Timothy Nunes's Reviews
SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions blends the challenge of olden JRPG days with the aesthetic refinement of modern gaming to create a tantilizing final product. Difficulty waivers back and forth in odd ways, but the narrative and combat keep everything feeling engaging and enjoyable.
Simulacra does a good job of delivering suspense, but its horror is limited. Equally so, the way that the game utilizes its phone apps leaves much to be desired in such a brief package, elongating the experience with fumbling around for what to do rather than filling the time with some form of progress. Simulacra has a lot to improve on, but there is still something dramatic and interesting here.
The things that make Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey so appealing are the same thing that make it frustrating. Many things stand in the way of your progress, many of those things being mechanics, and rewards come sparingly. At the same time, there is something wholly unique here that, if you can properly sink your teeth into it, you could find yourself completely engulfed in it.
Star Ocean First Departure R offers an easy way to play a hard-to-find classic RPG, but very few enhancements makes this a purchase strictly for Star Ocean fans. Simplistic combat and minimal options make this a hard sell for devout JRPG fans.
Gris is a serene experience all its own, filled with problems to overcome and success to achieve. Gris is a wordless game dependent on your ability to surpass what it throws at you. Pacing aside, not much gets more beautiful than witnessing Gris in full motion.
Playing Deemo without PSVR is a very hard sell. TV Mode requires a great deal of extra practice and effort in order to regularly score well. The delightful soundtrack and charming story truly depend on a PSVR headset to succeed.
Death Standing proves itself as a unique, palpable new IP, filled with rich storytelling both in narrative and gameplay. The beginning of the game suffers from long gaps of time intended for learning the ropes, but the ship rights itself once it finally turns the corner. Despite that with a handful of missteps, a deep, potent message of coming together rings through every aspect of Death Stranding that dazzles the game as a whole. If you give it the time, Death Stranding will offer you something most games never do.
Some jokes land, and some moments shine, but most of No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again Complete Edition relies on heavy-handed doses of breaking fourth walls and common game modes. There's an audience for this franchise, but this game doesn't offer much for anyone else.
While not a perfect affair, Mistover offers up a generous level of reward for the amount of risk needed to succeed in the game. Developing characters and collecting equipment make exploring each map that much more enticing. While risk isn't as big of a factor as it could be, and the amount of time needed to succeed is rather daunting, Mistover offers up an appealing formula all the same.
One Night Stand offers up a slice of humanity, with an art style perfect for what it tries to do. Repetition sometimes gets in the way, and a couple odd control choices may mess up your playthrough. At the same time, the heart and soul of what One Night Stand is always on its sleeve, allowing you to either embrace it or crush it. This will be a sleeper hit for a long time, despite a crowded market.
Code Vein does a few things well, like the amount you can customize as well as how enjoyable it is to explore the world proper. However, combat lacks the kind of refinement needed for such a complicated battlefield, and companions prove either useless or render you useless. Code Vein features many heavy inconsistencies that hide away a few good ideas.
GreedFall stands as Spiders' most successful game to day, bar none. Despite its issues, nothing gets in the way of this game's ambition and heart. Anyone looking for a standout, deep action-RPG will find it in GreedFall. With its different narrative paths and various ways to build your character, there are so many reasons to play through multiple times.
Vambrace: Cold Soul lacks the kind of depth that more appealing RPG and perma-death titles offer. Regardless, Vambrace looks gorgeous and does offer that first step into the challenging world of perma-death games.
Catherine: Full Body brings a PS3 hit title to the PS4 with its own modern additions. Not everything is ironclad, but Full body still shines despite its shadows. With new modes, a new character, and new ways to puzzle, Catherine: Full Body adds to the heart of the original in intriguing ways.
Oninaki takes dark themes and a child-like visual style and combines them with the potent themes of life and death wonderfully. Combat can be a little restrictive and the presentation takes a hit in cutscenes, but its successes make it more than worth your while. The game flows with darkness and hope, and Oninaki shines because of it.
Metal Wolf Chaos XD showcases the beginning of FromSoftware's iconic game formula. But, fifteen years on, the campy narrative and unpolished gameplay keep this from being a classic revival and a great re-release. It isn't too polished, but if you want to see the beginnings of From Software's beloved style, Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a solid way to do just that and only that.
It's brilliant to see WipEout back. It looked great back in the day, but thanks to the power of PS4 it now looks incredible, and captures with style the adrenaline-pumping action that we so fondly remember.
Madden NFL 20 manages to iron out some nagging issues, making gameplay better than it has ever been. Ultimate Team sees deep refinement, but online play needs some work. Madden NFL 20 feels like a game made for existing Madden fans.
Shadowbringers delivers on all fronts, offering up great new instances, vast new zones to explore, and a new storyline worthy of almost any best-of list. Despite its few early day hangups and minor missteps, Stormbringers excels on almost all counts.
While the original issues are still present, what made Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen so special is here as well. Glorifying combat, organic progression, and a saturated world will keep you slogging through the occasional lull on your way to the heart of it.