DualShockers
HomepageDualShockers's Reviews
Developer The Chinese Room is capable of capturing many highs and lows of human emotion through both their sound design and storytelling. With that said, Dear Esther: Landmark Edition feels more like a lukewarm experiment — a legacy precursor that paved the way to their more successful titles - an experience that is both significant, while also being entirely out-of-date by modern genre standards. Dear Esther was the baby step that aided in the creation of the genre — while you have to learn to walk before you can run, Dear Esther’s modern competitors have been sprinting for years.
Brennan Dyal lives in Baltimore, and actually likes it. When he's not playing games, he's disappointing his teammates on the basketball court, or going to Popeye's in disguise so they don't ask "Weren't you just here yesterday?"
While not without a few minor sound problems, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is the definitive evolution of the Pac-Man series, adding enough new mechanics while improving the main game so much that the title is worth a purchase from any arcade game or Pac-Man fan. While some series veterans might not be a fan of the radical changes to this game’s gameplay, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 shows that there is still a lot of life and innovation to be found in this 36 year old series. This game was truly the power pellet that the entire series needed, and now that it has been rejuvenated, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pac-Man sticks around for another 36 years.
Though it may not quite hold up anymore as the prettiest or most innovative title nowadays, Resident Evil 4‘s current-gen ports are still suitable releases for one of the best games in the last decade, and make returning to Resident Evil 4 for the second (or third or fourth or fifth time) just as rewarding as that memorable first experience.
Despite that problem, and the overall roughness of Verdun, I still find myself enjoying it. I can’t stand to play it for more than an hour or two per night due to the default match length currently being thirty-minutes. Sometimes it can be a very boring or frustrating game — one where I die much more often than not and barely get to engage with the enemy. Other times I can pull off a long distance shot to take down an enemy or make it through the enemy trench unscathed. Those moments are great, but it doesn’t make the lack of a large player count or the lack of teaching its mechanics any easier to deal with. Verdun is at its core a good game, but one that is hard to recommend beyond a niche audience who enjoy punishing and somewhat accurate World War I shooters.
However, for those with just a little bit of patience, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is an immensely rewarding title that will occupy you for many, many hours on end. It may take a while to get going, but those willing to hear its tale told will not be disappointed.
The various gameplay components combine to make this into a satisfyingly addictive title that you can and will sink dozens of hours into. Whether it was witnessing the dark and compelling story and events, devastating enemies with my unique demon and skill combinations, exploring the varied dystopian setting, fusing better demons, completing side quests or customizing my character’s apps, skills and appearance, I was always engaged while playing this game. It doesn’t improve on SMTIV in many fundamental ways but it doesn’t need to; Atlus is wise enough to not try to fix what isn’t broken. This one is sure to please series fans.
ReCore is a title that, ultimately, rises and falls in crafting an experience that we don't normally see too often on Xbox (and frankly, in this generation of gaming). Harkening back to platformers like Jak and Daxter with a little bit of the flavor from Metroid titles, ReCore's strong aesthetic and style give way to some technical flaws and repetitive design. Much like the design of Joule's band of Corebots, the exterior of ReCore and its gameplay show signs of age and may not be the most appealing from a first glance, but inside there's still a core of unique qualities to make it stand out as one of Microsoft's most interesting (though flawed) exclusives.
NHL 17 is a very good hockey simulation game. It’s gameplay works well, it contains a plethora of well executed modes, and has a stable online experience. Sadly, some issues with the menus and on-ice trainer, along with long loading times, can cause frustration, especially when new players are still trying to understand the NHL 17’s controls. While newcomers may be a bit off-put by the game at first if they don’t invest a lot of time with it,those who stick with the game and fans of the series will have a great time, even though there are still a few things that need to be improved on in the future.
In short, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice is as amazing as any other title in the series. Great for newcomers (who should still highly consider picking up the Ace Attorney Trilogy beforehand) and fans of the series alike, Spirit is consistently a pleasure and deserves a spot in your 3DS library.
It hit me the first time I reached the 1000km mark. I looked back at all the mistakes I made in past lives and couldn’t help but laughed at who I was back then. I drank a potion and raised my lance to charge forward into a crowd a of lizard knights that happily took my life from me in a matter of seconds.
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness tells a gripping and immersive story that any fan of the series would enjoy.
Inside won’t be for everyone, and likely will never carry the prestige that Limbo garnered years ago. However, it is a game made for those able to appreciate the nuance and artistry behind game design and building atmosphere. Though short, Inside is an amazing one-sitting gameplay experience for enthusiasts and indie-lovers that frankly should not be missed, no matter where you play it.
Packaged together, Champions of Anteria is neither awful nor the next best thing in RTS. Instead, it is a worthwhile title that makes a pretty successful experiment into some new RTS elements that I wouldn’t mind seeing in other titles. And although the moment-to-moment gameplay may be underwhelming to RTS fans, I’m willing to overlook janky control issues when the developer takes worthwhile risks.
MeiQ really isn’t that bad of a game. The beautiful artwork, fresh spin on combat, guardian building and elegant solution to power leveling are all strong elements. The environments are vast, though lacking in substance, and the shallow narrative is held up by likable characters with lots of… plot. However, with so little nuanced challenge, harshly repetitive gameplay, mindless combat, unexciting story progression, no class or otherwise deep customization systems, barren maps and unrewarding exploration, item creation and character building in general, it falls far short of the genre’s best and barely executes, much less improves upon a seemingly simple formula.
The story events are engaging and the game even goes a way to cater to newcomers with a strong recap. You’ll get to know the characters quite well thanks to hours of character development and the vibrant game world and engaging story combine to make the game feel immersive. PS3 and PS Vita fans have no shortage of JRPGs to choose from, but The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II exhibits enough polish and quality to help it stand out from the pack and above several others. It may lack the innovation and whip appeal to draw players not typically into RPGs and it can’t match the production of the genre’s biggest brands, but it nails the important stuff. Genre or series fans shouldn’t miss this.
Hue came out of almost nowhere and shocked me with its sublime design. While it might seem like Limbo at first, the game is able to establish itself on its own fairly quickly and create a distinct and memorable experience. Fans of puzzle platformers will find a lot to enjoy in this game, as well as those who just want a new and fresh indie title to play.
Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet is a great introduction to the Touhou universe and an excellent way to spend time playing with friends. The simple controls make it easy for new players to pick up and have a good time, but it also caters to the more hardcore fanbase by adding a deep learning curve to each character. Don’t let the fact that this is a fan-made game make you think it’s lacking in content. Genso Rondo makes it’s mark on the Touhou universe. While paying homage to the official works that came before it, the game provides a new and exciting approach to the fighting game genre.
Of course fans of the series will appreciate the game even more, as it's a quite faithful representation of what you have seen on TV. It's rare, but anime-inspired games that do justice to their source material exist, and while Attack on Titan is far from perfect, it's definitely one of those.
Playing Armikrog on PS4 was a very interesting experience. Its graphics, story, and puzzles were all very memorable, but playing on PS4 was not the best way to experience this game. Some of the graphics looked low-res at points, and most of the gameplay just does not work well on their controller, making Armikrog a more frustrating experience than it should have been. Fans of this genre should definitely play it, as it is a new and unique entry in a malnourished genre. However, if you choose to do so on the PS4, you should be aware of the poorly executed controls before going in.