Gaming Gamma
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Pokken Tournament is a fun fighting game that is perfect for casual play. While there is depth, and it can be a very competitive game, some players may find it too simple, and repetitive. The art direction is great, and the visual effects are a sight to behold. The new features are impressive and improve on some of Pokken’s biggest problems on Wii U.
Tokyo Xanadu is a game I really wanted to enjoy. Not to say that I don’t like it, because I do, but I was expecting a bit more. For what it eventually excels at in dungeon design, it lacks in combat. For what it excels at in world building, it fails in originality and almost feels by the book. I’m not sure what Falcom was trying to accomplish by trying to make Tokyo Xanadu a derivative of their Trails franchise. I’m not happy or even upset that they do, but what they do leave me as, is very confused.
"Mario Sports Superstars" is a very competent sports collection for the Nintendo 3DS. It is great for quick pick-up-and-play; whether in single player or multiplayer, each of the five games are run in their own right. The only issue I can truly find with this game is that each of the games could have been fleshed out more, or offered better rewards for grinding through the single player content. Nevertheless, I can recommend this game for anyone looking for a good sports collection to play on the 3DS. But, if you are only a fan of one of these sports, your best bet is to just find the Mario game that is dedicated to them.
Taking everything in to account, “Berserk and the Band of the Hawk” is a decent Dynasty Warriors spinoff and an excellent Berserk game the fans have been eagerly awaiting. There are a few nitpicks as well as some weird design choices that might hold some people back from enjoying the game to its fullest; but, if you can enjoy an extreme power trip with memorable characters and a shocking story, this is one game definitely worth checking out.
Overall, Paper Mario: Color Splash is quite a remarkable experience despite some ideas falling flat. The sluggish battle system hinders the gameplay as a whole, despite the amount of fun I had exploring each level. It may not be the sequel to the ever beloved Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, but I’m glad I played it.
The Caligula Effect Overdose has some of the most inventive combat I have ever played in a turnbased JRPG. If you can get beyond the grind a lot of the dungeons feel like and the poorly implemented social systems, you will be treated to amazing combat, great music, wonderful character interactions and a story that will really make you think.
Overall, I had a really good time coming back to the series after the last entry left such a bad taste in my mouth. One might even say, my faith has been Re:Newed. Outside of some technical issues that can easily be patched out, it felt good going back to the start of the franchise with a couple gameplay tweaks. If this is meant to be a preview for how 7Even goes, I can’t wait.
Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition takes some of the best aspects of Zelda and musou games and blends them into a somewhat monotonous but mostly fulfilling experience. Fans of the Wii U release and newcomers will appreciate what they have added here. With terrible handheld performance and a lot of repeating levels being its only major drawbacks, this is definitely the better of the two Nintendo Warriors games.
Overall, if the game wasn’t so talkative when going from dungeon to dungeon and if the character designs were a bit better, I’d honestly have a better time. More so if the game didn’t make me feel like I was only going from story beat to story beat to story beat every time I beat a dungeon it would have made it a bit more enjoyable. This isn’t to say that the game is even remotely bad however as the dungeon crawling itself is a ton of fun here. While I do wish I could see the turn order in battles, it’s really no big deal. The fact that what moves my teammates will learn and when they’ll learn them is a pretty big plus in my eyes.
Rock of Ages 2 improves on the first game in almost every way. Aside from mostly lackluster boss fights, and a sound design experience that doesn’t have any impact or memorability, the sequel does what every sequel should do by raising the bar on what mechanics already exist instead of trying to make a flurry of new ones nobody asked for. For a small team indie game, you can’t ask for much more than that.
What you have with Dark Rose Valkyrie feels like two different things. On one hand, the story is very well done and comes across as almost like a visual novel, mixed with a JRPG that misses the mark and a lot of potential. That said, Dark Rose Valkyrie is definitely a good game if you are looking for something to beef up your JRPG collection with.
Overall, Atelier Firis is probably one— if not the most ambitious— entries into the franchise. Following Firis through her journey and seeing how excited she gets is a great reminder that games like these are amazing. The character interaction, battles, and alchemy all mesh together to create a story about a cute girl that seriously wanted some fresh air.
Omega Force proves once again they can cater to a franchise’s main fanbase while honoring the more niche iterations in the series. Though the story suffers from the cliche writing and tropes JRPGs are often made fun of for, it can’t bring down the well crafted game found here. There are tons of content, and tons of characters; an improvement on the first game in almost every way.
Overall, Birthday’s the Beginnings is an interesting new IP from Wada-san. While it fails to capture the same magic as the “Story of Seasons” series has managed to, he was still able to create a game that could be seen as (almost) as relaxing. Despite some control issues and fighting with the game’s own mechanics, I found myself really enjoying this game.
In short, it is safe to say the gameplay for Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star fits very well with how the story is set to progress this time around, thanks to a more central focus on the action and events in those moments.
Overall, Metroid Prime Federation fails to give a truly atmospheric experience due to its presentation being held back by the art style they chose. The gameplay more than makes up for the downsides and is definitely worth getting if you’re looking for a fun experience.
If you’re a long term Ys fan, sure the story content may not be to your liking, but as it’s own thing, once the game lets you go out and explore, it’s one of the best in terms of gameplay.
If those rough edges were fixed, then the game would be held in a higher regard. But for what is there, coming from the fundamentally flawed Natural Doctrine comes the fundamentally solid God Wars. Due to the fact that the game has been delayed several times to fix bugs and even include user feedback, it shows that Kadokawa was truly dedicated to making the battles the best they could possibly be and it sure does show. If there is ever a sequel for God Wars, I’ll be right there waiting.
Hey! Pikmin feels more like a side entry to the main Pikmin series than some simple spin off. I really enjoyed everything this game tried to do, and I honestly feel like with a bit of reworking Hey! Pikmin could have been a game to be held up there with the original trilogy.
Overall, Bomberman fans are going to enjoy this entry. It is everything a fan could want out of the game, and while it is an incredibly safe attempt, it was still enjoyable. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on when buying a Nintendo Switch.