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Though fans of the series will feel right at home with the latest release, those that are not familiarly with the world and the stories of the main characters may feel a bit left out, even though there are a few attempts at explaining the backlog of events interspersed in the first hour or so of the game. With its wonderful visuals, compassionate, if naive story and character development, plethora of customization options, and wonderful relationship builder wrapped up into a universe that is beloved by many, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a fun action-RPG romp that does an amazing job masquerading around as an MMO.
While the game definitely won’t appeal to a very wide player base, it certainly isn’t poor. Disproportionately cleavaged characters and all, I’d call this something of a guilty pleasure game. While I may not go out boasting about it, according to the trophy system apparently I am now officially “The Best of the Breast” and “The Backdoor King”, but I certainly had fun playing it.
The style of gameplay of the Killing Floor 2 will not be for everyone. It’s a team based First Person Shooter that prioritizes teamwork and competition instead of PVP. For those that enjoy these style of situations it’s worth checking out especially if you are a group of friends looking for a friendly bit of competition as to whom is better than whom.
New Retro Arcade: Neon is a cool experience, but like any software that serves as a framework, you're going to get out of it what you put in. The interface is not terribly user-friendly and it will require some research to get the hang of customizing your own personal arcade, but the end results are pretty satisfying. If you're not comfortable with this modification aspect of the title or don't want to sink some time into it, then New Retro Arcade: Neon is probably not for you since as a plug-and-play game it is rather lacking overall.
From the gorgeous, if tired, brown-infused broken environments of Tiers to the colorful noble classes and shabby peasants, every aspect of Tyranny redefines what it means to be a great cRPG title. Incredibly memorable and haunting overtures play softly in the background as the apocalyptic-ly hostile world swirls around you in a bevy of an ambient aural explosion that is deep enough that you can almost feel the dusty, rust-filled Blade-Grave to the soaring and ancient Spires, every moment in Tyranny is truly a moment to behold. The attention to detail and push for a world that feels both truly alive while simultaneously feeling broken and defeated is marvelous and truly a work of art. It is without a doubt that future generations of gamers will look upon Tyranny with the same grounded, yet awe-inspiring greatness that we currently see when we look back onto Baldur's Gate II.
All of the traditional gameplay mechanics from AZS1 (the OG, or vanilla Azure Striker title) are back, and Gunvolt is every bit the familiar character we remember. The crafting, the Prevasion, the Anthem, the uber skills, the different tagging bullets, they are all just as you left them, and they will be both every bit as comfortable and powerful as you need or want them to be, depending on your opt-in handicap preferences.
On a whole I loved playing Xanadu Next. It does have controller interface issues if you are using a real controller and the key system that was put into place could be annoying but that’s all it was. A minor annoyance compared to the rest. The skill system is a lot of fun to use especially when passive abilities are discovered such as adding fire to your weapon or being able to do more damage from behind. All of these little features add up to a fun Action Adventure RPG that takes place in an interesting interconnected environment.
When first firing up Super Dungeon Bros, I was immediately reminded of Gauntlet, one of my favorite old arcade games of all time. This looks like a more cartoonish, playful and possibly even more entertaining version of that formula. The problem is, once you strip away the charmingly cute exterior, Super Dungeon Bros is a decidedly average experience that does a few things right but has a few things wrong with it as well.
SENRAN KAGURA Bon Appétit! - Full Course is part of a rather interesting world that usually features fighting games, but this spin-off of the series is a rhythm based title. I honestly had no idea what to expect here, as variant games like this can be incredibly hit and miss, but I'm happy to say that my time spent with this one was enjoyable more often than not.
Earth’s Dawn is a good Side Scrolling Brawler. With the freedom to evolve your character as you see fit for the missions ahead, the mission based structure can be useful even if it is repetitive allowing you to quickly go in and out of missions in order to obtain materials for new gear or to simply waste time for the next large scaled mission.
Titanfall 2 does exactly what you would hope it would, by offering improvement in almost every aspect of the game. The presentation is top-notch, the campaign mode is cleverly done and the multiplayer finds better pacing with more options that should keep the community engaged for some time to come.
Like most gamers with a lifetime of virtual experiences, my current opinion of games played during my childhood and overconfident teenage years is often aggrandized by nostalgia. Playing these classic titles in the present day arouses sweet memories and emotions specific to the awe and wonder of my first play-through, so even if a game has aged like a rock star who’s spent his best crowd-surfing years cleansing and exfoliating his face with innumerable breasts caked in cocaine residue, I’d probably still enjoy and adore the title for the pleasure it gifted me with during those formative years.
Dark, gritty and willing to take chances, Trillion: God of Destruction is an interesting strategy/RPG hybrid that sometimes struggles to find an identity but still serves up a memorable experience. Trillion won't be for everyone, but fans of JRPG or strategy games should give this one a chance.
With the final chapter of this charming tale in the books, I can safely say that while King's Quest Chapter 5: The Good Knight is not the best episode in the series, it does provide a satisfying conclusion to Graham's adventures.
Through the Woods nails creepy atmosphere and has an interesting story that draws on Norse mythology - something that gives it a unique feeling. However, sometimes finicky mechanics and some other rough edges dampen the experience and hold the game back from ever reaching its potential. That is a shame because Through the Woods presents several missed opportunities where the development team executed on some things very well, while other less effective aspects of the presentation hurt the experience as a whole.
What happens when you take an already excellent strategy title, tweaking the little things while adding a new layer of depth? You wind up with an outstanding game that is more of an enhanced game than a true sequel, but no matter what you call it Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence - Ascension is an excellent strategy game that once again proves that they can exist on consoles as well as PC's.
Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 3: New World Order continues an interesting trend that the first two episodes established. That trend is this: Bruce Wayne and not Batman is the real star of the series, and you know what? I am absolutely alright with this. This episode gets off to a slower start than the first two chapters, but it still consistently delivers a quality story that concludes strong and sets up the last couple of chapters wonderfully.
BlazBlue: Central Fiction is an excellent addition to the long-running 2D fighting franchise. The complex combat systems are back, rewarding players willing to put the time into mastering the game's mechanics. If this is indeed the final chapter in the series, it is going out on an incredibly high note.
While playing it safe in the beginning and while the loading times can be a bit long, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is an improvement upon the original. With more to do and an open area hub that is easily moved around in, getting to the action to save the timeline or just go punch things is a much smoother and welcomed experience. The bonus? You still get to create your own custom Dragon Ball character to do battle!
Terrible controls and mismatching quality difference between models and backgrounds aside, WWE 2k17 is (dare I say it) a pretty excellent game. With a little work on those controls and spending a bit more time on bringing the full experience to bear, I could actually see 2k's WWE franchise becoming one of the best sports franchises period. Until then? It is a solid title with just enough familiarity for an old codger like me to be able to pick up and play, and just enough new for veterans of the franchise to be able to justify picking up yet another annual sports title.