Jowi Meli
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- Final Fantasy X
- Persona 3
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a perfectly serviceable action RPG. That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but for folks who are looking for a bit of mindless, distracting entertainment (and who couldn't use that with all the things going on in the world today?), Tamsoft's latest foray into this goofy game industry parody should fit the bill nicely. It's certainly not the mark of a masterpiece when the most you can say about a game is that it's fun and mostly inoffensive, but this series has never really been aiming for that high mark in the first place, and that's just fine by me.
Overall, Hidden Dragon Legend is a middle-of-the-road effort: there are certainly a number of people out there who will be able to work through its less-than-polished mechanics long enough to enjoy the silly story, which is reminiscent of classic Chinese action cinema in the best possible ways.
Mary Skelter: Nightmares is a surprisingly effective little dungeon crawler.
If you do like the narrative or can see fit to skip it, I think you'll have a much better time than I did.
I was happy to find that Rabi-Ribi was, on the whole, a totally unexpected and delightful discovery for me on PS4. While I wasn't enthused by what I initially saw in trailers and such, I found myself happily proven wrong by the actual content.
In the end, whether you prefer to whittle your hours away building the city of your dreams with unlimited resources, or chase down trophies as you build your way toward things more deliberately, I don't think you'll find a superior sim anywhere on PS4.
Overall, Sonic Mania succeeds a lot more than it stumbles.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into Collar x Malice, but I was admittedly a little afraid its darker tone would result in a nastier, more sadistic streak across the board. I couldn't be happier to have been proven wrong: while the writing leaves a lot to be desired in some regards, the story told is a compelling one, and earning the trust of the icy suitors was a more nuanced and sweet process than I expected. If you're of a mind to enjoy this silliness like I am, forget the New York Times bestseller list – your over-the-top romantic beach read is just a Vita download away.
Ultimately, though, my complaints are relatively small given the appeal of the whole package. As a casual pick-up-and-play experience, Zen Studios' latest obviously isn't going to set your world on fire, but it does what it does very well. The core mechanics are solid and contain just enough variation to keep things exciting, and the progression system provides just enough incentive to keep you busy across all the different modes. A little polish and pizazz on the visual front would have gone a long way here, but again, it's good for what it is. If you're looking for a fun take on the pastime, Infinite Minigolf is a pleasant, surprisingly addictive little game.
Whether you memorized every map of the original game, or you've yet to set foot in the most intricate version of Yasumi Matsuno's Ivalice ever rendered, there's more than enough incentive in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age to jump in.