Nick Cooney


72 games reviewed
77.5 average score
80 median score
81.9% of games recommended
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May 2, 2016

I’ve become a huge fan of dungeon crawlers in recent years and Experience Inc has certainly had a hand in my growing love for them. Having played some of their previous titles in Demon Gaze, Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy and currently Ray Gigant (expect a review soon) I’m a little underwhelmed by Stranger of Sword City. The gameplay is solid but seems overly hard and needlessly punishing to players. Stranger of Sword City feels like a game that's definitely geared more towards the hardcore players. The story, visual and audio all appear very plain compared to their previous titles for me and it’s a real shame.

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5 / 10.0 - Grand Kingdom
Jun 20, 2016

Grand Kingdom boasts some gorgeous artwork and a very unique battle system but somewhere along the lines, it decided to overcomplicates itself. The first couple of hours of the game can seem like an eternity when you have to read through essays on each feature within the game. First appearances can be deceiving and what feels like a lot of content quickly turns into a linear and repetitive system. That said the game has a really unique and enjoyable battle system that alone makes for a fun time. Once you’ve navigated through all the text dumps the game does become more enjoyable but also repetitive. If you’re interested in the strategy element of the battle system then it’s worth checking out but I don’t think the game will have any long term appeal.

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5 / 10.0 - Romancing SaGa 2
Jan 22, 2018

Romancing Saga 2 is an odd entity that has some really interesting and unique features but it’s so basic when it comes to the story, look and controls that it’s more like an RPG lite and feels very mobile freemium type game. Of course, I can’t compare this with the original having not played it but as far as this mobile port version goes I can’t recommend it at its current price point.

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Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is, to put it bluntly, a little disappointing. I was expecting a lot more from it and the promises of improved combat etc… nothing really feels like it’s been changed all that much. Sure, it looks nicer and the maps have a lot more going on, but overall it just feels more of a chore to play than the enjoyable and fun Lost Song. Hollow Realization is far from a bad game it just didn’t resonate with me or meet my expectations, unfortunately. If you’re a fan of Sword Art Online and enjoyed Hollow Fragment and are looking for more of the same, then you’ll enjoy Hollow Realization.

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Oct 4, 2018

Black Clover: Quartet Knights regardless of its faults is an enjoyable game that features a nicely fleshed out single-player campaign and chaotic but immensely fun online 4v4 battles. It’s unfortunate that the online is let down by a lack of players, but the game does its best with AI-controlled characters, albeit unbalanced ones.

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May 19, 2017

Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy, it has to be said, is essentially just more of the same. When the only feature that I can talk about as a good improvement is the fast-action option during battles, then you know not much effort has gone into this. It’s still a solid Dungeon Crawler RPG and if that’s all you’re looking for or you want to continue the New Tokyo Legacy story, then look no further but don’t expect anything more than just average.

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Feb 17, 2016

I’m a little disappointed with Final Fantasy Explorers not because it’s a bad game but I feel that it could have been better with the addition of even a tiny bit of story. Lack of plot aside the game actually has some great features like the job system and it's crafting, let’s face it who doesn’t want to dress as Sephiroth while kicking ass as a Dark Knight or Dragoon. Multiplayer is clearly where the developers imagined this game to be played and it’s definitely where you’ll have the most fun. Given all the negatives, I still have the urge to continue on, there’s a solid basis to the game just not much more than that.

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Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is an underwhelming experience made all the more frustrating by that feeling of how it could have been so much better. The characters and visuals are a highlight throughout and for fans of the series may be enough to see the game through. Expectations are a powerful thing and unfortunately, Chamber of Time just doesn’t live up to mine.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Punch Line
Sep 21, 2018

It’s hard to say whether Punch Line as a game is a good jumping-in point for those that haven’t seen the anime prior, but I enjoyed my time somewhat more with the game. It’s silly, downright ridiculous at pretty much all times, but it’s the interaction with the story that the game allows, which makes it a more engaging experience.

