Angelo D'Argenio's Reviews
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a hard game to review, because honestly it's a good game. However, it's only a good game because of everything that Dead or Alive 5, Dead or Alive 5: Plus, and Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate did. If you want to upgrade to a next-generation version of this fun fighter, go ahead. If you really really want two new characters, go for it. But if you are looking for something truly new and different, you are unfortunately looking in the wrong place. I would like to say that Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is the definitive version of the game, and if it were the last version of the game to come out it would be, but there's nothing to say that Koei Tecmo won't release Dead or Alive 5: Super Mega Ultra Deluxe Edition a year from now, no matter how many times we hear this is the last one.
I feel conflicted about Game of Thrones by Telltale. I enjoy it at points, when it's happening. The voice acting is great, the graphics are fine, there are fewer bugs this time around, and if I were watching someone else play the game, I think I would enjoy it quite a bit. But the fact that everything I do just seems to be unwritten at the end of every episode, and not in any way that ever makes me triumph, takes me straight out of the action. I can't get invested in this game, because I feel like I'm not doing anything. It might be fine watching Tyrion get put in shackles and carried off as a prisoner, but when the same thing happens to me, I keep wondering why I can't fight back.
Little Nightmares II is just a worse game than the original. Everything they added to the system feels clunky at best and unfair at worst. It's a shame because this same story, with its same environments, same levels, same enemies, and same music and sound would have been infinitely better if they kept the mechanics from the original.
Borderlands 3 is more Borderlands and not much else. It doesn't innovate. It doesn't push the looter shooter genre forward. It doesn't say anything profound with its plot. It plays it 100% safe by nearly copying its predecessors. That might be enough for some people, but it's not enough to stand out against other contemporary looter shooters.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will appeal to longtime fans of the Final Fantasy series, but anyone looking for something more will be disappointed. Its bad user interface makes its good gameplay too hard to enjoy. Though it could have been more, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT ended up being nothing more than a fan-service franchise fighter, like all the rest.
Brawlhalla is a fun game that everyone should try at least once. It's just not necessarily a game that everyone will want invest a lot of time or money on.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer will likely only appeal to the die-hard Call of Duty fans who would buy it no matter what this review says. For everyone else, it might be worth picking up on sale just to play its single-player campaign.
It’s quick, it’s slightly less random, and it’s fun, which would be great if the game was released for a console. Unfortunately, as a handheld game, you’ll find that Mario Party Island Tour just isn’t much fun until you find a whole bunch of people playing with their 3DSes at a convention or something, and even then you’ll likely just play Street Pass mini-games anyway.
Pokken Tournament is a solid game for Poké-fanatics and a decent enough game for casual fighting game fans. I'd recommend it if you need a Poké-fix before Pokémon Sun and Moon come out, but if you are looking for a new fighting game, stick to Street Fighter V.
Steve Jackson's Sorcery! Is an interesting digital implementation of a pencil and paper gamebook.
Screencheat is undeniably fun, party/shooter hybrid which brings back fond memories of the good old days of split-screen.
For the short time that I have had with The Crew, I have had a lot of ups and downs. I certainly see the promise in this game, but I don't have the patience or the social circle to really take advantage of it. Nonetheless, I just keep playing, interested in seeing what I can unlock next. Personally, I'd recommend The Crew to anyone who has a dedicated circle of friends who would play with them, who all have great internet connections. If you do, this game is pretty awesome, and possibly even a better format than a lot of other driving games out there. If you don't, the game can get frustrating at times. This is a "your mileage may vary" sort of game, good, but really only appealing to a very specific type of gamer. I'll let you know if my opinion changes with more time... and more friends.
If you are going to buy Concrete Genie buy it for the novelty. You'll probably enjoy painting the town with glorious neon landscapes, but there's just not much more to it than that.
Pokémon Let's Go has a lot of great innovations that would be welcome in other Pokémon games, but the experience is just too simplified to hold my interest. I'd wager that most long-time Pokémon fans will feel the same.
Secret of Mana's remake is fun because Secret of Mana was fun. However, Square could have done a lot better, especially with a beloved classic such as this.
As a Danganronpa fan, I liked Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, but I hesitate to call it a must-play. It's a great puzzle game to keep you busy while you wait for the next Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton, but you won't walk away from this one happy. What did you expect from a series obsessed with despair?
While this isn't a contender for fighting game of the year, it's a great way to pass the time while you wait for other big name fighting game releases.
Salt and Sanctuary is a good 2D conversion of the Souls formula, but its experimental nature invites more than a few flaws. If you don't mind difficult-to-see graphics and sometimes cheap combat, then you'll happily come back for more.
Giving a final rating for Episode 3 is a bit difficult. Honestly, the game started to slog at various points. I hated every single puzzle it threw my way, and couldn't stand how I had to brute force my way through most of it. But the story was still so good and the ending was superb. At this point, I'd say the episodes would be better off sticking to Telltale style choose your own adventure formats. DontNod simply isn't up to the task of designing puzzles. I swear to god, if I have to find one more bottle… but I digress. If you can deal with the frustration of the puzzles, then Life is Strange: Episode 3 is a fantastic game. If not, then I wouldn't blame you if you simply watched this on a Let's Play.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is an enjoyable nostalgia trip both in gameplay and story, but it's just not quite $40 worth of game.