DualShockers
HomepageDualShockers's Reviews
The Deer God may be a great visual experience to unwind with, and it has a spiritual message to match. But when it comes down to the actual gameplay, the game just feels too stiff and uninteresting. Despite an almost enchanting presence, the actual mechanics of The Deer God will do as much as possible to push you away.
Aside from having an incredibly solid fighting game structure at its core, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a title that Arc System Works clearly treated with respect and love for the franchise that it is inspired by, and it stands toe-to-toe with the iconic anime and manga because of it.
I would say that Zwei: The Arges Adventure is best played by gamers with an eye for charm and adorable characters that you'd want to spend hours with exploring dungeons and going on adventures. Sadly, the decade-old dungeon design and repetitive action don't hold up as well as its sequel, but it's still a game that Falcom fans will enjoy until the end, I know I did.
The legacy of Shadow of the Colossus has never been in question, but this PS4 edition has just further solidified its place amongst gaming's masterpieces.
Ultimately, Of Mice and Sand -Revised- is a positively charming title. It's a cute and entertaining world that I would love to come back to if Arc System Works could find a way to make a second trip more compelling with additional gameplay options.
Like many branching narrative games with ample replayability, The Red Strings Club is more about the journey than the destination. But across my four hours with it, I was too often not concerned with either.
Furi is sure to make your adrenaline rise at least once, with formidable bosses and a fantastic story, each moment of the game — whether it be narrative or combat — drives you towards the ending of the game that you choose. You don't need to be a dueling master — failing in Furi is part of the fun as each lost life means that you're one step closer to understanding the mechanics and therefore one step closer to victory. Simply put, if you can get past the difficulty and see the beauty behind it, you're sure to have a blast with this game and especially on the Nintendo Switch.
They created an immersive living and breathing world, allowing players to fully enjoy the charm of the titular monsters within a credible ecosystem. Combined with solid improvements in story and gameplay, this makes Monster Hunter World a must-have game for veteran fans and novices alike.
On top of that, there is a great story that addresses themes of depression, self-discovery, and ultimately perseverance, which can be applied to both one's personal life and the experience one has in general when playing a difficult game. You may get mad at a few points, but that peak is always there waiting for you, within reach, and is something we should all strive for, whether it is in-game or not.
Since finishing Lost Sphear, I can't stop thinking about it. The game does not break the mold by any means — in fact, it attempts to fit the mold of the 90s JRPG — but it does excel in certain facets. While aspects of its gameplay do falter, I never felt discouraged from pressing forward and uncovering the mystery behind the lost phenomenon. Lost Sphear is a beautiful game that even the newest JRPG player can enjoy.
More importantly, each character has left a lasting impression on me and the growth that they experienced during the story makes the game feel even closer to the timeless stories of early RPGs. Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds expertly brings the PlayStation era RPGs to 2018 with an attention to detail that brings the genre to modern consoles and satisfies that nostalgic itch.
Being a port of an 25 year old title, Romancing SaGa 2 gives a promising look back at how RPGs have grown over the years. With the game's story spanning generations of characters and a fairly decent story, Romancing SaGa 2 is worth the price, but try not to get too attached to your main character because you will die, a lot.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm Episode 3: Hell is Empty offered a nice companion to the Life is Strange universe, but the shock of the conclusion is lost when compared to the superior Episode 2. This doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy Episode 3, I just felt that it's conclusion presented more questions than answers. Perhaps it's a good thing the Life is Strange: Before the Storm left me with wanting more because now I wouldn't mind if the series continued either with more prequel content or a direct sequel to Life is Strange.
If you are a fan of pixel art or Amiga-style twin-stick shooters, you will probably have a nice time with Tower 57, especially if you are playing with a friend. Unfortunately, if you are playing in single-player, the title's flaws become a lot more noticeable and annoying, leaving me tepid wanting. If the game was polished up a bit more and made its way to a co-op friendly console like the Nintendo Switch, I could recommend it more, but as it stands, Tower 57 is best suited for those I mentioned above.
In the same way that Counter-Strike‘s early days led to it dominating the competitive scene and Minecraft‘s years of beta access led to it becoming a game that defined a generation, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds isn't necessarily the first “battle royale” game out there, but it is the one that's leading the charge on making players fight to survive, and it's thrilling in every way.
Overall, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files is far from a perfect game, but as a virtual reality title I found it to be an ambitious as well as a good first virtual reality title for Rockstar Games. Sure, the game has flaws, but I feel that Rockstar Games has set the bar high for not just facial animations in VR games but in AAA games as a whole and I hope that whatever AAA developer/publisher decides to bring their IPs into VR carefully examines this game. If you own an HTC Vive plus a high-end PC, this is a title you should consider adding to your VR library.
I feel like I've been a bit hard on A Hat in Time when I do find it to be a charming and fun game. I had hoped for some more originality to be seen in the game's mechanics or level design, but the lack thereof doesn't hinder the quality of the experience. Nothing in A Hat in Time is going to change how you think about 3D platformers, but if you know that ahead of time and are still looking for an enjoyable, cute collectaton, there are definitely worse options to choose from.
Nine Parchments, though wielding action RPG elements, works best as a party game. There are chaos and comedy to be had when you have three other friends sharing the screen, combining spells, chucking heals, and being sure not to stand in the fire. All of these mechanics combined with a lighthearted story lend themselves to a laugh-filled-couch-co-op game that should not be played alone.
Floor Kids for Nintendo Switch is not without its faults, thanks to gameplay that puts a little too much faith into in-game exploration. However, it shouldn't be lost in everything else that Floor Kids has to offer, namely a distinguished art style, a fresh take on a genre, and beats to mash it up. If you are a fan of passion projects, Floor Kids is going to be right up your alley.
Observer is a strange experience, punctuated by many "what the" moments. It's a game you have to talk to somebody about, that will make you reflect, and assault your saneness.