David Poole's Reviews
Overall, the Shadow of Doom DLC is a worthy addition to the game, rounding out the ultimate alliance nicely. The story is entertaining enough to engage with and the additional characters bring a lot to the table. While there aren’t significant changes to the formula, it truly makes the game feel like the “ultimate” Marvel Ultimate Alliance game. A truly fantastic addition to an already mighty game.
When it comes down to it, SNK Gals’ Fighters is a pretty fun fighter from an interesting time. It manages to be impressive both in animation and in it’s deep fighting options. The original release might not have lived up to it’s full potential, but with the Switch, it’s given a second life.
Overall, the new Battletoads feels like a great way to continue the franchise. Rare put these cult classic characters in very capable hands, making for a very entertaining, yet still challenging, sequel. It’s definitely not going to be a long game, lasting only a handful of hours, but the replay value with friends will last much longer.
When it comes to VR games, Marvel’s Iron Man VR is definitely among the more immersive experiences. While the action sequences could make up more of the bulk of the game, it compensates this with solid performances and a pretty good story. Load times may be plentiful, but the game makes up for it with an amazing sense of visual detail.
Overall, I really enjoyed BPM: Bullets Per Minute. Despite the moments of frustration of having to start from the very beginning after death, I always found myself going back for more. With each run, I would learn something new or change up my strategy. Maintaining perseverance, victory was suddenly a reality, and it was oh so satisfying. As someone that isn’t a big fan of roguelikes, this one struck a chord with me, and I’m really glad it did.
It’s great to see the Alan Wake connection grow, and the mysteries of the oldest house are always a delight. While the AWE expansion doesn’t do much to change the core mechanics of the game, it does offer a new area to explore, a new weapon, and a delightfully demented antagonist.
While The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV brings an epic conclusion to the saga, it's not without faults. The fantastic newer elements from the third entry return while this entry refines it into an ultimately better system. It also continues the use of a lot of strange presentation choices that feel almost archaic in 2020. Despite this, players will have an extremely large cast of heroes to work with in a fun setting. It's sort of like the Avengers: Endgame of JRPGs.
As the game tackles dark subject matter and an intriguing mystery, The Medium offers a solid plot to absorb. It also gives the player an ending that they can interpret in a number of ways, though it might lack satisfaction. It’s not the scariest horror game out there, even by Bloober Team’s standards, but it’s frightening enough to get a few scares, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you have Xbox Game Pass, you should experience this game.
In the end, Bravely Default II is a worthy successor to the franchise. Despite some performance problems and interesting voice direction, this is still a fantastic experience. With a new story, cast of characters, and gameplay elements, it delivers a sense of familiarity as well as a fresh perspective. The story builds up over the course of the game and provides plenty of hours of fun for JRPG fans.
When all is said and done, Guilty Gear -Strive- offers a bit of everything for fighting game fans. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s full of style and that heavy metal spirit that will rock your socks off. Gameplay packs a mean punch while delivering rocking tunes to your ears. The visuals maintain the Ars System Works quality while also delivering fantastic new designs for the great cast of characters.
Despite the numerous bugs I faced, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is still a fantastic adventure. The quality of the game is so high, that my many issues didn’t detriment my enjoyment of the experience. That’s definitely a testament of Insomniac’s abilities as a developer, and the overall work that went into crafting this experience. With more fluid and engaging combat, cool set pieces, and tons of great weapons, this may be my favorite Ratchet & Clank game. The visuals are breathtaking and the overall presentation is fantastic, making for a true test of the PlayStation 5 hardware.
Pokémon UNITE may have its weaknesses, but it definitely offers an addicting experience. There’s definitely room to grow and evolve into something greater, and it seems like that may happen here. Combining the Pokémon franchise with the successful MOBA genre seems like a hit, and it’ll likely be here to stay a long while. Even now, I still continue to move up the ranks online, enjoying my time as I advance my player level. With future Unite licenses becoming available and likely more maps and content on the way, this will surely be a huge success.
In the end, I really enjoy playing Back 4 Blood’s campaigns. They’re just different enough from the Left 4 Dead formula and it offers a pretty satisfying challenge. The Swarm and solo modes could be a bit more rewarding, so hopefully Turtle Rock Studios addresses these soon. Overall, if you’re looking for a new co-op experience with some friends, you’ll likely have a good time with Back 4 Blood.
Days Gone is easily worth playing for fans of zombie games. Don't let low scores fool you, this is still a gem.
Overall, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is a solid rhythm title for fans of the series. While the music could’ve used a bit more variety, the overall quality of the track list is still superb.
Overall, Tropico 6 sets itself as a fun, albeit formidable challenge. Fans of the genre will likely have a lot to appreciate in the game. As said, it’s not a game for everyone, but it does what it needs to do and it does it well.
Fans will likely love it, though newcomers will probably have to take time to adapt and get used to it. While it’s a little overwhelming, it’s not beyond reason, and with practice, most players should become a top pilot in the game.
When it comes down to it, Indivisible is a game with a ton of love and effort. It may not be for everyone, but it has a clearly visible charm to it that gives it a bright glow.
The controls are simple enough to grasp, but after a few story missions, you might not want to keep going. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed my time with Daemon X Machina, and I hope it finds its audience, because it’s a pretty good game, despite a few flaws.
Fans of the original may love to stroll down memory lane again. You might not show up for the story, but you’ll at least stay for the gameplay. The high-octane feel of the ARS is still a blast to enjoy and it makes for a great part of the 10th anniversary bundle with Bayonetta.