Joe Gribble's Reviews
All in all, I'm conflicted about Rogue Wizards; I want to love it, given the brilliant art, fluid combat, and addicting gameplay, but if it's just going to sit on my PC...Then it's just going to sit on my PC. The sterile soundtrack and similar environments, along with bosses only being upgraded enemies only screams repetitiveness; I want to see where the game will go with it's story and gameplay, but already only two hours in, and I'm already feeling the slog.
I have to suggest that you wait for a price drop, or for the whole collection of chapters to release until you get this game - The game is charming, and full of energy and wonderful characters that could carry the series on their own merit, however I just feel that as a video game, it falls short. Perhaps if the story had explored a different media (Such as a comic or webnovel), would it've fared better? Only time would tell. I would rate The Secret Monster Society a 7/10 as an introduction into the Point & Click genre.
For me, Cat President is just a whole lot of dumb fun; the game isn't visually pleasing, nor is it technical in any leaps or bounds, but my god do I love it - This game is definitely one to keep out of the litter box, and should be set atop the scratching posts of fame for just how much fun you can have with it after a few drinks with some purrfect company.
Overall, Megatagmension Blanc + Neptunia VS Zombies is a silly, short hack’n’slash visual novel-esque game that’ll entertain you if you’re into cutesy girls doing cutsey, random things in a school environment – If you’ve had exposure to the Megadimension universe before, into anime such as K-ON or Lucky Star, or are just looking for something different to shake up your Hack’nSlash life, certainly pick up this game. If, however, you’re a newcomer to these types of games, visual style, or haven’t played a Megadimension game before…I would say there’s better out there.
Overall, Trillion: God of Destruction is an interesting take on Hell, with addicting gameplay, good characters, great voice acting and interesting world, but is unfortunately shackled down by a bad mix of difficulty, sound design, limited completion time and over-focus on grinding bring this game straight down to the Seventh Circle.
Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope is a slow-burn JRPG that you play when you have a spare hour or two, and nothing else major to do – Just to sit down in the Captain’s chair and blast away to other worlds. Is it as action-packed as other JRPGs, such as Final Fantasy XV or some of the Tales games? No. But that’s not a bad thing by nature… The 4K remaster does a great job of bringing this game up to modern standards, and brings a level of options tweaking that I can only hope will become industry-standard.
If I had to describe Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in a nutshell, it would be "A flawed diamond", beautiful by nature and at it's core, but extremely flawed on the offset, which makes criticizing this title all the more painful; I want the Xenoblade franchise to succeed and improve, and to swell into a beautiful, wonderful franchise, however after seeing the top-notch Xenoblade Chronicles and well-performing spin-off that was Xenoblade Chronicles X, I feel that Xenoblade Chronicles 2, as a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles and on it's own merit just gets outshone by it's precursors. I would definitely recommend this title on the Nintendo Switch – It'll certainly keep you busy, but wether you'll enjoy every last second of it is a totally different, and personal story.
All-in-all, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a well-crafted, dark, gritty and edgy, detailed visual novel that I would happily play through a couple of times whenever I get bored of other visual novels such as Phoenix Wright or Danganronpa. The visuals are crisp and clean, voice acting (Whilst only in Japanese) is still top-notch, and the plot is tense and thrilling. My only concern is that I fear it will stumble near the end.
All things considered, I am having a lot of fun with Ni No Kuni 2 – Its world is colourful, bustling and interesting, its characters engaging and exciting, and the stories of each country hook onto you and drag you in for just a few more hours. I don’t know how the game will conclude at this point, but I dearly do hope that it doesn’t abandon the darker roots of its opening, and explore more of Evan’s struggles.
Overall, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is a fine visual novel that improves greatly on the Danganronpa formula – The only things holding it back however are a somewhat fractured, filler-ladened plot and some poor characters.
