Attack on Titan 2 might add to the story but it doesn’t change enough to make it a compelling purchase. With it feeling largely like the previous games, it feels closer to DLC than a new expansion. This doesn’t mean there isn’t any reason to pick it up, just don’t expect it to be a massive change from the original. Combine this with very little story progression, performance issues and not a lot of content and it’s a sequel even fans can skip.
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.
Xuan Yuan Sword 7 reminds me a lot of why people dislike trailers. You could easily watch the launch trailer for this and get the wrong impression. Everything shown happens, it’s just behind a couple of hour commitment and sandwiched between an underwhelming story and an equally underwhelming world. If you’re willing to invest the time and give Xuan Yuan Sword 7 a good try, it can potentially be a good game. However, for everyone else, there are better adventures out there.
Between slow and clunky controls to a generic story that is basically making fun of similar generic stories, you're left with an underwhelming game that just isn't that fun to play. So, unless you really want to play a beat 'em up on the Switch, play as countless characters or just enjoy the usual anime game tropes, this isn't for you.
If you want a good story and don't mind if it's a tad on the predictable side, you'll enjoy Life is Strange: Before the Storm. However, if you want some twists and turns, with crazy reveals, this won't make you happy.
Blade Strangers isn't an outright terrible game; it just doesn't feel like the concept ever got off the ground. While characters retain their charm, story suffers from a lack of originality. There is also a distinct lack of depth, as combos are fairly straightforward, with some moves using repeated inputs adding unneeded mistakes. Add in lackluster and in some cases awful sprites and it's an experience that really comes down to if you like the characters enough to see them in a new setting. If this is enough, then you might like this, otherwise it's a paint by numbers fighting game that doesn't do anything well enough to stand out beyond the fact notable characters are present.
Overall, Trinity Trigger has some interesting ideas that don’t really pan out. Gameplay starts as a fun action RPG before evolving into a convoluted system where various encounters require swapping between various weapons/characters. Narrative also has some interesting elements, they are just lost in a rather predictable loop that overstays its welcome. For these reasons, there is still some charm if you love the genre, but otherwise I’d hold off for a bit.
Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook is ultimately in a weird place. The gameplay is enjoyable if you like the genre, but so many elements won’t resonate with people. As someone who dislikes resource management, those frequent sections get old quickly. For this reason, I suggest giving the demo (PlayStation / Switch) a go. The core gameplay loop is relatively unchanged from early and late games, so you should instantly know if this is a winner or a dud.
Another common debate in the gaming community, especially after some games going to $70, is quality versus quantity. For the longer time I’ve always favored quantity, though believe in a healthy mix of both, but Biomutant makes a compelling case for why quantity is bad.
The best way to explain Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is that it has the potential to be great, it just isn’t close to being there.
The best way to look at One Piece World Seekeris that it's an anime game that is trying to be slightly better than the usual anime game. In this aspect the game succeeds, it just comes at a hefty price. Nice visuals and a new story don't completely make up for lackluster combat and empty world, but they do help. So, if you just want a fairly easy open world game set in the world of One Piece, then this should meet your expectations. But, if you want deep or complicated journey through the world of One Piece, you might want to keep looking.
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy isn't a bad game; it just isn't noteworthy. Characters retain their most of their iconic moves and costumes, though none of the depth. The average match can end in seconds and is little more than pushing the same button, maybe tossing in a special attack and then waiting for the right time to use an item or special. It will be fun at first and make for an okay party game, it just doesn't have enough of anything to make it stand out in the long term.
Where Gal*Gun 2 is amusing and an on the nose VR experience might make it more appealing, it's hard to find a reason to play besides the underline concept. This likely won't come as a surprise, the first game was like this too, it comes down to if your desire to play something like this. Because, if you don't care for the novelty, there is absolutely nothing of note here.
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.
Unsurprisingly, Void Mirror Prototype is meant for fans of the base game. Returning players will be reminded of what they dislike, just this time it plays a little different. For some this will be enough, though others might want a bit more. Considering we have two more expansions set to release sometime in the future, hopefully they do more than just add a slightly different version of existing content.
Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Win could be a better game if it was more hands on or featured a faster combat system, it's just too slow. This, along with an oddly paced story, which might be better on some of the other paths, makes for a fairly underwhelming experience. To put it simply, unless you're a fan of the series or really enjoy tactics, this is not going to be a fun experience.
In many ways, Protodroid Delta reminds me of Mighty No. 9. I can see where Mega Man X influenced Protodroid Delta, but it takes some of the franchise's worse parts without offering many improvements. The floaty controls will put some off, and others will have unintended glitches or weak art direction, in addition to the other things mentioned. For these reasons, it will probably appeal to fans of Mega Man X, itching for a new experience, but likely not anyone else.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl reminds me of the popular maxim, fast, cheap, or good? Pick two. Just with different options and only one choice. It’s clear Ludosity did the best they could, honestly, there is no denying good gameplay would beat out voices, a bad story, or a number of other things, it just doesn’t make for a great experience.
The hard thing about BPM: Bullets Per Minute is that it can be a lot of fun, it just doesn’t have mass appeal. A lot of players will be turned off by the design choices, low-budget look, and steep learning curve.
What makes Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck difficult to review is, the core game is obviously fantastic and the dialogue makes it fun, yet it really isn't that impressive of an expansion. Familiar locations and expected storytelling take away from the journey, as does the need to play so many things safe. It is fine as part of the season pass or an additional bonus adventure, it just struggles to make the journey worthwhile. At least when compared to the other expansions, which had more to say, do and experience than Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck offers.