GBAtemp's Reviews
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury gets its time to (cat) shine, now that it's finally on the Nintendo Switch.
The switch to a new genre doesn't always benefit its combat, but everything done to recapture Persona 5 works splendidly, from the writing to the music and visual design. This is the first ancillary Persona title to feel like a proper sequel rather than just a spin-off.
I don't know if Richard's advice works, but that's beside the point. Less important than its efficacy is the fact that it's manipulative, sleazy and degrading.
Opinions can differ, but I wouldn't laugh at anyone who says that this may be the best Atelier game to date. Due to the fact that the protagonist is the same as in the previous game and that the story builds off of the prior one, I highly recommend people play Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. However, for those who have played the previous game and want to know whether this one is worth your time, it certainly is.
Overall, if you like Souls-like games and you liked Nioh, pick up Nioh 2 and I guarantee you'll love it. Despite some issues with PC optimization and a story that's not exactly great, the gameplay alone definitely makes up for it 100% of the way.
My second foray into the World of Darkness franchise unfortunately has left me wanting for more. There's definitely some fun to be had here, but the majority of the game manages to just feel dated and lazy, which makes even the most fun aspects get old before too long. I truly hoped for more from Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, but what I'm left with is a game that I don't think I'll be re-visiting any time soon.
Loot Hero DX isn't a bad game but it's not all that great either. It's simple, which is its double-edged sword. It's a good time for a little while but eventually its charms wear away. Despite that, at a budget price, its a decent little time sink. However, if you are looking for an indie with a little more depth in either gameplay or story, I would recommend spending your loot elsewhere.
The Medium doesn't revolutionize the horror genre, but it's a compelling entry that's worth checking out.
The game tries so hard to be Animal Crossing but fails miserably in every aspect.
If you liked Space Invaders Extreme when it was previously released, or enjoy that kind of arcade action this is for you. If you like the idea of playing Space Invaders with 3 buddies, then this is definitely for you! If you only want the Arkanoid x Space Invaders game, it's available as a stand alone title on mobile.
A really great experience and an exciting step forward for the future of virtual visual novels. You really feel much more drawn into the role of the main character than a typical visual novel. Complimented by a really fantastic soundtrack and interesting characters to help tie together the story, and you always feel compelled to continue and keep uncovering more information about the world and the meteoras.
The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a very enjoyable game if you're into this sort of thing, but ironically, if you're into this sort of thing, you'll find it a cakewalk. Much more could have been made of this adventure to really work that grey matter and make it far more of a challenge for puzzle aficionados.
Disgaea 4 Complete+ puts out a great game on modern hardware, that much is indisputably good. If you've played Disgaea 5 and want something to tide you over until DIsgaea 6 drops later in the year, this is for you. If you want to jump in and use this as your first glimpse into the series, it's a great choice too. However you choose to play, just make sure to avoid the shady corporate "DLC" guy.
DMC5SE occupies its own tried and tested safe space within the world of video games. It hasn't really progressed much since 4 and doesn't seem to have broken through any genre-defining boundaries to evolve itself beyond what it already was. As a series, DMC5SE is truly the pinnacle in terms of polish and content but by way of freshening things up: it plays it far too safe and sadly won't really blow your mind.
Swords of Gargantua is a repetitive slash fest with a small amount of design and enemy diversity, but it has something most games like this don't have: playability. The controls are a little off for movement, but the swordplay is fantastic when you knuckle down into parrying and combinations to elongate your lifespan.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a great timewaster filled with plenty of opportunities for dumb fun that come from the clever implementation of future tech into its combat. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver on the clear ambition in its writing, mostly due to the clutter that drowns out its few moments of true inspiration.
The failure to allow a stylus to be used is a huge oversight in my humble opinion, and, at worst, you could use your fingers to draw on the touch screen or place the level editor items around, and this would have been more intuitive and fun. Everything feels overly simplified, and though the more you play the more you get to experience, it's quite a task to endure it all.
Overall, Chronos: Before the Ashes is okay. As a Souls-like, it sort of misses on a lot of the mechanics that make Souls-like games good, the combat is meh, the story is just ok, the environments aren't that amazing, and the aging mechanic is disappointingly underused. If you're enamoured by the story of Remnant: From the Ashes and want to learn how things ended up that way, give this game a playthrough. But if you're not really that interested, it's probably best to just be forgotten.
While it may struggle to hold a solo player's interest, Phogs! is a fantastically delightful and easygoing co-operative experience.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is a departure from what one might expect from the series, but it proves that those changes make for an overall fantastic "next-gen" game.