Niche Gamer
HomepageNiche Gamer's Reviews
JRPG fans and Tales of fans will be immersed and pleased with everything Tales of Arise has to offer and the game shouldn’t be passed up by any means. Even if you’re neither, you should give Tales of Arise a chance and experience the same joy I did.
Life is Strange: True Colors still feels like a low budget and rushed episodic released adventure game. The premise is not fully realized, and it never reaches its full potential. For a full priced game, there is not enough substance; and the best parts in this package are a short RPG and a decent port of Arkanoid.
In spite of the decent things Witch Spring 3 Re:Fine does right, it falls short everywhere else. Obviously, this focuses on the die-hard fanbase of the franchise, and could be boring to new players. Playing for the hours I did left me bored, even when enjoying the smallest charms but never held up.
My overall experience with Sonic Colors Ultimate was nothing short of aggravating to say the least. While doing my due diligence, I took it upon myself to try to come to like it, since I passed it up during it’s initial run on the Nintendo Wii. This simply didn’t happen in my time with it.
The puzzles cannot be brute forced, and hitting a wall is a large part of the intended gameplay experience. Dual Affect did their homework, and they know their classic survival horror very well. Their confidence in puzzle design and aesthetics make them a worthy successor to the classics that defined the genre.
Overall, 16 years later nets you 16 hours worth of content at it’s base. Buying this for $60 USD is a steal for the spectacular time; even if you play this via Xbox Game Pass, it’s worth every penny. The message provided in this game helps you come to terms with things in your own life. In the world we live in, we need something like this that moves us to communicate with each other again.
Despite a short campaign, minor bugs, and a few complaints about the controls, Song of Iron was very enjoyable; and I’m excited to see what a sequel will bring. Hats off to the one man developer for this brutal Nordic action adventure.
Fans of the earlier entries in the series will have little to complain about, and it’s a great new story for beginners to the franchise as well who find the older games inaccessible. But all this comes with one caveat: Please do not come into this expecting a realistic historical story. You’ll only end up disappointed.
Space Invaders Invincible Collection itself is indeed a convenient way to have all iterations of Space Invaders in one place, but $60 USD seems high. $30 USD would be more reasonable, so you’d be better off catching it on sale next year. Otherwise it’s not completely terrible. It’s just… Meh.
Whether you work out how to play optimally, or choose to, the game is still fun on a basic level. You may even want something less taxing, as big numbers tell you you’re number 1. Even so it won’t take much to be too smart for your own good; including when you think you can waltz through the post-game like you did the main story.
Retro games had some elements that are outdated by today’s standards, but offers a rigorous training those well-versed in side-scrolling platformers. An excellent game overall that has unfortunate side effects of some outdated retro mechanics, but definitely worth every dollar.
While it may not please everyone, No More Heroes III offers a completely new experience unlike any hack and slash before it.
The only flaws are the length of the game and price. It’s short, but perfectly short. Cotton Reboot! features 6 stages and one final boss which is the normal length for an arcade game, especially from the early 90’s. I couldn’t put this game down for hours after I started playing.
This could have been like a Sonic Mania, but for Alex Kidd; instead of a celebration of what made Alex so great, this feels like a eulogy of why he died. The original game is borderline a blank canvas for potential, almost anything could have been done. But other than the beautiful pixel art, it is the same.
It may be remembered for becoming the arena multiplayer game, Quake began as an incredible successor to Doom. With Quake Remastered, gamers can finally realize just how important Quake is, and how it’s still a boomer shooter masterpiece.
Deadbolt overall is quite rough around the edges. There’s definitely room for improvement, but what’s provided is definitely a solid and enjoyable experience.
If you are looking for a bright and colorful puzzle-platformer with some nice environment and NPC designs, then Unbound: Worlds Apart will probably scratch your itch for a few hours. What it lacks in mechanical and narrative originality, it makes up for by just being an all around solid and enjoyable experience while it lasts.
Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle has an identity and an audience of its own, but always looks to attract more people. The definite upsides are a card game with DVD-quality anime cutscenes, unforgettable characters, and a nice story to complete the package. The downsides are some jarring animations with NPCs, and graphical pop-in keep this from being something more than a great game.
Fans of classic JRPGs will find a lot to like about Cris Tales, and a high tolerance for random encounters will help. Casual gamers will have an easy time digesting this game, but those random encounters will quickly become a problem for those lacking the tenacity and patience.
Xeno Crisis has its heart in the right place, but is too stingy with offering enough content to make it worth the absurd asking price of $19.99 USD. It’s a slick looking retro style action game, but one that aspires to be something very basic. If it wasn’t so utterly repetitive, it could easily be considered a classic.