I have to say for the $8.99 price tag on the PS4 the game may not have the deepest gameplay, but certainly has a lot of content. In addition to the story missions, there is an Endless Mode and Boss Raid Mode you can test your button mashing skills in. While I don’t think Chicken Assassin: Reloaded is for everyone, if you have a crazy sense of humor, like clicker games or just want a cheap time waster you could do a lot worse for the asking price here.
All in all while I can’t say Mushroom Wars 2 changed my mind about the genre, it’s certainly a great game for fans of it. There is a ton of content here and the multiplayer is robust and a ton of fun. I had a little issue with the controls here, but I feel that was mostly me being used to RTS games on a PC rather than a console. If you’re not a fan of this genre, you should probably avoid this one, but fans should certainly look into picking this one up at the $19.99 price tag. You will get a lot of bang for your buck.
I have to say my time with Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded has been a pure joy. I love the stories and characters. The music is fantastic, and could be my favorite of the console Touhou games I’ve played. Gameplay here is fun, simple and challenging but fair. The amount of content here makes it well worth the $49.99 price tag. PlayStation 4 users can load their save from the previous version to carry over story progress, bestiary, and equipment. This means those folks jump straight into the new content. This is a must own title for Touhou fans. The amount of fan service to the franchise is huge and done in the best way possible. Rogue-like fans will have a blast with this one as well. This is one of the best game’s I’ve played this year and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone!
The Lost Child isn’t bad game, but I don’t really think I would call it a great game either. This one is very middle of the road and basic. I did have fun collecting all the different types of enemies, and the story is kinda interesting. There is really just nothing here that makes this one stand out. You’ll get a solid 40 hours of gameplay here and a bonus 100 level dungeon after completing the story. If you’re a fan of Dungeon Crawlers and you need to scratch that itch this would probably get the job done at its $49.99 price tag. Just go don’t go into it expecting the next evolution of the genre.
I don’t think Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Wins is a bad game, but it certainly has some issues. I would’ve liked to have seen a more fleshed out recap, the graphics could’ve been better, and some of the skills not functioning properly is inexcusable. Still, underneath all of its faults there is a basic Super Robot Wars game here with a pretty sweet Full Metal Panic! theme. The game costs $61.99 at Play-Asia and takes about 10 hours to complete. You can get a little more mileage out of replays for the alternate scenes. If you’re a fan of the series I think you could really enjoy this title, but if you’re not a fan I would be hard pressed to recommend this as a starting point.
While the Switch version does have some control issues and not getting Ultra Street Fighter IV is a bummer, that doesn’t mean this version is terrible. You trade off these things to have 12 of the best fighting games of all time portable. I do hope they address some of the control issues with patches like the not being able to map 3 kicks or punches to a button. If you have a Switch and love Street Fighter I think you would be satisfied with this release despite its flaws. I mean at $39.99 you’re spending less than 4 bucks a title for some great classics.
I have to say, West of Loathing is one the most fun and unique games I’ve played in a long time. The combat is fun, the writing is hilarious, and the art style and animation are fantastic. I’ve rarely seen a game where you can tell there was thought behind each design decision and it all blended together perfectly. This one will set you back about about $11 on the eShop and it took me around eight hours to complete it, but you can get a lot more out of this. There were tons of quests I could’ve done and every choice you make can have an effect on the ending you receive. I feel this is a must own title for Switch owners. It’s one of a kind, and this is the best kind there is!
I have to say, Azure Reflections is a fantastic package. It’s easy to pick up and play, but offers plenty of challenge thanks to the 4 difficulty levels. This game is perfect for those just getting into Shmups since it offers some training features and will even display your hit box to help you learn to maneuver more effectively. While a run of story mode will only last a couple hours, with each girl having a unique story, the amount of unlockables and amount of fun trying to complete the game on a harder difficulty give this one plenty of substance. I feel this game is well worth the $24.99 asking price. If you’re a fan of Touhou this is a must have title for the PlayStation 4. If you’ve always been curious about the franchise and are looking for something to get your feet wet, this game is perfect for that as well.
