When push comes to shove, Disgaea 1 Complete isn't perfect but it's still worth playing. It remains the best story in the series, complete with some of the best jokes. Sure, it could've been modernized and had more changed but the best elements remain. Between exploring item world, fighting post game bosses and achieving insane stats, it's the type of game that you could spend hundreds of hours in and still have plenty to do. So, if you want to lose yourself in a new turn based RPG, this is a fantastic choice, where as returning fans need to understand it's pretty much the same experience with a new coat of paint.
Overall, Warriors Orochi 4 might not do much to break the mold, but it's a lot of fun. With arguably too many characters, new attacks and powers to use, it's a nice twist on the familiar series. Toss in a new foe and a tons of things to level and do and it's hard for fans to say no. Sure, it might not have the best story or stand out in terms of the franchise, but if you're looking for a new Warriors game, this is a solid choice.
Overall, Starlink: Battle for Atlas is at odds with itself. Even if it has some cool mechanics, solid controls and plenty to do, there isn't enough diversity, story is underwhelming and the entry level experience is pretty limited. Even with all the content you're still better off going digital than physical, since the toy concept falls flat. Despite this, the Star Fox content is solid and it really is a fun game in short bursts. So, if you're looking for exploration game with plenty of small tasks, it's a solid choice, where as if you're hoping for the next big thing, this isn't it.
What stands out about Spider-Man: The Heist isn't the content, though there are a fairly substantial amount of cutscenes, but how little it adds. Even if some things are different or new, they don't much value. Costumes don't add new powers, nor do abilities change, so the main motivator is story, followed by trophies. Combine this with there just being a hint of an upcoming confrontation with a major villain and it's the type of experience that might lead to greater things but isn't great itself. So, unless you're dying to play more, I strongly suggest waiting to see where this adventure goes.
My Hero One's Justice isn't a bad game; it just doesn't do anything to stand out. Combat is okay for the genre, with the ability to destroy/knock people into buildings being fun, it just isn't enough to sell it. Combine that with poor load times and rather short story and it's a fairly hard sell, even to fans. That being said, if you're a die hard My Hero Academia fan or just really enjoy simple fighters and this isn't enough to discourage you, there is enough to still have fun.
Omen of Sorrow is basically a fighting game with a fair amount of depth, without the structure to support it.
Even if I didn't discuss it, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions! biggest strength is song diversity. It's the only rhythm game where you can play game, anime, Jpop, classical and more songs. This alone makes it a solid choice for anyone who loves music or the rhythm genre. Sure, it might seem rather simple and overly cute but it's a game with untold amounts of depth. While online doesn't do much to maximize it and the bingo system is only compelling if you're not that skilled, it's still a solid experience.
Emerald Shores wants to be a great experience, without the tools or understanding of what goes into that. Between imprecise controls, horrible hit boxes, predictable enemies and countless ways to abuse the mechanics, it's not a pleasurable experience. When you figure it does countless things to limit the replay value, either by removing your ability to gain experience or easily solved secrets, it really has nothing to offer. So, unless you're a big fan of bad games, there is really no reason to ever visit Emerald Shores.
Turf Wars does a good job of overcoming some of the challenges of being the middle segment. There was enough progress to leave me interested in the conclusion, without enough to make it pointless. Even if this is good, gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Even if it's fun to take out Hammerhead's hideouts, complete new challenges and stop various crimes, it doesn't feel like a massive leap from the main game. Sure, if you really want to play more it's nice to have, though the main attraction is story and that hinges on how much you care about Hammerhead's plan.
Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection is a good rhythm game, but not a particularly great one. The dances, costumes and events are solid, though gameplay could be a bit better. Between easy to miss inputs, occasionally hard to see prompts and asking thumbstick inputs makes it tricky. Not enough to ruin the experience, if anything it will all come with practice, though it is not as intuitive as Taiko no Tatsujin or DjMax. Even still, between the fun visuals, cute dances and returning to the beloved settings, there is enough to delight fans, even if it starts off rather bumpy.
