As a game that was obviously meant to reinvigorate old fans and introduce new ones to the series during the wake of the reboot movie, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Mega Battle feels more like an afterthought than an actual attempt at making a new and good Power Rangers game. While it may be something old fans of the TV show could enjoy just to scratch that nostalgia itch, as a video game released in 2017 it just fails to hit the mark and is far from being something that could be called a good gaming experience. It can even be said that some of the older games created for the franchise are much better and would be more recommended than this.
While the concept of Oh…Sir! The Insult Simulator is undoubtedly novel, it is disappointingly lacking in its execution. Its charm, which in itself is already given to subjectivity due to differing tastes in comedy, wears off pretty fast and the game soon degrades into a repetitive and predictable slog. And while it's hard to argue against its $2.99 price tag, a higher price would have been easily welcomed if it meant more content. Simply put, while the game is genuinely fun at first, there's just not enough of it to go around as it currently stands.
The Sniper: Ghost Warrior series has definitely come a long way since the original was released over half a decade ago. In spite the criticisms the series has received in the past, it's been successful enough that CI Games was adequately confident to shift gears with Ghost Warrior 3 and take a huge risk. And while the developer was successful in improving some of the game's elements including its core gameplay and open world, many of its other aspects, including its visuals and technical performance, failed to hit the mark. At its core, Ghost Warrior 3 is easily enjoyable but its issues just as easily breaks the experience.
One Piece: World Seeker could have been so much more that it is. While many of its elements were executed rather well and are still very enjoyable, many others feel uninspired and generic. Hopefully, Bandai Namco and Ganbarion learn from this first attempt at an open-world One Piece game and are able to improve on it in the future, as World Seeker has made it clear that One Piece would work very well as a large-scale open-world game.
In an era of excellent re-releases and remakes, Castlevania Requiem feels like a massively missed opportunity to bring two of the franchise's best games back into the limelight.
ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny is an interesting concept that falls a bit short in execution and presentation. While it does do a few things well, such as its control scheme and card mechanics, it is incredibly lacking in content and misses several key things that would've made it great and worth getting through the relatively steep barrier to entry. The game definitely has the potential to become one of the better RTS experiences on the PS4 but it will definitely need a few large content and feature updates if it wants to get there.
Maneater is a pretty decent take on the open-world action-adventure RPG formula that GTA has popularized. While some of its elements feel quite lacking, many of what it has to offer is pretty well-done and entertaining. It's definitely worth trying for fans of GTA-style games who are looking for something especially different.
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is a marked improvement over its predecessors in spite being a spin-off by a different developer. Fans of the series will definitely appreciate the additions made to the game while still retaining what made the series so enjoyable. If further installments are able to improve on what Yuke's has done with the series while also fixing some of its issues to bring it up to speed of other modern shooters, it could expand the game's market well beyond its cult following.
The Season of the Forge and the Black Armory DLC does many things right and could do a number of them better. Understandably, an expansion like Forsaken is incredibly difficult to follow up and Black Armory doesn't necessarily do a bad job at it. Hopefully Bungie has learned a lot from the Season of the Forge and is able to improve how they release and implement the rest of Year 2's content.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception features an interesting story and great cast of characters coupled with excellent 2D visuals and voice acting, making it an easily entertaining experience in spite of its few shortcomings. While those looking for a complex and deep tactical RPG experience may find themselves disappointed, fans of the visual novel genre and the Utawarerumono series will definitely enjoy Mask of Deception and will end up looking forward to Mask of Truth.
Atelier Firis is able to pull off many of its elements pretty well while at the same time falling short in others. While some of the things the new title tried change or introduce were improvements from its predecessors, such as the new alchemy and partial time limit systems, others felt like a step back for the series, including its combat system and lackluster characters. While fans of the franchise and the new Mysterious series will undoubtedly appreciate this new entry, newcomers may find many of its elements too tedious. Atelier Firis is an undoubtedly good attempt at an Atelier game but may prove to be too niche for others.
The Silver Case is definitely not for everyone. While it's visuals and presentation may prove interesting to some, the issues with its gameplay and some of its storytelling could turn off others. Those unfamiliar with Suda's style may find the themes and pacing of the game remarkably slow. But fans of Suda's work will definitely enjoy The Silver Case as it showcases his unique style incredibly well. Regardless of its setbacks, the PS4 release of The Silver Case is a unique and complex experience that could easily draw in those who are open to playing something undeniably strange and different.
Dark Rose Valkyrie is an unexpected experience and could be the best game from Compile Hearts yet. An undeniable mixed bag, the game provides deep and complex combat and character progression systems as well as a unique narrative and objective that's somewhat held down by its repetitive and tedious missions as well as its dated 3D graphics. Fans of JRPGs, especially those by Compile Heart, that are able to forgive some of the game's shortcomings will definitely appreciate and overly enjoy the game and the amount of depth and complexity it can provide.
Victor Vran takes the isometric action RPG genre and puts a different spin on it. The game's combination of gameplay mechanics set it apart and its execution, while simpler in some aspects than its constituents, is excellently accomplished, making it one of the more polished games in the genre. And while it does feature dark and serious themes, the game doesn't take itself too seriously, allowing for some elements of humor which add even further to its appeal and enjoyment. The Overkill Edition also comes with some excellent pieces of DLC that not only provide an additional element of replayability to the game but also combine to give players three significantly different yet enjoyable experiences in a single title.
Styx: Shards of Darkness improves on its predecessor significantly without having to steer away from its core attributes. Everything from its visuals and dialogue to its gameplay and story have been upgraded and polished to an impressive sheen. It’s still far from being perfect and its style of stealth and combat might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely a challenging and enjoyable experience that sometimes forces you to think hard first before acting. The foundation that Of Orcs and Men built set the perfect stage for both Master of Shadows and Shards of Darkness and it can only get better and more interesting from here.
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is, as Musou games go, undeniably enjoyable and satisfying. The Berserk franchise fits the “Musou” style very well and the Berserk story gives a depth and a length that the genre generally lacks. Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s decision to use established franchises for its recent Musou titles was a great move and Berserk was definitely a great choice for its latest collaboration. While the game isn’t breaking any new ground, fans of either the “Musou” series or the Berserk franchise will certainly enjoy Berserk and the Band of the Hawk.
Both Call of Duty and battle royale fans will definitely find Warzone to be a refreshing and interesting gameplay experience.
LEGO DC Super-Villains is definitely one of the best in the series, with many improvements that not only build on the strengths of the previous titles but also fixes some of the issues they faced. The massive change to player-created characters and the star-studded voice cast makes the game significantly more enjoyable and offers much more replayability than previous titles. LEGO DC Super-Villains may very well end up becoming the benchmark for future games in the franchise.
Destiny 2 Forsaken provides one of the best narratives the franchise has ever given us and the wealth of content available in both the Tangled Shore and the Dreaming City will undoubtedly be more than enough for players to enjoy for quite a long time. And with the promise of even more content coming out in Year Two, Destiny 2 is in the best place it can be right now and for the months to come.
God Wars: Future Past takes classic SRPG gameplay mechanics and not only executes but also supplements them incredibly well. The game's story and cast of characters make for a fascinating and entertaining experience that is matched only by the game's enjoyable battles and deep character progression. The experience is then enhanced even further by the game's beautiful 2D visuals and fully animated cutscenes. In spite its few flaws, SRPG fans will surely enjoy this latest outing by Kadokawa Games and newcomers who are able to take the genre's traditionally slower pace may find themselves hooked.