The Good Life, for better or intentionally worse, is full of hardships. It might be the kind of experience you're looking for if you wanted a reflection of just how laborious life can be sometimes. That might not make for a very good life, though.
There's a tease of depth in the fights, and I even managed to have quite a bit of fun when things fell into place. Too often, however, it felt like accidental fun. Like I wanted to enjoy what I was playing so much, I stumbled into a good time.
To put it bluntly, Seasons After Fall is "pleasant." A world with a great feeling experience that tends to knock you out of it when moving around. As much as I appreciate a game as relaxed as this, that relaxation never quite became true enjoyment.
To be honest, each time I reset and lost my progress I had to sit and wonder whether or not I wanted to go through those certain areas again. In the end, I only continued because of professional courtesy but I'm sure only the truly dedicated will put up with this in normal circumstances.
Maybe I nitpicked Definitive Edition into oblivion, but there isn't a justification for such a wonky product that's the latest in a long line of ports.
Digimon Survive really just gets in its own way. Fans of the anime will find it familiar, but will be able to appreciate what the extra layer of violence adds to it. Getting through it is the tougher ask. Dialogue options leading you away from where you want to go (and potentially disconnecting you to the characters), key battles being few and far in between, and asking you to jump back in multiple times despite all of that seems like rubbing salt in the wound for those who already had notable issues.
Much like being a fan of the real thing, WWE 2K18 is often more of a chore than it is fun. Hilariously, yet tragically, I still find myself hoping it'll be better next time.
Late Shift is interesting enough on its first go around, but without reward in its narrative or punishment in its gameplay, there's not enough reason to go back.
I enjoyed the core concept, and learning the best path to finish line (even if you're still forced to go through a finish line outside of a neat exploration mode), but every now and again there'd be a stutter. It's not game-breaking by any means, but it'd certainly interrupt the brief moment of zen I'd get trying to beat my finish times.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a great experience for fans already familiar with the original series and those that are jumping into the fighter as a result. There is a lot to love in that regard as the personality from the original manga is in full force, but there's much less of that "bizarre adventure" that is also at the core of Araki's series. The fighting has been improved, and there are plenty of characters to mess around with, but more fighting does not always equal more fun in this case.
Phantom Breaker: Omnia is a long-awaited release of a dormant niche fighting game franchise that many players will be jumping into for the very first time. It's the best first impression you'll get for this fighter, but it's also one that can be overwhelming and hard to sift through for those not completely ready for it.
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne is a fun way to jump into the franchise for those who want more after seeing the anime and reading through the light novel releases. It has a fun mystery exploring a topic the anime itself hasn't really dived into, and new characters that fit right into the universe. It's just better suited to those already a little invested in Subaru's journey and know the time travel shenanigans this story can pull off.
Without giving too much away, Melody of Memory is indeed a Kingdom Hearts title. It's kind of like Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded in that dedicated fans might not want to overlook this one too much. Really, this is a game made for those fans anyway as it offers a fun way to re-experience the music of the series with some fun Disney extras. With bite-size stages that are easy to take in, it might help alleviate the pains of waiting for the next title just a little.
While the overall presentation is limited with uninspired level visuals and color — which is expected from this series — there's just no argument of how much fun it is to take down Ghouls. Clearing out rooms and fighting off waves just feels satisfying, and there's plenty more of that kind of satisfaction with unlockable characters and levels. It's going to be fun even to those unfamiliar with the source material, but those hoping to see and experience more from Tokyo Ghoul itself might find it lacking.
It's not like MediEvil is bare bones in terms of the improvements on the original. It will be the perfect revisit for fans who have fond memories, but the actual experience of playing it -- especially for new players -- is another thing altogether. For better or worse, MediEvil's PlayStation 4 outing is faithful to the past.
At the end of the day, that's really the main draw. While the entire Daemon x Machina package does not hold up strong against scrutiny, it's really nailed a feeling. It's a perfect title for Nintendo Switch's handheld mode where you can just pick up and play a few missions before it starts to run its course. Like some mecha anime, it's better to just sit back and enjoy the cool things happening.
Fighting can be incredibly fluid and fun, but it's like Capybara took an idea they had for a side-scrolling beat-'em-up and stretched it beyond its limits into an ill-fitted action RPG. In that same breath, you'll be hard pressed to find a game more faithful to its source material.
Winning races and earning money to buy bikes just to compete in more races and earn more money was the greatest time trial of all.
For fans of the Danganronpa series who've never experienced Another Episode, I can't recommend it enough. The shooting gameplay may be stiff, but the world draped around it is more morose than much of series past. Yet despite these darker visuals, there's an even more lighthearted tone than ever before. Komaru and Toku are a delight, and have a witty banter between the two even while trying to survive a death game.
Override 2: Super Mech League truly flourishes when four friends can play together at the same time. It would be even better in the same room, but unfortunately, that's impossible for the time being. The online matchmaking holds up well through this setup, however, and you can definitely feel the hours melting away when you really get into the groove of things. It's just fun to beat up giant robots!