DualShockers
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All in all, Rise & Shine isn’t a bad experience. It’s just one that has a lot of wasted potential. If the AAA barrage on indie games is real, then this game would not make a good soldier to fight in that battle. The gameplay is good and the game doesn’t overstay its welcome at 10-ish hours, but the sudden ramp up in difficulty plus the finicky aiming blemishes the experience. If you want a game that touches upon the horrors of military engagement, try This War of Mine. If you want a game that parodies/honors video game culture, try Super Meat Boy or Scott Pilgrim. If you want a weird mash-up of the two, I guess this experience was made for you.
Not only Gravity Rush 2 is a worthy successor for the first game, but it surpasses its predecessor (and its remaster) in ever aspect. Not only it’s extremely fun, engaging and even challenging, but due to its production and artistic value, it’s definitely one of those titles that you’ll want to show your friends when you need to demonstrate why you’re proud to be a gamer. They’re bound to be impressed.
With a PS4 and Xbox One release scheduled for some time this year, there is still room for this game to fulfill its potential. Yet, the console audience is even less forgiving than PC gamers when it comes to technical problems. We can only hope that the development team will learn from the mistakes made with the Steam release, use us PC gamers as guinea pigs for as long as it takes (we're used to it anyway), and then bring forth a more solid package on consoles.
Aside from those few stumbles, “City of Light” overall succeeds as an action-packed finale to Batman: The Telltale Series and Telltale’s vision of the Batman universe. Though I’ve known all (or at least most) of these characters for the better part of decades, the fact that Telltale’s finale made me want to continue seeing more of Bruce Wayne/Batman, Catwoman, Harvey Dent, and its numerous familiar faces speaks well on Telltale’s careful mix of the old and new when it comes to Batman. As the episode concludes with a reveal of what may come in a potential second season, the days of crimefighting for Bruce Wayne and Batman are clearly far from over, and based on what Telltale has offered with wrapping up Batman: The Telltale Series, I’ll be waiting for more.
While it may mark a slight bump in the road, Episode 4 nonetheless still offers plenty of great action and suspense that builds on what has been offered so far, and with only episode to go I’m still looking forward (more than ever) to see where the path leads in the finale to Bruce and Batman’s story.
Like its name implies, “Ties That Bind” and its two-part premiere serves as an excellent introduction to The Walking Dead: A New Frontier that establishes a world for both longtime players and new players alike. Players bound by their emotional connection to Clementine and several other characters from the first two seasons will find much to enjoy from catching up with them and what their new state in this post-apocalyptic world are like, while the season promises many new experiences – both heartbreaking and otherwise – to explore in this wild new frontier with plenty of new choices to make, decisions to act on, and a whole new world to take in.
While I enjoyed my time with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, I was left a bit wanting in regards to gameplay. It just wasn’t satisfying to engage with the platforming and enemies, it was too simple, too easy. I’m not looking for a punishing experience, but I do enjoy having my skills challenged in platformers. Regardless, the beauty on display and the energy in both the soundtrack and movement of each and every character impressed me. I just wish it had a little more bite.
Steins;Gate 0 will not disappoint those close to the franchise. However, that being said, this will require a certain understanding of the previous game and the various endings that the game had. One would truly be lost jumping into this game without at least watching the anime series. Other than a few localization errors that I saw, Steins;Gate 0 holds up as a great sequel and a required play through for any visual novel fan.
I really enjoyed Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ as it brought a short and interesting game to the hands of someone like me who can’t always find the time to sit back and read a 40 hour visual novel. The characters and animations were very well thought out and the ending is definitely something that was unexpected. However, the unexplained back stories were disappointing as it would have made the characters stand out among stereotypical detectives. I hope to be a part of more stories staring detectives Nanase and Amekura in the future because just one case wasn’t enough for me.
While it would be easy to dismiss the GO series as another mobile game cash grab of a recognizable franchise, it's definitely much more than that.
