I can’t say that it’s worth your time.
I can say that this is a musou game that I’ll actually go back to after this review is done…which, I believe, is a hell of a seal of approval for a game in this genre. Here’s hoping the next inevitable entry in the Extra/Extella series steps it up even further.
There’s enough cleaned up here for really hardcore JRPG fans to take a look, and I can’t really say that this is a bad game not worth experiencing anymore. If anything, it’s stepped up to “aggressively mediocre.”
Dead or Alive 6 isn’t a game that’s going to make me a fan of the fighting genre, but the ease of jumping into the basics makes it a fun title to break out with other fighting game newbies.
Overall, Metro Exodus is an enthralling and gripping experience, marred a bit by lack of polish. The occasional glitches and sometimes rough enemy AI were a bit too noticeable to ignore, but did little to drag down my experience.
...I feel that I can still recommend this game despite its flaws. I mean, the key reason to play a game is entertainment, right? While Arcade Spirits may not meet my personal metric for “great visual novel,” it was still a highly-enjoyable game, and I would say it’s worth a look for fans of the genre.
I can say I was having a lot of fun with the game until the final two areas. I really believe that if Necrosphere went with a more traditional control scheme, the entire game would’ve been much more enjoyable. The way it is now, the control scheme just adds unnecessary difficulty to an already challenging game.
Despite the plot taking itself much more seriously, Burst Re:Newal is still a Senran Kagura game, which means it still revels in giant bouncing breasts and panty shots. What I’ve said for the other games applies to this one as well: if you’re not averse to these elements, Burst Re:Newal is a hell of a fun time, and the heavier story focus here makes this entry all the more sweeter.
Sonar Beat feels like a throwaway mobile game (which I guess you can say it is, since it’s on iOS and Android as well) that was ported half-heartedly to PC for some inexplicable reason. The game is running only $2.49 at the time of writing, but if you have to subject yourself to this game’s music, use that money on the mobile versions. Avoid the Steam release at all costs.
The new additions here, especially the integration of a brand new character, definitely make this Definitive Edition worth playing for those who have already played the original. For newcomers, this release is the perfect opportunity to jump into what many (including myself) consider one of the best games in the series.
From the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to the engrossing aesthetic design, combined with solid gameplay that does its part in showing off the world while also not being a slouch itself, Gris is far and away one of the best experiences in gaming I’ve had this year.