Asides from confusion, one thing that Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is good at is providing interesting, well written character dialogues and interactions between it’s varied and colourful cast of 16 school students – From Akane, the Gymnast with the heart of a tiger, to the eccentric and folklore-spewing Ghundam, to the calm, quiet and reference-spewing Chiaki, each character has their own unique charm, quirk, and memorable piece of backstory that’ll stick with you throughout even the final moments of the game.
For launch though, Siegecraft Commander rushes out the gates with a healthy amount of content that should satisfy you strategy and Worms-loving junkies for months to come, especially with that glorious Cross-Platform multiplayer! I can't wait to see what Siegecraft Commander has in store for the near future, and will be monitoring it's progress closely.
Overall, there's not too much more to say on Rise & Shine - Some characters are likeable, some just disappear, and some are just killed off outright for irony's sake - The gameplay is difficult, and doesn't hold your hand too much, and the references to gaming culture are up there in the hundreds. If you're looking for a good-looking and challenging game that may make you chuckle here and there and go "Oh that's from xxxxx game!", then Rise and Shine is certainly for you. If you were coming into this expecting all laughs and something a bit more casual, then I'm afraid you may be disappointed...
Overall, Berserk: Band of the Hawk is probably the best adaptation of the manga's story to date, and lives up to the chaos, havoc and authentic visual style of Berserk - Where it falls short, however, is when you start to compare it to other Musou titles, or if you try to jump in without ever seeing a single speck of the original story - My recommendation? Read the first 16-or-so chapters of the Berserk manga, to learn the underlying characters, story and premise, then move onto playing Band of the Hawk; that way the movie cutscenes and dialogue will fill in all blanks up until the end of the game, which stops short around an arc or two where the manga currently rests. If you've played Musou games in the past, this title may seem extremely simplistic and a bit watered down, but for newcomers to this subgenre of war game, there really isn't a better introduction, or a better time to get into them than right now.
When returning to Resident Evil 1, some obvious flaws are apparent given the title’s age, such as the game’s tank-like controls, often awkward camera and downright cheesy dialogue… But in a bizarre way that adds to the charm of the title – The thematic tension you feel when exploring the manor… The fear you feel around every corner… The tension of solving a puzzle in the nick of time or making that narrow escape… Well, there’s nothing quite like it nowadays.
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth wants to kick your arse. It wants to beat you down. It wants to be ruthless. However that feeling when you finally nail that strategy; when you overcome a floor that was kicking you down for weeks; when you beat that FOE or that boss that stopped you dead in your tracks… …Well, there’s no better feeling, really.
So, what’s my final verdict on Monster Hunter: World? All in all, Monster Hunter: World is a beautiful, terrifyingly primal experience that sits among the best… Whilst also being somewhat of a regression for this beloved franchise – Beginners are both wholeheartedly accepted, yet left adrift by a lack of guidance or assistance, and the smaller pool of monsters leaves a lot of room to be filled (Possibly through DLC or expansions); Monster Hunter: World throws players, new and old, into a brand new world, with brand new experiences lying in wait around every corner… It just needed that little bit more polish to make the deal even sweeter.
Personally, as this was my introduction into the Hitman franchise, I love the attention to detail, and the depth of some of the actions you can perform - It felt, however, that Hitman 2016 was being a little bit more lenient than it should've with some of the points of suspicion, but overall the gameplay is addicting, deep and methodical, with plenty of room for experimentation and freedom, to allow you to do things your way rather than adhering to a set number of steps in most instances. I've never played or even seen a Hitman game before, and Hitman 2016 really does make me regret that. I would personally rate Hitman 2016 an 8.5 / 10.
Overall, Rive is a riveting romp throughout, and continues to impress, challenge and entertain even a few hours in; the world and challenge keep puling me back, and I believe that you'll find the same sense of daring danger infect you too.
7th Dragon III: Code VFD proves to be yet another star-studded JRPG to add to your 3DS collection - Filled to the brim with a lengthy 50-70 hour Story Mode, varied and interesting dungeons and locales, and more compelling characters than you can shake a stick at, 7th Dragon III: Code VFD certainly delivers.