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I've done a lot of gushing here, but Resident Evil 2 is the perfect sort of game for gushing. Much like the legendary REmake, this new version of a storied classic was lovingly crafted by people who not only have a collectively sharp eye for what makes an excellent video game today, but also possess a deep understanding of why the original Resident Evil 2 is worth revisiting and what made it a game celebrated to this day. This isn't just an old Resident Evil molded into the new Resident Evil formula. It's a new take on Resident Evil 2 that doesn't feel like it's trying to “modernize” or “fix” the original. It's more of an expensive, ludicrously polished tribute than a remake in the semantic sense, a project that has been in demand for years and quietly pursued for just as long. I'm glad it worked out so well.
On the surface, there's nothing wrong with buying and enjoying a product made by a company eager to provide exactly that product—in this case, busty dress-up dolls that want for nothing other than to fulfill your wants. I just don't find that very interesting or compelling. If that's what you're looking for, whatever floats your boat. But I can't help but feel you can get the desired half of “Dynasty Warriors with TnA” with some quick googling. The end result is the same, but one is free, and the other is Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal.
Wandersong is the video game equivalent of a pep talk. This is your virtual cheerleader. Are you having a bad day? The Bard believes in you! Are you worried about being you? The Bard is your friend and will be there to hear you out. Having trouble solving a problem? Well, I mean, singing a jaunty tune probably won't suddenly make things right, but it might improve your mindset. Wandersong is one of the most pleasant and refreshing games out there. Even when the going gets tough, the goodwill garnered here will help you push through and enjoy another day.
Ultimately, the question for many will be if Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is worth picking up even if players have experienced it before. The answer, at least in my eyes, is a resounding yes. The addition of characters and story content makes it a fresh experience for western fans, and it is a game that still manages to capture the imagination even now. Audio issues aside, this is the best version of Tales of Vesperia we've ever gotten—and, to be frank, that we will ever get—and newcomers and veterans alike owe it to themselves to experience the Definitive Edition of one of the best Tales of games ever created.
After a lengthy layoff, a franchise's odds of a successful return can be dicey at best. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, however, has managed to effortlessly fly back into battle without missing a shot. Everything that you loved about the old iterations has evolved with the times and delivered a solid new combat flight simulation experience. Anyone who has been eagerly awaiting the return will not be disappointed. You can rest assured that this is far from their maiden voyage, and hopefully there are far more battles to come.
If you're looking for an indie RPG that tugs at your heartstrings, Smoke and Sacrifice is that game. Sachi fights her way through the unknown, scavenging for tools and food. She pushes past the obstacles in her way driven to bring her lost child home. A mother's perseverance and strength give me those Kleenex commercial feels. It'll take about twenty hours to complete the story and side quests, which is a good length for an indie game of this scope. And those of us who get emotionally invested in games like these might want to have something comforting at hand. My go-to: a giant bag of M&Ms and some good Japanese whisky, neat.
Don't get me wrong. Smash Hit Plunder is an extremely entertaining game. However, if you're playing the game in single-player exclusively, expect to get burned out rather swiftly. Unfortunately, aside from keeping onlookers busy, the social screen mechanics don't deliver much more than an interactive distraction until they get their next turn under the visor. While I can guarantee that everyone will get some enjoyment from this rambunctious romp, depending upon how you consume the game, your mileage may vary.
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is plenty ambitious, with designs to be both as quirky as the charm-filled RPGs of the 90s, and serious with substantive, heady sci-fi concepts. It calls itself “postmodern” after all, evoking the likes of Vonnegut, Pynchon, or Burroughs. While I was on board at the title screen, it didn't take long for the disappointment to set in. There's an unearned self-confidence in the writing that is hampered by stilted dialogue and shallow characters, and the exact opposite in the gameplay, where YIIK feels afraid to actually be a 90s-style RPG. It's obtuse and poorly balanced, making each encounter a frustrating exercise in attrition. YIIK has big ideas but they rest on top of a shoddy foundation, one that crumbles the more you try to stay on top of it. I'd rather just play EarthBound again.
This remaster seems only well suited for folks who've experienced the series before. It's tailor-made for folks who want to take a trip down memory lane. Even then, you'll find the same surprise I did—that Onimusha: Warlords is a game remembered as being better than it actually was.
