KeenGamer's Reviews
Dragon Ball FighterZ is by far the biggest fighting of this year, and it is only the start. This game boasts gorgeous visuals and amazing sound design. The gameplay can keep you engrossed for hours on end with plenty of content, alone or with friends. This is by far to the best time to get into fighting games, starting with this one. The only part of this game holding it back is a lackluster story and wonky online, but with the servers promised to be fixed soon these things are small missteps in this great advanced in fighting games. With BlazBlue cross tag releasing soon, and 8 more DLC characters confirmed for this game, Arc System Works is looking to take control of the fighting game scene.
Xenon Valkyrie+ introduces a very well-presented gameplay to Xbox. Beginning with a simple, but also interesting story. It lets the player quickly get into the battle without wasting time trying to get used to mechanics. Although permadeath can be a huge disappointment for casual players, there are multiple characteristics that made up for the difficulty in levels. The pixilated design puts bright colors on the screen, which looks great at all times. Finally, the soundtrack brings high-quality music to the adventure and is one of my favorite presentation elements in this game.
Civilization VI: Rise and Fall meets the incredibly high standard Civilization VI has set for itself. Hundreds of hours of gameplay with rich backstories meet hundres more hours of gameplay through the Rise and Fall expansion. There's more of everything. Everything feels inspired. Rise and Fall might not complete Civilization VI as a perfect game, but it adds an incredible amount of fun to your already awesome journey.
So, an open world Dynasty Warriors. One certainly must commend Omega Force for constantly trying to innovate with their games rather than just churn out the exact same thing with marginally improved graphics with every installment. However, as the most recent in a long-running series, it begs the question: should you buy this one with all of it's faults or should you just stick with the last one, which sticks closer to the formula that made the games so beloved? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. The combat is a lot smoother than in the past games, and though the characters can be a tad one-note and the dialogue can be a tad wooden there is more of an effort to show rather than tell, and of course the graphics have vastly improved. At the same time, the pace of the game outside of the combat is a lot slower, the voice acting really could use improvement, and of course the change of genre leaves just the one game mode and no local multiplayer. It feels more like an adventure than a war, which I'm sure would excite some fans while disappointing others. However, I'm not here to review the entire franchise, I'm here to review this one game. So for a moment let's erase all comparisons to past games. How is Dynasty Warriors 9 as it's own singular entity? Well, it certainly has it's faults, but it's definitely a ton of fun if a tad easy for an open world RPG. The combat is smooth and satisfying, the farming and crafting aspects may not be electrifying but they aren't annoying, the map is pretty large, and even the story and dialogue has the camp and occasional hilarity of one of those foreign B-movies you find on netflix so you grab some friends and a pizza and have a jolly good time laughing it up at the unintentional hilarity. Even the stuff in here that could annoy some, like the homemaking and the gathering, isn't something the game forces you to do, so you can just ride around like the unstoppable war machine you are. While the game may be a tad lackluster as far as being an entry in this particular series goes, as a game in it's own right I think Dynasty Warriors 9 is definitely worth checking out when it goes on sale. It has some good aspects, has some hilariously bad aspects. I can recommend it, but 60 bucks is a bit steep for B-movie camp. Aside from that, I think it's definitely a game to check out.
Starpoint Gemini Warlords brings an interesting dynamic of gameplay and mechanics due to the fact that it incorporates a crossover of genres that go from RPG to a 4X-based style. On the other hand, there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to audio features. This negative aspect of the game, aligned with the lack of depth in the characters background, can make it hard to stay engaged for long periods of time. Despite the listed issues, Starpoint Gemini Warlords succeeds in offering different quest options presented in either a story-campaign mode or an exciting free-roam scenario. Overall the best element found in Starpoint is the extensive array of features it combines to create a complete space exploration.
Furi is an indie gem that will push your limits and reward you in the best ways possible with its tough difficulty and creative fights. With every battle comes a new challenge and a new opportunity to prove yourself with the thrilling and satisfying combat system. Mix in the surprisingly deep story and the captivating soundtrack and you have an excellent experience that pushes its ideas to the edge with style. Instead of being a mess that tries too many things, Furi amazingly focuses its gameplay on only several bizarre elements, but perfects them and makes an adventure like no other that you won't forget. Any action fan would be doing themselves a displeasure to not at least give this game a try.
