DarkZero's Reviews
This is a burgeoning sub-genre but Layers of Fear has to be a high-point, and it deserves to be seen as a standard bearer.
This episode seems a slight disappointment on the first, mostly due to the narrative hand-holding.
Stranger of Sword City takes the fundamentals of the dungeon crawler and coats it with a twist of Japanese.
There really isn’t much else to say about Ares Omega. No additional content is hidden away, as this is a small title with one mode. While I like the roguelike progression, the rest of the game feels like an prototype, lacking any sort of redeeming presentation, polish or any score tracking to keep you coming back. Mix these issues in with the soulless procedural generated levels and there isn’t anything in Ares Omega that has any redeemable qualities to recommend to anyone but only those that have exhausted all the better games that have come before it.
Nevertheless I have to give BetaDwarf props for trying something different here by mixing up an original blend of genres and for creating something innovative. And although I’m afraid I’m going to have to recommend the original Forced over Showdown any day, I really hope that this team keeps striving to create new and interesting concepts because that is sadly something pretty hard to come by nowadays.
In short, Chronophantasma Extend is the biggest, densest and all-around definitive version of the BlazBlue series, but the overarching story mode and massive learning curve may put off potential newcomers to the series. For those brave enough to venture forth, this mechanically solid and visually resplendent fighter might just have enough features to make a BlazBlue fan out of you.
Trackmania Turbo brings its unique blend of thrill ride, arcade and puzzle racing to current generation consoles, and purely speaking about gameplay, is probably the best title in the series – it's certainly turned into my favourite of the bunch.
It's a shame that the developer of Stella Glow had to close on such a middling tactical RPG, and don't have a chance to really put much out there that can shine. This sort of game could tick the right boxes if you're looking for another strategy game to pass the time until Fire Emblem Fates comes out in Europe. Though if you're rather picky about these sorts of games, then it's probably best to wait for something better to come along.
The only downside is that despite the numerous modes and features, it still features the same number of stages, enemies, and length; if you aren't the type who like to replay arcade-length shooters over and over for the best possible score, then Deathsmiles may not be for you.
Hitman has refined its gameplay, while having options that help newcomers, but should not upset existing fans, and as such, is a solid start that hopefully keeps getting better and upping the variety with each mission added.
It's unfortunate to see something new explored but not working out and becoming the 'simple but addicting' gameplay I assume it was meant to be.
All in all, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed was a decent distraction on handhelds, but a harder sell on PC when compared to the number of alternatives available, both from its own franchise and the Musou genre in general.
The game is huge at close to a hundred levels, with some very reasonably priced DLC that makes an already vast experience half as massive again.
Project X Zone 2 is exceptional at managing to successfully bring all these characters together.
Overall this is a game that should not be passed up simply because you have already put in so many hours on another game. Rather it should be experienced for what it is and all other developers looking to dip a toe in the MMO pool should take note that this is how to breathe life into an otherwise stagnant and overcrowded free-to play market.
I had a lot of fun and frustration during my time playing Clandestine and whilst I'm a huge fan of co-op and love to see how it being implemented in refreshing new ways, I still felt like I was playing an early access game, where only the core functionality had been completed, albeit with some pretty strange and often hilarious bugs, such as taking guards out through walls and the most randomly broken cutscenes I've ever seen.
You get the impression that if Richardson had someone to bounce ideas off – someone to pick up the slack and point out the bad ideas – he'd be capable of something that's actually interesting. Instead, he's released a work that I really hope doesn't show him at his best.
While it may lack the flamboyant charisma of Hotline Miami, SUPERHOT feels as good in every other regard.
It's another game of discovering magical creatures that do battle for you, but it feels modern and up to date, with decent graphics and has more mechanics than a broken down Bugatti. You don't need to be a Digimon expert; you don't[ need to have played the other games or have any prior experience. There are mature themes as well – often cases to do with illegal, heinous and very illicit activities – as well as hundreds of variably adorable creatures to throw into battle.
This brief journey into Michonne's world of The Walking Dead has begun with a promising start and has the potential to be an extremely good game, exploring mature themes but maintaining a good degree of tension. Telltale have well established Michonne; now they need to show us just what she is capable of.