Niche Gamer
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So in closing, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is a definite must-play if you are a mediocre fan of open world gathering RPG type games, which if you’ve ever played any of the Atelier games, they are that and much more in spades in most cases. The shorter campaign in this one might turn some folks off who are looking for a game to sink hundreds of hours into, which realistically you can in this one, but grinding is boring, let’s get real here.
It’s easy to see the amount of care that went into Gravity Circuit; it’s a fantastic love letter to the Mega Man franchise, it plays very well, has a surprisingly good plot and features some fantastic character designs. I really want to see more of this game in the future, be it in a DLC or sequel.
We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royale Reverie does an ample job of being a remaster with modernizations like saving anywhere and a list to get to requests easier. Some of its minor drawbacks are what I feel to be essential to the game and somewhat puts it in a weird place of being ALMOST perfect. I’d recommend this game still even for the minute gripes I had, especially for the price of $29.99 USD for the base game and only $39.99 for the series music DLC and additional items.
Pikmin 1+2 is close to being the definitive way to experience these games before playing the second and third sequels. The low-effort porting of these games is a letdown, but the core games are wonderful and are faithfully converted to run on a reliable and widely available console.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a gripping and utterly engrossing story full of twists and stimulating puzzles that will keep gamers drawn in. Veterans will find that the immaculate presentation of this HD version will be worth experiencing if they played it on DS.
Overall, this DLC is another piece of bland content on top of an already mediocre game. From broken quest triggers to a dumbed-down plot and repetitive missions, Black Panther: War for Wakanda just doesn’t manage to deliver anything remotely interesting.
Fans of the Danganronpa games will surely find a lot to like with Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE. It is a worthy spiritual successor that expands on a grander premise and introduces new ideas. The callbacks are tasteful and the new cast hold their own in the fascinating world of Kanai Ward.
Mortal Shell is full of interesting ideas and awful execution; it’s certainly a unique attempt at a souls-like, and fittingly, it’s heavily flawed. It may be one of the nicest-looking games I’ve ever played when talking purely about the graphics and usage of shadows, but it’s also uninteresting to look at due to its drab locations.
Aliens: Dark Descent is a very creative mixture of genres and ideas that are contained in one of the most beloved IPs of all time. Its concept and premise are sound and the execution is generally solid. The only things holding it back are the technical issues and the sloppy writing and acting. This is one of the more interesting takes on the RTS genre that mostly sticks to landing… mostly.
Stay Out of the House very easily could have become overbearing to the point of headache-inducing. Fear and tension can only maintain a high for so long until the feeling becomes tiresome. Stay Out of the House masterfully balances the horror and game mechanics into a beautifully cohesive nightmare… just don’t try to pet the other dog.
Although Voodolls has a lot of potential, but the game in its current state feels more like early access than a fully released title. The game’s lack of a real tutorial causes the player to discover how to play the game rather than enjoy it. Traps do not feel like they assist the player and seem more gimmicky than a helpful tool. Visually, the levels are colorful and change from level to level, but the bugs within the game make it hard to enjoy. If you are considering picking this up to play with your friends, we suggest waiting. Voodolls needs a lot of polish.
Frictional Games have finally abandoned their “walking-sim” style horror games with Amnesia: The Bunker. The experience is unrelenting white-knuckle terror where the player’s actions and choices are critical. Fans of Alien: Isolation and classic horror will get a lot of enjoyment from this.
Miasma Chronicles is a novel take on tactical turn-based gameplay. Some ideas are not fully realized to their fullest; like the ambushes or the adventure mode. The core gameplay is one of the better examples of its genre. It manages to impress thanks to its incredible visuals and likable cast of offbeat characters and strange world.
If the team behind The Lord of the Rings: Gollum manages to get it in an acceptable state, the foundation of this game is still hopelessly rotten at its core. No amount of polish can undo the miscalculated story and game design. Daedalic would effectively have to restart the entire development process and start over to salvage it.
Bleak Sword DX falls short of greatness due to its questionable adherence to minimalism. It comes close to being interesting, but the lack of variety keeps it boring. Bleak Sword DX‘s strengths are its low barrier to entry and how it pushes the player forward with its casual design.
Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust is a hallow addition to an already average product. It was made cheaply since anything impressive in the game is due to the powerful game engine. Nobody will be offended by it, but it also leaves no impression at all.
Loop 8: Summer of Gods is an enjoyable game but it is not for everyone. If you are a fan of strong narratives, then we’d recommend picking it up. If you are a fan of traditional JRPGs then it might be better to watch some gameplay first. If you don’t like a challenge or repetitive gameplay, then we suggest avoiding it.
Doomblade is a pretty kinetic and satisfying experience of 2D platforming and combat, managing to be fast-paced without overwhelming the player with its speed. It’s unfortunate that its second half is almost unplayable due to how unfun the level design is.
Ultimately, Street Fighter 6 delivers the fun and proves to be one of the most engaging fighting games of the year and of most recent memory.
It ain’t perfect, but provided they continue the course Diablo IV is currently on, this might be the game that bridges the gap and makes Diablo the most accessible and ultimately the most fun it has ever been to players from any background.