Fox n Forests has some issues but I can’t say the game isn’t enjoyable. The two flying stages in the game are pretty annoying since you die in one hit, but at least they give a good amount of checkpoints. You do have to spend gold to use them throughout the game, but its not enough to make it annoying. The melee combat is a bit finicky. It seems to kinda work when it wants to at times, when you get the spread arrows it pretty much fixes this issues but its annoying at the start of the game. I think the most glaring issue with this title is its length. You can beat the entire game in around 5 hours and collect everything in around 7. This makes the $19.99 price tag a bit hard to digest, but if you love 16 bit adventures and Metroidvania style titles, you’d likely find a lot to enjoy here.
In the end Garage is a really good concept bogged down by some dicey design choices. The visuals and audio set up the atmosphere nicely, but the gameplay has so many issues it makes it not fun to play at times. The last boss here is the most unfair and cheapest boss I have faced in years, and really made me dislike this game when I finally beat him. It took me around seven hours to get to the final boss and another three to actually take him down. While the game is pretty inexpensive at $14.99, I could only recommend this one to avid fans of top-down shooters.
I know this review sounds a bit like a glorified changelog, but I wanted to make it clear to everyone this isn’t just Megadimension Neptunia V-II with a new coat of paint and some VR slapped in it. Every system in this game has been redone or tweaked for the better. This game is a testament to just how much Idea Factory has learned over the years, and they have created a near perfect experience here. The DLC characters from the previous release being removed isn’t a huge loss, but the biggest hang up is the pricing. At $60 I find it hard to recommend this to everyone that has already purchased V-II this soon after its release. If you’re a fan of the series or you didn’t buy the previous release this is a must have title, but if you own V-II currently you may wanna wait for a price cut to jump in here.
I enjoyed my time with Witch and the Hundred Knight 2. I thought the changes to combat did make it a little too simple and going through certain areas dragged on and became a little boring. This was offset however by the fun upgrade system for the weapons. I was always wanting to hunt down something bigger and more bad ass to slay the hordes of monsters. This was very satisfying when I got that awesome drop and took it back to the atelier and buffed it to the moon. It was a great feeling to go back and lay waste to wave after wave of baddies. If the stages had a bit more variety I would’ve scored this one higher, since I think that would’ve really made it stand out. The story is a mixed bag. It’s very predictable, but I really grew to like some of the cast by the end of the game even if they were terrible assholes to start with. This one took me about 35 hours to finish and I got the true ending. If you were a fan of the first game then you should pick this one up for sure, you will find a lot to love here for the $59.99 pricetag. If you disliked the tone or gameplay of the first game then there’s nothing here that is going to change your mind.
I have to say I really enjoyed my time with Gal*Gun 2. The gameplay flows much better than the first time around. While I found this game a little on easy side I think that actually helped the tone feel more silly, which is what they were going for here. I had a few issues with objects being sucked into my sweeper and blocking my aim and few other random glitches, but it was not enough to spoil my fun at all. Spent around 10 hours with this one and obtained 3 endings. There are couple more you could go for here, and the score attack mode is pretty nice as well since it seems gives you a little more freedom in exploring each level, so I feel there is plenty of bang for your buck here at $60. If you were a fan of Gal*Gun Double Peace this is a no-brainer, pick this up ASAP. If you like Rail Shooters you’ll find a lot to love here as well. You can even use Gyro aiming on the PlayStation 4 if you wish. I played with this a few minutes and it functioned well it seems, but I’m not a big fan of motion controls. At the end of the day if you want some over the top fun with cute girls and some crazy Ecchi, Gal*Gun 2 will deliver.
I can’t say I really enjoyed my time with Assault Gunners HD Edition. I think the control scheme is terrible, the music is bland, the mission variety is lacking, and the story is uninteresting. I spent about six hours with this one and completed all 35 missions and the 12 DLC missions. Inferno mode is also included. This is a horde mode where enemies come in waves, so if this gameplay is your cup of tea this will extend playtime quite a bit. If you’re really starved for a mech game you might find some enjoyment out of this if you can look past all these issues, since it’s not very expensive at $11.99 with the DLC. Otherwise you should likely wait for a better offer down the line.