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.
Those attempting to play for the first time are going to be dealing with the archaic systems on top of a presentation that feels more like a mobile port than a full-fledged console release. On the other hand, returning players will probably find themselves disappointed with the remixed soundtrack and lack of any work done to polish the rough edges. Nostalgic gamers should just stick to the SNES original, newcomers really don’t even need to bother.
Yes, the story is very much lacking, but as I mentioned in the beginning, most don’t seek out fighting games for their story-telling abilities. If you’re going in with pure focus on the gameplay, what you’ll find here is an excellent fighter that can be very welcoming to newcomers to the genre. Veteran or not, I highly recommend giving this title a shot.
Zwei: The Arges Adventure definitely wears its age on its sleeve, and it isn’t always a good thing. If this game is your first experience with the Zwei series, you may be able to overlook the flaws and have a good time. However, if you’re coming to this after playing last year’s Ilvard Insurrection, you’re in for a bit of a rough experience.
Fans of JRPGs, classic and modern, would be doing themselves a disservice in passing on this title. It has a few noticeable quirks and stumbles, but Legrand Legacy is an excellent way to kick off one of my favorite gaming genres in 2018.
The boss battles soured my experience a bit, but Light Tracer was still a fun experience and a nice change from what has become the VR norm. With a bit more refinement, it could be an excellent game, but what is presented here was still wholly worth the time playing.
If you’re a visual novel fan looking for a quick read (around 15-20 hours depending on reading speed), Ley-Line is a mostly entertaining romp with quite a bit of potential that I could easily see developing more in the next entry. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the future. However, if you’re going to pick up the all-ages version, I’d suggest just skipping the character side-routes.
You know what? I’ll say it straight up – Tokyo Tattoo Girls is one of the worst games I’ve played so far this year. NIS America has brought us some absolutely amazing games in this latter half of 2017[...]and I truly have to wonder why they even optioned this game for a localization.
On its own, though, Zwei is still a beautifully crafted game and an addictive dungeon crawler. If you’re looking for something a bit more light-hearted to dive into after the more serious big releases coming out this time of year, this game would be right up your alley.
Featuring a dark atmosphere with some moving moments (and a few touches of immaturity here and there), it’s been a long time since a visual novel has grabbed me as much as this one did. Even with the weaker final quarter, this is a story that comes highly recommended.
Shadow of War managed to grab hold of me much harder than any other open-world game ever has. Despite its inherant faults, I still had a great time playing through, and can’t say I regret the hours I put in to it.
What feels like an attempt at streamlining the Social RPG formula ends up creating a title that just isn’t fun to play. The ambitions of the story mostly fall flat, although there is a small spark of charm in some of the characters. Really, that would be enough to give the game a perfectly mediocre score. However, the sheer ineptitude of a text editing job and horrifying handling of what could’ve been beautiful graphics are major dealbreakers, driving this game down into the dirt.
I personally hope the series continues to pursue this genre, as the potential exists to create a truly excellent team-based shooter with a bit more work. Much like the rest of the series, if you’re not averse to blatant fanservice, Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash comes highly recommended.
If you're a series fan, and still have a strong stomach, Danganronpa V3 can't come any more highly recommended. If you haven't experienced the franchise yet, now's the time to jump in…but start with the first game.
The Vita seems to have become inundated with dungeon crawlers in recent years, but Mary Skelter is one that shouldn’t be overlooked. If you’re raring for a challenge, paired up with a great storyline, this is definitely a title to add to your library.
All-Stars is still a competently-made game, and fans of the series and Koei Tecmo’s properties will probably find much to enjoy here. Outside of that demographic, though, this game is blindingly mediocre, and hardly worth your time.
Despite the complaints, I can easily see Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana going down as a modern classic of the genre. The sense of wonder the game offers during exploration, the beautiful artistic presentation, and the just plain solid and fun gameplay make this a title that you absolutely should not pass up.
If you can fumble your way through the gameplay, you’ll find a unique and intriguing story buried beneath it. With everything you have to put up with to get to it, though, I’m not really sure it’s worth the effort.
The repetitiveness of the school life portions is the greatest offender – the game really comes into its own when you’re out of the school environment and exploring Erebonia. Still, if you’ve been on the fence about giving this game a shot, the PC port is easily the definitive version.
Even with the repetitiveness and occasionally ridiculous difficulty, Sundered is still a title I’d recommend to fans of the genre. It’s worth it just for the atmosphere alone, but even beneath that, you’ll find a respectably solid game.