Darksiders III might be about fury, though it also sums up my feelings playing it. Between annoying enemies, awful mechanics and performance issues, it's hard to enjoy your fight against the sins. Add to it a difficulty where pretty much every enemies two or three hits you, with those hits often coming in a combo, and you have an underwhelming game. Not just because it's frustrating, it seems to do everything in its power to make things unenjoyable. So, unless you absolutely must know where the story is going, I'd wait for some performance improvements before considering this one.
Given Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has tons of characters, too many options and an unrealistic amount of things to discover, it's hard to touch on everything. What truly matters isn't what is possible, as much as, Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis basically what you make of it. Characters can be given a positive or negative handicap, items can be enabled or disabled, various modes and conditions can be set and it can be made so pretty much anyone can have fun. And, in the end, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn't about balance, modes or honestly even the complex meta game, it's being a game that pretty much anyone can win and have fun with and is more than certainly achieves that and so much more.
In the end, Katamari Damacy Reroll isn't perfect, nor was the original, but it is certainly fun. Not only is it simple fun, with relatively endless stress-free replayability, it makes for a fantastic portable game. With levels lasting anywhere from a couple of minutes to roughly 10, it makes for a good pick up and play game. When you consider the series charm and simple elements, it's honestly hard to say no at this price.
Battle Princess Madelyn might not be a bad game; it just isn't special. All the difficulty stems from tricks, meaning the difficulty no longer exists once a player realizes it's all smoke and mirrors. With enemies, bosses and stages lasting longer than they really need to, it's an experience that doesn't invoke a desire to replay. At most alternate paths and hidden story bosses might, though even that is limited. So, unless you really want to play something like Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Battle Princess Madelyn is simply too hollow to be fun.
Overall, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe doesn't change what we expect from a Mario game and that is fine. Players are given both higher and lower difficulties, with neither making the game so easy it's no longer fun. Even skilled players can have fun with Toadette or Nabbit under the right conditions, just like Luigi U offers plenty of opportunities to learn. So, if you missed out on the original or never finished it, it's hard to say no to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.
Overall, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes relies way too much on meta humor and very bland gameplay. Fans will likely have a lot of fun, enjoy where the story goes and like the overall experience, where as action or more hardcore players will likely find the shallow gameplay boring. More often than not, since the experience is more repetition than anything else, it doesn't take long to get bored and want to move onto other things. And, even if the games are different, it doesn't lead to the most satisfying of places.
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal isn't perfect, nor were either of the previous versions, but it is fun in a mindless way. Sure, it doesn't have anywhere near the same options of your standard Dynasty Warriors game, though there is enough to have fun. Add in a cute story, cuter girls and tons of costumes to play around with and it makes for an okay experience. So, if you enjoy the Senran series or want to see where it all began, this is a fantastic choice, though if you want something a little more complicated, I'd wait for something else.
Regardless of the issues, it's still too early to say whether or not this arc will pay off. Right now it feels like the story has a firm grasp on the concepts they want to touch on, but they don't know how to tell a narrative that fits it. It's clear the next episode will deal with Cassidy the drifter and we will likely meet their mother at some point, but right now the story is spinning wheels. It will be interesting to see if the climax gives us the ability to see two radically different endings or possibly the most common outcome leading to the future franchise canon but we will have to see where the rails take us.
Death end re;Quest tries to be more than the sum of its parts, yet fails to achieve it. The story could've been interesting with less mystery or at least thrilling if it had a large enough budget to give some of the dead ends/deaths animations/scenes. Sure, several people probably don't want to see a cut girl sliced in half or killed a number of ways but anything is better than just explaining how they die a multitude of times. Combine this with an extremely linear world and relatively bland combat and you have something that just doesn't stand out in any way.
The hard thing about The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is I enjoyed the story and found the ending charming, something that also holds true for the graphics, there just isn't a lot of content. Without using any guide I managed to platinum it in under five hours and could've likely done it even faster if I did. When you figure the experience isn't quite as engaging as previous titles and there simply isn't a ton of content or even the fact cut scenes seem to be unskippable, even if you previously watched them, it's hard to recommend The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince.