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All in all, Go! Go! Nippon! 2015 does a lot to revitalize Overdrive's aging visual novel.
Although its toolset is robust and allows for the construction of both imaginative and real-world aircraft, and the community has provided a huge library of pre-rolled classic planes and inventive designs, SimplePlanes is a bare-bones product.
There's a joke about two huge lumps of coal somewhere, but I refuse to offer Sakura Santa even that. Whatever cheap thrills this visual novel does include aren't worth sitting through incredibly flat writing and a lack of substance for. If you're looking for shiny anime mammaries, hit the rest of the internet instead.
Despite the holidays, Sketchy Logic put out one patch incredibly quickly, but it's safe to say my experience playing Aviary Attorney simply didn't set my heart aflutter. Instead, it might just have broken it.
Devilian's combat makes it a totally competent action-RPG/MMO.
Temple of Yog is a title that would demo quite well; the first ten or so minutes revealed some fantastic possibilities.
After playing Chaos Reborn's excellent tutorials, you'll both comprehend the game and understand — probably many times over — what it means to lose to the forces of randomness and bad luck.
No matter how you play it, you'll be in for quite a time as MetaHuman's totally unprepared CEO.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place is the strongest episode yet in basically every aspect.
In order to get the most from Turok, it's important to approach it as a remnant of the '90s, rather than a modern game.
Nuclear Throne is impeccably presented and tightly designed. There is enough variety in characters, upgrades and weapons to ensure that playthroughs never get repetitive and its visceral combat is a joy in itself. Its frustrating unfairness, however, holds it back and may alienate even hardcore roguelike fans. Not the heir to Isaac's throne many had hoped for then, but still the best action roguelike of 2015.
It's a shame that a mechanic as promising as playing as a toddler — and all the repercussions surrounding it — is underplayed here, as tied in with a psychological leaning in horror, Among the Sleep could have offered a fresh take in what is a painstakingly underused concept in games. [Hardcore Gamer separately reviewed the PS4 (2.5) and PC (2.0) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Although it doesn't look like much, Conquest of Elysium 4 packs a ton of depth beneath its pixelated surface.
If you've wanted to play another Amplitude game for the past generation, then this is going to scratch your itch and then some.
For a game that has such an incredibly interesting premise, 1000 Heads Among the Trees is utterly woeful in execution. The sound is bad, the visuals are bad, and to top it off, the narrative —which is heralded as the focus— is horrendous. In the information given about the developer, there is a line that says "he generally tries to spend as much of his game development time as he can working away from his computer" and honestly, it shows.
SteamWorld Heist exudes charm and goodwill.
With so many interlocking systems, Thea: The Awakening is a bit of a Frankenstein of a game, but kudos to MuHa for bolting together everything so seamlessly and for trying something new, though it might be time for developers to put card game subsystems on ice for a few years.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is hands down the best JRPG this year — and that’s saying a lot considering how many great ones have come out in the past twelve months.
Overall, Rubble Without A Cause is a disappointment. The first chapter was great, but the tonal shift and structure found here just doesn't hit the right notes. Continuing Graham's story is still a worthwhile use of time, but one can't help but feel a tad… let down. In the end, the series has not soured, though. The closing scene sets up future events that should be intriguing. It just tripped on the rubble.
It's hard to recommend FIVE: Guardians of David to anyone. Fans of action RPGs have literally dozens of better games to choose from. Even gamers who would like to play an RPG without being assaulted by bloodshed have some excellent choices, such as the Torchlight games. Aside from the novelty of the Biblical theme and story, FIVE: Guardians of David's gameplay ignores a lot of what recent action games have added to the genre: strategic groups, tactics, character development, customization — FIVE has none of these things. Its heroes are bland and its enemies even duller.