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As far as sequels go, Demon Gaze II hits the mark as it manages to improve on almost every aspect of the original game. The Dungeon Crawler genre is not the easiest type of game to get into, but Demon Gaze II deserves some credit for not only being a well-polished title for veterans of the genre, but also being pretty approachable for newcomers as well.
As the name of the game implies, 8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume One is about as old-school as you are going to get. Obviously this package is not going to be for everyone. However, if you are like me and enjoyed these classic adventure titles on the NES years ago, 8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume One is probably worth a look.
I mean, it's a Mario game - right? Nintendo was not going to screw this up, even if some of their entries have been better received than others, the pudgy ex-plumber has been treated with Nintendo with a great deal of care over the years and the whimsical adventures he has gone on resonate with gamers far more often than not. Even with these ridiculous expectations in mind, it is safe to say that Super Mario Odyssey is quite the accomplishment, putting a fantastic exclamation point on what has been a really strong 2017 for both Nintendo and the Switch.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a worthy sequel to the original Shadow of Mordor game in many ways, but it manages to fall short in a handful of others that are impossible to completely dismiss. That is a shame, since Mordor was my contender for Game of the Year when it released, and I had high, similar hopes for Shadow of War that unfortunately doesn't reach those lofty expectations I had hope for.
To its credit, Creeping Terror has something of a unique premise in presenting the usual hide-from-the-horror gameplay in a 2D perspective. Unfortunately just about everything else that the game has to offer is pretty much what I expected from the genre.
I’m not sure about any of you reading this, but I was a huge fan of the first Demon Gaze, even playing through the bonus dungeon that was more than a little bit of a pain in the arse. Especially Luna’s cell. Demon Gaze II is a weird type of sequel, where the events of the first game are followed but not needed to be really known about until the epilogue, although knowing the first game will definitely make some of the recurring characters a lot more hilarious. Like the first Demon Gaze, Demon Gaze II follows the dungeon crawling experience its predecessor left, making a lot of changes and improvements, almost all of which I was glad to see.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an interesting throwback title, because it reminds me of what made Fire Emblem such an enduring video game series with many traits that have trickled down through the years. However, there are some unique aspects to the game as well, that also shows me how much the series has grown as well.
Being a big fan of Omega Force and the fact that they've made Hyrule Warriors (and all the rest of the core and spinoff series) I had high expectations for their take on Fire Emblem. Now while I came away pleased with the experience I wasn't wowed like I've been in the cases of Hyrule, Berserk, Arslan or Dragon Quest. Unfortunately in this case Fire Emblem plays it a bit safe and Warriors feels like a faster take on the ideas implemented by Heroes on the mobile.
Forza Motorsports has been THE approachable racing simulator for over a decade now and Forza Motorsports 7 continues that trend. With an obscene number of cars (over 700!), Forza Motorsports 7 is not only the most advanced and graphically impressive, but also the largest and most varied. The downside to the massive scale is that there are a number of things that just do not make sense, which is unfortunate because Forza Motorsports 7 could be the best of the franchise, but a few puzzling decisions by Turn10 take it down a peg from "near perfect" to "good, but not the best…"
Everything about Deer Hunter: Reloaded feels like a mockery of hunting and gamers that happen to enjoy hunting. From the horrific animations to pointless single-track mobility to the fact that you can simply game the system by fast traveling between areas to refresh their animals. Though it may be something of a port of the mobile Deer Hunter, what we have on Xbox One is a mess of bad animations, unrealistic bullet physics, and a near-identical acquisition yet horrific attempt at Rebellion's signature X-Ray slow motion Kill Cam is laughably bad. If you truly despise someone, Deer Hunter: Reloaded would be the perfect gift to give them.
theHunter: Call of the Wild totes itself as offering "the most immersive hunting experience ever created" and while it has more than its share of charm, to label it as such is a bit steep. Whether you are trekking through the American Pacific Northwest at the Layton Lake District hunting reserve, or you are slumming through the Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve, a digital re-representation of German farmlands, theHunter: Call of the Wild is fun at first, but devolves into a mind-numbing walk through the 50-square mile, Apex-generated environment that tends to drive you to bored wandering. It sure is pretty though.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is full of surprises. Some people may bemoan the cutesy art style and complain how its not real enough to be a horror experience. However, Yomawari: Midnight Shadows certainly knows how to convey a sense of dread - an impressive feat for a title that really adheres more to a show than tell approach.
Revenant Saga as a throwback RPG adventure that gets more right than wrong and while it has seen releases on a handful of platforms, I think the Nintendo Switch is actually a very natural home for this recently released title.
Elex is a fascinating attempt to blend the likes of an open world RPG with the ideas that so brilliantly make the Soul’s series combat what it is. Shot down from the sky by one of his own, Jax sets out for revenge with nothing more than a bent pipe in the post meteor struck world of Magalan.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a love story to 90's JRPGs merged with one of the most recognizable names in comics, Joe Madureira. Based on "Joe Mad's" own Battle Chasers comic line, Nightwar is a gorgeous dungeon-diving affair with a story that is instantly familiar to old fans of the franchise. Unfortunately what would largely be a stunning and extremely approachable game with affable characters, excellent pacing, and tons of replayability due to its randomly-generated dungeon, is a hot mess of technical issues. Given another two or three months of QA testing and Battle Chasers: Nightwar would be a contender for best RPG of the year.
Heliborne is an interesting beast, taking elements of MMOs and mixing it with vehicular combat. This gives it a leg up in the gaming community, if only due to its rather unique premise (though it is reminiscent of World of Tanks - but with more speed and airborne antics). The gameplay loop here is addictive and the game is well enough designed that it is fun to play despite some so-so presentation values.
If you were a fan of the first game, then you should feel right at home with the recently released Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon. It brings back most of what I enjoyed about the first game - the interesting world, the enjoyable combat and the lovely visuals. I just wish that Gust would have taken a few more chances with this sequel along the way.
There is a whole lot to like about this latest release from 4A Games, the makers of the Metro titles. Arktika.1is incredibly polished, it looks fantastic and perhaps most importantly, nails the desired atmosphere through details large and small to create a very memorable virtual reality experience.
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The original 88 Heroes has been out for some time, but we've gotten a newer, shinier version of the game out for the Nintendo Switch now. 88 Heroes: 98 Heroes Edition is fun for short sessions of arcade fun, but does not have enough depth to keep me coming back for more, despite a pretty cool premise.