James Berich's Reviews
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp leverages its already strong foundation with some very nice quality of life improvements to offer an almost definitive version of a Game Boy Advance classic. However, limited multiplayer options and uneven difficulty modes stop it from being the best that if could be.
Dead Island 2 stands firmly besides its predecessor as only a marginal improvement. While there something to be recognised in the flexible skill system and satisfying dismemberment effects, Dead Island 2's lack of objective variety and uninteresting playable characters fall short of its potential. There's still some fun to be had for zombie fans, just don't expect a reinvention by any means.
Resident Evil 4 translates a game already revered into an absolute masterpiece. The tension is heightened and the combat is stronger than ever, all while still maintaining the corny dialogue and humour that the original game was known for. While there are a few minor aspects missing, Resident Evil 4 is a strong example of what any remake should be and is well worth your time.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a fun and unexpectedly fleshed-out experience that seeks to only better illustrate the potential of what Bayonetta can be beyond action games. Its combination of engaging puzzles, simple but enjoyable combat and inviting exploration more than outdoes its slow start and simple combat. While it's a story that didn't need to be told, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a bewitching experience overall.
Wild Hearts' unique Karakuri mechanics and skill systems do just enough to offer a new take on the tried-and-true monster-hunting genre. While there is some inconsistent performance across all platforms, Wild Hearts bewildering bestiary of unique creature more than makes it worth a look.
Octopath Traveler II does an earnest job of trying to right the wrongs of its predecessor, making more attempts than ever to integrate the stories of its eight characters. While the result falls slightly short of this promise, Octopath Traveler II offers everything the original did and more. It's a stellar RPG with a fantastic presentation and mechanically robust gameplay systems that any genre fan shouldn't miss.
Metroid Prime Remastered is, without a doubt, the best way to experience Metroid Prime. Its effortful visual overhaul, coupled with new control schemes, brings an already fantastic game into a new era for a new audience. Better still, it plays just as well as it did over two decades ago, offering a tremendous sense of atmosphere and wonder. It's often said it's tough to improve on a masterpiece, but Metroid Prime Remastered successfully meets the brief and then some.
Hogwarts Legacy is the Wizarding World game that fans have dreamt of for years. It offers a dense and rich open-world to explore complemented perfectly by a surprisingly robust and engaging combat system unlike anything else. While the story does live in the shadow of its predecessors, and managing gear can be repetitive, Hogwarts Legacy is a truly magical experience and utterly bewitching from beginning to end.
Forspoken offers a unique and thrilling experience with its impressive combat and smooth traversal mechanics. The story and open world may fall victim to the pitfalls of its genre and the largely formulaic side quest design only shines occasionally, but it's an overall satisfying and well-crafted action RPG with fast-paced and energetic gameplay.
The Callisto Protocol is a modest starting point for what I hope will flourish into another heavy-hitting horror franchise. It's gory and gratuitous, with an endlessly satisfying combat system. But the lack of enemy variety scares, and surprises, even if engaging, stop it from being the horror game masterpiece it's trying to be. Despite all of its shortcomings, it's an immensely enjoyable romp that's left me desperate for more.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me remains as enjoyable and engaging as previous games in the series, though it ultimately squanders its potential with a distinct lack of dread, tension, and surprises. While its more grounded approach is bound to be divisive amongst fans, it's still well worth your time and an enjoyable, if not inconsistently, put-together thriller.
Goat Simulator 3 is a remarkable improvement on the original in practically every way, with a great variety of gear to wreak havoc with. While the attempt to introduce a story mode is satisfactory at best, the dedication to offering fun and robust multiplayer modes easily elevates Goat Simulator 3 to be greater than the sum of its parts.
The Chant combines a unique setting and premise with striking art direction to offer an experience that feels wholly unique as a game. While it lacks scares and doesn't quite capitalise on it's unique stats system, The Chant is still a game that any self-respecting horror fan shouldn't miss.
Bayonetta 3 successfully reinvents itself in many ways to offer an experience that feels worthy of the title of sequel. It successfully shakes up the combat from the previous games by implementing new abilities that help keep things familiar but fresh. Some of the gimmicky battles bring the pacing down and dreaded, but ubiquitous Switch-related performance issues remain. As a whole, Bayonetta 3 eclipses its predecessor and is truly one of the most bombastic and enjoyable action games you can play.
Gotham Knights is both something different and something familiar for Batman fans. While the new role-playing elements create some pacing issues throughout the story, the breadth of abilities and ease of progression stop the experience from being as tedious as it could have been.
Scorn successfully leverages an intense atmosphere with striking artistic direction to offer a horror journey like no other. While combat can get in the way of an otherwise strong offering, and the story takes a back seat to everything else, Scorn is a unique horror experience and a great debut.
No More Heroes III is one of my favourites in the series so far. A streamlined structure, some fantastic writing, and direction from Goichi Suda and some of the tightest combat the series has ever seen make No More Heroes III one of the best. The latest ports rectify most of the performance problems seen in last year's Switch debut, remedying some minor blemishes on an otherwise remarkable artistic achievement. This is, without a doubt, the best way to experience No More Heroes III.
Auteur designer Yoko Taro successfully blends his oddball knack for storytelling, defying typical video game conventions in doing so. This leads to an unforgettable story, but how it's told and demands repeat playthroughs is bound to be lost on some part of NieR: Automata's audience. Regardless, NieR: Automata blends intense action and RPG components into an atmosphere and game that's well worth experiencing, even on the Nintendo Switch.
In a genre that's markedly saturated, Grounded stands tall. Dripping with charm, its unique setting and premise give it ample space to impress players who think they've seen it all.
Immortality ambitiously succeeds at evolving the formats introduced in Her Story and Telling Lies to offer some of Sam Barlow's best work yet and one of gaming's most well-justified open-world experiences. Bolstered by some fantastic performances and a compelling mystery to uncover, it's engrossing and engaging from beginning to end. While it might assume some prior knowledge in telling it's underlying story, Immortality is an experience that's not to be missed and one that I'll never stop thinking about. It is truly fantastic and well worth your time.