DarkZero's Reviews
Without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix is the definitive collection of the landmark crossover series. While the PS4 re-release of these games don't offer the most substantial upgrades from the PS3 editions (aside from slightly faster load times and 60 frames a second during gameplay…sadly, all cutscenes remain in their original 30 fps rendering), the sheer convenience of having all these games under one collection (not to mention one console) is as tremendous as the value. Old fans and newcomers alike owe themselves to step into this adventure spanning multiple worlds (and games).
I found it a ton of fun and terribly addicting to the point where I just consumed it in about 2 days and I hope many others enjoy it just as much because I believe the best outcome from its release is that Yooka-Laylee facilitates the second coming of the 'platformer'. Not only does it show off the familiar mechanics we love but it plays off of them in both the gameplay and story, making jokes about the established traits of old-school games by having Yooka's humoring of the NPCs and Laylee's dry sarcasm almost be the voices of the player as they comment on the fact that the Pagies could just slips out of their cages and so on.
Telltale have surprised me before, and for Clementine's sake, I hope they manage it again by the end of this season. Otherwise, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier may join the series with a whimper, rather than a ferocious zombie bite.
Toukiden 2 is a packed title that sacrifices complex depth, but in exchange continues to offer people a faster, more easy to understand hunting game for anyone who does not gel with the methodical style of Monster Hunter, while also bringing a fun single player story.
For those who already owned both Danganronpa games in handheld or PC, this PS4 collection offers little-to-no additions, and becomes a case-by-case basis of whether it's worth dipping in again. For newcomers, this is a bargain price for two of the most memorable adventure games in years, featuring all sorts of stylized artwork and utterly insane twists and turns. It may be more of an extracurricular than a mandatory course, but this collection tour of despair is still worth enrolling in.
Simply put, Dead Rising 4 is going to upset the serious hardcore fans of the series who have enjoyed its quirky mechanics over the years.
Nier: Automata is a brilliant, slick action RPG pumped with so many cool and distinct features, and a story that that I could keep talking about all day, but let's not spoil what should be experienced, nor bore everyone with mechanics and finish up the review with a final statement.
In the end, Nights of Azure tries to prioritize style over substance, which should be enough to gain the attention of its target audience, but a bit more tightening up of the latter would have been preferable. Whether the grinding gameplay is enough to enjoy a saccharine sweet girl/girl romance plot will depend on the player's tolerance, not to mention their own priorities for a game like this.
Berserk is a nice fit for Omega Force's Warrior/Musou series, but I was left a little disappointed that they took a step back with the gameplay.
In the end, while there is a flat story with a protagonist that lacks any real personality, they aren't big enough issues to spoil where it matters most.
So the gameplay presents this strange oxymoron of being pretty easy, but still unfairly difficult because of the random element, which is never a nice way to add a challenge, but maybe that's the message all along – life isn't fair.
What's more, I'd be fascinated to see what Rivers could come up with in a more purely narrative-focused format. Indeed, I have no doubt he'd write an excellent visual novel. But whatever he does next, I'll be paying attention.
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea brings the marvellous personalities of the duo Shallies to a handheld, allowing people to take the relaxing Japanese RPG on the go – a perfect fit for turning that frown into a smile after a hard days work.
But a little bit of jank makes little difference in the grand scheme of things, and Yakuza 0 is a strong testament to the level of detail and the amount of content the series is known for.
Overall, even though the controls sometimes made me swear in frustration and the hackneyed narration made me laugh out loud, I am still, on the whole, pleased to have played The Descendants. It is worth trying out in a sale, and if you can cope with the shortcomings in design, the story is an entertaining five-episode arc.
In the end, while we in the Western world have been blessed with a few Hatsune Miku games in the past, nothing comes close to what Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone offers.
These two short episodes (about three hours for both) did keep me invested and reminded me that Telltale can spin a good story.
There is certainly a decent amount of content, including multiple scenarios and side stories, but if the simplistic button-mashing isn't enough of an incentive to push forward to see those story bits, consider waiting it out for the anime adaptation (which covers the first game) coming this Spring instead.
In short, Lethal VR is a basic game concept that does exactly as advertised.
Despite much of this review, Beholder is not a bad game and at the price asked, I think it is worth a buy. The criticisms only come because Beholder sets its sights at such lofty heights and complex issues but fails to reach them. And of course, it suffers by association with the ethically sensitive and artistically cohesive Papers Please. What it achieves, however, is an entertaining and challenging strategy game. It is just good, which is a shame because it could have been brilliant.