There's only so much to say about Vane, an exploratory experience one can get through in a single sitting, without veering into spoiler territory. Vane is a game that feels like it wears its thematic elements on its sleeve, all without a single spoken or written word. Those themes include “instinct” and “exploration” at the ground level, and from there are likely up to how the individual player perceives the story as it develops. In its refusal to hold your hand or even guide you a little, Vane feels like it stands out among its peers as a vehicle to deliver narrative agency for players, not because they have a list of choices to sift through, but because they are presented with an environment and scenario that is so freely open to interpretation. With Vane, you get out what you put in, and while you may not come back to it multiple times, that first one is a doozy.
It’s hard to follow up a high point like Forsaken, which completely transformed the game. While it’s far from perfect, I have to admit that the Black Armory drip feed has worked.
Despite the frustration, Razed succeeds in making you want to come back for more. As you progress through worlds and pick up more abilities, you can go back and replay earlier levels to beat your previous times. This provides a welcome break from some of the frustration of progressing through later levels and clearly adds a lot of replay value to the game overall, especially when you can tackle earlier levels with your hard-earned, new abilities.
Silver Lining is another excuse to strap on the web shooters and play more of one of 2018's best games, but it makes that excuse in a way that feels complacent. Some great banter and a decent boss fight aside, it doesn't provide satisfying conclusions to the stories that were started in the first two chapters while hastily wrapping up its own narrative threads without giving the nuances any room to breathe. For the players that have long since mastered Spidey's web of abilities, there's nothing new to learn here. It's more Marvel's Spider-Man, but that's about it. Now that Silver Lining is out, we can finally start looking forward to the potential innovation and forward-swinging momentum that a proper sequel might take.
In the face of quicker, louder rivals, PUBG offers a slow and meditative experience. It's not, I would imagine, unlike sitting in a deer blind waiting for an unlucky whitetail to pass below. While PUBG's technical issues are ever-present, they rarely spoil this core experience. This is a buggy game, but they aren't game breaking bugs. They're bugs that make you laugh at best and curse under your breath and reboot the game at worst. You hope they get better. But, you know that, with each game, at the very least, you are.
While its adventurous ambitions fall short of nailing it, there's a lot to love about Battle Princess Madelyn. It's a beautiful game in sight and sound, with a dead-on Ghouls ‘N Ghosts vibe but designed to be much less frustrating, an incredible soundtrack with both old and new-school arrangements options, and an adorable Story Mode that pays homage to a classic story in adorable fashion. It's a bedtime story based on a nightmare that somehow comes out on the more pleasant, earnest end of that old school madness, and while it's a pain in the butt to find your way around without a map, the gorgeous settings and pitch-perfect platforming action make it feel worth the struggle.
(I cannot confirm the existence of a Top Gun Easter egg or character appearance in the game because I did not watch the movie, but I can say that, on behalf of PixelTrip Studios, Tom Cruise's likeness was nowhere to be found in case any lawyers are reading this.)
Despite my desire to scream Borderlands 2 VR's praises from the mountaintop, objectively speaking, the overall package is a bit of a mixed bag. We already knew that the game was fun as hell, and that still remains true while the visor is on. However, odd control schemes, lack of core gameplay features from previous installments, and unfortunate legacy design decisions make this holistically feel like an inferior experience. If this is your first chance to explore Pandora, it's worth the journey, but if you're planning a return visit, you'd probably be better off firing up a previous version.
Hellfront: Honeymoon is fun for those who have friends to play with.
My feelings about London Detective Mysteria are as mixed as what the game tries to be. It's not the best or the worst otome I've ever played, and most of the romance routes are rather sweet.
If you're the kind of person who, in the current year of your video game lord 2018 still likes to chuckle at “Engrish” memes and has at least one Sharknado flick in your collection on purpose, boy do I have the game for you. Nippon Marathon is all about the bit, building the gameplay experience, seemingly, all around a tongue in cheek version of Japanese culture. There is a wacky, multiplayer racing game in there, but it feels more like a side effect of a notepad full of gags than a gaming experience that can entertain a group of friends long enough to make them briefly forget about Super Smash Bros., nor does the single-player experience do much after you understand what's happening in front of you. Perhaps the subjectivity of humor is the pass/fail condition for Nippon Marathon, but in a space full of wacky, physics-based multiplayer games, this one feels like it's too confused about what it is and who it's for to stand out.