I have to say, I had a lot of fun with Gal*Gun Returns. I really loved all the characters and the story. The gameplay is still a ton of fun, and the Collection mode actually has some really awesome CGs that are well worth unlocking. I spent about 10 hours with this one and was able to complete all four heroines routes with one ending and Doki Doki Carnival a couple of times. To get all of the endings and complete all the girls’ profiles will take you a bit longer, but this adds a lot of replay value to this one. If you’re a fan of the series, buying this is a no-brainer at $49.99. You will love this one just as much as the previous releases. If you’re new to the franchise, this is the perfect place to start and see why folks adore this over-the-top series.
I really enjoyed playing No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle on Nintendo Switch. It had been a hot minute since I had played either of these games, but I felt right at home the minute I started, and remembered right off why Suda51 makes some of the most unique games out there. Each game will set you back $19.99, and you’ll get 8 to 10 hours of gameplay out of each with some decent replay value playing the harder difficulties. If you loved these games on the Wii, you should certainly pick up these great Switch ports. And if you’ve never tried out one of these games before, you should do so. There is nothing else out there quite like them.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is just a great game from start to finish. The characters are amazing, the world is very intriguing, and gameplay is just fantastic. I’ve played a lot of games in this series over the years, and this one is certainly one of my favorites. Gust has done something a lot of folks fail at. They took a very well-received title and made a sequel that is even better. It will take you right round 35 to 40 hours to complete the story here, and it’s worth every penny of the $59.99 retail price. I can’t wait to see where Ryza and her crew go from here!
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a basic but fun fighter for your Nintendo Switch, you can’t really go wrong with Fatal Fury First Contact at the mere $7.99 price tag. The fighting is very smooth and the great roster will have you wanting to play around with them for many hours on end. It may not have a ton of modes, but it has it where it counts, and Mai makes a super cute chibi as well!
Overall, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a very unique experience. The game mixes an action game with a pretty robust farming simulator and the results are pretty solid. The farming is very tedious at first, but it is great watching Sakuna grow and improve with each harvest. The combat is fast and fun, even if there are some issues with platforming aspects. The storytelling is great with a cast of likable characters that you will grow to love in your over 20 hours of gameplay. I think this one needed just a bit more polish, but I still think it is worth a go for anyone looking for something a bit different. Its charms really do outweigh its faults by a lot, and is well worth the $39.99 asking price.
THE LAST BLADE: Beyond the Destiny gives you a lot of game for a small $5.99 price tag. It will take you quite a few hours to grind out all the unlockables, and the mini games are always fun to pick and play for a few minutes. The graphics and sound are top notch, but most importantly, the game is a ton of fun to play. While I think some folks will be turned off by its retro look, gameplay is king here. I think fans of the series and folks that love fighters will find a lot to love here.
At the end of the day, UPPERS is a solid beat ’em up with a ton of Kenichiro Takaki style fanservice. It’s over the top and bombastic in all the best ways possible, and fans of his previous works will love this. You should buy this ASAP, you will have a ton of fun. Folks that like beat ’em ups in general should check this one out as well. While it doesn’t turn the genre on its head, there are plenty of solid mechanics here for those players to enjoy as well. There is enough content here for fans of beat ’em ups and fan service games to make it a worthy purchase at the $29.99 price tag. All of the DLC included here as well, and it’s great to see Daidōji-senpai back in action.
I have to say, Onee Chanbara Origin is a solid series entry. The new art style looks great, the music is fantastic and the gameplay is really fun. The problem here is I feel like the pricing on this one is a bit much. The base price of $59.99 for a six hour story mode is steep. Also, there are no unlockable costumes in the game. Those have to all be purchased as DLC. They do offer a Deluxe Edition for $74.99 that includes all the DLC costumes and missions. This is a much better deal than just buying the base game since there is quite a bit of DLC content, but I’m not a big fan of this pricing structure. The PC port has some issues as well, but I do feel like most of these will be taken care of with patches down the line. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you will probably want to jump on this one ASAP. You’ll find a lot to love here, and since it’s been a while since you got to cut up some zombies with the girls, you’ll be more than satisfied. Everyone else may want to wait a bit for them to line out some of the bugs or a sale before diving in.
At the end of the day Moero Crystal H does keep a lot of the same assets as the previous game. The monster designs are basically the same and some of the music is remixed. The game does add some amazing new monster girls and the system changes make everything flow better. It is much less frustrating trying to get good equipment this time around, since it’s not based on potluck. For the $39.99 price tag you get 50 to 60 hours of monster girl goodness. I feel like fans of the previous game should jump on this ASAP. You will find a lot to love here. If you’re a newcomer to series this is the perfect place to give it a try. The game’s systems are more welcoming and you need no knowledge of the previous title to fully enjoy this one.
At the end of the day, your enjoyment of these games will come down to how well you like platforming, and if you’re a Disgaea fan. Fans will find a lot to love at the $19.99 asking price for each title. While these adventures do clock in a bit on the short side at around 8 hours each, you will need multiple playthroughs to unlock all the hidden goodies in each. NIS has also included all the DLC for each title as well, which is a fantastic bonus. While these games certainly are not for everyone, but they will cater to the audience that loves these types of games in grand fashion.
All in all I have to say I had a good time with Nexomon: Extinction. The colorful world and amazing creatures really sucked me into the game. I loved exploring the world and found the lore to be quite interesting as well. I think this one does drag on a bit longer than it should at the end, but I can say that players will certainly get their money’s worth at the $19.99 price tag. I spent about 40 hours with this bad boy and I only caught around 120 of the over 300 Nexomon found in the game. If you like other games in this genre, picking this one up is a no brainer. Fans of older style Pokémon games should be all over this one. If you’re new to these types of game at this price point I still think this is a good one to jump in on.
