Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence – Ascension is a very deep, complex, and well made game with high quality experiences from the lowest to the highest level of rule in Feudal Japan. It is also a tease, showing you all of this quality without taking the time to actually explain itself. Frustrating camera controls and a total lack of guidance leave a bad taste in the mouth when the game so easily could have avoided both and been truly great.
Draft Day Sports: Pro Basketball 2017 is a generic simulator that is just not quite ready for the big leagues. There are plenty of great features, and a deep collection of players that show the potential expected. A series of fatal flaws and poor design throughout will frustrate you and make you want to send it back down for more development.
Bethesda Pinball is an impressive collection of pinball experiences based on Bethesda’s A-List hits Skyrim, Fallout, and Doom. Surprisingly complex and dynamic, these tables do a great job of capturing the feel of the game they represent while staying true to the classic pinball dynamic. Visually pleasing, challenging, and highly replayable, these tables are a perfect addition to your Zen Pinball 2 collection.
Football Manager 17 is a titan of a game, representing a depth of knowledge, complexity, customization, and humanity that would be a welcome addition to any game on any subject. If football, or soccer as many a westerner calls it, is not your favorite sport, that may very well be the only reason to not give this game a twirl. While an expert may find some small issue, as a greenhorn I can’t report a single drawback for the game, but I can pretty much find a complement for each and every aspect of this marvelous simulator.
Motorsport Manager is a very fun and unique racing game that allows you to focus on so much more than steering and acceleration. A much more realistic racing game than one where you just drive, this game gives you the experience to see how good your driving decisions really are, and with great graphics and a easy to learn set of controls, this game is a fun addition to any gaming library.
Franchise Hockey Manager 3 is a fantastically crafted title well worthy of praise. Unfortunately, with this release being a pretty basic retread, there is a prevailing sense of staleness. The game does have some minor improvements that are mostly visible with the streamlined startup process and visual data provided while in-game. Long time fans of the series may not need to update, but any new player looking to try a sports sim would be hard pressed to find a better place to start.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is a test as much as a game, with some interesting new ideas being applied to a pretty standard JRPG. There are some highs and some lows, but the overall product is lacking in severe ways that are amplified by the generally promising new concepts. However, a strong story and some exploration options make this a game to consider.
Superdimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls is a match made in gaming heaven. A JRPG with some expanded and fun platforming mechanics throughout, this game improves on the Neptunia series model while sending the player on a lighthearted romp through an alternative Sega universe.
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is a magnificent game that has taken me completely by surprise with its quality. A mix of 2D and 3D platforming, RPG, and adventure gaming blends with a gorgeous art style to form this hidden gem just waiting to be uncovered. All the while familiar and unique, Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is a game that all should give a chance, enjoyable by the most hardened veteran gamer down the most green of newcomers.
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs is a highly strange game, mixing graphic novel gameplay with a tactical RPG. The game is very fun, but not everything works as well as it should. The art style is wonderfully detailed and there are lots of quirky art details that add to the experience, but overall the game fails to really shine in either of its styles, and leaves much to be desired.
NASCAR Heat Evolution is a fantastic game in practice, but has a terrible presentation elsewhere. At the end of the day, this makes NASCAR Heat Evolution a disappointing title rather than a full-fledged trip into victory lane. With some amazing features available, but near impossible to enjoy, NASCAR Heat Evolution is a game that will only please hardcore NASCAR or racing game fans.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is a faster, more frantic, and fresh take on the old Pac-Man series, and this sequel does a great job of furthering what the original Championship Edition presented. The game is fun, and Pac-Man fans will enjoy the game while also getting a new set of challenges to face. In the end, the game is fairly simple and something you’ve seen before many times, but if you are craving a return to Pac World, this is a great place to look.
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is an acceptable title dotting the grievous past of Compile Heart. A dungeon crawler with maze style gameplay, and a fairly unique and customizable battle system, MeiQ does a good job of providing some fun and interesting moments. Falling short overall in the battles, and leaving very much to desire with story, characters, dialogue, and respect for human dignity, MeiQ is a title only for the most dedicated RPG player.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is a direct sequel in a time where that is exceedingly rare, and a very welcome one at that. The original Trails of Cold Steel was a great game that was under appreciated, and this sequel brings all of the same charm and quality from the first and does more preserving than improving. With some slight improvements and great source material, Trails of Cold Steel II is a no-brainer to add to any JRPG collection.
Bright, bold, and loud is the Metronomicon, and though it has a namesake broiled in evil, the game is pure, unfiltered goodness. A dance step game that is also a RPG battler, the game keeps you active, keeps you thinking, and loosens some of the stagnation for both genres by throwing them into a blender together. A grand concoction, The Metronomicon is a must have for any gamer.
One Way Trip is the story of a definite and unjust death sentence, told amongst an eerily realistic dissociative drug trip backdrop that freaked my delicate mind more than once. Basic, disjointed, and tragic, this game strips away almost all functions of a game and makes you a decision maker. Plagued with crashes that can cause fatal errors, One Way Trip does have some improvements to make. With those improvements, and time, One Way Trip is sure to become a cult favorite of the PlayStation 4 age.
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force is a remake with very few improvements. An added ability to be evil and access a new storyline brings new content, but the game is basically unchanged from its PlayStation 3 debut. Bland, cliché, and uninspired, Fairy Fencer F is just another cog in an increasingly frustrating machine churning out the same JRPG experience over and over again. With recent releases of bigger and better games in the genre, Fairy Fencer F is one to avoid.
Phantom Brave is an all-timer, but Phantom Brave PC feels much more like a screenprinted masterwork than the real thing. Glossed up slightly, but with very little to no changes since the last re-release, Phantom Brave PC is the least impressive of all. That said, the game itself is still wonderfully great, and new players will be rewarded with the cool breeze of phantoms coming in the air tonight.
Grand Kingdom is a grand triumph of innovation and amalgamation, standing alone as a semi-new type of JRPG altogether. Mixing elements from other JPRGs, classic fighting games, and board game elements into an all new experience, Grand Kingdom will have some dedicated players still moving troops through enemies lands for years to come.
Great for returning lifers, or first time criminals looking for a great builder experience.