Monster Hunter World is a game-changer. It gives players an unprecedented amount of quality and lets them ride the incredibly fulfilling rollercoaster of gameplay all the way; until the very last upgrade. World is also a very personal journey of evolving your character and feeling every adversity that you choose to face. You will feel every triumph, recover steadily from every failure, and never feel your time is wasted. There may be a couple of glaring flaws such as the weak story and poor multiplayer matchmaking mechanics, but they pale in comparison to the greatness of the game. When another monster saves you at the last vestiges of your health, know that it is a dynamic and non-scripted game; when you have access to every weapon at the start, know that this is a game from a respected franchise that has retained its quality and player-driven content since the beginning. I will be on my two-hundredth quest and still know that, in my mind, Monster Hunter World is masterful.
Shadow of the Colossus has been my most favorite revisiting of a game in a long time. In a sea of quickly packaged remasters that only slightly improve, this one is a shining beacon of how to refresh the game right as every aspect that could be improved - was. All the while, the game didn't lose what made it special in the first place and became an even more essential part of the PlayStation library.
Celeste is a fantastic 2D platformer that pushes the boundaries of the genre. The trip up the mountain feels deeply immersive and personal and is loaded with beautiful moments and challenges that fit the tone of Madeline's personal struggles and trying to reach the peak of a mountain--whether real or figurative. The challenge can be downright frustrating at times, but due to frequent checkpoints, it's manageable to break down and triumph over even the most difficult rooms. It's fun and fluid to move Madeline around the screen, and the beautiful visuals and soundtrack are almost unmatched by modern 2D platformers. I definitely recommend playing with a d-pad, which made the Switch a frustrating option for me at times, but it didn't inhibit my enjoyment of the game all that much, and if anything, it turned me into an even better player. If you are afraid of the challenge, there are nice options to make the game easier, and if the game is too easy--by god, how?--then there are B-sides to find and unlock with offer harder variations of the stages. Celeste is a fun game and a deep experience for a platformer, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this become a 2018 game of the year contender. Celeste is definitely a game worth picking up.
As a platforming fan I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Candleman. Without a doubt, it has put Spotlighter Studios on my gaming news radar. They are clearly a team that possess original ideas and dare to execute them in a title that asks for very little of your money. With its relentless themes of mystery, satisfyingly "not quite casual" puzzle elements and gorgeous colour palette, Candleman will hypnotise you from start to finish. I would strongly recommend this game if you enjoy Rayman, Limbo or Little Nightmares.
BRAWL tries really hard to bring something new to the bomb blasting formula but for the most part, just ends up being a scarily average clone. There's a lot wrong with BRAWL but if you can get past that, this is an alright affordable alternative to Bomberman with an interesting theme and minor gameplay twists. While the story in this game suffers from many cliches and the game can feel terribly uninspiring and glitchy, the voice acting and art style help make up for this and make this explosive mess somewhat bearable. If you're interested in a different alternative to something like Super Bomberman R to shake things up, BRAWL might be worth a look for you, but otherwise, you'd probably rather be blown up than play this.
For a VR player looking for something different, Light Tracer is an absolute must. I don’t care if you’re a dyed in the wool first person shooter type. It matters not if your a young child or a grown adult. We VR headset owners have access to a library of games built by developers that are still trying to innovate and come up with smart ideas to leverage the tech medium in surprising new ways. For now, Light Tracer is one of those games. At less than half of typical asking price for videogames these days, go ahead and grab Light Tracer. Give yourself a pleasant surprise, as I did.
Nothing Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds does is particularly revolutionary, and I'm not sure quite what merited it "Most promising game"- perhaps simply because it's a Kickstarter title that isn't complete garbage. However, the thing that kept me playing was not the combat, soundtrack or the exploration elements; it was the story. I wanted to know what will happen next, to Finn, Aria and every other character you meet; through the dialogue alone you get a certain impression of each unique personality; Finn the newly-released, albeit blindingly subservient and confused, slave, partnering with a rather snobbish noblewoman and a studious and reserved Norn; each significant personality is quite memorable, and that alone is what has kept this game on my "things to play" list. Eventually- the list is already rather long.
