Wccftech's Reviews
Toukiden 2 improves pretty much on every feature of its predecessors, with an interesting approach to open world gameplay, a good number of customization possibilities, an engaging story featuring a charming cast of characters, and plenty of intense action. Sadly, combat tends to become a bit stale after a while in single player, as good equipment and skills allow players to just mash their way through the hordes of Oni infesting the land. Toukiden 2 is, without a doubt, a quality title and the best entry in the series, but with other recent games delivering better open world design and combat it may be difficult for some to be enthralled by the Omega Force developed game.
From beginning to end, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight remained a masterful example of a small project with big inspiration.
Ghost Recon Wildlands is just another in the long line of Ubisoft's vapid open world games packed full of content (collectibles and quests) with no real meaning. The setting is absolutely stunning and a joy to view, but there's nothing in the world to actually incentivise you to travel around. It's a sturdy, but average shooter with no variety. At the end of it all, it's mostly boring interspersed with moments of fun.
By no means a perfect game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is still an improvement on the first. As the series continues to progress we can hope to see some better storytelling, world building and crisper graphics and sound, but for now at least we have an enjoyable experience with some interesting ideas to experiment with
Horizon Zero Dawn is a pure sign of what can be completed with an exceptionally designed open world. Not only that, it has exceptional characterisation and a sincere story that doesn't shoehorn elements, allowing for the organic growth of characters. This is a game that I can barely find any faults with, except borrowing some elements from other open world games. Even so, it made each and every element its own in one of the best games to date.
Although it might not be a perfect game, the sum of NieR: Automata’s unique storytelling meshed with Platinum Games’ style of action, meld together into a title well deserving of being one of my personal Games of the Year.
Minor technical problems aside, this is one of gaming's greatest and most storied series returning with something we've never seen before. Breaking all the conventions of the series, and even a few general gaming conventions, Breath of the Wild is essential for any self-respecting gamer. A new bar has been set in open world gaming.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing game like very few others, giving players total freedom in how to approach any given situation, even allowing them to complete the game by avoiding most fights through this deep choices system. With excellent writing, lively and creative world, engaging story and characters, and solid mechanics, the role-playing game developed by inXile is a game that those who love immersing themselves completely in fictional worlds have to play at all costs. Giving justice to the Planescape: Torment's legacy was a very difficult task, but the team proved that they were more than up to the task, creating a game that builds upon this legacy with the utmost respect, despite some small issues which don't impact the game too much.
Stars in Shadow, developed by a two man team, offers a compelling but simple approach to the 4X Strategy game genre. While lacking some depth in the grand scale, it more than makes up for it with compelling ship battles, using custom designed ships that offer a great amount of customization.
While Ys Origin feels like a relic of the mid-2000's, its fast paced combat still stands the test of time and should satisfy fans waiting for Ys VIII's global release.
Halo Wars 2 is an ideal strategy game for beginners. There's little doubting that the action is solid and it looks fantastic, but other strange choices mar what would be a great title. From downright bad writing, to the inclusion of pay to win microtransactions in a premium game, there are some absolutely perplexing decisions.
Nioh is among the finest exclusives to grace the PS4, melding samurai action with the framework of the well-renowned Dark Souls series, although its devilish difficulty may send William to an early grave.
With gameplay that can shock, amuse and satisfy in the same slowed heartbeat, Sniper Elite 4 is the best game in the series. While it graphics, story and characters can feel a little flat, the gameplay has always been the focus, and is so perfectly tuned to make the rest seem inconsequential.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is an adequate collection of what's left over from the series, with what also acts as an exquisite demo for the upcoming Kindom Hearts 3. This isn't to say that hard work hasn't gone into the remaster, but for a premium price point the game just isn't worth what it's asking, and the core component shows its age and origins a little more than could be hoped for.
Nights of Azure is a game of wasted potential. The game's dark tone and setting is ultimately ruined by the excessive presence of comic relief, which takes a lot of the tension out of the terrible choice Arnice has to take to save the world. With an experience that gets stale way too quickly, Nights of Azure true saving grace are the game's two main characters and the development of their relationship, which takes some interesting turns. A shame, as the game could have been so much more.
Gravity Rush 2 is an excellent sequel to the first game. It's easier to control, has an incredible depth of quantity and while it doesn't all hit, the vast majority does. It has a few strange choices in story design, particularly a false ending in one of the worst places I've ever encountered. All things considered, it's an excellent game with some of the most entertaining gameplay around, set in a fantastically designed world with a great visual design.
Dynasty Warriors Godseekers manages to capture the spirit of the series with its tactical experience, but sadly fails to stand out from the competition and the classic games of the past due to the lack of any real innovation. Despite this, there's still plenty of fun to be had for fans of the Dynasty Warriors series and tactical RPG, as the experience is quite solid. Just don't expect to remember Zhao Yun's journey six months from now.
Even though this is a remake of a six-year-old game, it still holds up pretty well as far as gameplay is concerned. Darksiders: Warmastered Edition looks at its best at 4K resolution and as a game, it's better than its sequel.
Urban Empire aims to offer an interesting mix of political intrigue with city-building creativity and management. However, it doesn't give anywhere near enough information or allow enough freedom to make it as compelling as the idea could have been.
With a fantastic combat system and a good story, Tales of Berseria feels like a return to form in a lot of ways, despite being more adventurous with the combat than ever before. A great series making a triumphant return.