PlayStation LifeStyle
HomepagePlayStation LifeStyle's Reviews
I had my doubts about this game, as I already mentioned. I never once thought there was a way Square Enix could live up to the hype the company has built up for this game. But bravo, it has done it and then some. The developer has refined and perfected the combat. It kept its silliness in tact. It kept in the darker themes and deep moments of self-reflection that we all need every once in awhile. It's, quite frankly, the best Kingdom Hearts game Square Enix has ever created.
It's a satisfying mix. This is the rare (only???) game offering something for fans of Doom, No Man's Sky, Harvest Moon, and Fortnite. It's not the perfect simulation of life in outer space, but, in some ways, it gets closer than anything else has.
I'm ragging on JackQuest a lot here, but to put it plainly, JackQuest doesn't make a great case for itself. It feels like an earnest project inspired by the titans before it, but it doesn't have nearly the same juice behind it.
All great VR experiences start with an idea. “Wouldn't it be cool if…?” As much as I enjoyed my time with A Fisherman's Tale, the unique concepts it bears and the surprisingly deep narrative carried on its roiling waves, it's hard to recommend something so brief. Not to mention, the game feels more like a proof of concept for something far bigger, rather than a proper VR title in its own right. This lighthouse will always carry a forlorn sense that infinity isn't quite as infinite as it is meant to feel.
FutureGrind's story and sounds may not be the most grippin,g but the breadth of what's offered in terms of bikes, courses, and challenges make up for its other shortcomings. In the end, the quick thinking and creativity it requires make it a ride you won't want to miss.
Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! sticks to its strengths, keeping true to their time management roots and nailing those parodies. That tutorial battle took me a little longer than I thought it would, but eventually I got the hang of it. There was some trial and error during the first mission as I had to switch my brain from thinking this was A Weapon Shop?!. But once I put on my Mal Reynolds suspenders, it was smooth sailing. Now I'm the best damn pilot in the galaxy, zipping all over the place blasting baddies out of the sky. I even have a furry sidekick. This could be your life, too, since Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! is out now on the PlayStation 4.
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.