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Assassin's Creed Origins blew my expectations away in so many areas, but there's still something missing that made the likes of Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood so special. However, this is most definitely the best title since then, and one that I'll be jumping back into very soon. The new combat system makes for some incredibly satisfying moments, while the design of the world is only matched by the likes of The Witcher III. Ubisoft Montreal can be proud knowing that they've delivered a level of AAA-production that likely won't be seen again until Cyberpunk 2077 rolls around, but there's just that last leap of faith that needs to be made to once again deliver a generation defining game.
All criticisms aside, though, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon never really pretended as though it was going to be anything different than what players have gotten with its release. It's quick and dirty, the video game equivalent of a greasy burger, and Nights of Azure 2 will leave all but the most hardcore fans of yuri tropes feeling the same kind of shame that comes after consuming fast food as well. Nights of Azure 2 isn't a bad game, but it certainly isn't a good one either—it's just empty calories, with nothing having been gained or lost after a playthrough.
At its core, I understand what AER: Memories of Old was trying to do. AER has a deep story to tell and it has a beautiful way that it wants to do it, but it never manages to marry those ideas. Wanton exploration with little-to-no real payoff becomes a chore—a beautiful chore sure, but a chore nonetheless. There are only so many times I can shift back and forth between bird and human midair before I need something else to drive my engagement. Telling the story through environment, providing better direction, and rewarding extensive exploration are just a few things that could have really helped AER to escape the high res, low poly shell that it is, but AER: Memories of Old is simply too empty to feel like anything more.
There isn't a deeply strategic RTS hiding within No More Heroes! VR, but it does offer a clever commentary on one of gaming's most persistent and often silliest mechanics, and sometimes it's nice to kick back and be the bad guy for a change.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a cute-looking survival horror game, with unexpected twists and a surprisingly dark narrative.
Two episodes in, and I'm absolutely astonished at just how good Life is Strange: Before the Storm is.
One's enjoyment of Gran Turismo Sport will solely be determined by whether the prospect of learning different tracks and competing in three different online races per day is exciting to them. If you can't get into that gameplay loop then you'll want to play something else, as the single-player content is extremely limited, and even the online offerings aren't rich with features. GT Sport does a few things exceptionally well (you won't find a better looking and playing racing game), but it ultimately left me wanting more content out of it.
What's most disappointing about WWE 2K18 is that there are so many good ideas present. Being able to go backstage and interact with larger-than-life wrestlers should be great fun, not a monotonous annoyance. The goals should add some much needed structure to the career, but instead they're so oddly specific that many players won't be bothered to even advance pass them. That's not even mentioning the horrendous artificial intelligence, which is somehow leaps and bounds worse than previous years. Clearly a lot of work went into this year's installment, but the end result simply did not come together in the slightest.
When you take a step back and look at what Raw Data is attempting to accomplish on the PSVR, it's remarkable what they were able to pull off. Better yet, it's one of the few VR experiences that I've played that feel like they've graduated from extended tech demo to a fully formed gaming experience. Unfortunately, while the ambition is certainly there, it feels like the hardware is once again preventing a standout title from achieving its potential greatness. Raw Data is an experience that is most definitely worth exploring, just don't expect your eyes to be overwhelmed with what they see. Suit up soldier. It's about time you cause an oil clean-up in aisle everywhere.
Despite these couple of technical misgivings, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is another interactive journey into the minds of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. I quite literally felt like I was playing the show for the 15 hours that I spent in South Park–not surprising, given that the first game met that uncanny caliber of delivering a near perfect recreation. If easily offended, chances are you've already written off South Park, and chances are even higher that you aren't reading this review. Surrounding the fart jokes and fourth graders who love to say fuck a lot, there is a brutally intelligent comedic commentary on many aspects of modern society. It's something that South Park has always been great at, and something that translates incredibly well to interactivity. Where the first game made a believer out of me, The Fractured But Whole had me farting falling in love with South Park all over again.
There's a lot of fun to be had in ELEX at higher levels, but the game opens far too slowly and spreads itself out too thin to make any sort of impact. It's a game that begs to be smaller in scope, and richer in depth. And while its animations and visuals are mostly uninspiring, there are some real moments of beauty that are found in its caves and crevasses if you choose to explore the land of Edan.
Chaos;Child is an incredibly dark commentary on the failings of modern day society. Both the benefits and drawbacks of the technology that keeps us all connected is touched upon, and it's not afraid of using its characters to make a point. While the twists and turns wind up going down a sci-fi heavy route in its back half, Chaos;Child never forgets that the main issues are societal. This is a visual novel that'll leave you thinking long after the ending has occurred.
But even with all its flaws, major and minor, the game is filled with moments of hilarity and high tension. Playing alone or with friends, the simplistic mission design that always has you sneaking about or sprinting for your life is a blast to take part in. There's a deluge of customization options that is only matched by the Payday games and the humor is surprisingly consistent. RAID: World War II can be frustrating at times, but there's a lot of fun to be had with friends.
The Evil Within 2 has arrived just in time for the spookiest holiday of the year. While the difficulty level has been ratcheted down noticeably in the name of accessibility, the harder modes should suffice for those looking for a challenge. Creepy environments are a staple of this series, and there are even a few jump scares thrown in for good measure. A much more focused story will drive you to want to play for “just one more chapter,” while a decent selection of side missions will also keep you occupied for the duration. Still, by incorporating a lot of the more traditional elements of open-world games, such as a regular map, waypoint system, and lengthy cutscenes, the game has lost some of the abstract charm seen in the original. This should not act as a deterrent, however; horror fans have found the best game to play this Halloween.
Conceptually fascinating and visually stunning, Echo runs out of steam the longer it overstays its welcome, beginning to feel like an echo of itself before long. A slow start, punitive checkpoints, and analogous environments lead further encounters to feel like running the same old gauntlet, which is disappointing, given the potential of this novel concept. The unique strategic gameplay of enemies learning from you reverberated throughout, but so did everything else. I really enjoyed Echo, but like a song played on repeat, I could only suffer so much repetition before it began to lose me.
The story is so great, it's difficult for me to not recommend it, but I can only, in good conscience, recommend only one playthrough. The magic is a bit lost after that.
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a perfectly serviceable action RPG. That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but for folks who are looking for a bit of mindless, distracting entertainment (and who couldn't use that with all the things going on in the world today?), Tamsoft's latest foray into this goofy game industry parody should fit the bill nicely. It's certainly not the mark of a masterpiece when the most you can say about a game is that it's fun and mostly inoffensive, but this series has never really been aiming for that high mark in the first place, and that's just fine by me.
It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out, as I'm left hoping to mend many fences. I haven't been able to predict the many twists and turns of Telltale Games' Guardians of the Galaxy so far, but I've been thoroughly enjoying it so far.
There's plenty to like in Pharaonic, including fantastic visuals, interesting (albeit repetitive) character design and moment-to-moment gameplay that is hard to beat. The development team has somehow managed to make a Souls-style game accessible, with one less dimension. Ambitious achievements like this are fairly rare, especially for such a young studio. And to imagine that this was done on such a small scale is genuinely remarkable. I would highly recommend giving this experience a look if you're looking for the next chance to be reminded how you suck at games. Git gud, man. Git gud.
It's not often that I walk away from a game without a few positives from the experience. Typically even when things go awry there are good ideas underneath the flawed execution, and I can see what the studio was going for. That isn't the case with Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle. Everything from its presentation to the gameplay seems poorly thought out. This is one worth avoiding by all, as there's not even any enjoyment to be had in a "so bad it's good" sense.