Considering how wildly different SteamWorld Heist is from its predecessor, this was clearly a bit of a risk for Image & Form. Fortunately for us, it is one that really pays off.
It is good fun while it lasts, and is worth a couple (dozen) runs through to the Overseer to see what he has in store.
Everything is great except for when it is time to get to the actual "game" portion, and here Unravel sort of, well, unravels.
The Sun and Moon is a perfect example of a very competently made game that lacks heart. There are some good ideas here and the platforming can be enjoyable in short spurts, but it is missing something to tie it all together. An occasional clever twist, or inspired level, simply isn't enough to carry the game through to the end, and everything starts to blend together after a while. The difference between The Sun and Moon and truly great puzzle platformers is the same as a meal cooked by a professional chef and one warmed up in the microwave. A little more time spent building up this experience could have made it truly remarkable, but instead it is just yet another puzzle platformer in a genre saturated by them.
It's probably says a lot for a game when the only real complaint is that there isn't more of it. Stikbold! hits all the right targets, but it feels as if it is just missing a little more. Online multiplayer would have been amazing, and a bit more depth in both the single player campaign and multiplayer options would have made this title complete. It's still good fun while it lasts, and even more so if a couple friends can be found for some dodgeball shenanigans. While it might not be the best party game, it is still a very good one - besides, how many other games are there where you can throw dodgeballs at enormous whales and honey loving hippies?
Even with an occasional twist on the well-established formula for match-three games, Azkend 2 never really comes up with anything to distinguish itself. It feels like a budget iOS title, and maybe that's because that's what it originally was.
This is less of a video game and more like a slightly interactive screensaver for the Wii U. There is no strategy needed, no thought required, and no reason to play this. Skip it in favour of more entertaining paint related activities, like repainting an entire house, watching the paint dry, or drinking a gallon of it.
It might take a bit to get started, and too many of the puzzles can be solved by accident, but there is enough here to make it worth a look even two years after its original release. It might have taken a while from the construction to finish up, but this is a bridge worth crossing.
Skullgirls was one of the best new fighting IPs to come out in years, and Skullgirls 2nd Encore is everything that made the original game great and so much more. New characters, new modes, and improved visuals and sound make this the (hopefully) complete version of a fantastic title before the developers finally move on to new projects. This is a fighting game for fighting fans made by fighting fans, and the balance and creativity here is absolutely off the charts. It is a wonderfully enjoyable title to play, both for newcomers and the genre savvy, representing one of the most enjoyable, complete fighters in recent memory. The roster might be a bit on the small side and this package doesn't offer that much more for those that already purchased the DLC, but those that haven't absolutely need to pick this up. A game like this deserves a second encore, and Skullgirls has certainly earned it.
It was a bit surprising when Persona 4: Dancing All Night was announced and everyone learned the newest Persona spin-off would be a rhythm title. A rhythm game with Persona imagery draped over it is a bit bizarre, but even more bizarre is how thoroughly entertaining it is. It is a really competent rhythm game at its core, with solid mechanics and a stellar track list. Fans of Persona 4 absolutely should join along for Yu's latest adventure, but this really isn't a game for just Persona fans. This is an enjoyable title with a fun story, plenty of camp value, and an extremely entertaining and replayable series of songs that just happens to feature everyone's favourite Persona 4 characters. There are some minor issues, but the overall package is so well made that it is easy to forget some occasional game design wonkiness. At this point, it is worth checking out pretty much anything Atlus puts out with the Persona title attached to it, because if they can conquer the rhythm genre, they should be able to do just about anything. PS Vita owners might be getting desperate for some exclusive titles, but Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a title that was worth waiting up for.
The comfort food of JRPGs, Alphadia Genesis is worth checking out for some classic genre conventions, but not really much else.
The lack of true variety from floor to floor makes it suffer, and the true randomness found in all the best roguelikes feels a bit weakened as fire is the only foe to be tackled throughout. It is an enjoyable distraction, but is nowhere near as insanely addictive as The Binding of Isaac or Spelunky. Flame Over is a fairly enjoyable distraction, but fails to bring the necessary heat to make this a must play.
Unfortunately, the game itself still doesn't quite feel ready for the spotlight, and a clunky interface and far too many bugs hold it back from being an absolute must play. Still, despite the notable shortcomings, War for the Overworld is a true Dungeon Keeper sequel in everything but name. Fans waiting for a new entry in the series should just abandon any hope for that and instead embrace this as their new overworld overlord.
Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is the definitive version of arguably the best game in one of the best strategy RPG series around. There is just an absurd amount of content that even the most well versed SRPG fans will find themselves getting lost for hundreds of hours. The interface might be a bit daunting to those that don't already have their feet wet in the genre, but those that stick around to learn the ins and outs of the combat will find a thoroughly rewarding battle system and an absurd amount of quests and side-quests. There is just so much to do and so much that the game does well that not only is this one of the best SRPGs in years, it is one of the best games on the Vita, period. This comes with an unqualified recommendation to anyone that is looking for something to occupy their Vita, with the sole exception being individuals that have already completed the PS3 version of Disgaea 4 with all of its accompanying DLC. Everyone else should mark off a month or so of their gaming time to some SRPG goodness, and maybe alert their family to warn them why they may not be seeing them for a while, dood.
Still, when taken overall, Castle in the Darkness is a wild and undeniable success that serves not only as a love letter to numerous old NES classics, but establishes itself as a worthwhile experience in its own right. The game is just brutally fun, and "one more time" can become "oh wow, is it really 2AM?" in the blink of an eye. This is a very rare sort of title that actually deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the classics it is imitating, and, in some cases, surpasses them.
Daedalic has a strong back catalogue of really enjoyable adventure games, so if the urge strikes for some point-and-click goodness it would be better to just look through that and find anything else other than its disappointing most recent offering.
Falling Skies is a turned based strategy game, and that is about the best thing that you can say about it. Competent yet wholly unremarkable, this is a title that fails to excite in any way and does nothing to distinguish itself from any of the other, similar titles on the market.
I am still confused how the combination of The Odd Gentlemen and Neil Gaiman, two things that are excellent on their own, would up generating this monstrosity. It would be like if Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis committed to a film and then it turned out that film was Sharknado Versus Mothra: New Moon.
Boasting a huge open world to explore, over one hundred hours of gameplay and not even the slightest suggestion how it should be tackled, Divinity: Original Sin is remarkable. Will you be the stalwart hero or rob everybody blind and sell their stuff to merchants? There are so many different ways to do so many different things, from how to solve a particular quest to how to best tackle a group of enemies.
There is some initial appeal in Squids Odyssey and its simplicity is mildly entertaining if played in bite sized sessions. Ultimately, however, both the strategy and RPG elements of this strategy RPG fall flat.