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A Rose in the Twilight has some interesting ideas, but poor execution turns it into a massive disappointment. Players won’t find brilliant puzzles to solve like in Inside or Hue, and instead are stuck playing a game that only has a strong atmosphere to offer up. That might be enough for some players, and the game is certainly gorgeous, but when the genre is filled with brilliant games, there’s little value in such a flawed one.
After years of consistent quality, it almost goes without saying that MLB The Show 17 is a great game. The simulation makes several significant evolutionary steps forward, while still not losing sight of the genre’s storied past. Both newcomers and veterans will find something to appreciate in this year’s outing, along with a little bit of nostalgic appeal sprinkled throughout for good measure. There has never been a better time to become a card-carrying member of The Show Nation.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a pleasant and often challenging run through a fascinating world that ends much too soon. While the game doesn’t present anything innovative or bring anything new to the Metroidvania genre, it’s still quite an enjoyable albeit disappointingly short experience. From the updated visuals and animations to the platforming and combat, Reverie Under the Moonlight doesn’t fail to impress. And its interesting story and world only leads to wishing the game was a lot longer and more explored.
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games fixes some major issues with 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, but doesn’t go all the way in updating it for current consoles. While the remastered version isn’t perfect (and it had the impossible task of replicating how the original game used both screens of the DS), it’s still the best way to play 999 in 2017. Throw in a mostly unchanged port of the PlayStation Vita version of Virtue’s Last Reward, and the package contains two of the best stories in gaming, albeit one without the ending part of the trilogy. Kotaro Uchikoshi’s fantastic titles should be played by any fan of the medium, just be aware that the final chapter, Zero Time Dilemma, will have to be played elsewhere.
This Is the Police will most assuredly find an audience. There is a tinge of Tharsis in the way that difficulty is handled – the world is out to get you, and things only get worse as you lose more and more resources. Most people won’t like this approach. But for those of you who enjoy having the odds stacked against them, for that one triumphant run in which luck is finally on your side and you come out of it all bruised, battered, but ultimately victorious, then This Is the Police may be right for you.
No matter if I was playing or watching, every hour I spent with Everything was an interesting one. Much like life itself, there were moments of beauty and laughter, but also sadness. It's undoubtedly a strange creation, but no other game can allow players to listen to Alan Watts discuss the interplay of difference while watching 10 outhouses perform a dance that results in a baby outhouse somehow being born. There's something special about these moments, and it's why Everything will be on my television screen for a long time to come.
Toukiden 2 is a huge step up from its predecessor, and is a smart evolution of the gameplay that Monster Hunter fans have come to know. By opting for a more story-focused experience, it manages to forego feeling like a grind, and the open-world aspect allows players to really take in their surroundings.
With the vast love of the Mass Effect series, Andromeda was never going to make people 100% happy, the same way the ME3 ending didn't make people happy. The BioWare team put so many great things in place, but the main story, the characters, and most of the writing keep the game from being great. Sadly, technical mess keeps it from being good.
Despite fighting games feeling somewhat stagnant for quite some time, somehow a game from 2011 has managed to feel like something new and fresh. While it is never going to have the balance or fan popularity of other frontrunners in the genre, Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe, is a perfectly functional brawler that is approachable for the casual audience and has enough meat to appeal to the hardcore. It isn’t going to set the world on fire or re-define a genre, but it certainly knows how to leave an impression. Animatronic ta-tas tend to do that.
Styx: Shards of Darkness improves on its predecessor significantly without having to steer away from its core attributes. Everything from its visuals and dialogue to its gameplay and story have been upgraded and polished to an impressive sheen. It’s still far from being perfect and its style of stealth and combat might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely a challenging and enjoyable experience that sometimes forces you to think hard first before acting. The foundation that Of Orcs and Men built set the perfect stage for both Master of Shadows and Shards of Darkness and it can only get better and more interesting from here.