In my last few words of this perhaps suitably long-winded review for such a long-winded game, I want to make something clear. All of my descriptions of these seemingly convoluted mechanics and length might lead some to think that this is a game for ‘experts,” people who have been playing JRPGs for years and thus know what to do. Not necessarily. If you have never played a JRPG, but you have a willingness to experience all that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has to offer with an open mind, you might just fall in love with a whole new genre. After all, that’s what happened when I played my first non-Pokémon JRPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X. I haven’t looked back since.
Although Post Human W.A.R. is still in its infancy stages in terms of public reception, the game has a lot unique features to offer fans of the tactical strategy genre. As well, the game has simple battle mechanics with a short learning curve for gamers new to the genre looking for a place to start. The game’s story is quirky and fun, giving the tactical strategy genre a naturalistic and post-apocalyptic flair free of zombies and the robotic singularities. Most of all, the game designers held nothing back in terms of graphics and sound. The game tutorials are well made, short and sweet. The in-game animations and sound effects suit the wackiness of the game and are unique enough to eliminate any feelings of redundancy, yet simple and quick enough that they don’t take too much time out of the game. All in all, Studio Chahut succeeds in creating a tactical strategy game unique enough to shield it from direct competition with heavy hitters like Starcraft while being interesting enough to warrant a play-through from serious tactical strategy gamers.
Tennis in the Face feels like a lazy port that was thrown on the Switch as a cash grab to take advantage of the platform's early success. Whilst the game itself runs fine, the lack of innovation or attempt to improve over other earlier mediocre ports is aggravating. It's a hollow experience that offers very little beyond the surface and other than a bit of mental stimulation from later, more challenging levels I can't honestly say I ever enjoyed myself playing this. I will reiterate that at just £4.49 it is fairly cheap but somehow still feels a little pricey. After all, it's £2.99 on iOS which is where it belongs in the first place. Is there any reason at all to spend the extra money to get this on a port that adds nothing of note to the original? No, not at all. Sadly, even its value on mobile is diminished as, whilst it works fine as a mobile title, its just such a saturated market filled with dozens of similar titles. At least with the Xbox One and PS4 versions I suppose you could get easy achievements and trophies which I'm sure some people valued but here, on Switch, such arbitrary accomplishments don't exist. With all of that considered, I can say without doubt that buying the Nintendo Switch port of Tennis in the Face would be a complete waste of both your time and money. I'll take back those words if we see effort to actually make this the definitive edition but I heavily doubt such improvements will ever come. For now this will remain as just another mediocre mobile port on a system that didn't need it.
I've played better, but also far worse than Fallen Legion+. I didn't force myself to keep playing, but at the same time now that I'm done I can't say I'm going to miss it. The combat was fast-paced, but also messy. The story has a solid framework, but it doesn't do much to draw in the player. The graphics and audio are nice, but not nice enough to make up for the other glaring issues. I'd describe it best as a "sale game." Something you get during the Steam Summer Sale when it's 50 or 75 percent off, you just got your paycheck, and you need to buy something inoffensive to satisfy the feeling that you need to jettison some cash right now. I was never offended that they would dare put this on the digital shelves, but it isn't for everyone. Not a perfect experience, but I liked it fine.
Super Mario is back! Jump into a fun adventure that combines best parts of previous Mario games and adds a few excellent mechanics that further elevate what was already a juggernaut of platforming experience. Odyssey puts Super into Super Mario.
Cuphead has long been in development; but, upon its reveal, it stunned people due to its unique art style. After releasing late last month does its style is still as impressive as before. But beneath that, is an addictive platforming and boss rush game that pummels you with challenges whilst simultaneously rewarding you with said challenges.
Forza Motorsport 7 is Microsoft's latest in their annual racing game series. Previously an Xbox exclusive, more recent titles have been ported across to PC courtesy of Xbox Play Anywhere. With there being a huge market gap on PC for collection focused simcade racing, does Forza 7 deliver the experience we've all been waiting for?