Rob Lashley's Reviews
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age scratches that nostalgic itch for a traditional JRPG without looking like it had to try too hard at it. It’s not leaning on the crutch of pixel art or fake imitations. It’s the natural extension of what the Dragon Quest series of yore has grown into for an audience today. Turn based combat? Check. Traditional Dragon Quest aesthetics? Check and check. Blue slimes? Of course, there are blue slimes! Fun and relevant in today’s modern age? You bet. While it may be unintentional XI’s subtitle is more than fitting for just the story, it’s also fitting for Dragon Quest in today’s modern age. It echoes back to that elusive golden age of the JRPG.
It doesn't look like the developers had to sacrifice anything in the game to bring it to the Switch. However, it doesn't look like they added much either. That being the case unless you absolutely must play this game on the go I'd recommend sticking to Steam, PS4, or the XBox One where you can get Battle Chasers for under $20 instead of paying $40 for this port.
I've enjoyed previous entries in the Monster Hunter series but none of them have felt as compelling as World. This entry is more accessible than any of the previous games yet still manages to have deep crafting and gearing systems for the later game. The gameplay loop is tight and rewarding.
The game looks great with its fantastic pixel art and also has a soundtrack that makes the game sound just as cool as it looks. If you are into puns and twin-stick shooters then Enter the Gungeon is probably for you. The game also features a co-op mode so if you aren’t into getting beat on alone you can bring a friend along for the bullet storm ride.
Pokken Tournament was a hit on the Wii U and while not an excellent game it is a solid fighter filed with some interesting Pokemon. However for each Pikachu Libre there is a Chandelure. With a roster of almost 1000 Pokemon you’d think they could have come up with a better lineup for the 21 fighters. While games like Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and Arms do magnificent jobs of taking their respective genres and making excellent interpretations of Nintendo games Pokken Tournament DX only does an above average job for the fighting genre.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a great remake of a classic Final Fantasy. If you missed out playing this the first time it is definitely worth giving a second look. It also features the appearances of the Judges which become a series staple and their armor appears prominently in FFXIV. For all you MMO fans XII is the closest you can get to an old school MMORPG experience from a single player RPG.
ARMS staying power will depend on its ability to form a community around this punchy little title. Currently, Nintendo has plans to release additional stages and fighters for free. This DLC will help the title keep its legs underneath it while the Switch install base grows and the ARMS community grows with it. The early success of the Switch and the level of detail that Nintendo has crafted into ARMS assures that this is a great franchise with huge potential for growth that is fun for newcomers and veteran fighting game fans alike.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers does a great job of scratching that nostalgic itch and has a few bonus features but overall the package feels like a misstep. At $15 to $20 I’d have no problem recommending this to everyone out there. However at $40 for physical or digital download it feels like Capcom got a little greedy and put minimal effort into this port but is an attempt to extract a premium price. With classic Neo Geo fighters appearing on the Nintendo eShop for $7.99 this price difference seems even more glaring.
It took me a little under 30 hours to complete the main game. The game was a complete saga. I bring this up because Nintendo has an aggressive DLC schedule planned for this latest Fire Emblem edition that may push the boundaries of decency. A season pass costs $5 more than the actual game. There are even two dungeons that are tied to the Alm and Celica Amiibos. This is another $25 if you want all the content for Echoes. All said that’s $110. But rest assured that when you spend your $40 you are buying a complete experience. Not a skeleton that will be fleshed out by nickel and diming you.
Dragon Quest Heroes II is successful in carrying the torch from where the first entry in the franchise ended. Heres II has enough improvements over previous systems to make it feel more like an RPG and less like a game focused solely on hack ‘n’ slash. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t click for me the same way they did with the first entry. If you are looking for some button mashing fun though you’ll find it aplenty in this game.
Mr. Shifty encourages you to replay a stage to run it faster and finish it with fewer deaths with the ultimate goal being a perfect 0. Mr. Shifty will be released on both Steam and the Nintendo Switch with the later of the two being the better platform. With stages set to last between 5 to 20 minutes this style of gameplay lends itself to pick up and go mobile play.
As an arena sword fighter For Honor does an admirable job but it falls short in supporting an epic campaign. Hopefully the eternal war meta game can keep the players satisfied for the long haul. It’s easy to see the novelty wearing off for a lot of players before the end of the first season.
This really is a Final Fantasy for both new and old hats to the franchise alike.
Had this game been given more time to germinate it may have bloomed into something nice. Instead it was uprooted and launched before its time and the flaws show. Only the most ardent of Warhammer 40K fans would find something to like here. For all the rest they should wait until this title hits the bargain bin and has a few updates before they dare jump into these waters.
Two years ago Square Enix announced it had created a new studio, Tokyo RPG Factory, to create RPGs in the image of those golden age games. In that time Tokyo RPG Factory managed to catch hold of the spirit of those games and pull it forward into 2016 with the release of I AM SETSUNA. Tokyo RPG Factory managed to not only tap into that nostalgia vein but crafted a solid game that stands on its own.
If you are itching for a MOBA to play on your PS4 you can't go wrong with SMITE. The camera angle and control scheme are a natural fit on console. The power of the PS4 allows the game to be played without much noticeable difference than if it were on a PC. Also the ever growing pantheon of gods provide an interesting if not compelling reason to bring chaos to the battlefield from the comfort of your couch.
CD Projekt Red has raised the bar on what it takes to make a high quality story driven RPG. They did not fail to deliver on Geralt’s final tale either. If this is our last hurrah with the White Wolf it was time well spent.
The Banner Saga 2 picks up right where the Banner Saga left off and makes for a wonderful sequel.
Even with its blemishes the Division establishes itself nicely as a new tent pole for Ubisoft and the Massive Entertainment studio and lays the foundation for future expansions to come.
If the developers went back to the drawing board and designed a strategy RPG from the ground up and implemented the systems present in PXZ2 they would be off to a great start. However an overly long introduction that becomes boring after a few hours distracts from what is otherwise a decent game. If this game had a tighter story, trimmed up the dialogue, and improved upon its technical performance by reducing slowdown, it would be something special.