Drive!Drive!Drive! is a very fun arcade racer. If you are a fan of this genre, I recommend that you pick this up. While the physics and collision problems and dying online community can dampen the experience, Drive!Drive!Drive! is like no game I have played before, and probably won’t be like any game I play after. For such a tired genre, it was awesome that developer Different Cloth could breathe new life into it with solid innovation.
Yet, if The Last Guardian and its charming duo of characters click with you (or more properly, if you click with them), this is an unforgettable experience that you will probably carry in your heart for your whole life, just like many did with Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and possibly even more. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go pet my cat, because I already miss my Trico.
Slain: Back from Hell is that mural on that beaten down van painted by someone sporting a mullet; the first time you walk by you quickly glance over and think, ‘hey, that’s cool.’ But after going by a bunch of times you notice the faded colors and the incomprehensible scene of violence going on. It’s like the artist wants you to take the time to appreciate the art but, honestly, it’s not worth the effort. There are a few spots that stick out like a segment where a warrior turns into a wolf or the bright blues and reds that border the fresco. But really, there are no secrets to be found here (and not many in the game). The mural is here to distract you for a short period (6 hours) and once you’re done taking it in, you’ll find it difficult to recall the experience.
The (very strange) ending of the game seemingly sets up for more dungeon crawling adventures in some interesting settings. I’m curious to see what Psytec Games Ltd improves upon if they continue with their VR games.
While Redie is really fun, you always feel like you’ve played it before if you’ve ever played Hotline Miami. I respect what the developers have done here as it has really tight controls and is very fun and rewarding to play, but it feels too similar. If a more interesting story or if more unique gameplay mechanics were present, the game would have been more distinct on its own. If you’ve never played Hotline Miami or if you have and are craving a game with similar mechanics, I would recommend Redie to you. Otherwise, you might want to consider trying out the game with its free demo to see if you are interested before deciding to purchase it.
It's also a monument to the determination and dedication of a team that quite obviously poured an inordinate amount of love and passion into creating a fantastic world that is worth exploring and living, and a lovely quartet of boys that are exceptional in their normality and humanity. I couldn't ask for better virtual friends than Ignis, Gladio and Prompto. I laughed with them, cried with them, and I really love them.
Most of Darksiders Warmastered Edition work rather well. Even if you can easily attribute the major elements to other games, Darksiders adapts them for its own use and mixes them together in such a way that it is surprising it had not been done before, and really hasn’t been done since. The gameplay is greatly satisfying and, while the story is very dumb, completing dungeons and slowly building your power does a great deal to helping you overcome that shortcoming. Sure the executions are more like an FMV than an engaging QTE, and the lip syncing is really bad, but this is a game worth checking out, especially if you haven’t touched the original.
The Dwarves has a lot of potential. If it was made on a AAA budget, I believe it could have been one of the best games this year. But it wasn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed my 15 hours with it, but I’m also well aware of its numerous, easily identifiable, shortcomings. If your a dwarf connoisseur, then I can recommend this game. If you enjoy fantasy RPGs, and don’t mind tactical (though it’s hardly that) combat, then I can also recommend this game. But if you don’t particularly love either of these things, then The Dwarves from KING Art Games, may not be the dwarves for you.
With all that said, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is still a great holiday buy for gamers that only own a Nintendo 3DS. The game acts like a quick Super Mario campaign with an accompanying endless collection of levels — and endless Super Mario levels is never a bad thing. Despite a fantastic new delivery system found in Super Mario Challenge, too may of the downgrades strip the components of Super Mario Maker that made it a breakaway success on Wii U.
Sadly, even Duke’s attitude can’t save the majority of the game, which is the same Duke Nukem 3D that released 20 years ago, from being a labyrinth of key card doors with instances of fun shootouts. Jumping from platform to platform while shooting an RPG at groups of enemies is fun, but the frustration of running into a locked door and realizing a missed a panel in some room earlier is a hindrance that occurs too often. Remastered graphics helps perspective, though doesn’t do much more than that. Developer commentary is sparse and mostly skippable, while a multiplayer mode was given prominent space despite there being nothing to do beyond bot matches. Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is a good romp for those who have never picked up one of the previous eleven ports, but doesn’t offer anything substantial for everyone else.