While I ditched Persona 4: Dancing All Night immediately after reviewing it, I can definitely see Moonlight and Starlight remaining part of my normal rhythm game rotation.
Overall, Hitman 2 is an incredible game marred by the inclusion of a confusing and hollow story. However, the story is definitely not necessary to get enjoyment out of this title. The way the game is built allows practically anyone to have a great time executing stages and targets in their own way.
The structure of the actual rhythm gameplay makes the game accessible to pretty much anyone. Those that want to just go wild making up their own beats can have a blast here, while those more interested in score chasing have a surprisingly in-depth system they can dive into if they so choose. The game doesn’t force you to pick – you can play this game however you want to.
Each of the games does have their own flaws, but they mostly arise from being older games seen through the eyes of someone much more used to modern titles. With this in mind, it was easy to overlook them and have a great time playing through them, despite occasionally scaring my cat when I yelled after dying for the 100th time in Rondo of Blood.
The game is rather short, lasting around five hours if you’re not trying to find all the collectibles, which may make its asking price of $30 at the time of writing seem rather steep. However, I would still highly recommend checking out this game. Even with the occasionally rough gameplay, the story and aesthetic here make The Missing something that absolutely should be experienced.
The characters offer nothing to care for or get attached to and the plot’s pacing is an absolute mess, wrapping up without answering the majority of its own questions. The visual presentation is much the same, an interesting experiment that ends up being an eyesore.
Fortunately, two of those three complaints vanish once you put some time in, and you’ll have no trouble with that what with everything else available to do. This is the rare review title that I can see myself regularly coming back to in the future. Despite not being a car guy, Forza Horizon 4 is just plain fun, pure and simple.
Senran Kagura Reflexions is really nothing more than a sexed-up HD Rumble tech demo that will most likely leave you feeling more awkward than satisfied upon completion.
The game has been around for a few years now, but if you haven’t had the chance to pick it up, this Switch port is definitely an opportunity you don’t want to pass up.
More content could have gone a long way here, but as it is, despite its strong base gameplay, Sleep Tight isn’t really worth a recommendation.
As it stands, though, Mothergunship is still a game worth a look. The gun customization, even with the limitations the levels impose, is still a blast to play around with. The character interactions are also a cherry on top, adding a spark of charm that games like this really need to stand out from the crowd.
What we have here is the video game equivalent of plain yogurt. There’s nothing really notable about it, but it’s perfectly edible and gets the job done if you’re hungry. If you’re really in the need to get your JRPG fix, there’s much worse you can play than Refrain. If you’re looking for something new and interesting, though, you’re not going to find it here.
My major complaint is that the game locks much of its content behind a perfect play. I can understand making seeing the end of the story difficult, but the requirement of practically mastering the game just to unlock the other characters is a source of frustration all on its own.
The question is, though, if it’s worth picking up VIIR if you’ve already played or own VII? That one, I’m not so sure. What you’re getting here seems more like an expansion to VII than any kind of remake or remaster, which can make its full $60 asking price (at the time of writing) hard to swallow. While I do like some of the changes to the battle system, the selling point of this release, the PSVR integration, is a cute time-waster at best and an annoying distraction at worst.
Overall, Gal*Gun 2 just feels like a step back from its predecessor. Double Peace took the perverted premise of these games and utterly ran with it, creating a hilariously awkward game with some relatively strong shooting mechanics that didn’t overstay their welcome. Gal*Gun 2 feels like it removed the game’s heart in order to replace it with more shooting stages.
At a budget-friendly $20 at the time of writing, Fatal Twelve is easily recommendable as a quick and entertaining read between more intensive games or stories. It’s not the greatest take on a death game story I’ve seen, but it’s a great “popcorn flick”-style story with some interesting characters and themes.
I truly have no idea why Idea Factory decided to split this remake into two releases, and I would have greatly preferred having this full story contained in a single release. Regardless, if you enjoyed the story of Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms is pretty much essential playing.
It doesn’t win out over Trails in the Sky SC, it comes really damn close. The unfortunate fact that you have to slog through the low points of the first game to get to the expansive high here is a bit of a blemish…but I’d say it’s worth a little bit of pain.
Aside from a handful of “eh” songs and the seemingly frivolous Arcade mode, I’d almost go so far as to call this the perfect rhythm game for home console.
If plans to add more songs to the game pan out, and they’re released for free, Hatsune Miku VR might be worth a look in the future, if only for hardcore Vocaloid fans. As it stands right now, for both rhythm gamers and Miku aficionados, this game really isn’t worth your time or money.