Reno Gazette-Journal
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With a protagonist seeking to balance his dark instincts with his remaining humanity, it's interesting how Vampyr faces an inner struggle of its own. On one hand, the storytelling is excellent, delivering another great narrative from DONTNOD that forces players to make tough choices. On the other hand, the combat is a bit uneven and doesn't quite reach the same heights. It certainly has promise, though, and hopefully marks a return by DONTNOD to making games that add action to its narrative touch.
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is a tale of two games. The storytelling is excellent and top notch, featuring the exact kind of humor and charm that fans of the series adore. The gameplay, however, lacks polish and can feel cumbersome, which is a bummer. While it won’t be for everyone, fans of the series who are willing to go through less than perfect gameplay likely will still enjoy it for its original story, which definitely does justice to the source material.
Tropical Freeze is easily one of the best controlling games I've ever played. If you get stressed out by bottomless pits, disintegrating platforms and precision jumps, then get down on all fours and run away from this game as far as you can. If you welcome such challenges and love old-school platforming and goofy characters and bosses, however, then you'll go bananas over Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Funky Kong's addition to the Switch version is also a nice touch that makes things a bit more manageable.
Detective Pikachu is certainly a game out of left field. I mean, who would have thought that you'd ever play a game with a crime-solving Pikachu who sounds like a middle-age man? Admittedly, the preponderance of QTEs and lack of a battle system worthy of the Pokemon name feels like a missed opportunity. Its characters also feel a bit too vanilla. If the idea of a Pokemon-inspired Ace Attorney or Professor Layton type game intrigues you, however, then Detective Pikachu is a family-friendly title worth investigating.
There will be people who will absolutely love Sea of Thieves and the unbridled freedom it provides. Others, however, will be left wanting more. Although the game looks great and has a solid foundation, it's missing key pieces to bring together its more solid elements. It certainly has its flashes of brilliance and can be a blast when played with a group of friends. A poor solo experience, however, combined with a lack of diversity as far as things to do, make its waters seem shallower than initially expected.
After a long absence, Kratos manages to beat his toughest opponent yet: loss of relevance. Kratos' latest adventure takes risks by re-imagining what a God of War game is supposed to be, ultimately rewarding players with a wonderfully, refreshing take on the longstanding franchise. The changes in combat and perspective will admittedly be polarizing to series purists. If you get beyond that, though, God of War is not just the best game in the series, it's one of the best games ever made, period.
The fittingly titled “Yakuza 6: The Song of Life” gives beloved protagonist Kazuma Kiryu his swan song as the Dragon of Dojima picks one final fight. The new combat will admittedly be hit or miss for folks and the story doesn’t quite stack up to the series’ best. Despite that, however, Yakuza 6 remains a stellar entry in Sega’s open-sandbox, crime drama formula that also manages to retain the the franchise’s charm, heart and — more importantly — tacky karaoke stylings.
Far Cry 5 hits the scene with arguably the best open-world experience of the series in quite some time with a large region to explore backed by solid combat and Triple-A production values. Its narrative, however, can be quite polarizing and its selection of endings can leave some people questioning the effort they invested in guiding the protagonist toward the story's conclusion. So do you value the journey or the destination? Ultimately, the satisfaction you get from Far Cry 5 rests on your answer to that question.
As someone who loves Monster Hunter, Phantasy Star Online and the Lost Planet spin-off E.X. Troopers on the 3DS, I found “Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet” to be surprisingly enjoyable. It still lacks polish in some areas and its anime-style look and story won’t be for everyone. If you’re looking for an MMO-inspired third-person shooter with old-school loot hunting and grinding plus online co-op, however, Fatal Bullet just might hit all the targets in your brain’s pleasure centers.
As helter-skelter as the game can be at times there will be folks who will love The 25th Ward. I mean, I personally tuned out of Evangelion toward the end but there are folks who love that series' confusing and, at times, raw and disturbing style. If you love games with an aesthetic and plot akin to an M.C. Escher lithograph, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case will be right up your alley. Or inverted stairs.
After feeling a bit underwhelmed by the first game, I found The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 to be surprisingly enjoyable. Granted, the dungeon combat can feel clunky and repetitive and the English localization seems to be trying too hard to be edgy at times. A nice mix of that Nippon Ichi charm and humor on top of its darker, witchy elements, however, makes this worth sampling from your gaming cauldron, particularly if you like more niche JRPG titles.
The beloved pink puffball returns in Kirby Star Allies, this time with the ability to recruit friends into battle. As a Kirby game, this one is accessible as ever and the addition of couch co-op as well as extra modes is welcome for families. It’s a still a bit too easy as far as platformers go and the AI can be inconsistent at times. For Kirby fans, though, Star Allies delivers another charming platformer that will suck your time. It's an adorable, family-friendly romp for the young and young at heart.
Frantics carries on the tradition of party games with its kooky cast and sabotaging shenanigans. The mobile device requirement adds an extra element to gameplay but also serves as a barrier to entry. The final minigame competition for each set of challenges can also feel unfair at times. That being said, Frantics offers a solid selection of activities for you to undertake against friends and family. If you love the minigame genre and engaging in friendly sabotage, this’ll be worth checking out.
For a game that I pretty much had to drag a reluctant cousin into, A Way Out surprisingly found a way in into our hearts. It’s certainly not perfect and it has its share of hiccups from both a narrative and mechanical standpoint. A fun co-op experience (koala-hugging above the skies of Mexico!) combined with an interesting story that features a surprise twist at the end, however, made us root hard for both Leo and Vincent as their journey headed toward its shocking climax. For the best experience, I recommend playing it with someone right next to you.
I waited 13 long years to finally play Shadow of the Colossus. All I can say is, boy, was it worth the wait. It's undoubtedly a timeless classic that resonates even today.
Despite the solid foundation laid by Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Survive trips before crossing the finish line thanks to some questionable decisions with some of its mechanics and microtransactions. It's a shame as there are some good and fun things in here that could have given birth to an excellent survival game. In the end, however, Survive just can't seem to figure out exactly what kind of game it wants to be.
Overall, I loved my time with No No Kuni 2, thanks to its wonderful character designs, charming story and enjoyable game mechanics. The narrative isn't quite as chunky as the first game, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on whether you like long expositions or want some more balance between story and gameplay. Some plot points also admittedly feel a bit hurried and Evan can sound unrealistically Pollyanna-ish at times. Likable characters, a plethora of side activities, fun combat and solid storytelling, however, make Ni No Kuni 2 a must-have game for folks who pine for the Golden Age of classic JRPGs. It's the perfect chaser after Persona 5.
Cereza continues to age well as "Bayonetta 1 + 2: Switch Collection" brings Platinum's high-octane franchise to Nintendo's latest system for new players and series fans alike. Folks who already own both games might not have much reason to get it unless they want to experience the Bayonetta series again on the go. For action game lovers who never played either game before, getting this is pretty much a no-brainer. Now bring on Bayonetta 3.
A retro art style, charming characters and intriguing gameplay that mixes action platforming with tower defense makes Aegis Defenders a welcome addition to the genre. Floaty controls combined with a punishing solo experience, however, take away some of the sheen from its otherwise solid concept. To get the best Aegis Defenders experience, I recommend finding a co-op buddy to play with.
Compared to the great fighting games we've seen as of late, Dissidia NT feels a bit slow and slightly dated. It's still a solid fighter and lovers of Final Fantasy games over the years will appreciate its dream roster and beautiful character designs. That being said, its brand of technical combat won't be for everybody and its luster is also outshone by several excellent rivals in the suddenly competitive fighting game space.