KeenGamer's Reviews
I have to say I really didn't know what to expect from this game when I first came into it, but I ended up enjoying it massively. Once you get into the swing of it and just accept Maize for the odd little story that it is, you'll find yourself being happy for spending the time in it that you did. The characters throughout are all wonderful in their own special little ways (even the ones you don't actually meet), the story is great at keeping you guessing right until the last moment and the whole thing has been very well put together.
Is The Keeper of 4 Elements a good game? I had my doubts at first, but yes. Yes, it is. It harkens back to a simpler time, and does it well. If, like me, you have fond memories of playing these sorts of games in school, or perhaps rushing home to play them on your Toshiba laptop, then you'll most likely enjoy this title. However, in an era of gaming where Micro-transactions are everywhere, and monetization of almost everything plagues gaming titles, it is a severe shame that this game had to be sold for a profit when it is available elsewhere completely free. It isn't a question of how much it costs, but rather integrity and respect for the customer.
The Dwarves had so much potential that it pains me to have actually played what it ended up being due to how torn I feel about it in the end. It was a title I had kept an eye on for months in anticipation, but in the end my hopes and expectations weren't met. There's a chance that perhaps I had them too high, or that I'm being too hard on it, but it truly felt like a bit of a let down. The technical issues are extremely frequent, and I saw the stuttering within seconds of moving my guy for the first time. On the plus side, the fantasy tale and characters are amazing and just as awesome as anyone could hope for.
Dead Rising 4 is an amazing game, it does all things right and gives the player a great feel of the original. It's almost an updated version of Dead Rising, and there's even a good amount of references to the first game as well. There is a lot of killing to do and a lot of damage to deal with the exaggerated combo-items. If you're looking for an action-packed, zombie-slaying, destroy-anything-in-your-path game, then this is the one for you. For once, you can like the main character and laugh at his jokes. So go out there, make your own personalized Frank West and kill some zombies with some odd-like combo weapons! And remember to take a lot of selfies! Because you've covered wars, you know.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is exactly what the series needed; a gorgeous-looking, classic-feeling, adventure that was made to be played 1080p at 60fps on current consoles and even PC. It's light-hearted but fun story will take players to multiple areas that will feel open for exploration, boss fights that will feel outmatched yet unique, and interactions that will be funny and pretty meaningful. It all works together perfectly and gives players a truly fun adventure to dive into, almost playing out like a cartoon show. If you're a fan of the side-scrolling platform games, a fan of the Shantae series, or just interested in enjoying a colorful and lighthearted game, this title is a great option to add to your collection sooner or later.
But the stuff I approve of certainly outweighs the stuff I don’t. The gameplay is fundamentally fun and will certainly appeal to those who like their games rough and ready, the decent storytelling manages to dance around being pretentious without ever actually falling into that trap, and anything that is both somewhat experimental and rather low-priced is always going to earn a thumbs up from me, big hauteur indie snob that I am. Happy to recommend, just keep those blood pressure pills close to hand.
If you like mysteries, sci-fi, or puzzle adventure games, you will enjoy Subject 13. We are very impressed with what the developers have created and look forward to their next work.
But the question you have to ask yourself is this: would I buy this game? There isn't much replay value, but it can entertain for a few hours and it is a break from the traditional and more mainstream kind of games that we all have been buying and playing for so many years now. But we don't think we would buy it, no. Even for a game that presents itself as a relaxing and calm experience, it isn't that relaxing or calm at times. Trying to figure out the controls before we plugged in our controller wasn't the most relaxing of experiences, and you can imagine our surprise when we decide to pause for the evening in the middle of our game only to find that we'll have to restart everything. If we had to sum it up in one quick sentence, we would describe Lantern as 'like if China did a stress coloring book.' But we think the pros here outweigh the cons just enough for us to give it a solid six out of ten.
We enjoyed launching a game that we can jump right in and play, one that'll fulfill our need for twitch-combat goodness and edge-of-my-seat competition, and Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet fits the bill. Some are bound to be turned off by the low-polygon count and lack of fancy storylines, but the gameplay allows for barrels of strategy and quick rounds that can go either way until the very end. Each match is like a close superbowl heading into the final stretch, and that's what every fighting game should strive to achieve.
FourChords Guitar Karaoke has one purpose, to teach players the basics of playing the guitar, and to that end, it works superbly. However, those who can already play well and want to take their average skills to the next level won't find much of worth here. It certainly isn't perfect, but there's a lot that Musopia have done right with FourChords. The game is beautifully put together and it's really incredibly easy to follow the instructions given. Not everyone who picks up a guitar has aspirations of being the next Jimi Hendrix. Some just want to have some fun making good music, and it's for them that FourChords Guitar Karaoke was created. We enjoyed our time with this game, even though our fingers took a beating between playing and writing this review. We have to mention that we could already play a little, so getting started was rather effortless. Our musical talents are limited, but the tools here were able to help us improve somewhat. Those who've never played before will have a more difficult time at the start, but they too should be jamming away before long. This is probably one of the few games we'll continue playing after our review is done, and that's saying something.
Aside from the few technical issues we mentioned, the game was top notch as always. It seemed longer than other episodes. We have yet to play episode 5, but a friend and fellow gamer told us that episode 5 is one hour long. The episodes were said to be 20 minutes long. Episode 3 was easily half an hour. So be prepared to have a good amount of time set aside come episode 5.
