While Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake doesn't offer a ludicrous 100-hour playtime like Persona, recent Final Fantasy games or even the franchise's own Dragon Quest XI Echoes Of An Elusive Age, it doesn't need to because a game doesn't need to be 100+ to be a rich and rewarding experience. These combinations of the old and new are what make the Dragon Quest franchise still so iconic and relevant to this day. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake continues that tradition, adhering it to a tee while also dishing out some welcome quality-of-life additions.
Life Is Strange Double Exposure is definitely more adventuring & choice-making for existing fans of the franchise, especially those who loved the first game and missed spending more time with Max Caulfield. That being said, this is probably one of the better games in the franchise despite the bugs & weak climax.
In a year filled with already great JRPGs like Persona 3 Reload, Visions Of Mana, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio still manages to stand out and be a masterful game worthy of the highest praise. This is a clear GOTY candidate for 2024 and it's also perhaps what I could even arguably be Atlus' magnum opus to date.
Ara History Untold might be the one game that finally gets me into the genre. It's a good game for newcomers to the 4X strategy genre and Oxide Games is definitely a developer to look out for, since this is only their first title.
If I had high blood pressure, I would probably pop a blood vessel playing this game. Unless you like grappling with some of the wonkiest, jankiest, and clunkiest gameplay around, there are loads of better Metroidvania games out there than this.
If you're looking for a fun space western cowboy game or if you're a fan of anything with a spaghetti western vibe, Wild Bastards will satisfy your hunger just like a good can of beans.
Team Asobi's Astro Bot is proof and evidence that the best 3D platformers are timeless and will always be fun when they're well-made with passion and love, and that's exactly what Astro Bot is. If you're a long-time PlayStation fan who's been with the brand since the original PS1 days, there's no way Astro Bot won't make you relive your best nostalgic memories and make you feel like a kid again, in all the best ways.
Massive Entertainment did a great job of making players feel like scoundrels in the Star Wars universe. While Star Wars Outlaws won't be turning heads or wowing anyone with its gameplay mechanics, the painstaking amount of effort and detail into bringing the Star Wars underworld to life must be commended. It's a game any Star Wars fan should pick up, even if it doesn't have lightsabers or Jedi.
Overall, That Time I Reincarnated As A Slime ISEKAI Chronicles is not a terrible game, it’s just a mediocre and bland one that’s purely for fans of the source material. Or if you miss the old combat system of the classic Tales Of games, but you’re better off replaying those old Tales Of games instead.
Kudos to Polychroma Games for making a game that Southeast Asians can be proud of, standing tall amongst the likes of other similarly good games from the region. While there are some issues regarding the minigames & overall pacing, the story in Until Then is worth experiencing, at least for its more exciting second half.
Pairing the bullet hell twin-stick shooting with a slow contemplative story and emphasis on puzzles is a strange combination, but Hauntii makes it work. It has its flaws, but the hauntingly beautiful visuals make the Hauntii a game that is worth experiencing to the end.
Ultimately, Stellar Blade is a game that focuses on style over substance with aa developer being overly ambitious for their first AAA console title. Let's hope that SHIFT UP continues to improve with their future games because with further refinement and a more specific tight focus on sharpening and honing its good mechanics instead of mixing everything in a mess like throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks, Stellar Blade could have turned out to be a much better game.
Lunar Lander Beyond offers a modern take on a retro genre, making it possible for a new generation of gamers to enjoy a classic genre with new accessibility options and visuals. However, the game's physics make this title an ordeal to go through and revolves around trial and error at times. If you need a throwback to the Atari classic, it's a solid effort.
Rise Of The Ronin is Team Ninja's best title to date, perhaps on par with Nioh 2. It's not the most revolutionary title, but the developer continues to shape the Souls-like genre into their own distinctive style and that continues with this latest game. If you're looking for a meaty historical open-world game that's not too difficult but still provides a bit of a challenge, Rise Of The Ronin is that game.
Ultimately, Unicorn Overlord excels in its graphics and art style. However, the gameplay is mostly just fun for a few hours before it devolves to becoming stale due to repetitiveness and a lot of insignificant mechanics (dating sim-like Rapport, etc.) that don't affect the gameplay. On the surface, it looks pretty excellent, but the final 40+ hour experience from start to finish makes you feel like playing a mobile game.
In conclusion, Persona 3 Reload is worth playing for both old fans (who've played the original Persona 3) and newcomers because it is quite simply the most playable version of the game with modern quality-of-life improvements and new mechanics that make it near definitive. While the lack of certain content (like The Answer epilogue) stops it from being able to truly definitive; if there's one Persona game that you want to play, there's no reason to choose Persona 5 when you have Persona 3 Reload.
It's hard to change things too much for a fighting game franchise, but Tekken 8 ultimately does feel like a major improvement over Tekken 7. The amazing next-gen visuals, the cinematic story mode, and the new mechanics make the gameplay more fun and exciting; they're all what will make Tekken 8 a more memorable entry in the franchise. Will be as iconic of a game as Tekken 3 or Tekken 5? Only time will tell but it sure does look like it.
If all you want is mindless mecha fun where you can drop into a mission and destroy waves of enemies without a second thought, Custom Mech Wars is the game for you. If you're really looking for a meaty mecha game with lots of worthwhile content, please for the love of all things mecha, just get Armored Core 6 Fires Of Rubicon instead.
An Avatar game was a strange choice to become a game from the beginning, and adding the Far Cry formula to it has resulted in a game that's not good but not too bad either; it's just mediocre. Hopefully, Massive Entertainment's next game, Star Wars Outlaws, looks to have higher prospects of being a better game and not just another uninspired game based on a famous IP. Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora is truly only for fans who just want more from James Cameron's Avatar, but not those looking for a great open-world game to sink their teeth into.
Persona 5 Tactica is a fun spinoff game but perhaps it's time for Atlus to finally retire anything related to Joker and the Phantom Thieves. The teat has been milked dry. Only dust is coming out now.