Nathaniel Stevens
Overall, Dragon Quest Heroes II is an upgrade over its predecessor. It's packed with plenty of content, long action sequences and a healthy dose of role-playing elements to keep your interest firmly hooked. The balance between action and RPG helps make this more than just a Dragon Quest title with the beating heart of Dynasty Warriors. It's a worthy sequel. Just excuse the A.I. here and there.
Overall, this collection is accurate to a fault, packed with some additional goodies and reminds us how absolutely insane we all must have been when we played these games the first time around. Bravo to Digital Eclipse and Capcom for taking a chance on some classics.
The Yakuza Remastered Collection shows that Sega understands the importance of this series and how much it means to its worldwide fandom. By updating the visuals, framerate, adding characters and content, and just proving that they are invested in the long haul for this series, shows that Sega is starting to get itself back in the game. This collection is worthy of any Yakuza fan's money.
Overall, I did really enjoy Shop Titans more than I thought I would. It’s more complex than just a casual gaming experience and while it does have a traditional path of Free-to-Play gameplay structure, where real-world pay is involved, there are enough options for you to avoid that if that isn’t your thing. It just requires patience. I’m not crazy about the controls when compared to the iOS version, which is probably my biggest knock on the game.
Overall, the mixture of multiple genres is nearly pulled off well, but the difficulty gums the gears up on Disjunction's gameplay just a bit. If there were fewer enemies and more push forward then I think this game excels beyond expectations. As it stands with the gameplay, you're getting an interesting mix that tells a good story, but can only go as far as you can take it with the difficulty pushing back so hard at times.
Akabaka made a fun dating simulator based on a crazy narrative with Sucker for Love: First Date. Much like in real life, as each date occurs the game gets better and better, but also like in real life, it is still flawed in some areas.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the variety of maps that this expansion offered. Again, the tight confines of the map make the gameplay work so well. The thickness of the multi-tier layout also helps when it comes to really getting into the moment and the map. These are fantastic additions to the BF1 family.
Borderlands 2 VR is a game that is nearly perfectly translated into virtual reality. It contains everything you want from your Borderlands 2 experience, plus a bit more to make you feel like you're a part of the game. Gearbox and 2K didn't simply offer up a small piece of the pie, they offered up the whole pie. Just remember, too much of a good thing can make you sick.
I can still say without a doubt that I have enjoyed Morrowind better than the initial release of ESO. The world seems a bit more alive and explorable. There also seems to be more polished adventure/quests going on in the initial release of Morrowind, which tells me that ZeniMax has learned a few things from past ESO lessons. Despite my disdain for some of the boss fights that are incredibly difficult when going solo in the game, the overall package of Morrowind really does provide an upgrade to the ESO family in several areas. If you haven't played ESO, but have enjoyed The Elder Scrolls series, then this might be the right time to jump in to see what it is about.
I think Trove is a solid game for kids, as well as up and coming MMO players. It's a game that is a wonderful upgrade from the Minecraft world, but pushes players a bit further with gaming concepts and design that most of us have experienced for a good portion of our gaming lives. I'm sure that it will keep growing as a game and hopefully, audience willing, garnish new add-ons and design that push it into a more rewarding experience that will legitimize it as a go-to MMORPG for a wider audience.
Space Invaders Forever drops a trio of games in your lap that bring a variety of gameplay for solo and multiplayer experiences. It certainly treats the Space Invaders franchise appropriately, even though not all the games included work as planned.
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is a hauntingly beautiful journey through the madness of a warrior's suffering to find her true love. The story is art, the graphics are engrossing and it's truly everything it was advertised to be. Ninja Theory provided a gaming experience that is a rarity these days in the gaming world and it is not to be missed.
Splatoon 2 is a considerable upgrade over the original with solid modes, better level design and good customization options for young online gamers. While Splatoon 2 needs to open up Salmon Run permanently, as it is one of the better modes in the game, the title still gives the Switch another worthy notch in its much needed belt of games.
Is this game worth you time and money? GOD, YES. Are you crazy? Honestly speaking, I didn't expect this big of a game with HZD. I knew it was going to be pretty, like all Guerrilla Games are in their own way, but I didn't expect the game to raise the bar with current generation games.
Just Dance 2017’s pros far outweigh its cons. The controls aren’t the best, as their inaccuracy is present from the moment you start moving, but there is a lot of fun to be had dancing and prancing your way to stardom, especially if you have young kids in the household.
Destiny 2 is the game everyone expected when the first Destiny came out. It's huge, engulfing and rich with gameplay. It has a bit of everything for everyone and does everything right, including provide an engrossing campaign to start things off. It is certainly a contender for game of the year in my opinion and one game you don't want to miss.
Erica is a unique undertaking in the FMV world that worked out well and has set new standards for the genre. It brings an engaging story to life with superb acting, and enough interactive choices for the player to make it a cut above the rest in its genre. It does waste time in unnecessary interactions on occasion, but nothing too detrimental to take away from the mystery and intrigue of its narrative.
As Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition stands, it is an upgrade from the original, but sometimes for the wrong reason. The lack of local play is an odd decision, considering the original thrived on it, and especially when so much thought and execution was put into the online multiplayer aspect of the title this time around. The fighting system probably won't win over most fans of the series or of the original 2004 title, but the charm of the original game is still intact through this edition's exploration and treasure discovery. In the end, this game still contains some fun aspects of its original gaming intentions, but only if you can see through its faults.
Ultra Street Fighter II - The Final Challengers packs the punch of the 1991 original arcade release, and the inclusion of two new modes and all the SFII characters helps make the experience unique, but the price doesn't justify the package. There's just not enough here worth the asking price for the release.
Super Bomberman R falls short as a complete package. The single-player, while reaching for something a bit different with level design (and it achieves it), falls short with uninteresting bosses and slow enemies. The online play of the game is only good on a local level, while the actual online gaming experience is hindered by the lack of players and atrocious delay. Until Konami gets these things addressed, I can only say look backwards to the Turbografx or Saturn for the best Bomberman experience, as you simply won't find it here.