TJ Denzer's Reviews
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind don’t exactly have a lot of true “gameplay” to them and there are no consequences for wrong decisions, but the story that plays out as you figure out what to do next and apply logic and reasoning to investigations is a thrilling romp. If you want a high-quality visual novel, a good mystery story to follow, and a time capsule of game design all in one, the Famicom Detective Club remakes feel like a solid call.
The combat is visceral and vibrant, the environments are splendid and mysterious, and the story had decent enough oomph to keep me involved throughout. I wish this was an overall scarier game, but it’s still a thrilling one nonetheless.
Cozy Grove is a very different kind of life sim. It’s so cheerful on the surface, but underneath the bark is a process of patience and of letting go the things holding one back or keeping them tethered in a difficult spot. I think for as fast-paced, hectic, and chaotic as our lives often get, there’s something a lot of players could take away from Cozy Grove, and the daily journey with this game makes it more than worthwhile if you’ve got the time and resolve to keep coming back.
For its weird flaws, bugs, always online issues, obnoxious use of cutscenes, and b-movie attitude, Outriders is still mostly what I wanted it to be in execution and I think it's built for a wealth of future content and improvements that mean it's just going to get better from here. Whether I jump into the game on my solo character or team up with my friends, I know I’m in for a good, visceral, and rewarding time.
Genesis Noir is a very curious game, and mostly in a good way. The cosmic nature of its narrative is tied down interestingly in its humanized elements and the animation and music do a good job of giving every moment life and charm, even if it can sometimes get confusing. It’s not a long game, and some of its stretches are a bit too simplistic for their own good, but Genesis Noir also features a lot of creativity in prominent portions of its puzzles and progression. If you enjoy a good point-and-click adventure and don’t mind a game that just wants a moment to share its bombastic narrative of cosmic creation and love, Genesis Noir might very well be narrative worth your time and interest.
The finished state of Balan Wonderworld is disappointing to say the least. For all of its style, I was really interested to see how they would expand upon the preview. The aesthetic and characters are there, the music is captivating, the level design made me want to explore and experiment where I could, and the abilities mostly gave me options to do so. However, these things are held down by a lot of contrivances and outright holes in either functionality or context. The final release of Balan Wonderworld felt like a rush job where good ideas, visuals, and sounds were forced to dance among either unfinished or unfun nonsense.
Monster Hunter Rise was beyond anything I expected. The tried and true grind of Monster Hunter's giant beast battles is alive and performing exceedingly well for the Switch’s hardware. Its formula is also thoughtfully augmented with Palamutes, Wirebugs, and Wyvern Riding, all of which I’d love to see stay in the series after this game.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrected is an absolute monster of a game, but both a thoughtful redesign and a fully intact foundation make it one that feels glorious to tame at whatever level you play it, as well as a refreshing and colorful adventure all along the way.
A must-have for any fan who wants to go on another heart-stealing adventure with the Phantom Thieves.
As far as gameshow/sporting event-style games go, Destruction AllStars is maybe some of the most fun I’ve had in a while. I love the pageantry when a match starts and my character does their intro before kicking things off. The visuals are smooth and pristine throughout the fast-paced action and the gameplay in different modes is absolutely delightful. I would like the foot game to be boosted a bit, and it desperately needs some better cosmetics and an easy-access Mute All function, but there’s an absolutely enthralling foundation here in Destruction AllStars. I want to see more characters, more arenas, events… I want to see where Destruction AllStars goes in the long run and I’ll be happy to keep playing as we work our way there.
By the time I was done with Yupitergrad, I may have been a sweaty mess, but I still feel its worth commending for its style and mechanics. Grappling as the main mechanic of movement feels smooth and the corridors and puzzles throughout the game are well-arranged.
I’ll say it plainly. I love Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. I loved it 10 years ago and I’ve only come to appreciate it more since. I identify with Stephen Stills as talented, but also very sleepy, so I delight in being able to play as him in a game again. Yet for all of my love, it definitely has a tedious grind that might annoy people that aren’t into River City Ransom-style beat’em-ups. That said, with or without the movie or comics it’s based off of, I’d still consider it one of the best-in-class of side-scrolling co-op brawlers
I feel that when it comes to everything Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond has to offer, Respawn Entertainment has gone out of their way to show us that not only does the Medal of Honor franchise still have meaningful life left in it, but there are things this game does that other games can look to as a benchmark of how to deliver a fully fleshed-out and visceral action VR experience.
Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister is the kind of game I would expect out of this franchise. It’s bloody, visceral, and throws all sorts of enemies at you to cleanse through the mighty judgement of bullet and blade for the Emperor. The campaign is passable and the levels can sometimes feel uninspired with a few notable exceptions, but all of it feels like a vehicle to move you to the next fight. When those fights are up close and personal, Battle Sister sings with slashings and shooting a-plenty. When things get a little more long distance, the seams start to show a little much. That said, if you’re a Warhammer fan or just looking for a mostly solid action VR experience, Warhammer 40K: Battle Sister has more than enough ammunition and sharpened metal to please the Emperor.
There’s a lot going on in Empire of Sin. Romero Games and Paradox Interactive build quite a hybrid of business management, character growth, and turn-based combat, and the 1920s Prohibition-era backdrop makes for an interesting story. The gang leaders are varied in so many ways between their business, combat specialties, and personal stories. Meanwhile, the overall flow of business expansion, hostile takeovers, and diplomacy or confrontation with other gangs also makes for a mostly engaging gameplay loop.
As far as an action-RPG goes, Demon’s Souls is as tough, but rewarding as I’d expect a Soulborne game would be. Bluepoint did an incredible job of pulling this 2009 title into 2020 and giving all the gloss and polish the PlayStation 5 can wring out of it while still playing perfectly smooth and mostly free of loading.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a game no Zelda or Musou fan should pass up.
Disc Room wants to cut you in so many ways. It wants to chew you up, dismantle you, and make you say a swear or 50 creatively woven into the same sentence. It’s bullet hell without the regular therapy of being able to return fire. But for all of those aspects, it's also horribly addicting. The ease of picking up where you left off and trying your darndest to survive just a little bit longer to unlock a room left me putting down my controller, rubbing my head, and then often picking it up to say, “this will be the time I get it. This time.” It’s not a ridiculously long or complex romp. But it also doesn’t really need to be. It knows what it wants to be. It wants to be your murderer. And the only way you’re going to thwart it is by surviving just long enough to open its next doors and beat its myriad of challenges.
Amnesia: Rebirth is a solid return to form for Frictional. It has everything I’ve come to expect from the folks behind SOMA and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but ups the horror game in meaningful ways appropriate to this particular entry.
I Am Dead has a very interesting story to tell, a colorful and varied environment in which to tell it, and a very cool way of going about the telling. The use of ghostly powers to explore, but never directly interact with the world, yet still solve puzzles was quite fun and unique. The more I unraveled of the mystery, the more intrigued I was and the more I wanted to know about each of the people presented to me, their lives, their connections, and the island they lived on.