James Berich's Reviews
All in all, Vaas: Insanity paves the way for some stellar downloadable content for Far Cry 6 that is already more conceptually interesting than anything in Far Cry 5. Vaas' experience, while perhaps telling us a little bit too much about the ambiguous villain, co-opts the idea of a rogue-like competently to offer a new twist on the formula, but lead by a familiar face.
Shin Megami Tensei V is the best Shin Megami Tensei game thus far, without a doubt. It's incredibly stylish and delivers an intriguing plot filled with the philosophical and metaphysical concepts that fans have come to expect. Its battle system is every bit as engaging as it's contemporaries, and the fusion system remains as one of the best in the genre. And while it's got some strong art direction, technical issues and ho-hum dungeon design keep Shin Megami Tensei V from being as great as it could be.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is far and away the best Dark Pictures game so far. It blends intriguing characters, compelling drama, and a killer twist to offer up what can only be described as the most honed experience Supermassive has put out in this series so far. It's got a few minor issues here and there – namely relating to the diversity of its cast and how much each of them plays into the overall story – but it's a horror experience that no fan should miss even if they weren't fans of Man of Medan or Little Hope.
Make no mistakes; Far Cry 6 is, without a doubt, the best Far Cry game in a long time. The game brings back the exotic locations we've been missing since Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 and adds yet another charismatic antagonist to its storied pantheon of villains. But more importantly, it's a joy to play, with a unique arsenal full of character and breadth of content that is not only comprehensive but engaging.
Death Stranding: Director's Cut is easily the best way to play the game. The additions are numerous and bound to help players make their journey across America much more palatable. If you're someone who gave up on Death Stranding because you found it to be too frustrating or long-winded, the Director's Cut additions could be enough to lure you back. If you're someone who's played the game to death already, there's probably not a whole lot of reason to come back given how little extra content there is.
Life Is Strange: True Colors brings together likeable characters, a novel power, and a beautiful setting to tell a story that'll have you engaged from beginning to end. It's a little bit predictable but everything else – the writing, the locale, and just the general vibe – cement it as one of the strongest entries in the series.
No More Heroes III is the best No More Heroes experience this far. A streamlined structure, some fantastic writing and direction from Goichi Suda and some of the tightest combat the series has ever seen makes No More Heroes III the best in the series. There's some technical issues that we've come to see from the Switch, especially in the open world, but these are otherwise minor blemishes on a remarkable artistic achievement.
Psychonauts 2 brings together classic platforming, an engaging story and well realised combat in a package that feels reminiscent of the best platformers of decades past. Even better, it does this with a visual flair that's unmatched by its contemporaries. It might be more of the same, but given how unique it is, that's hardly a bad thing.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles brings together two volumes of one magnificent story that no Ace Attorney fan should miss. The characters are fantastically kooky, the plot is as compelling as ever, and the writing is the series at its funniest. While there are some minor pacing issues with some of the cases, it's a fantastic package for fans both new and old.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD makes great efforts to improve the original to make it the definitive way to play the series' origin story. Whilst the game's initially poor pacing has improved, the game can still be slightly tedious and repetitive. Putting that aside, the dungeon design, item ingenuity, and some of the boss battles are series highlights that no Zelda fan should miss.