NEO: The World Ends With You is the sequel that no one saw coming. It does everything a sequel should do in offering an additional experience while following the themes and tones of what came before it. It's a visual buffet with gameplay in buckets to back it up and has a tale to tell that you'll never see coming. So what are you waiting for? It's time to play the game!
While I liked Trigger Witch, I must say I was done with the game a while before its credits rolled. To be frank (and vulgar), it shot its load long before the crescendo which was a shame. It’s a fun and charming game with some ambition, containing quirky writing but hampered with wonky pacing and asset reuse.
Star Hunter DX is a fantastic middle-of-the-road Shmup. Curious omissions like no online leaderboards, score attack, or training modes aren't quite justified by the existence of an Achievement list. This is still a good time, but just a little minimalistic in more ways than the art style. Unfortunately, that makes it a tougher sell than it should be.
El Shaddai: Ascension of Metatron has always been a title I've enjoyed but often struggled to recommend. It's repetitive due to shallow combat and few and far between set pieces. Visually the game is untouchable, but in such a way it almost damages the game by trying to make such rich visuals with an experience that's otherwise average at every turn. It's not all bad, the game does what it sets out to do and provides a memorable and unique experience. It's just a pity that shallow gameplay and a lack of significant improvement in the PC version knock it down somewhat. I do think gamers who enjoy more cult classic titles will find enough to love here to justify a few nights of angel chasing.
Chernobylite is a great game that has suffered through the porting process. While held back by some ideas that were only partially baked, it still offers a good ol' Chernobyl time. I would just suggest playing it on a PC and using mods to tidy up aspects, along with hopefully much better performance.
Sadly it is very tough to suggest anyone picks Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl in the state it is in currently. It is very bare-bones in content, unbalanced, and feels soulless and cheap. Apparently, the developers are looking to further add to the game post-release but this model makes it feel like an overpriced Early Access run. The basics just aren’t here for the game, and I can’t help but feel that between the memes and rollback inclusions, they just doubled down on meme culture to sell copies of the game and hoped the fighting game community would stick with it.
While there is a lot to love about The Good Life, the slow pace, lack of action and the gameplay loop comprised of fetch quests isn't going to be for everyone. It's a lot more niche than it initially seems. The Good Life is a recommendation for fans of the more "punk" titles from directors such as Swery, Suda 51, and Onion Games/Love-de-lic. Those who enjoyed the quirky and obscure Simple Series of PS2 will likely enjoy it too. Its archaic formula may not be for all, but it has more heart than all of the AAA games combined.
Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a fine introduction to a series most will have passed by over the years, though doesn't quite land the Fatal Frame it could have. It's still a worthy addition to any horror fan's collection and it's great to see the series being more available than ever.
I wanted to love Demon Turf and at its bone, there is a good title here. It just seems a little disjointed and awkward at points that make this little demon stumble. The asking price is more than fine for the game, and you get around 20 hours out of it. Just note that not all of it is gold, and has more padding than a push-up bra.
I enjoyed and continue to enjoy my time with Shin Megami Tensei V, but it isn't the title I envisioned when it was announced a few years back. It's a top-shelf JRPG with a lot of content, charm, and game time to keep the most engrossed of players demon negotiating until the wee hours. For me sadly the game lacks the identity I've come to expect from the main Shin Megami Tensei series. That alongside some performance issues, the weighty day one DLC, and the draining pace issues means this is one title that has strayed further from God than I would have liked.
All in all Space Moth: Lunar Edition is a big boy shooter in a budget package. It's a top-tier bullet hell experience for less than a trip to McDonald's. The only thing the game lacks is a difficulty mode choice for newcomers to the genre who want to work to that 1CC - That and online leaderboards. Aside from those, this is one bug you'll want to spare its life.
At the end of my shift, I found myself really enjoying my time at Happy's Humble Burger Farm. It managed to be a genuinely interesting title with surprisingly fun simulation gameplay. The save issue aside, I do feel the game had some genuine pacing issues and was too eager to serve the meal while I was still wolfing down the starters. If you’re a horror fan or fancy something a little different than usual I’d suggest coming on down to the Farm, but if you’re after a pure Simulation maybe skip the fast food this time.