I have to say Death end re;Quest 2 is one of my favorite releases of the year. It takes everything the first game had to offer and refines it into a more streamlined package. It took me around 20 hours to get the True Ending. There are two other endings here as well, but the requirements here are much more obvious than the way the first game handled the endings. I think folks should definitely play the first game before jumping into this one. I loved all the characters here, the combat is still a ton of fun and soundtrack is one of the best out there. The PC version does have a few bugs that need taken care of, but if you have even a passing interest in this series I think you should take the plunge. If you’re a fan of horror with a little bit a fanservice thrown in, you’ll be glad you did!
While I think I liked Samurai Shodown 2 a bit less than the other two Neo Geo Pocket fighters I’ve looked at, I like there is a wide range of characters with two different styles and collecting the cards adds a good amount of replay value here. I don’t think it controls quite as well as the other title, and the fight against Gandara is just plain annoying. It’s very difficult until you unlock a few cards to get an advantage. There is a rewind feature thankfully and you will be using it a lot here, I assure you. This one will set you back $7.99 as well. While I don’t think this is a bad game, I would have to recommend the other two titles over this one, since it just doesn’t have the polish of those. If you are a hardcore Samurai Shodown fan, you will still find a lot to love here.
Obey Me is a pretty solid overall. The combat is fast and fun, the characters quirky and while it’s a bit on the short side at just 5 hours, the rating system gives it good replay value. The game takes quite a bit of inspiration from the Devil May Cry series and makes it into its own thing, and I think this comes over very well. Performance issues on the PlayStation 4 took away from my experience just a bit, but I think if you can snag this up on PC it would be much better. The game is pretty difficult, but I think it was fair for the most part. The stage hazards are just plain overkill at times, and some of the boss battles were just a bit much. They seem pretty overpowered to me. For the $19.99 price tag if you’re a fan of this genre you’ll find a lot to love here. For everyone else, if you’re interested in trying one of these games for the first time I feel this is a good place to start.
Waifu Uncovered is a fun and simple shooter with a very unique theme. My only real complaint about the game is your hit box is entirely too big for a game of this type. This makes arcade mode basically impossible without some good luck. For the low price of $6.99 there is a lot of fun to be had here, with some replay value if you want to unlock the extra ships and such. Fans of ecchi type content will feel right at home here and should snag this up ASAP. Anyone curious about this title should just not take it too seriously. It certainly doesn’t take itself serious, and there nothing wrong with that. We all need a good laugh these days, for sure.
Fight Crab is pure insanity straight out of the gate. The combat here is very weighted and the controls feel a bit clunky, but this game is just so much fun none of that matters. You tell me another game I can take a giant crab with a battle axe and beat down a foe? Or one I can have a crab throw a Kamihameha! Goku would be proud! In all seriousness, this one may not be for everyone, but if you want something unique that really is a ton of fun to play, you can’t go wrong here at the $19.99 price tag. I spent about 3 hours or so with it and I’ve unlocked a good bit of the crabs and weapons. I’ll dig into this a lot more when the online features go live, since I feel that will give this one a ton of replay value. Though I had a lot of fun just playing the single player stages over and over to see how crazy things could get. While this may not be something we ever thought would exist, I’m certainly glad that it does. We all need something lighthearted for a good laugh right now.
Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my favorite games of all time and Nintendo has made it even better with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. The game looks amazing, the soundtrack is one of the best you will find, and the story is top tier. There really is no other franchise out there like this one, and that’s what makes it so special. While others may copy aspects of it, none can put together the whole package like Xenoblade does. At the $59.99 price tag, if you own a Switch, you should snag up a copy today. This is one journey that should not be missed by anyone!
Disgaea 4 Complete+ is undoubtedly the best way to experience this classic title. Not only is it the best looking version of the game, but it has all of the DLC from previous releases packed in and some important new features as well. If you own the Vita version of this title, while I feel the upgrades here are nice, they are probably not must haves. I would still suggest you pick this on up on sale down the line. If you do not currently own Disgaea 4 this version is worth every bit of the $49.99 price tag. There are hundreds of hours of some of the best Strategy gameplay anywhere here, and one of the best stories in the franchise. Picking this one is a no brainier, now the only real question that remains is – who is cuter? Desco or Fuka?
Samurai Shodown is a fantastic addition to the franchise. The robust combat and amazing style make it one of the best fighters out there. The PC port itself is really solid and I had zero issues booting it up and jumping right into the game. The game only supports resolutions up to 1080p which is not an issue for me but some may be turned off by it. The only other issue I ran into was that online matches will have some lag issues. I think a better netcode would probably help out here. The game has tremendous replay value and is well worth the $49.99 price tag. If you’ve been holding out for the PC port of Samurai Shodown or haven’t picked it up yet, there is not better time than the present.
SEGA AGES Thunder Force AC is a ton of fun for hardcore players and causal fans alike. Each stage provides a good amount of variety and challenge. This will make you want to play them over and over to get a better score for the online rankings. The game looks great on the TV or in handheld mode and you can even listen to the fantastic soundtrack in the options menu. I feel like this title is well worth the $7.99 for folks that enjoy Shmups. If you’re not a fan of the genre there is nothing here that will change your mind, but for old school fans it doesn’t get much better than this.