Ultimately, Touhou Genso Wanderer is a solid, if unspectacular, dungeon crawler. It’s in a strange area in-between accessible titles like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and ones built specifically for hardcore players. While it’s not as good as the top of its class, there’s still some solid fun (and challenge) to be had if you’re looking for something new.
There are some really great ideas found within Touhou Double Focus, but they aren’t fully executed here. The gameplay needs to be tighter if it’s going to focus on difficulty, and it pales in comparison to other difficult platformers like Shantae. If you get this as part of the physical copy of Touhou Genso Wanderer then by all means check it out, but Double Focus leaves a lot to be desired by itself.
WRC 6 offers up a decent alternative to Dirt Rally, specifically for fans that want a more forgiving take on the sport of rally racing, but there’s still a lot of room to improve. If the series really wants to be the rally game that most players flock to, it’ll need to offer up better tutorials, and teach players how to understand their co-driver. On top of that, there’s a general lack of polish (from technical issues to visual fidelity) that keeps the game a solid notch below the competition in its own racing niche. There’s still some fun to be had, but there’s far better racers on PlayStation 4.
I previously told all Vita owners that they owed it to themselves to play the Danganronpa games. With the move to PS4, I urge the same of all console owners. It’s really exciting that non-Vita players are finally getting a chance to play this series with Danganronpa 1&2 Reload. Even having played them through multiple times before, I found that I couldn’t put the controller down as I experienced them again on PS4, and not just because of my review. Though they start off a little slow, the pace at which they begin to move is exceptionally thrilling, and you’ll find yourself drawn in until the very end, especially if it’s your first time through. My hope is that you’ll give in to the despair that is Danganronpa.
Darknet isn’t the flashy PlayStation VR game that you’ll show to friends, but it’s absolutely one of the best games available for the headset. The puzzles are consistently challenging, and battling against the clock makes for an intense affair. The experience is really brought together by the inclusion of an interesting game world, that kept me interested enough to continue playing well after the freshness had worn off.
Atelier Firis is able to pull off many of its elements pretty well while at the same time falling short in others. While some of the things the new title tried change or introduce were improvements from its predecessors, such as the new alchemy and partial time limit systems, others felt like a step back for the series, including its combat system and lackluster characters. While fans of the franchise and the new Mysterious series will undoubtedly appreciate this new entry, newcomers may find many of its elements too tedious. Atelier Firis is an undoubtedly good attempt at an Atelier game but may prove to be too niche for others.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing will sate the ARPG fan's appetite, but only just. Those looking for an entertaining story will find plenty to like here, but you'll have to slog through some uninspired combat in order to get to the good parts. A mid-game tower defense mashup freshens things up a bit, but a poor control scheme will lead you to wonder how much better the game could have been. Still, at only $19.99/€19.99, if you think you can deal with some annoying controls and otherwise average RPG action, the surprise metagame in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing might be worth the price of admission.
Though far from perfect, Ghost Recon Wildlands is one of the most effective franchise reboots in recent memory. It manages to build upon the key squad-based mechanics that set the series apart, while not feeling the need to pander to the established fan base. The result is a fantastically realized open world that legitimately feels like it could be a real geographic location.
Nier: Automata is a delectable buffet of remarkable experiences that seamlessly and beautifully mesh together. In spite its plethora of elements, the game doesn’t suffer from the sometimes inevitable pitfalls of trying to do too much. This new entry into the series improves on what made the original so great while remedying some of its predecessor’s most glaring weaknesses. PlatinumGames has done an excellent job at taking Yoko Taro’s deep and interesting world and giving it an amazing gameplay experience that fits it perfectly. Fans of the original as well as newcomers to the series will undoubtedly appreciate what Nier: Automata has to offer.
With a lot more polish and focus on making VR a primary component of the game, DYING: Reborn VR could have been a great room escape experience for the platform. Instead it feels like its a hasty cash grab intended to capitalize on VR hype by being sold as a separate, pared down experience and not adapting the full extent of DYING: Reborn. This is the epitome of cut content being (poorly) repackaged and sold as a separate product, a truly bad move that disrespects the very audience it is trying to impress.