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Look, by no means is Loading Human: Chapter 1 a great game. There is some potential there, and the use of VR elevates an otherwise very average adventure title. I enjoyed the premise and it reminded me of one of the reasons I was interested in virtual reality in the first place - because VR can help to make more personal, relatable stories. However, that being said, Loading Human: Chapter 1 has too many rough edges to completely overlook.
Dragon Quest Builders is an awesome experience and I truly hope that Square Enix makes more of these. They have many more Dragon Quest titles that can use or even just a sequel since this is a parallel world. If they could add one thing other than better inventory management however? It would be coop as this would definitely be better with a partner as Breanna and I have played this side by side for hours at a time and it would have been fun to help one another out instead of simply showing them where other things were or pulling out plans for them to emulate to level up their town faster.
Euclidean is an interesting idea, but one that relies heavily on the Oculus Rift to make it more engaging than it would otherwise be. Cool concepts and unique visuals help to prop up what is otherwise a somewhat simple, shallow experience.
Syndrome looks the part, with quality visuals and an outstanding sound design. Unfortunately this is a case where the presentation belies a game that has loads of potential, but in the end winds up an average-at-best series of missed opportunities.
Chase: Cold Case Investigations - Distant Memories has nice visuals and sound to compliment a good mystery tale. However, the puzzles are pretty dull and the game is light on content with a short playtime and an ending that did its job - leaving me wanting more - but without knowing if more will ever actually be forthcoming.
I recently previewed Warhammer 40,000 Eternal Crusade and, like most Warhammer games in the last few years, I was let down. Severely. Enter the lovable folks at Fatshark games and Pierre-Yve's glowing review of Vermintide on the PC and I thought "Here it is, finally, a Warhammer game to be proud of!" I was wrong, and that pains me to admit it. Warhammer: The End Times - Vermintide is not a bad game, but it is a bad port.
It really is kind of amazing to see how far the Netpunia games have come over the years, from niche RPG titles that saw releases every now and then, to not only having regular releases in the main franchise, but a series of interesting spinoffs as well. MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is the latest such example, and it works really well - when it is working.
Despite the orphaned feeling of the first half of the game, not to mention the snappier more responsive gameplay, Gears of War 4 is still a rock-solid third person shooter. Set in the broken world of Sera, humanity is trying to rebuild after the Locust (and later, Lambent) devastated the world and in doing, somehow turns into an Orwellian nightmare for the first few acts. Muscle through it, whether through single player, couch co-op, or online co-op, and you will be rewarded with a decent "next step" in the franchise that really ends on a cliffhanger worthy of a follow-up.
Necropolis gets off to a good start, evoking the dark feel of the Souls games while adding in some unique roguelike elements to boot. One does not generally associate the word 'accessible' with either of those two inspirations, but by and large Necropolis actually has a surprisingly low barrier of entry. However, over time that accessibility gives way to a somewhat shallow and ultimately less satisfying experience than the games that clearly inspire it.
Overall, it’s a nice little game to pick up and play while you’re waiting for something, or in transit somewhere, like during a bus ride or your daily commute, but can get incredibly frustrating if you don’t have the patience for it. Surprisingly enough, the worst part of the game isn’t the schizophrenic difficulty or the rather lacking story, but the “escorting” you have to do. The villagers are kinda dumb, and they get scared really easily. It’s also a pain if you have to escort them somewhere, but need them to stay behind because a monster is in your way, because they’ll just walk right into them sometimes. The game feels like one of those hidden gems for puzzle fans, but likely wouldn’t cut it for those looking for a little more action involvement. Remember that ninjas aren’t only sharp with weaponry, but with their minds as well.
With Halloween being just a few days away from the official release date, NIS America could not have picked a better moment to release this horror title. Yomawari: Night Alone has nothing to do with Halloween itself, but as the days of October get shorter and the darkness sets in quicker, there’s a coolness in the air and a creepiness to the game that comes together perfectly to chill you to the bone.
Audio Arena is a fairly simple game offered at a budget price that makes it fair value for what you are getting. It is a nice little rhythm game that does feel a little gimmicky, but still delivers on what it sets out to do in creating a somewhat casual yet still challenging action experience.
Mount Wingsuit is one of those games that is fun in short spurts, but feels more like a tech demo for what VR can do than a full fledged game. I enjoyed it, and the price is budget and matches the content pretty well. With the proper expectations set, I found this to be a positive experience more often than not.
Redout has been one of the best VR experiences I have had to date. The virtual reality helps to create a genuine sense of speed, the racing is fun and unique, there are plenty of things to do to progress the career mode and the overall presentation helps to sell the futuristic setting. Racing fans will find a lot to like here.
Tower defense fans should enjoy Kittypocalypse, as it has plenty of weapons, upgrades and interesting paths for the little evil kitten army to march through. However, the VR works even better than I expected here, and the game's visuals are a hoot, helping to create a better-than-average overall experience that I really enjoyed.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is a great RPG for the Vita. While the menus can seem to get in the way at times either because of loading or because of what you need is a few tabs over, the rest of the experience from the exploration, to the combat, over to the character interactions and dialog is solid and worth the many hours that it provides.
Superdimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls is the latest instalment in the Neptune franchise, and it is probably my favorite installment to date. Vs. Sega Hard Girls sees IF finally getting the limelight, now we’re just waiting for “Gigadimension Vert: BOING in the Dungeon”, which probably isn’t going to be a thing, but we hope. The basic plot is that the world has fallen to ruin, due to constant fighting between the goddesses and the Sega Hard Girls.
Neither good nor inherently bad, Worlds of Magic: Planar Conquest occupies a comfortable place as an average game among the 4x strategy genre. There are some things to like about the title, but there is a noticeable lack of polish that holds the game back in the end.
Dreadhalls is an example of just how immersive Virtual Reality gaming has the potential to be, and with its bevy of jump scares and combination of atmospheric visuals and sound effects, there is a lot to like, especially at first. However, at its heart Dreadhalls is actually a shallow experience that likely will fail to encourage gamers to come back after besting its challenges once.
There really is no other way around it, so I'll be blunt: King's Quest Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home is the weakest entry in the series to date. More numerous puzzles replace the previously clever ones, substituting quantity for quality and while the narrative itself continues to remain charming, overall my decisions felt as though they lacked some of the punch found in earlier entries.