SNK Vs Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash represents exactly what I had hoped for when SNK announced they were porting a collection of old titles. It's an obscure and fun celebration that doubles up as a time capsule of one of the most exciting times in gaming. The lack of online does harm this title, but it's made up for slightly by the inclusion of both versions of the game. Hopefully, the 2nd volume of this collection also sees the sequel to this title amongst a few more obscure and fun titles from the little handheld nobody owned.
Breakneck City is the worst-case scenario of the above. It looks horrid, it plays badly, it's boring and it lacks enough content to keep masochists coming back after the game's paltry offering of an arcade run. Do yourself a favor; If you like Beat 'em ups or want to experience the genre, look at literally ANY other Beat 'em up. This game is just almost offensively bad at every juncture.
At this moment in time, Action Arcade Wrestling is a great-looking and fun title that feels like it’s still very much in early access. The lack of content for solo players is painfully obvious from the get-go and the fact the creation tools require a totally different format and separate download is a puzzling choice. As mentioned before, the bones of a great wrestling game are here, just currently that’s all it is. It’s a quick and fun time without substance and doesn’t really offer much that other wrestling titles such as Retromania Wrestling or Wrestling Empire haven’t already recently covered.
Powerslave Exhumed is the best way to tackle a cult classic game without changing anything in an egregious way. I can’t imagine anyone complaining about the fusion of both console versions or the fact it’s much easier to get running now than the downgraded PC port. The campaign is around 6 to 8 hours long depending on if you go secret hunting and the game has 2 endings to tackle. Beyond that, there are multiple difficulties for those who want a challenge; This means you’ll easily get the best bang for your buck with this one. Giving this title a second lease on life is a masterstroke. What may have released to average reception and eventual cult appreciation later on is now one of the most fun and unique experiences from the 90s, cleaned up and put on display in a public museum for the masses to enjoy and take in.
MONARK is one of those games that had everything in place for it to be something special and unfortunately either a lack of experience or budget absolutely crucifies it. Uninspired gameplay and poor graphics spend their time battling an amazing narrative and well-crafted atmosphere. You can see where the influences came from and the presentation of the game has some great aspects. But when it comes to the actual video game section of MONARK, you find it’s just middle of the road.
The King of Fighters XV is one of the highest points of the franchise. It plays like classic KoF and looks just as good as it plays. It feels like SNK have taken all the criticism from King of Fighters XIV and Samurai Shodown and successfully created a game worthy of their legacy. Not only that but one but interesting and charming enough to tempt players over to the series again. Despite being a little thin on content for single players, the meat of the genre lies within its multiplayer. With the sterling netcode, it's never been easier and smoother to throw down with fighters all over the world. Move over Street Fighter and shove off Tekken, The King of Fighters is back and long may it reign.
River City Girls Zero is an awkward title. It's fun but it's also infuriating and relies on cheap tactics to see you through. At 3 hours tops for your first run, and with replayability being quite low on this title, it makes it a hard sell for anyone who isn't a die-hard citizen of the River City. If you are a fan of the franchise and go in knowing that this is just a classic title repurposed as a hype device for the upcoming River City Girls 2 then you should be fine.
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection is a fantastic little package that I imagine fans of the franchise would just lap up. The bonus features and care that have been put into the emulation are commendable. The quality of Valis: The Fantasm Soldier really cannot be understated as I fell in love with it almost instantly. When I started playing, I was joking to our dear chief here at NookGaming that the rest of the games could be naff and it would still score high. Little did I know that would partially be the case. I have no desire to play Valis II in any shape or form again anytime soon. Fortunately, Valis III seemed to fix some of the issues I had. The fact this collection is missing at least 1 major game and a Super-Deformed reimagining of Valis II is very hard to overlook. This married with a high asking price and the other issues raised, it may be a little too much to suggest picking this up outside of a sale.