DualShockers
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In short, Death Squared is an incredibly fun puzzle game for Nintendo Switch. While it may be unrewarding for second playthroughs and in-game progression, the fact that there are over a 100 levels means that players who love puzzle games will love this too. Not only that, but the seamless drop-in/drop-out co-op means that whether you want to play by yourself, or with a friend, or three other friends, you'll be able to with the just a push of the Joy-Con release. If you have a love of puzzle games and a Nintendo Switch, or if you're having a get together with your friends soon, Death Squared should be on your short-list.
Resident Evil: Revelations is a true survival-horror experience with a lot to offer on modern home consoles for only $20. Not everything in the game has made the jump to console perfectly, but if it's anything to go by, I sure as hell enjoyed this game a lot more than Resident Evil 6 (I'll still defend 5 even though it's not my favorite in the series). If Resident Evil 7: Biohazard wasn't enough for you this year, I can't think of a better game to recommend. Resident Evil: Revelations stays true to what made the first handful of Resident Evil titles great while also offering slight moments that delve more into the action oriented titles. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
The game's lengthy scenes and repeated statements can feel more like padding on the game's runtime which makes Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth feel redundant at times, but the conclusion of the story will not disappoint the ones who have stuck with it this far. If you are a fan of visual novels that have elements of the SRPG genre, then very few games do it better than the Utawarerumono series, you won't be disappointing.
LawBreakers is fun and fast and a breath of fresh air for a space that needed some infusion of change from the monolith and trends dominating the genre. LawBreakers should be played by all fans of the genre, and all comparisons be thrown out the window; just enjoy the rush, literally. Become #SkilledAF.
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm's Episode 1: Awake focus on themes of depression, loss, and the inability to fit in, which it does an excellent job at presenting throughout this first episode. Sadly, the episode's main focus on Chloe and Rachel's friendship can feel a little forced early on, but inevitably lands on plausible after learning about the mental state of each of the characters.
Last Day of June is a personal and emotional journey that brings you to the most beautiful corners of love and the darkest and most painful corners of loss at the same time. It's a compelling journey, with relatable characters within a beautiful world, brought to life with a sensational score. But ultimately, it's uninspired, core ground-hog day gameplay loop hinders and undermines everything that has been built around it.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana has introduced a new type of adventure to the Ys series and does it incredibly well. The game takes the action-RPG genre to a new level with its excellent story pacing and gameplay. The game offers many hours of exploring and fast-paced action along with plenty more for those who'd like to dive deeper into the mysteries of the island. The truth is after picking up Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana I simply couldn't put it down until I finished the story. In the end, I found myself attached to many of the characters that I met along the way and part of me wished that this Ys adventure never had to end. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana will also release on PS Vita and PC.
Warriors All Stars is definitely a game for fans of Koei Tecmo and musou games. There are many interesting character interactions that you'll only see in this game and for some fans that will be enough to look past it's shortcomings. I hope Koei Tecmo continues the All Stars series because I know we'll continue to see improvements made to it in other entries. Sadly, even with the awesome battle system, Warriors All Stars just felt average.
Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition is without a doubt a brilliant game that nearly singlehandedly revived a genre that has been replaced in the hearts of many by World of Warcraft, The Witcher, or The Elder Scrolls series. And while those series (and their respective genres) are amazing in their own right, Obsidian's re-imagining of the poorly-aged genre is a must play for any fan of similar games and a great jumping off point for those interested in dabbling in something more complex.
Augmented Empire may not be the best-suited for a VR experience, but somehow I wouldn't want to experience the game in any other way. With a dynamic and engrossing story playing out on a personal stage in front of you, Augmented Empire is a class act when compared to other mobile games and incredibly well-suited when compared to other games in the VR space.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has a special charm to it, which is something I didn't expect to say when first hearing about the project. While the allure of these two franchises coming together may be the draw for many, the surprising depth to its combat and the replayability that it offers are the real highlights. The fact that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle turned out as well as it did makes me hope to see Nintendo work with other developers again in the future to utilize their beloved characters in new, unique ways just like this.
If you have a few friends looking for a fun game to play, Nidhogg 2 is the perfect choice. If you're looking to jump online, I would advise against it.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy makes for a fun but brief journey while still boasting the same level of high quality that we have seen in past entries. While I would've loved to see more original content in this standalone journey, The Lost Legacy at the very least proves that the Uncharted franchise can still provide us with countless other adventures with Nathan Drake out of the picture. Despite not knowing when, where, or what the next Uncharted game will be, The Lost Legacy gives me hope and makes me excited to see what comes next in this series that I so enjoy.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth Book 1 is successful at bringing the epic 12th Century story to a new audience, albeit with a few missteps. The title finds pacing issues in its story and gameplay early and the cadence of its dialogue regularly drags down the overall rhythm, but it brings more than expected in both interactivity and style. Bringing a story the scale of a thousand-page novel to the video game format could not have been an easy endeavor, but Deadalic Entertainment has brought the first act to us with plenty of appetite for more.
ChromaGun is the absolute standard of a puzzle game done right. While it's not on the same level as Portal 2 or The Witness, it is an absolutely solid puzzle game. It's fun, it's challenging, and it's not frustrating, which is something that a lot of puzzle game's do wrong. It is an absolutely terrific piece of art that deserves to be played by anyone that even remotely enjoys puzzle games. At $14.99, you'll be getting the game for a steal, and I would absolutely recommend it at that price. While the game may fall a bit short in the story and replayability department, there is no denying that ChromaGun is one of the finer games in pool of bad puzzle games.
Matterfall is a mechanically sound game but has very little to keep you coming back to chase high scores. As it stands, I enjoyed the handful of hours that I spent with it, but I can't see myself going back anytime soon. This greatly disappoints me since I have spent months if not years coming back to some of Housemarque's past ventures. While I like the new direction that Housemarque tried to go in with Matterfall, I'd be fine if we never ended up seeing a game in this same vein in the future.
Let it be known that White Day: A Labyrinth Named School frightened me on multiple occasions and kept me feeling anxious through most of the story, like every good survival horror game should. For a game originally released in 2001, there are some truly terrifying scenes to experience, but the repetitive Janitor encounters and reused assets make the game feel frustrating and repetitive towards the final puzzles of the game.
Until then, I will keep my fingers crossed, because the only thing better than a fantastic remake of a beloved game, is two fantastic remakes of two beloved games. Yet, whether the sequel will come or not, Yakuza Kiwami will go down in history as one of the best remakes ever created, for a game that was already great on PS2.
Madden NFL 18, with its variety of new modes and features, has quickly become may favorite entry in the Madden series to date. MUT Squads and Longshot are both very engaging, and the new playstyles and target passing mechanics spice up regular games and Franchise mode. Though the transition to Frostbite wasn't flawless, as the game suffers from long loading times and occasional slowdown, gameplay and content wise, Madden NFL 18 is the strongest in the series, so I would recommend it to both avid football fans and those who have not picked up Madden over the past few years.
Smashbox Arena could have been a great competitive game to play on PS VR, instead it's just another generic VR shooter with an underpopulated online community. While the VR motion tracking is on the positive end of most VR titles and the simplicity makes its accessible to about anyone; the dull gameplay, poor visuals, and overabundance of glitches make it more of a chore to play through than needs to be.