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Integrity and Faithlessness is a little less than stellar it has to be said, it’s possible that my expectations going in were a little too high maybe. It’s definitely not a bad game, though I feel a large portion of this review was negative, but just not as good as I had hoped. The game does feature some gorgeous visuals, a vast open world to explore and a really fun battle system. Did the bare-bones plot affect my enjoyment, yes somewhat, but it’s still a fun and enjoyable game and I’m sure Star Ocean fans will enjoy it.

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Nov 20, 2014

While 2D Fighters are not my forte I'll admit, Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!! Is definitely enjoyable and with tons of extra content, it's definitely worth the money. Visually it looks fantastic, it's great to see sprites back in action, as the jump to 3D characters in other franchises has not always been a good thing. Having the option of a portable version is also a plus, as it's the kind of game you can pull out and play in short bursts.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is a good JRPG that will kill some time and provide some enjoyable turn-based battles. I’d recommend picking it up on PlayStation Vita if you can, as I think it would work well in quick pick up and play sessions. If you’re finding the opening hours a little tedious, stick with it; you will be rewarded, and with Trails of Cold Steel II confirmed for a western release, you’re not going to want to hang around as you’ll easily sink many hours into this game.

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Feb 14, 2016

The story mode is easily the best part of the game a lot of attention and effort has clearly been put into it. Unfortunately, other areas of the game have suffered slightly but thankfully not to the point where it’s unenjoyable. The anime-like cut-scenes and character designs are highly praiseworthy and the new features in combat make battles just as exciting as previous Warrior iterations. Ultimately Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a great game but feels somewhat lacking in some areas. The biggest question though is when is its sequel coming out?

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Everything about Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is, let’s face it, pretty below par when it comes to technical, visual and audio quality. The gameplay isn’t the smoothest, the visuals leave a lot to be desired and the audio, what little of it, is just basic. Given all that, though I still can’t help but really enjoy the game, it’s just so stupid, so ridiculous that’s it’s actually a fun game to play. It’s even better when you can play it with a couple of friends as the ridiculousness just never ends.

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7 / 10.0 - Nights of Azure
Apr 1, 2016

Nights of Azure on PlayStation 4 from Gust and Koei Tecmo is visually gorgeous and features an attractive soundtrack. If you’re a fan of Gust titles or new to their games you need to give this Action-RPG a try.

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Sep 23, 2016

If you played Criminal Girls: Invite Only, then Party Favors will offer you more of the same with a few minor improvements but a slightly less engrossing story to pull it along. With less frustration from the Motivation system, gameplay is only made more accessible, it just comes down to whether that makes up for a slightly inferior story. However, there still remains a very solid and enjoyable RPG at its core that should easily please fans of its predecessor.

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May 13, 2017

Birthdays The Beginning can be a very fun and addictive game if only for a short while, the ‘beginning’ in the title feels very apt as the game feels like the beginning of something much larger that we’re just not being given in this game. The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag as some features work brilliantly within the setting while others are straight-up broken or extremely frustrating to use. The positives of the game outweigh the negatives, but there just isn't enough of it to keep you around for that long. *It's worth noting that Birthdays The Beginning has received a day-one patch which, according to the patch notes, should fix some of the issues that I have laid out in this review and aims to improve other aspects of the game.

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7 / 10.0 - Gundam Versus
Sep 29, 2017

Gundam Versus is a very good game that features some great combat and runs really well. It might disappoint some with the lack of certain characters and series from the roster, but the roster is still very strong. Overall Gundam fans will find something to like, there’s a lot on offer with this game and it should have you hooked for a good amount of time.

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Nov 3, 2017

.hack//G.U. Last Recode brings a beloved franchise into a new generation with improved graphics, polished gameplay, and extra content. Fans of the franchise will definitely want to dive back into this deeply intriguing story and European players will no doubt be excited at the chance to finally play the GU trilogy for the first time.

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Feb 19, 2018

Although Dissidia Final Fantasy NT lacks a good selection of different modes to play through, no doubt a side effect of starting life as an arcade game, there is a lot packed into the game for Final Fantasy fans to enjoy. The actual gameplay is solid and is worth checking out for anyone who likes to test their skills against other players online. Playing online with friends is probably the biggest draw as teamwork is key to success not to mention a lot of fun.

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