DualShockers
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Throughout my 35 hours of playing Digimon World: Next Order I began to feel like I did the first time a discovered the series. Every Digimon that joined my team made an impact on me and I wanted them all to be the best they can be. The game can be frustrating, but in the end there’s nothing like raising two healthy Digimon. The old mechanics of the Digimon World franchise prove to stand the test of time and can now be experienced by a new generation of gamers to discover and immerse themselves for hours in the digital world.
In single, isolated moments, Sniper Elite 4 is a great game. However, mediocre AI, a throw away story, and a lack of polish in some key places, prevent it, as an entire package, from being a great game.
When it comes to gameplay, Brut@l may not be very innovative to the rougelike genre at its core; it’s actually pretty standard as those kind of games go. This game has its artstyle and inspiration to thank for adding tons of charm to what would have been a pretty by-the-numbers entry into the genre. If you love roguelikes, or have fond memories of the old ASCII games, you will absolutely enjoy Brut@l. Even if it lacks the depth of some of its competitors, it makes it up in spades in old-school retro charm, and will hook you for hours.
The Tales series has always found a way to satisfy my itch for a story rich JRPG with deep character development and exciting combat. In that regard, Tales of Berseria does not disappoint. The story is gripping from the very beginning and keeps hold throughout the entire game. When it comes to the new battle system, I felt that Tales of Bersaria proved to be easily accessible to newcomers as well as offer extra benefits to those who’d like to master it. Even though the environments lacked any big steps forward for series, I felt myself constantly exploring and enjoying every moment. Berseria has quickly become not only one of my favorite games in the series, but also one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
I do hope Arc System Works continues to develop this IP though, because if the same creative minds that worked on this game came together to try to advance the series as a whole like Double Dragon Neon did, I believe they could make something really special. Sadly, I would only recommend Double Dragon IV to you if you are a Double Dragon fanatic or very die hard beat 'em up fan, and if that's the case, you probably already own it. It is fairly cheap, but even then, I have played much more enjoyable games for the same price.
The ultimate frustration is that I was left wanting to play more of the game and get wrapped up in the story again, but the choices around skipping text and saving made that an unexciting experience. That coupled with the voice audio issues and narrative still being on a mostly locked path means that I probably will never unlock all the mysteries of Cypress Knee.
Divide has the potential to be a decent game, but it’s over ambitiousness in the face of its low-budget ultimately nets a forgettable, half-baked sci-fi game. If Exploding Tuba Studios dumped the twin stick gameplay, and instead fully-embraced the adventure genre, I would be interested in seeing it take another stab with a new game. But more Divide? No thanks.
If you approach NiOh with the right mindset, all the frustration due to the ruthless level of challenge will turn into satisfaction when you overcome each obstacle. If you want to feel like a true samurai mastering the complex ways of or Japanese warfare, and you’re willing to pay the blood price for it, this is your game. Don’t call it Bloodborne 2. NiOh certainly deserves its own spotlight.
Whether you’re a hardcore fan of the show, someone who watched the original series as a kid, or someone who’s excited for the new movie, I’d stay away from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle. The Rangers deserve something that’s more than a cheap cash-in, but I doubt we’ll see anything like that anytime soon.
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is a great attempt by developer Omega Force at merging classic Warriors style gameplay with SRPG mechanics. However, the game might be a bit too easy when compared to more hardcore tactics games like those found in the Fire Emblem series or Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together. Even so, Godseekers provides a great entry point for fans to be introduced to a new genre while keeping that over the top action gameplay. In the future, I hope to see Omega Force return to the SRPG genre with more entries in order to expand on this deep and intriguing universe — perhaps one starring Daqiao?
If this game sounds like a challenge, I can assure you that it is. If you’re looking for a difficult game and nothing else, Hunter’s Legacy delivers in the end. Parts of it are fun, but so much of the game feels like a missed opportunity, especially in terms of its plot, characterization, and world-building. The relentless gameplay near the end does nothing to redeem Hunter’s Legacy from what it’s ultimately missing.
Linelight just released, and it is already and underappreciated gem. Smart, sleek, compact and peaceful, Linelight is the best $10 you can spend this week on PC or PlayStation 4. While you can easily make it through Linelight in a sitting or two, it is perfect light fare to combo break massive AAA experience. Through intuitive level design and a steady difficulty ramp, Linelight is able to punch far above its weight class — it’s a great start for fledgling developer My Dog Zorro.
Instead of the b-movie cheesiness we’ve come to know and love from previous games (sorry fans — no boulder-punching this time around), Resident Evil VII reaches levels of dread and fear we haven’t seen since the days of the original, and that (mostly) works to the game’s advantage when it comes to reinvigorating the franchise. Though it appears like a complete reinvention from the outside looking in, Resident Evil VII is very much made from the same DNA that made the original games the revered horror classics that they are today. Like the game’s intro that has players sitting down for supper with the Bakers, Resident Evil VII has welcomed players back not just to the series’ horror roots, but to a grim, disgusting feast that you just can’t turn away from.
The conclusion of Corona Blossom is one that fans can appreciate over the 3 – 5 hour story. In addition, the last couple hours totally redeem the middle of the game’s more light hearted moments. Corona Blossom Vol.3 Journey to the Stars isn’t a visual novel that is going to blow seasoned fans away like Frontwing’s other visual novels, such as The Fruits of Grisaia series. However, they did a great job at developing a group of friends and making the player care about them over three volumes. Some will find absolute joy in this story, but by playing it safe, I was left wanted more than a typical harem.
You can’t forget to put in good game design. If you do, players will actually want to forget the name of your protagonist, not to mention the rest of their frustrating experience.
Though the 3DS version falls short in a number of ways from being the definitive way to play Dragon Quest VIII, the newly-portable version of the title is still, nevertheless, an excellent way to experience an excellent RPG despite its few technical shortcomings. More than anything the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to a title that, even after a decade after its release, still plays remarkably well and manages to put a smile on my face. Dragon Quest VIII was charmingly old-school even back when it released in 2005, but like the best and timeless stories, the 3DS version shows that this story has only gotten better with age.
While the gaming community shared a collective groan when Kingdom Hearts 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue was announced, the remake is one of the best HD packages the Kingdom Hearts series has ever produced. Holding two entirely-knew Kingdom Hearts experiences and a criminally underplayed title in the franchise, Final Chapter Prologue is a collection that every likely Kingdom Hearts III player should experience.
I enjoyed a lot of what 2064: Read Only Memories had to offer. Gameplay is focused on dialogue and puzzles, and while the latter can be a toss-up between frustrating and satisfying, the former outshines it in both quantity and quality. If not for the relationship between yourself and Turing, as well as the backstories, interactions, and performances of the secondary characters, there wouldn’t be much to keep one engaged. Thankfully all of that is present and make Neo-San Francisco and the stories it holds worth playing through to the very end.
If there is a game that fully embodies and actually easily overcomes the definition of “complete package,” that’s Yakuza 0. It’s a rich, colorful and engrossing experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who loves the genre, Japanese culture, or simply a very, very good story with some of the best and most genuinely likable characters you’ll ever encounter in gaming.
At the end of the day, Spheroids feels like the video game equivalent fast food. And while there are plenty of great games with shallow experiences, Spheroids is pure junk. Like the Arby’s of video games, the game is a mix of ingredients that deserve to taste way better than they do, and should ultimately cost much less than Eclipse Games is charging.