Thomas Knight's Reviews
Overall, I find the Atelier Dusk Trilogy DX to have been done well. The games themselves are all very enjoyable and this is the definitive version of them, with some great additional features which improve things even more than most remasters would.
There may be some small entertainment value in Together VR, but it's mostly based on the appeal of Mei as a character. The gameplay just isn't engaging and the technical issues certainly don't help either.
Unfortunately, I don’t really recommend Gungrave VR. Perhaps if you happen to be a die-hard fan of the series, but even then I’d think carefully before spending $30 on a two hour game, with such low quality. This game really does not feel like it was designed for VR.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger gives a good first impression, but this pirate adventure quickly loses its luster. The gameplay has quite a few issues, leading it to be quite a disappointment. I wish I had more to say about this VR game, but there just isn’t really much worth talking about here. Perhaps there’s some charm here in the environment, but I found myself glad that it was such a short experience.
While it does have some good points and the adult content has obviously been a focus, Oedo Trigger VR!! just doesn't have good gameplay. Lots of small but important issues bring it down significantly. The movement and shooting are the most important of these, but it could've been better in so many ways. This is even more disappointing since it could have been a good alternative for the somewhat similar Gal*Gun 2 VR, which no longer works with modern VR equipment without workarounds.
Real Anime Situation! DT has its moments, especially when it comes to the comedic interactions between the heroines. It just fails to stand out in most other ways. It's a decent eroge and perhaps some people will like the heroines or situations created more than I did, but unlike Real Anime Situation! 2, I think this one is destined for the bargain bin.
MACROSS -Shooting Insight- has some great ideas and a nice mix of gameplay, but parts of it are very poorly implemented. It has tons of bonus content to unlock and more to do than many other shoot 'em ups, while simultaneously seeming to skimp in certain other areas. If you happen to be a Macross fan who is very good at the genre and doesn't mind some iffy mechanics, this might be for you. Otherwise, it's fun to play around with, see some of the unique ideas, and to experience the story, but that's it.
Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution’s character interactions and comedy make it worth playing. However, it’s let down by its gameplay, which is occasionally good, often mediocre, and sometimes actively bad. I say this as a long-time fan of Neptunia, which might be the only group that this title appeals to.
If you want to see a busty ninja or two humiliated and violated by all manner of creatures, Taimanin Asagi has its issues, but is something you might appreciate. It has its charms, especially when it comes to the artwork. Just don't go into it expecting much in the way of story or the same standards as modern visual novels.
Secret Agent is worth reading, but certainly isn’t going in my top recommendations. It’s a pity as I was quite excited to read ensemble’s first localized work and the concept is an interesting one. Unfortunately, some routes are notably better than others and the romance with the heroines while certainly good at points, wasn’t amazing either.
Loop8: Summer of Gods has an interesting concept and some great characters that give a good reason to play it. My first impressions were actually quite positive and if my review was based on the first ten hours, it would probably be a 7/10 due to the great character moments and idea of growing stronger through loops. Unfortunately, the issues with gameplay and systems that came to light over the full forty-five hours it took to complete, and the method of storytelling make it difficult to outright recommend.
I enjoyed the final chapters of Beta-Sixdouze and it certainly added to the lore of the series well, but it felt like a long and tiresome journey to get there at times. It has plenty of good moments sprinkled throughout, but between the technical issues and the moments of tedium, it’s difficult to outright recommend this visual novel. It did feel like somewhat of a letdown, as Alpha-Nighthawk was quite good.
There are certainly some positive elements to Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star. It encourages progress, uses unlocks well, and demonstrates stretches in an easy-to-follow manner. Sadly, the issues with the core gameplay and the price point make it difficult to recommend. For some casual exercise and at a lower price-point, then it might be worth picking up, especially if you’re a fan of Fist of the North Star. But there are better options out there.
Despite mentioning quite a lot of issues with Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars in my review, I still enjoyed playing it. It’s not the best hack and slash gameplay around, but it was fun seeing the Neptunia characters and how they interacted with the Senran Kagura ones. Still, if you want a hack and slash game, Senran Kagura Burst Re:newal might be a better option.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is only a few hours long, but for a Star Wars fan it could be worth it to experience that galaxy, far, far away. It does a lot right in that aspect. That said, considering the price for such a short game and the issues with the gameplay, I would be more cautious if I were a more casual fan or just enjoyed these types of games. It immerses you in that universe, but it doesn’t keep you in it.
Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon – Infinite Combate is not a game I’d generally recommend. There was a lot of frustration. I found myself disappointed. With that said, as a fan of the anime series, there were certainly points I enjoyed, mostly around seeing the story again and talking to the characters. Some of the customization and extra content in the post-game helped to redeem it too.
Generally, I think that Jump Force is a reasonably good fighting game, with a terrible story and too high price. I do feel like fans of the anime involved will appreciate the game much more than others. A lot of care has been taken to transfer the characters from anime format into the game and keep them as they are meant to be. It is also quite fun to see characters from different series talking to each other which you can only really experience in a crossover event.
Overall, this is a great rhythm game with some decent puzzling sections – that is if you are playing in VR. I did find that the control scheme was a big issue on the DualShock controller, but with PS Moves it worked almost perfectly. I’d certainly recommend it to VR players, despite frustrating issues around advancing the story and puzzles. For players using the TV and a DualShock controller, I generally wouldn’t recommend it unless you try before you buy.
Overall, I enjoyed playing Gensou Skydrift, but it did have some issues. It is quite short, without many modes. It has some technical issues and it’s not great graphically. With that said, I certainly enjoyed that it was more difficult than the average and it is very fun to play against friends, as well as in single player. The skill needed to successfully navigate the courses is what makes it stand out the most to me and certainly fits in with the rest of the Touhou Project series in that way.
Overall I certainly enjoyed this game. It was full of personality and it was a nice change to be making dance poses instead of attacking or defending like in some other popular VR rhythm games. I did feel like it was too short on content for the relatively high price and it might be better served on a VR system with better tracking, but it was fun and it’d be great to implement into someone’s VR exercise routine with the 100-stage mode.