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There is a lot of stylish hijinks flowing throughout Strange Brigade, which is really what makes the title work. It certainly plays better with friends, but it can be tackled solo as well. Decent weapon variety coupled with varied environments from one level to the next help to offset what is generally repetitive shooting gameplay broken up by puzzles that do help change the pace without ever really taxing my brain. Basically it is good at multiple things while seldom great at any of them. The end result is a rollicking adventure that occasionally frustrates but entertains more often than not.
A flawed protagonist and generally good voice acting compliment an interesting story and solid overall production values to create an interesting RPG-adventure hybrid in Call of Cthulhu. There are some rough edges to be had that might be a bit hard for some people to swallow at its AAA-ish price tag. Lovecraft / horror fans such as myself will likely find Call of Cthulhu to be time well-spent, but there are some rough edges that certainly do detract from the overall experience.
All in all the series has been great so far. With plenty of choices leading you to events in which you’re not quite certain how they could have been avoided, you sometimes realize that in order to do something it would have needed to be done way in advance and by the time it came calling, it was already too late. Adding in the new gameplay mechanics and revelations was honestly the cherry on top of an epic frosting which just makes me hope that the final episode will be able to at least keep pace, much less surpass, what the fourth has done.
Overall the game was good. It was short and sweet to the point. Each game is anywhere from 3-4 hours long and could easily be won in a single playthrough. The jumps are scary and the suspense is killer. Yomawari: The Long Night Collection get my score of 7.5 out of 10 for being cute and frightening.
While SoulCalibur VI probably will not be a top title in the eSports fighting scene, it has a solid enough online presence that should provide plenty of competitive gameplay. That being said, too often the fighting genre relies too heavily on online competition to give their games longevity. Kudos to the development team here for creating an incredibly robust single player experience that is worth coming back to time and again. This makes SoulCalibur VI my vote for best fighting game of 2019.
Essentially, Deep Sky Derelicts suffers from what is essentially a pacing whiplash, alternating between being rather bland and being rather addicting. If anything, I’d suggest trying to get some more variety in battles, whether that be on your own part or from the devs, and increasing the encounter rate, or at least providing an option to adjust it, to help make the game not feel like a purely exploration game instead of a turn-based strategy style. While certainly not for everyone, it does have the draw for those who enjoy turn-based, strategy, and deckbuilding style games. Those coming from Darkest Dungeon would also probably find Deep Sky Derelicts a good next step in their game list.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is exactly what the roleplaying genre needed; an excellent evolution to one of the most respected and beloved genres in gaming. Though there are plenty of little technical oddities, the level of detail put into every single aspect of Kingmaker is something many other studios should take note of; if you are looking to create a rich world that is utterly encompassing, then look to OwlCat's Pathfinder: Kingmaker. With a world full of consequence, for good or worse, with tactical combat, extremely deep character customization and growth, and some of the best micro-stories I have seen since The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is here to stay. Watch out Larian Studios, the Divinity franchise is no longer alone in its excellence. In fact with a little optimization, Pathfinder: Kingmaker can, and will, give you a run for its money …
Overall The Bard’s Tale IV is a great title. Well drawn environments, dialog and an awesome accompaniment of bardic music make it worth playing for long stints at a time. Adding in elements such as a customizable leveling up system in order to style your characters just right, and the rest of the adventure is simply waiting for you to explore it the way you want to.
Overall though, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption was a pleasure and a breath of fresh air for the style. While I absolutely love the Souls Series, Bloodborne and The Surge, not having to deal with the environments and instead having all of the effort put into epic boss fights made for a lot of fun and frustration that comes with having to learn and adapt that quickly to rapidly changing situations.
Overall, at least on the Switch, I could not get into Wasteland 2. Clunky controls combined with performance issues kept holding me back from even getting pasts the oddness that ranged combat could often have. I hope to revisit this soon upon a PC, but in the meantime, I'm feeling disappointed because it has been a title that I've been looking forward to for a long while and after reading Nick and especially Robert's reviews, I had expected to be blown away.
Megaquarium is a casual management game that challenges a player as they progress. In fact, it is a game that is suitable for all ages and is great to play after a stressful work day. It's relaxing, not taxing on computer systems, and amusing to play. I've dumped a good amount of time playing Megaquarium so, if casual management games are your jam, I highly recommend picking up this game!
As intricate as this game sounds I found myself glued to its strategic gameplay. The character sprites are adorable and the action and adventuring keeps the story lively. This game can also be played online with others and I highly recommend choosing this option once you're comfortable playing this game as the AI's fighter tend to be predictable after many rounds. This game is no more then 45 minutes per session and has achievement that you can unlock by playing multiple playthroughs. If you complete the achievement you are given a new bonus ability that you can use before the start of your next gameplay. Armello is nothing short of charming and I will gladly give this game a rating of 9.5 out of 10.
I've always been a huge fan of .Hack because it let me play an MMO in my solo single player style, offline, and, on my own time. CrossCode I feel has taken this a good notch higher and between the dialog, the dungeons, the exploration, the customizations, the puzzles and the visuals? It knocks it all out of the park for a hell of an experience that shows that the developers truly used their seven years to create something incredible.
Disgaea 1 Complete has a great history, and it is great fun revisiting this classic title with its new paint job and additional bells and whistles. There is something of a missed opportunity to add content to the core story or gameplay that does not occur here, but for an RPG / strategy fan such as myself, there is a lot of quality gameplay mixed with nostalgia that reminded me that even at fifteen years later, Disgaea does it better than most.
There have been some pretty big-named RPGs of late between games like Valkyria Chronicles 4, Dragon Warrior and even the re-release of Disgaea 1 this fall, which unfortunately overshadows METAL MAX Xeno quite a bit. That being said, there is something incredibly charming about this underdog title, with its complex progression systems, dystopian setting and colorful characters that should appeal to JRPG fans looking for something a bit different.
Shadows of Bögenhafen was a good excuse to load Vermintide 2 back up for a while as there have been other updates and additions since the last time that I had played after having covered it upon release. Other than the new scenery, there are also new cosmetics for those that want to change how they look and some new challenges available in which getting the rewards for are always fun. My only hope is that the next entry does something new like the older sets did with Vermintide as while I did enjoy the new stages and while they are good additions, it’s nothing new like what I know FatShark can pull off.
Whether into the first chapter and learning what is going on or into the last chapter where emotions have run both high for you and the cast of characters, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is fantastic. The way that the series has been designed continues to shine both for how it presents its story and for how it showcases its gameplay. The hybrid system continues to evolve without compromising what made it so great in the first place making hour thirty just as good as hour one, if not even better because of how far you’ve had to come with the amazing experience before you.
Knowing that I was walking into an abstract puzzle game, I wasn't quite prepared for what I received. Even at that, I found myself to be pleasantly surprised and challenged by this game. I tend to gobble puzzles for breakfast and some of these islands had me stumped. I love this game and would recommend it to all ages because of its art style, casual nature, and general concept. It does not have any violence, fighting, nor inventory management making it the perfect game for youth and adults to enjoy.
Shadows: Awakening has a lot of promise, but is held back by some clunky controls and awkward combat situations. While the realm swapping gimmick and multiple characters to switch between on the fly are certainly nice, there isn’t really anything else that truly sets it apart. If you’re up for something a little easier or different than Diablo, or you want an introduction to the genre, Shadows: Awakening would definitely interest you, although you may want to wait for it to go on sale.
Immortal: Unchained has a long way to go and though this may have been its full release, it really should still be in Beta as they tweak the engine to provide some semblance of the promised third-person shooter/hardcore action-RPG.