At best, Fate/Extella is kinda competent game that fans of the franchise will enjoy. It's not broken and can be simple, mindless fun in short bursts. But those not familiar with the franchise it's based on will be left in the dust. If you're a hardcore fan of Fate/Stay Night or Dynasty Warriors, you've probably decided whether or not Fate/Extella is for you. Those on the fence shouldn't really bother with this title.
Overall we think WWE 2K17 has improved so many features and polished the gameplay to make 2K17 a well-needed success to bring the 2K series back to solid ground. Take into account the added features and a huge roster; this installment has ticked many of the boxes fans were looking for when this title got announced. WWE 2K17 is a truly refreshing chapter in this franchise, and with a few tweaks, we think they will have a solid showing next year. We give this game an 8/10.
All in all, it’s a simple turn-based JRPG with a unique setting and silly mechanic for leveling up the cast, with some fairly generic presentation in terms of sound and the art for the overworld, with the quality coming in from the unique character interactions, setting and punishment scenes. Fans of whipping cute girls will find it very enjoyable, while some of the more hardcore JRPG fans might find the combat system interesting enough to give it a run through, but for anyone else, it’s hard to recommend. There’s not much there for people who aren’t JRPG fans already in terms of being able to bring in new players, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Honestly, Pokémon Sun is fine. Think of it as some solid fun that certainly could’ve been a bit meatier, but otherwise feels like a cautious return to form after a few less-than-stellar entries in the franchise. What we need now is for this growth and development to keep going, for Game Freak and Nintendo to keep adding new stuff that can become a permanent mainstay of the series, not a series of discardable gimmicks, like somebody dangling their keys in front of a crowd of magpies. Buy a copy if you always liked the series, but if you didn’t, this is unlikely to change your mind.
We desperately wanted to love Super Dungeon Bros. The characters are phenomenal, and the game's design is something to remember. Unfortunately, the rest of the game is let down by sub-par gameplay mechanics, unbalanced weapons and a complete lack of variety. Playing the solo campaign starts out too easy and quickly becomes way too difficult for one person to handle which means you'll need to play with your friends to get the most out of this game. Unfortunately, there have been numerous reports of issues with the multiplayer mode such as no players being available to join a game or the game itself constantly freezing up. It does seem like the developers have cleared most of these up but even when running smoothly, the multiplayer mode does little to excite.
"2D retro-inspired platformer" is something we hear a lot nowadays, this game falls into that category. We can't be the only group sick of this type of graphical style. But regardless of that, Bard's Tale doesn't really amount to anything. We've seen all of this done before and done better, so without anything unique then what's the point in playing? There isn't an end goal to the game as far as we are aware, the game just pads itself out for as long as possible, upping the difficulty instead of throwing something unique at us. Those that are much more acquainted with dungeon crawlers and platformers may enjoy this game a lot more than us, but judging from what we played, we can't say we would want to go back to it unless to wrap up the rest of the easy gamerscore. But even for those more experienced platform players, the nonsensical platforming may be far too easy.
Disgaea 2 is definitely an enjoyable experience if you're into story-driven games or JRPGs in general. However, there is very little (if any) in the way of open-world exploration, so if you're expecting something along the lines of Final Fantasy, you'll be disappointed. Equally, if you're not into combat or turn-based strategies, you should probably give it a miss; it's essentially all that the gameplay consists of. While we seem to be ruling out a lot of people and insinuating that the game is niche, we actually think it's just the opposite; the story is much more interesting than many Western titles, and it's sprinkled with humour which will connect with both anime/JRPG fans and the uninitiated alike. Often, we found ourselves wanting to speed through the combat as quickly as possible (to the detriment of strategy and progress), just so that we could see what happens next. Disgaea 2 PC has a perfectly acceptable reduced price tag of £14.99; had it been a full-price game, we would have found its appearance, personally, unacceptable, but its retail price places it amongst numerous indie titles and older games. It's definitely worth a purchase if you like JRPGs and even turn-based strategies, and obviously, if you've liked other titles in the series, then it's a no-brainer. As a port, it's very good and runs smoothly (though for us, every time we quit the game, it decided to stop responding; whilst irritating, that's the point of quitting anyway). However, if you've played Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories or Dark Hero Days, and still own it, we suggest waiting until you find this version cheap, perhaps in the Steam Summer Sale; as far as we can tell, there's no brand-new content added exclusively for the PC version, which means that buying it again would simply be a nostalgia trip. In the meantime, we advise you dust down your old PS2 or PSP and play that instead; but If you no longer own those and miss playing it, then Nippon Ichi have produced the perfect solution, for new and returning gamers alike.
All in all, Dungeon Souls is the sort of game that fans of the genre will enjoy. It offers a very solid amount of heroes, items, and levels to explore, as well as the novel inclusion of crafting, which helps replay-ability. The game greatly shines with its 'pick up and play', straightforward gameplay that rewards the player each time they come back. The retro style graphics and sound nostalgia juxtapose nicely with the modern style progression system and RPG elements. The game is worth a buy at its budget price and is an absolute must for fans of rogue-likes.
Dead Effect 2 is rough around the edges, but anyone can see the potential in it just by playing a few of the missions. The gameplay felt like a first person shooter game made for the PS2 or early PS3 (when in actuality it was originally made for mobile devices), with stiff controls and predictable enemy actions. We never felt as though the older style of gameplay was a lack of development or creativity, but rather its own style that felt closer to a sense of nostalgia for us. It was developed by a small team, so its comparison to AAA titles should be nonexistent and is immediately noticeable by the price point of $11.99 across all platforms. Co-op is a major concern to some players (including ourselves), so it was disappointing, to say the least, that, on consoles, the game lacked the option to play in such a way when it was included on Steam.