Code of Princess EX might itch your craving for a Japanese-style beat em' up: if you missed the game when it released on Nintendo 3DS, it's not super expensive and might be worth a try. I don't think everyone is going to enjoy this game though; I certainly had a lot of on and off moments with it. In the end, Code of Princess needs to do a lot more if it hopes to have any staying power in the future. I will say, though, that I'm somewhat excited to see some of the characters reappear in Blade Strangers when it releases next month.
You can see everything Octopath Traveler has to offer in about 60 hours. If you want to do side quests without a guide, that time count could get even higher. Farming never got to the point where I was burned out or genuinely bored. My most significant issues with the game lay in its overall storyline structure, and that's not even a big issue considering there's no bad storyline in the game. There wasn't an hour of gameplay in Octopath Traveler I can say that I didn't enjoy, which is a feat all its own.
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Overall, Guns of Icarus Alliance works as a competitive multiplayer game still. It offers a unique steampunk setting with ship battles that are highly intensive and a lot of fun when you get a good lobby of people together. But with an annual player count of 80 to 200 players, newcomers should be prepared to prep themselves with tutorials and PVE content. With performance issues on the PS4, in particular, it's hard to recommend this game on the console, but if you've been looking for a cooperative game to check out with some friends this might be the one for you. Guns of Icarus Alliance is available now on PS4 and PC with well-implemented cross-play between the two.
Killing Floor: Incursion is easily one of the best VR shooters on PlayStation VR at the moment. There are the occasional missteps you find in VR titles, similar to how games were when motion controls were first introduced with the Wii. It's easy to tell that Tripwire Interactive put a lot of care and effort into this game, and because of that, it's an easy recommendation for any PS VR owner looking for a bloody good time.
Whether you're a seasoned veteran of the action-adventure genre or you want to pick this game up for a child, I think anyone can have a good time in The Swords of Ditto. While I found some faults during my journey throughout Ditto, there's no doubt the developers have created a fully realized, albeit small, world. If you're looking for your next couch co-op game or something that's easy to jump into for an hour or two, give The Swords of Ditto a try.
Whether you're new to the genre or a returning veteran, for $13, I think that Steredenn: Binary Stars is a worthy addition to any Switch owners library. The game has a decent amount of modes that ultimately all work together in helping the player learn and progress through the game. So if you've been itching for a cheap shoot'em up game on the handheld-console hybrid, maybe do yourself a favor and check out this one.
If you're looking for a more conventional strategy title to add to your Switch library, World Conqueror X is perfect for you. I think the game works best in handheld mode, as it's not boasting the most visually appealing style. It was also nice to lay down after a long day and pick the game up for a couple of scenario missions before bed. Whether on the go or nestled up at home, World Conqueror X is a pretty enjoyable strategy game and it's easy to recommend at the low price of $10.
Kirby Star Allies is another solid addition to the Nintendo Switch, and it does everything it has to as a Kirby game, I just hope that in the future, Nintendo will try to expand upon what already makes Kirby so great as they have with titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.
For $14.99, I think The Long Reach is a solid game that should be looked at by anyone interested in adventure games or short, bite-sized indie titles. While it doesn't do anything that's new gameplay-wise, I found the narrative to be intriguing throughout and worth sitting through to the end. I'd say the game is best experienced on a big screen, with speakers or a headset that'll make each scenario feel all the tenser. I can't imagine the experience would be nearly as compelling on-the-go with the Switch version. While it's by no means the best the genre has to offer, this adventure is definitely one that's worth checking out.
Most of you have probably already made up your mind about Metal Gear Survive. I think Survive has some redeeming qualities and, had it focused firmly on its multiplayer, I may have enjoyed the experience more. As it stands, there are just so many better titles in the survival genre, it's hard to recommend this game to anybody. I'm sad to say that Metal Gear Survive has squeezed any ounce of hope I had for this series I only recently got into.
It's sad when a video game title based on an anime/manga series is unable to capture the magic and fluidity fans of said series rightfully expect. Unfortunately, The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia manages to disappoint in just about every category and fails at capturing just about anything that makes the series memorable. If you've been itching to have a go at this game, I'd recommend that you just wait for a price drop. Unfortunately, I can't say that The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia will be as fondly remembered as many of the older anime games that came before it.
There's no doubt in my mind that most Final Fantasy fans will appreciate the attention to detail in regards to every character, map, costume, and weapon. I believe that Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has the potential to grow its audience if the developers evolve the game based on community feedback. Right now I think it's a bit bare bones compared to other fighters on the market, but if you're looking for a new, quirky competitive fighter to get into, you may enjoy Dissidia Final Fantasy NT a lot more than you expect.
That's pretty much it for Raid: World War II. You get a list filled with some missions and you level up slowly to unlock upgrades for your characters as well as new weapons. The process felt incredibly slow and you'll probably be burned out after a couple of hours — if you were ever actually planning on playing this game, that is. I'd like to think the game can be made better through updates but I'm afraid Raid: World War II will probably be forgotten about and abandoned pretty quickly. If you're itching to kill some Nazis this holiday season, stick to Wolfenstein 2: The New Order or Call of Duty: WWII instead.
I hate to sound like I didn't enjoy my time with the game. There's a lot to love about Dark Arisen, but it's hard for me to ignore some of its more glaring issues. If you're an action RPG fan who has been looking to sink their teeth into a meaty game before the end of the year, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is definitely worth checking out.
I really enjoyed my time with Samurai Shodown V Special, I just wish it had given me a couple more reasons to come back in the future. After a few runs in the arcade mode there isn't much else to do on the single-player side of things. I hope we'll get the opportunity to see this series return again someday.
Resident Evil: Revelations is a true survival-horror experience with a lot to offer on modern home consoles for only $20. Not everything in the game has made the jump to console perfectly, but if it's anything to go by, I sure as hell enjoyed this game a lot more than Resident Evil 6 (I'll still defend 5 even though it's not my favorite in the series). If Resident Evil 7: Biohazard wasn't enough for you this year, I can't think of a better game to recommend. Resident Evil: Revelations stays true to what made the first handful of Resident Evil titles great while also offering slight moments that delve more into the action oriented titles. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
I find it difficult to be critical towards anything about Undertale because it was designed with such a deft hand. It's simply hard to find anything that feels out of place because it all feels so intentional. I'm happy I can finally confirm that Undertale is not just hype and while it's available on PS4, PS Vita, and PC I couldn't recommend it more. If you're a fan of RPG's or somebody who values a deeper experience, I think you'll appreciate how beautiful this game can be.
Now that Capcom has ported all of the main entry games to console, I hope that they bring us the Mega Man X games next in a collection. Or maybe even Mega Man Legends 3 — a guy can dream, right? If you haven't played the original six games, I'd say the original Mega Man Legacy Collection is a better buy in terms of quality when compared to this one, but nonetheless, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 is still great, and the best way to replay these classics.
Hey! Pikmin is an incredibly fun platformer that's easy to pick up and doesn't take a ton of hours to finish like many games that have come out this year. While I was able to get through the game in a couple of days, reaching 100% completion on each level will take some time and serious dedication. Fans of older Pikmin titles and even Nintendo 3DS owners that have never tried the series before are in for a treat with Hey! Pikmin — I highly recommend it.