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With the new audio, battle effects, battle speed, auto-save, and new translations Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is the definitive way to experience the first two Suikoden games. My only hope is that the rest of the games in the series receive this treatment.
Knights in Tight Spaces feels like a clash of ideas more than a marriage. The more set in stone campaign style runs at odds with the repetition of a roguelite, resulting in the repetition of the core loop becoming trite faster than you would want. The economy of individual runs feels punishing, even on the normal difficulty, and the need to not only deal damage but avoid it too makes having multiple characters on the board slow down the pace of fights, which aren't quick to start. The strategy involved in getting through each fight is deep and rewarding to engage with, but so many aspects of Knights in Tight Spaces feel designed to prevent you from engaging with that strategy on a deeper level.
Never 7 is often overshadowed by the praise heaped upon its successor, Ever 17, and is considered to be the lesser of the two. It's not amazing or earth-shattering, it's simply... fine. Nevertheless, it offers a charming visual novel experience and deserves time to shine. It might be a fairly straightforward romance visual novel despite its time loop premise, but it's a fine story in its own right.
I’m impressed by Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog. It’s a great story with fun twists, lots of incredible art, and a few simple but rewarding puzzles. I never felt too encumbered or lost running around the JFS Gun-Dog. And the story culminated in a very interesting way that had me excited for future entries in the series.
Rogue Waters delivers an enjoyable mix of tactical ship combat and crew management with fun roguelike elements. However, its repetitive gameplay, predictable story beats, and flat progression system prevent it from being truly great. It’s a solid game for casual roguelike fans and pirate enthusiasts but lacks the depth and variety to keep players fully engaged long-term.
Despite a very slow start and some repetition across its routes, Ever 17 deserves its status as a classic. The occasional typos are unfortunate, but overall this remaster is a great opportunity to experience a clever and inventive visual novel.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is an excellent grouping of Yu-Gi-Oh! games that fans of the series should check out. The care and attention put into this by Digital Eclipse is palpable, making this a masterstroke collection of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s early days. Here’s hoping the console games and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX titles get this treatment, as this is the best way to play these classics.
Monster Hunter Wilds does an incredible job of balancing quality-of-life improvements and a streamlined system with the by design grind-focused gameplay loop. Newcomers will find this entry more approachable than previously, and veterans will find the new combat additions and combos offer plenty of depth to justify a new entry. The constantly changing environments make the world feel alive, and it creates a seamless connection between preparing and initiating a hunt. It's a tad easier than some will like, and the story is bland as hell, but the hunting is great, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Despite the technical issues I had, I still love Bloom & Rage and greatly anticipate Tape 2. The bombs dropped in Tape 1 make my heart ache. I love this broody high-school drama, brilliantly shown through the eyes of Swann Holloway. If you have any love for Life is Strange or adventure games, you need to play Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1. Remember 1995!
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is perhaps the goofiest Like a Dragon game to date, filled to the brim with thrills and laughs in equal measure. From the ridiculous and moving story to the seemingly endless amount of side content to take on, this is another example of just how excellent the Like a Dragon series so frequently is.
I'm happy to report that Avowed has the sauce, and this is perhaps Obsidian Entertainment at its absolute best. Every time I stepped away from the game to do something else, all I could think about was how much I wanted to step back into this world and find new things. The more I thought about the game, the more I enjoyed it. Avowed is a game that asks a lot of its players but delivers on it, too. It creates a unique sense of exploration while covering intense topics such as imperialism and nature preservation with a fun combat system that encourages you to try new things.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is one of the great modern adventure games. Though there’s a severe lack of freedom and simplicity in deduction, the ride was still very exciting. With a 15-hour play time, Urban Myth Dissolution Center doesn’t overstay its welcome. Anyone interested in adventure games, narrative-driven games, and mysteries owes it to themselves to play Urban Myth Dissolution Center.
Snezhinka is an arcade-style 2D shooter, focused on anime girls defending against waves of mechs on behalf of their authoritarian government. It's a strange game, but the atmosphere succeeds in its oppressiveness and the fast-paced gameplay keeps its simplicity from becoming tedium. It's a small package, but it offers a ton of fun for a few hours, knowing it's just as important to leave a good final impression as it is to have a strong first impression.
The Stone of Madness offers a unique blend of tactical stealth and psychological survival, set in an eerie Spanish monastery. While its mechanics create engaging tension, the game’s difficulty, trial-and-error structure, and technical issues might frustrate some players.
While Waiting is a cute, fun, and simple pick-up and play style game. A perfect title for handheld gaming that offers some replayability. The art style is very cute and the objectives are usually pretty interesting. While Waiting is most assuredly a well-crafted game I think most people would find enjoyable.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a delightful life sim that suffers from performance issues on the Nintendo Switch. The breadth of content to take part in is impressive, and the characters and dialogue are filled with charm. It’s a shame the technical performance is so all over the place because the game itself is a blast all around.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD doesn't have enough improvements from previous versions to justify its price tag, and areas like the cumbersome control scheme feel like they should have been improved for this version. The core platforming suffers from imprecise controls and a process of learning level layouts that feel frustrating thanks to long restart times. Mine cart and rocket barrel levels are a ton of fun, but tedious boss fights make this feel far from a definitive version of the game.
Ultimately, Cuisineer is a cozy experience that offers some simple roguelike combat and management gameplay. Neither is particularly great on their own, but together they do create an engaging, if ultimately shallow, experience. I can't recommend this to anyone who loves a challenging and deep roguelike, but if you enjoy cozy experiences and don't mind some slightly tougher combat, Cuisineer is a good enough time.
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles stands on the rougher side of Star Wars games from decades gone by. Though the new additions are a fun idea and the additional behind-the-scenes content is enlightening, the clunky gameplay makes this one harder to recommend than other recent Star Wars rereleases.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a strong sequel to what was perhaps Nippon Ichi’s most unique title. The characters are charming, the gameplay is robust and tactical, and while the unlockable methods of powering up may be slightly overwhelming, newcomers should manage just fine playing through.