The Secret of Mana Remaster was highly anticipated by a lot of fans and overall manages to capture the experience of playing the original within an all new outer shell of upscale graphics and new sound. It fails to make any revolutionary changes to the gameplay, forgoing an opportunity to improve on one of the all-time classic games, and the changes it does make (particularly the music) are hard to swallow at times. Secret of Mana for the PlayStation 4 is not quite a disappointment, but it does leave a less than satisfying feeling.
Dark Rose Valkyrie doesn't blow the doors off the hinges, but it does serve as a much improved JRPG over what has been a largely tepid series of releases from Compile Heart and others. The story is fine, the battle system is fun and unique, and exploration is a large part of the adventure. While there are some cliches and rehashed elements throughout, Dark Rose Valkyrie represents what a top end-formulaic JRPG can be.
Not unlike the gray pebble on the bed of gaming’s great river, Toukiden 2 does nothing to harm or hinder the flow, but does nothing special to draw anyone in either. Action RPG first and prototype ice skating hack and slash second, Toukiden 2 is as worthy of a look as it is a pass.
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.
Attractio is a puzzle platformer that has a slight portal reminiscence and provides a bleak outlook for both humankind and Earth, but a pretty sweet vision of bloodsport entertainment casting off all ironic shackles. Fun, quick paced, but a little clumsy, Attractio is passable and provides a fun and unique alternative to a shooter.
Stone is fun, but flawed. The story is well crafted and reveals itself through a series of twists that keep you engaged throughout. There is no action aside from walking up to different people or items, but the game never drags. As much as I love the story here, the dialogue is strained at times and has glitches that affect the timing. Overall a worthy experience and story to enjoy.
Ultra Space Battle Brawl is a neon and slicked back bout of space madness that I only wish had been around when I was still young enough to really grasp it. A simplistic pong-like battle brawler makes for a unique experience to say the least. The game wears thin over the time you play quicker than most it seems, but the experience is still worth a try.
Summerset in Elder Scrolls Online offers an all new area, but not much is new for long-term players of the game. The aesthetic of the isles has long been available in the core game, and while the additions of jewelry crafting, collectables, the Psijic Order, and the Cloudrest trial are all nice there just isn't anything that rises to the level of bringing back old dormant players nor introducing new ones. Dedicated players and those who play competitively will need to have this, however.
Tera is silly, lusty, and over-the-top cute aesthetic within a massive MMO world, interspersed with frustrating and bad gameplay elements that punctuate otherwise fun and immersive action. The world is full of perils, and players have a lot of control over the types of characters they'll use to face those perils. More fun than foul, Tera combines the cartoony and the serious in its attempt to create a worthwhile MMO universe, and accomplishes the underpinning of a great title.
Elder Scrolls Online: Dragon Bones is a fine expansion of the game and a cleaning up of certain elements within the core game.
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is the MMO experience you've been dreaming of for Neptune and her friends, though it does come with a lot of shortcomings. The game does a novel job of producing a quick paced action JRPG that looks and feels incredibly like an MMORPG in almost every way, down to a “text chat” box. There are some issues with combat and that drags the experience down. Despite that, the game provides a fun and basic online mission mode, and provides a lot of fun and fast paced action in a pretty package.
Pinball FX 3 is a decent step forward for Zen Studios' long appreciated pinball series. There are some fun new single player modes that provide multiple challenges, some competitive modes, and plenty of practice options. The game also provides some direct competition and tournament style online options, though they aren't much different in practice that the single player games. Overall, this is a nice update for the game and makes it much more diverse and interesting to explore, and the backwards compatibility means you have no real reason not to update and enjoy.
The Horns of the Reach DLC for Elder Scrolls Online is small, but it gives some decent gameplay and a new set of items, objectives, and a few other scarce elements that will help players at any stage of gameplay. Many players will get this full release automatically as part of their ongoing subscription to the game, but casual players of the game may want to wait and see before jumping in.
Drawn to Death is a bloody, messy, childish romp through adolescent notebook art, putting you into the art itself in a series of deathmatches. The art style is endearing and interesting, but it leads to some confusion in the gameplay itself. Fast-paced, unique, and creative, Drawn to Death provides a gnarly experience unlike any other, but suffers from a bit of monotony all too quickly, mimicking high school quite well.
Toy Odyssey is marred with some old-school platforming woes that should not be featured in a 2017 release, but this Metroid-style nighttime toy adventure also provides lots of fun and plays fine enough to be worth the frustration. Lots of difficult platforming challenges and fighting await you in this dark and spooky title, if you can get past the random generation issues and unfair pitfalls.
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.
Xeodrifter is a good game for fans of classic 8-bit platformers and adventure style games alike, providing a fun and challenging gaming experience that rewards smart playing and creative tactics. While the game suffers from a handful of glitches, the overall design and outcome of Xeodrifter is well worth a look for anyone in the market for an old-school experience in a brand new package.
Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO is a solid racing game that offers a mostly basic racing experience with a few unique twists. Rally-style racing with a co-pilot navigator proves to be both fun and challenging, but with an incredibly silly collision mechanic, the game does lack a little in immersion and realism. This game could have been the very best toy car racer ever created, but as- is, Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO is a decent racer that I'd recommend particularly to seasoned racing game fans looking for a real challenge.
Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark makes you feel young again, with a rather loyal modernization of the classic platforming game. While the game can drag after long periods of play, the overall fun and innovation of the game makes the effort a success.