Gust’s Fairy Tail game is one of those adaptations where it feels like the developer really understood what people love about the series.
Ghost of Tsushima is a gorgeous game that has Sucker Punch taking its shot at telling its own samurai story. The combat feels great; and you have a lot of freedom when it comes to building up Jin. It’s simply a stunning way to say goodbye to the PS4.
There is fun to be had with Paper Mario: The Origami King.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town’s Switch port is a means of preserving the past while gradually adjusting it so it is slightly more in tune with modern sensibilities.
Catherine: Full Body is about the prices people are willing to pay, in more ways than one.
I haven’t played any otome game like Palais de Reine before. It is a wholly unique and fascinating experience.
It’s good to see Persona 4 again. The more modern entries have all been built on a solid foundation that is continually being refined, and the Persona 4 Golden PC version is a really good example of exactly how well a series known as a PlayStation staple can play on a new platform.
Unfortunately, I found it completely unappealing in every way, which isn’t great when it was surrounded by better games every time I turned on my system.
I suppose the best way to describe Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is as a finishing move of its own. Though, it’d be a Friendship, rather than a Fatality.
It's a situation where you may find yourself wondering if one element outweighs the other. If someone is a visual novel fan, then Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen's story will definitely be reason enough to devour this feast. If someone is considering it because they enjoy strategic RPGs and are hoping for something challenging and new, they'll likely find themselves disappointed. I would say the saga is strong enough that it makes enduring an occasional, brief battle every once in a while, but people who feel like they need more would be justified in not helping Hakuowlo pick up the pieces.
Resident Evil 3 is a historically important game and its story is interesting. Had it come before Resident Evil 2, perhaps I would have been fonder of it. But as is, it feels like it doesn’t do as much or go as far as its predecessor, an issue exacerbated by the removal of some of its challenging and unique elements. It is worth playing, but people should enter with tempered expectations.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons could end up being the most important game of 2020. It certainly will be one of its best. It will be the coping mechanism that helps people both recover from and overcome the dark things around them.
Even though Bayonetta and Vanquish are sliding into our hearts again and people should definitely play them, this definitely isn’t one of the better remasters out there.
It is pretty clear [Darksiders Genesis] didn’t get the same level of attention as its predecessors.
AVICII Invector is a music game where the spaceship theme makes it feel more like a rhythmic adventure. It's a bit of a truncated one, to be sure. There are only three difficulty levels, where many of its contemporaries have four, and its song list is limited due to only championing the one artist and only offering 25 tracks. It's an adjustment, to be sure, but fans of AVICII and the genre will likely be pleased to have this option for their libraries.
While it sounds like a lot of changes are present here, and a lot is new, Pokemon Sword and Shield doesn’t really feel all that different. The Wild Area does change things up quite a bit, but it isn’t completely revolutionary just yet.
There are some strong elements here, and the balance between day and night activities can provide a good loop. It handles well, not letting obstacles get in people’s way, and gives folks a lot of extras to shoot for. Yes, it could use a more lifelike world, a more interesting story, and a better soundtrack. But, what’s here is fun. That’s what matters most right now.
It’ll be a fine pack to have stored away for all of the gatherings that will surely come as the holidays approach, though surely some people will be sad that none of the games let them really show off their drawing skills.
Code Vein feels like it wants to take the idea of community and important AIs and marry it with the gameplay and ideas prevalent in Soulslikes. It is a story-heavy affair that wants you to care about its characters, while also helping you find your way in a demanding world with thoughtful combat. There are some technical hitches along the way, such as frame rate drops, but they're the sort of problems that could very well be eventually fixed with patches. For now, it's a largely successful experiment into some new ideas.
Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure is a rather rudimentary game. It doesn't have a huge array of fish, and its locations aren't exactly packed with personality. It borrows ideas and looks from games that are much brighter and more engaging, then pales in comparison. It isn't a terrible game, but it feels very bland and eventually feels like you're going through the motions just so you can keep engaging in the same activities over and over again.